Originally Posted by slowmotion
A really cheap way is to look at the car for ways to lose weight.
i was gonna go there...so since you did..i will too...lol.
shed weight as mentioned above,getting the car to free roll ( no brake drag) properly greased bearings etc....
getting the chassis of the car to work well..with least AMOUNT OF PINION ANGLE as possible..TOO MUCH pinion angle effects hp.
chassi dyno's have discovered 1 degree of pinion angle was responsible for 10 hp loss at the wheels.
run the smallest tire you can without compromising your chassis hooking..if you can run a radial and get by with it..do it ..its the FASTER SLICK...no growth on tire.
Last the more tire pressure in the rear you can run the faster it will be ..while maintaining proper front air pressure
i know this is not engine stuff but its a direct connection of the end result you are ultimatley shooting for.