Hey guys,

As you know I'm new here, and new to all this stuff in general. Before this I had a 98 5.9L Ram, which I was doing some upgrades on (Jacobs, Ram Air box, Jet chip, exhaust), but after 1 year I heard about the Lightning and had to get one. Now that I've been spoiled, I don't think I could settle for anything less.

I've finally had time to go through the latest two pages of posts, I think I've stumbled upon a library of information here, especially since I can't find anyone in my area who has experience with the Lightning specifically (I have a really good mechanic though - he has an old Ford w/Chrysler Hemi). I live in Orange County, Southern California by the way.

Also in my area, it seems all the gasoline is 92 octane, but I notice many of you guys mention 93 octane. Is this depending on the area you live in?

Another question I have is how do I go about taking my truck to the track and having some real fun? Do I need a special license or anything? So far I have raced on the street up to 110 mph (against a Mustang GT-no sweat), and just can't seem to get enough of the incredible rush. Also my upper control arm came loose, which was scary to think about. I've blown away every car I've raced so far, my favorite was the older Lightning, I didn't know it was a Lightning at first and was totally caught off guard by the speed and handling. Around here there's lots of fixed up imports (rice burners), today I demolished a tricked out Acura, twice! He started it (and got a head start) both times. The second time my tires were spinning so hard I almost hit him in the side. I would love to be able to work on my driving skills on a track if possible. This is my first real performance machine, so please excuse these beginner's questions.


Thanks for any help,
Mike

99.5 black lightning
deciding on Superchip or chip from Sal
ordering air filter kit from Sal tomorrow

 

Hey Mike,

Welcome to the family! Regarding some good dragstrip advice and pointers, check out the below link. It was just posted over on the NLOC Lightning-L list and has some very good pointers for both first-timers and old-timers.
http://www.f-body.org/dragbasics.htm

Mike Philpott

 

F150SVT,
Thanks for posting that link, there were a few things I didn't know myself.

------------------
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
PFA
'99 WHITE LIGHTNIN'
#0873
RHINO, Soft cover
LoJack
Valentine 1
Mobil 1
Best ET-14.18
Superchip