What the hell are you guys doing to land that kind of a 60ft?! I've gone to the strip twice with some bfg drag radials and the best i can do is pull of a 2.0 60ft.

I want to see if i can notice some kind of a pattern with the way you guys launch. Are you guys launching like at 6500rpm or something.


when i launch it seems as though im getting grip and able to take off....but then i get my time slip and i see the damn 2.0 or 2.1. It pisses me off

 

o yea best i've been able to do is an 8.9 so im thinking with atleast a 1.8 i can probably get what ...an 8.7?

 

Heat the tires up and play with pressures and launch rpm's. 1.8's should be no problems on DR's or slicks. Although the guys around this area have yet to go lower than 1.9's on DR's Mid-A curse is spreading!

 

I do a good burn out with the MT DR's, and make sure they are sticky, before pulling up to the the line.

I have been launching at between 5K-6K rpms, letting the clutch out quickly. 1.7's should come on the MT DR's, but so far they have been able to pull fairly consistent 1.8's, unless the track condition is really bad.

Keep in mind that I have a Nismo flywheel. I would launch a little lower with the heavier stock FW.

 

i got a 1.9 60ft when i had my stock 17s on... dumping clutch at 3500 rpms

 

It's all about personal technique and in some cases practice. Some people cut 1.7s their first time at the track on a DR, others have to practice practice practice.

 

my stock tires sit there and spin by dumping the cluth at 2k....but i'm on the street. Are tracks that much "stickier"

 

Maybe. I don't try maximum acceleration from a stop on the street so I don't know. The only way to compare tires and technique is with accurate 60-foot times. Without that both are a guess at best.

 

Just out of curiosity post some time slips.

 

ok i understand about the practice part...definatly important and i understand that, i just need to know what exactly to practice...so you guys who have pulled off these 1.8's, did you guys launch at high rpm or did you guys launch low but hard and let the clutch slip? i need some details.

I just feel that if i keep practicing i'll only be practicing the wrong way...is that making any sense?

 

i'll look for some of my best times and try to post at least one, they're in my Z

 

Start by practicing in a closed parking lot...

Rev to 3000rpms. Slowly let the clutch out until you feel it start to grab and the car start to slowly inch forward. Push the clutch down EVER-SO-SLIGHTLY just so that the car stops inching forward. Get a really good feel for the pedal on your foot. IMO, this is what new racers at the dragstrip can't do very well because they're so nervous about staging and watching the tree hoping to score a .000 reaction time.

So, now that you found that sweet spot on the clutch and your holding your RPMs at 3,000 you are going to do two things at the same time: 1.) quickly let the clutch out 2.) Quickly press the the accelerator to the floor.

Sounds easy... tips: Don't side step the clutch. Don't mash the gas. Feel the clutch almost get sucked out from under your foot. If you do it right, your wheels will chirp chirp chirp--there should be very little wheelhop and very little spin; you'll feel the car's frame almost "shudder". You'll be at redline in like 0.3 seconds, so be ready to grab second real hard. If your RPMs drop below 3000, then you bogged it. Stop start over. If you sat there will tires spinning, you probably got off the clutch too fast. Stop start over.

In all honestly, it's best to have someone who knows how to launch a car show you.

When you get good at launching at 3,000rpms, take it up to 3250, then 3500...etc, etc. It gets harder at it goes up in RPMs because that "fine line" between the clutch being disengaged and engaged (slip zone) becomes smaller and smaller. Being able to launch at higher RPMs depends on your tire/suspension setup and the amount of torque you are currently producing.

FYI, I took 3 runs on the stock Potenzas this past spring. I ended up with a 2.4, 2.4, and a 2.0 60'. Many other people here have scored even lower on the stock tires. It's all about practice. Good luck.

 

This is the audio from an entire 1/4 mile run on the stock rubber. Notice the small amount of tire sqeal at the beginning. This was my 3rd run ever with the JWT TT kit, so I never got it into 5th. I was a little surprised that I topped out forth gear and hadn't crossed the finish line--thus the reason why you don't hear a 5th gear shift. This was a crappy 12.8 second run.

www.fi-z.com/128_in_car_sound.wav

 

to break it down, its all about holding the highest rpm you can and taking off while not bogging or spinning, there is a fine line between the two and thats where practice comes in...


now that rpm and that fine line on the clutch release will have to be learned, there is no way of telling you how to do it...

 

It's been my experience that track prep really does play a big roll in traction. For years my track was really slick and prep was non-existent on TNT nights. Then a couple years back they raised the prices, resurfaced the track, and started prepping on TNT nights. My 60 foots in my Maxima went from solid upper 2.2/low 2.3s to 2.1s/low 2.2s. Same tires, same launch technique. The change in 60 foots alone got me .2-.3 second quicker slips.

 

heat them up and practise, practise, practise

 

damn this is some good stuff, this is what i was talking about (w/ the advice). In all honesty with the amount of runs i've had in my Z and the few runs in the new drag radials i feel like i'm doing ok, i dont feel like a noob. You know 8.9 in the 1/8th isnt too shabby with drag radials and 9.1's on street tires aint bad,( i can pull these times off consistently without a problem) but not good enough and i feel like im not reaching the cars full potential. Basically i know 8.7's or better are a few techniques away.

So anyone out there good enough to launch at 4 or 5000rpm on radials? I honestly thought that launching at high RPM like this was bad that's why i never even tried launching this high even with radials

 

I launch at around 5500 on DR's and 6500 on slicks it all depends on how well the track is prepped.
If you bog you need to launch higher of you slip too much launch lower.
practise with how fast you let the clutch out as well.

 

Hey Tomcat, where do you run at...i noticed you're from SoCal? I'm looking for a quartermile track near San Diego. Know of any?

Damn those are some high launches...something to shoot for

 

What are your mods besides DR's again? 8.9 on a DR isnt all that but you know that. Shoot to drop at least .2 tenths off that time. Can you post a slip so I can see your 1/8 time/speed and 1/4 time/speed? You may be losing some on the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts before the 1/8. FWIW-I ran 8.8 1/8 stock my 2nd run ever, slowest stock was 13.8 @ 100 with 8.9 1/8...

Also, while it is good to practice where you can (street) that all goes out the window at the track. Like mentioned some tracks will be worse than your practice pad, some will be much better. You just need to practice a lot so you can adapt quickly-in a matter of 1 run or two, that way you can maximize times on your track on a perticular day. Good luck, you seem to have a good attitude about getting better, that + practice is all it takes. Nobody here started out driving, launching, shifting great