Drag racing tips

[RegSpec]

Quick tip......
When you launch the car, always leave on the LAST amber light....your car will react better and a lot of races have been won with a slower time purely because you have left with a better reaction time.....;)

[Giant]

Originally Posted by Kable72

Yeah that was the commodore next to me. I nearly stalled that one lol. Mine's the one that you can hear over everything else.

LOL I wasn't going to credit the Holden!

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by BionicXR6T

Quick tip......
When you launch the car, always leave on the LAST amber light....your car will react better and a lot of races have been won with a slower time purely because you have left with a better reaction time.....;)

I find with my car if i wait till the third amber its already too late. Maybe manuals/hi stalled auto's or something with simply more torque would react quicker though. I'm generally still looking at my dash though and leaving my peripheral vision for the amber lights.

[Giant]

Roll out and driver reaction is different for every car and person.

[RegSpec]

That's right....but its just a streeter with 18-19in rims so rollout wont be hard to work out...
Hence my advice to start with leaving on the last amber and work out what works best for him

[Madaya]

Off to Whoop *** Wednesday, err, this Wednesday 15/3, at the Kwinana Motorplex. If any of you guys are there and recognise the Nitro Tray Ute, stop and say hello.

Read some of the great tips. Just like Kable, I'm starting to feel a bit of anxiety (better up the meds eh ), how will I go, will I hurt the car etc. Spent an hour cleaning the interior and emptying the Ute of all non essential items to save weight, you know, pieces of paper, grains of sand in the carpet etc. Tomorrow, I'll give the Ute a wash. All the fluids are in good nick and fairly fresh. Ready for launch.

Thanks Kable and others for good advice about the clutch. Like most, I've never driven on a sticky track, I can't imagine how it might affect the takeoff.

First run, I will leave TC on, rpm around 3k and then let the clutch out and leave it at that. If it fluffs, well, I'll change a few things, damn I just want to get over the line in one piece. One thing for sure, when I pass the 1/4 mile, I'll probably be going faster than I ever have in my life (that's how green I am - just turned 50 too).

Will post times and etc.

Just hope they don't place me alongside some Holden kid with a worked Godzilla monster car thing (unless it's my mates Holden Ute). I'll be so stressed on the line, I might put the car in reverse.

[Kable72]

Roflmao, just enjoy yourself mate. There is a first for everything as the Americans say. You'll enjoy every bit of it. By the end of it you'll wish the line wasn't so long!

[Giant]

If the track is sticky try upping the psi in the rear tyres.

[Dash_XR]

Good luck mate.

[Madaya]

I've put 42 in the front and 32lb in the rear. I assume there is an air pump up there if I have to make adjustments.

[GTB 351]

Don't worry about what pulls up next to you, I never did; you are racing yourself and trying to get the best out of your car, improving each time you go out. What's in next lane is not important, just focus on your car and what you are doing.

[Alan D Segal]

I've had a couple goes at just mashing the accelerator when the light goes green. I need to stall it up (4 spd auto) though because my 60' times are pretty poor and I think the lack of 'launch' is hurting the 1/4 mile time and speed. My best was 103mph, but that was with letting it roll off the line for a split second before hitting the loud pedal. I only ran a 14.2. The car should get into the 13s in a future attempt, and then that's it for me

[Kable72]

Originally Posted by Alan D Segal

I've had a couple goes at just mashing the accelerator when the light goes green. I need to stall it up (4 spd auto) though because my 60' times are pretty poor and I think the lack of 'launch' is hurting the 1/4 mile time and speed. My best was 103mph, but that was with letting it roll off the line for a split second before hitting the loud pedal. I only ran a 14.2. The car should get into the 13s in a future attempt, and then that's it for me

Yours a turbo?

[Alan D Segal]

Originally Posted by Kable72

Yours a turbo?

BA XR8 but it has lower diff gears than standard. Still, I doubt there'd be many turbos slower than that - even stock ones.

Anyone know what rpm I should be trying to launch a relatively standard (power wise) XR8 auto at?

[Kable72]

Originally Posted by Alan D Segal

BA XR8 but it has lower diff gears than standard. Still, I doubt there'd be many turbos slower than that - even stock ones.

