this is my first manual car, ive now had it about 8 months now and consider myself a pretty good driver. at the time i got this sad sad slip

r/t-.656
60'-.2.640
330-6.898
1/8-10.289, mph-75.06
1000-13.159
1/4-15.58, mph 93.56

i was a brand new driver, had less than a months experiance and all i had was a pop charger, i now feel i have pretty much perfect control of my car but would like any tips i can get, so my time isnt lookin like that again, it was slightly embarassin, haha..and maybe a resonable time estimate i could expect... im plannin on making this a weekly thing now and any helping info would be apreciated, thanks alot

 

Your launch is killing you. You need to work on getting that 60' time down to 2 seconds. My first time out I ran a 14.01, but my 60' time was 2.1 If I could knock 0.2 off my 60' time that should double in return, I believe knocking me down to 13.6 or so. The launch really is crucial.

Since I only have 4 runs under my belt, I'm sure some of the more experienced drag guys can chime in.

Practice, practice, practice and it'll come.

 

ask alberto how to get insane times.

 

with the launch... i know it will change from car to driving style, but is there a general rpm you should be at when you take off? i had trouble with that, generaly i would half burn out before i took off, and i know thats not what i should be doing..

 

I was doing mine between 2.5 and 3k with a little bit of slippage. I probably need to rev a little higher, but I was spinning at 3.5. I don't know which edition you have, but unless you have the Track or GT model, I think my tires are wider than yours in the rear. Also, I turn off TCS. As for the shifting, I was quasi-power shifting. I didn't want to be too hard on my tranny the first time out.

I really just need to get out there and try some more to see what works best and that's really what I recommend for you also. Maybe try to launch at some stop signs or lights (when no one is around of course).

 

Give yourself a pat on the back. Your times are better than all the bench racers hanging around here.

You are afraid of the torque. At the starting line, you will have to push the Z hard. Red line will come up fast. Be ready to shift.

Consider that the start is two steps:
a. Release the clutch. Rears tires bite. Weight is transferred over the rear tires.
b. Hit the throttle hard.

The difference between 1/4 and 1/8 trap speed is only 18.5 MPH. Scottsdale is in Arizona? What is the elevation?

 

its connected to phx, 1200 ft..

i always shifted right before red line but some kid was tellin me to hit it when racing, was he full of ****?

 

well explain how you went down the track the first time from did you go in the water box? how did you launch? and what rpm do you shift at?

i went to the track aslo after only driving a stick for a short time. but i had a good launch and pulled a 2.0 60' with a 13.8. so you can have those times go way down with a good launch. i launched at about 3200 rpm. and your trap speed is way low. you could get another 7mph

 

i shifted gears at about 6.5, my launch was pretty horrible because i didnt know about the vdc, so that was on... and, im not sure what a water box is.. its hard for me to pick up on alot of this kinda **** because not one single person that i know races, i dont really know alot of the terms and other general things most would know because other than on here i dont have a single person to talk to about this stuff

 

yea it is the vdc that killed everything. if i would leave it on it kicks in for the launch for shifting into 2nd and shifting into 3rd. trust me if you turned it off you would be well in the 14's even with a 2.2 60'

 

Believe me. Racers understand. Describing a technique such as launching can be indecipherable. Do it a 100 times, and you will get it right. Try to tell another member, and you may be lost for words. Some racers have commented “Practice practice practice.” They are not flippant, just realistic.

Shift at redline. Practice, and bounce off the rev limiter once or twice. It wont hurt. You will figure out where redline is.

 

Agree. TCS is killing your 60-foot time. TCS will not let you spin the rear tires.

 

The water box is the area where they literally spray water onto the ground. The guys with slicks will pull into it so they can light up their tires easier. If you're running street tires, you really shouldn't do it because the water can supposedly stay in your tread. My first run I went through it and actually had my fastest time, but maybe it was a bit dry at the time.

Like davidv said, remember to turn off VDC/TSC everytime! Once you cut off your car it will turn back on. Shift close to redline and shift fast and your time will dramatically improve.

good luck

 

so i should actually hit redline before i shift? and should i do that thru all gears? thanks alot for the help

 

No, if you hit the rev limiter its going to cost you a bit of time. If you're limiter kicks in at 7,000 RPM's, the best place to shift would be 6,999 RPM's, or more realistically right before you think its going to hit. If you run the car a few times you'll get the feel for it.

I made my first "hit" on the rev limiter Saturday night that I'd had in 4 or 5 visits to the track because I couldn't hear my car and was watching the guy next to me creep over some - I lost about a tenth on that run and 1 mph in the 1/8th. It makes a BIG difference getting your shifts down.

Launch well, (don't have to be as "quick" as you'd think, smooth with a decent bit or RPM and you'll get good 60' times, learn how to get the car to transfer weight smoothly and your tires won't spin as easily), shift quickly and with as much RPM as you can, and MAKE SURE you don't shift into the wrong gear.

If you spin badly, mis a gear, etc. Just get things corrected and finish the run - your time will not be great since you made a mistake, so just finish it to get clear for the next cars and don't worry about your time, keep your car safe and running right.

Good luck, Scottsdale has a slow track from what I remember reading, so don't expect to break into 13's without a LOT of work, maybe you'll get a mid/low 14 though.

Good luck, have fun.

 

We need a Launching Technique Sticky.

 

I hadn't seen the site that warmmilk was linking before, but it actually has a pretty good tutorial if you take the time to read through it. The guy definitely did a good job of learning without a good explanation, and then is able to explain it better than most.

www.rangeracceleration.com

 

I have to agree 100% with what is being stated above
Work on your launching, and shift before 7,000.

It is amazing how the 60' will effect your time
I hit a 2.2 60' and ran 14.1.
I ran a 2.4 60' and hit a 14.6

As you can see I need some more practice as well!!

Work on your launching, that is the #1 thing you need seat time with..
Looking into a set of used Drag radials someone has around your area may be a good idea as well

 

thanks alot for the help man.. just curious, what do you mean about us haveing a slow track? ive herd other people describe firebird as that

 

Elevation

The thinner air causes a loss of power...the higher the elevation the thinner the air and the less power you have to make a run

Expect to lose about 5-8 tenths at 2700-3000ft elevation, I think its about 2-3mph also --- and thats just the elevation

Factor in hot temps --- 70* is considered good...every 10* is supposed to add a tenth to your ET

So your 2700 ASL, in 105* weather in a bone stock Z....figure 13.6@101 is great....your looking at 14.4 or so on the same run in the condititions above....muck that up and it will only get worse...a sea level 14.1 run will look more like a 14.9 etc...

Heat/Elevation kill NA times .....fall months with cooler temps and proper track prep will always yield quicker ETs and higher traps...but youll still be up against the natural elevation in the fall....that handicap is the reason many guys travel to sea level tracks for better slips....there is a reason Englishtown has so many records lol

This will help you with correcting your slips for elevation.....you can use the 10* rule if you want for temp but thats more a ballpark firgure....FYI from what I can gather this particular raceway in AZ (there are two firebird raceways that I know of) is 1100ft ASL

http://www.nhra.com/tech_specs/altitude.html

http://www.firebirdraceway.com/