Anyone know what rpm I should be trying to launch a relatively standard (power wise) XR8 auto at?

Before the wheels start spinning.

[Alan D Segal]

Originally Posted by Kable72

Before the wheels start spinning.

It does this at just over idle in the burnout area. I haven't tried it on the start line as mentioned in my post, I'll have to test it and report back next time I go to the track. I'm not trying it on the street.

[Kable72]

Originally Posted by Alan D Segal

It does this at just over idle in the burnout area. I haven't tried it on the start line as mentioned in my post, I'll have to test it and report back next time I go to the track. I'm not trying it on the street.

Best to test and find where you can launch with minimal tyre spin.

[Alan D Segal]

Yes, that's what I'll have to do. Just getting in enough runs to try it every which way can be difficult when every other man and his dog is there. Ahhh well, I can't afford to rent the whole place out so that's just how it is. I seems to have the power to be able to go quicker, but there's definitely more skill in drag racing than I thought there was tbh. Cheers.

[Kable72]

Originally Posted by Alan D Segal

Yes, that's what I'll have to do. Just getting in enough runs to try it every which way can be difficult when every other man and his dog is there. Ahhh well, I can't afford to rent the whole place out so that's just how it is. I seems to have the power to be able to go quicker, but there's definitely more skill in drag racing than I thought there was tbh. Cheers.

I know what you mean. Having our track open once a month isn't enough lol. Though if it was open any more, I'd go through a clutch alot quicker and I can't afford a replacement right now :P

[Giant]

Originally Posted by Alan D Segal

It does this at just over idle in the burnout area. I haven't tried it on the start line as mentioned in my post, I'll have to test it and report back next time I go to the track. I'm not trying it on the street.

The burnout area is wet concrete pretty much any car can spin the wheels here.

You will have much greater grip on the line with all the rubber and traction compound, adjust your rear tyre pressures to aid launching grip.

[Road Games]

Drive around the water Allan don't waste your time burning out on street rubber.

Oh and lower your rear tyre pressure to at least 25psi

HTH

[Giant]

Driving around the burnout box can meaning driving over lose rubber and dirt, this crap has a habit of sticking to your tyres and reducing traction. The build up of the lose rubber and crap is due to the fact they use leaf blowers to blow that stuff out of the burnout box area.

Sometimes its better to just do a quick spin of the wheels in the burn out box to clean the wheels.

Test the best tyre pressure by placing a bit of water on concrete and then driving forward onto dry concrete and check your tracks / contact patch and adjust until you get the biggest foot print.

If you have somewhere where you can legally do a burnout you can just do a short 1 foot skid get out and check the pattern and adjust the pressures accordingly.

Also remember when you stall up the car will squat at the rear forcing the rear tyres into the track.

[marcyeo]

How does the christmas tree work - if I want to perfect my launch so I get a good grip off the line with minimal wheelspin and want to take my time getting the correct revs, will this be included in the 1/4 mile time, or will it only affect my reaction time?

As in does it start recording times only when you start to leave the line? Cos for my first time I probably don't care about reaction times rather than getting a good launch..

[FPV GTHO]

It's once you leave a certain area, not once the green goes so feel free to take your time.

[Giant]

Will only effect your reaction time, the ET timer only starts once you brake the start beam.

[335POWER]

what would you guys say to a guy who has NEVER raced, in any capacity, other than "WTF are you doing!!??"

[jcxr]

Originally Posted by Troy23

what would you guys say to a guy who has NEVER raced, in any capacity, other than "WTF are you doing!!??"

Go for it, but its addictive. Ive dabbled in it for 45 years........

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by Troy23

what would you guys say to a guy who has NEVER raced, in any capacity, other than "WTF are you doing!!??"

My first few times I got really anxious whilst waiting. You're not going to get the best out of the car the first time you run it, so don't even try. Take some psi out of the wheels, stall it up a bit and go from there. Wait for the green light and see how long it takes to react. Then slowly start pushing for more and try get to a pout where you understand what is happening.

[Giant]

Go and enjoy don't worry about times or others just have fun

[King Dribble]

Hey Marceo, are you going to the Mackay track? Its the closest.