How do I launch?
06-21-2003 | 05:51 PM
#1
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Joined: Jun 2002
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From: Southtown
How do I launch?
I've had my Z (track model) for about 7 months now, it's the only manual car I've ever driven. I'm curious about how to launch. When I go on the backroads to try it, I rev it to about 2-3k, and I come off the clutch quickly. I get a short screech for about .005 of a second, and then it starts jerking.I guess I'm assuming that's what bogging is, I'm not too familiar with this term, since I don't have any buddies that are into cars like me. Shouldn't I be getting some wheel spin or something?
Also, what exactly does feathering the clutch mean? Please help me, I'm not trying to street race (maybe autox though) at the moment, I just want to be able to launch that **** with some decency.
Also, what exactly does feathering the clutch mean? Please help me, I'm not trying to street race (maybe autox though) at the moment, I just want to be able to launch that **** with some decency.
06-21-2003 | 07:26 PM
#3
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,906
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From: jacksonville, FL
wow way to be an a$$ kurt the guy is trying to learn how to do it right. Im curious too what the best way to launch in these because i cant get my 60' times below a 2.4. I usually try to launch at about 2500 with 28 psi in the rear wheels, then once i hit ~5 mph just floor it. Anyone else got some advice?
06-21-2003 | 09:46 PM
#5
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Joined: Jun 2003
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From: bel air
lol def not a TT.net member. i know exactly what a fair price is for a golf 
as for you, blow me.
the advice i gave him was completely sound and i meant every word of it. hes out launching the car thats his first manual. no one here is "the best driver around" so please, put it back in your pants. i have a FWD GOLF with a turbo, stock suspension and tires and i get out of the hole around 2.25 running a 14.4@99, so sounds like my way of doing things works better than what you are doing. im not slamming on him or being an ***. im telling him to learn his car and get used to it for about a year untill he "knows it" no average person(like we all are) knows our cars that well that fast, especially if its not his DD. driving stick and knowing your car are completely different things. sitting around practicing drag launches burns things up, quick.
my only point to that post is this: take your time, learn the car. when you have some miles hit the drag strip. if you must, id suggest a "slip" of the clutch rather than a "quick release" or a dump.
i guess if you must learn, this method i have found is the best. teaches you to "learn" your car.
Originally posted by PoWeRtRiP
wow way to be an a$$ kurt the guy is trying to learn how to do it right. Im curious too what the best way to launch in these because i cant get my 60' times below a 2.4. I usually try to launch at about 2500 with 28 psi in the rear wheels, then once i hit ~5 mph just floor it. Anyone else got some advice?
wow way to be an a$$ kurt the guy is trying to learn how to do it right. Im curious too what the best way to launch in these because i cant get my 60' times below a 2.4. I usually try to launch at about 2500 with 28 psi in the rear wheels, then once i hit ~5 mph just floor it. Anyone else got some advice?
the advice i gave him was completely sound and i meant every word of it. hes out launching the car thats his first manual. no one here is "the best driver around" so please, put it back in your pants. i have a FWD GOLF with a turbo, stock suspension and tires and i get out of the hole around 2.25 running a 14.4@99, so sounds like my way of doing things works better than what you are doing. im not slamming on him or being an ***. im telling him to learn his car and get used to it for about a year untill he "knows it" no average person(like we all are) knows our cars that well that fast, especially if its not his DD. driving stick and knowing your car are completely different things. sitting around practicing drag launches burns things up, quick. my only point to that post is this: take your time, learn the car. when you have some miles hit the drag strip. if you must, id suggest a "slip" of the clutch rather than a "quick release" or a dump.
i guess if you must learn, this method i have found is the best. teaches you to "learn" your car.
06-21-2003 | 09:47 PM
#6
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21
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From: bel air
The best way to launch? Phew, this is going to be hard, but, I'll give it a go...
The best way I have found to get a good launch is to use the feedback that the car can give me and make the appropriate adjustments to the inputs I give it via the clutch and the gas pedals.
To apply this, you have to slip the clutch! This is the total opposite of the "drop the clutch @ XXXX RPM" philosophy.
The difference is that you cannot control what the engine will do once you have "let go" of the clutch. And what you can't control, you can't adjust or learn from. So in essence, anything good or bad that happens is almost pure luck, unless you happen to be racing in the exact same circumstances everytime! Not very likely. (Even the position of the moon will probably affect how the engine/tires respond that day!)
I have almost never found this style of launching a car satisfactory. (I start making excuses that the tires did not hook up because they were too cold, the engine bogged down because it was too hot, the fuel was different than last time or a million other excuses, all of which I cannot precisely control, which is why it is so easy to put the blame on them.)
However, by slipping the clutch and using that feedback to modify what I do with the clutch and gas pedals, I have nothing to blame but ME if I flub a (drag) race. Moreover, I can teach myself to become more sensitive to what the car was communicating, and not allowing that situation to happen again.
First, forget what your tach says! Just launch the car at various RPM's (by ear/vibration/feel) while slipping the clutch at varying degrees a few times. The car will "suck" in the clutch by itself, When and If you have the right balance of clutch let-up speed to gas pedal stomp speed. This is not an all or nothing proposition; there is not just one "perfect balance". This "balance" can be found in almost all the range of the engine. As a matter of fact, the reason I'm so good at this is because I don't just use it to just "race", but I "practice" it constantly in everyday driving - it's how I drive the car.
The difference is that when I'm driving in traffic and just "keeping pace", I am doing my little trick at a much reduced speed and a much reduced RPM range, as compared to when I am flat out racing.
Specifically:
Slip the clutch - as much as it needs to;
1) keep the wheels from spinning out of control, but you Do want some wheel spin!
AND
2) keep the engine from bogging down.
Don't be worried to modulate both the clutch and the gas if you are giving too much or too little of either or both. The point is to have the clutch totally engaged by the time the engine is giving full power. The faster you can accomplish this sequence, without stalling the engine or peeling out (too much!) or slipping the clutch needlessly (you'll wonder why all the noise but you're almost standing still!), the faster your takeoff, (and I'm sure your 60 foot times!).
Think of your feet acting like a scissors: when your right foot is pushing down, your left foot is coming up. Try to keep both feet doing something until you are either 1) redlined or 2) have used up all their travel - At The Same Time.
The other things I can recommend is to definitely turn off ASR and slow your right foot down! We have tons of power and torque: we will never get the best launch by just dropping the clutch - at any RPM.
The best lesson I can give you in driving a manual is that when the car is NOT rolling: First the clutch controls your speed and Then the go pedal controls it, (but only if we let it)! When the car is moving at anything above 2-3000 RPM, the go pedal takes priority (depending on the car - ours are above 2500 RPM's, because of the turbo. Below that, (to have the fastest acceleration from a rolling start), use the clutch almost like you have started from a dead stop).
If you want to practice this technique you first need to master 3 steps.
1) Go find an empty parking lot (if it has hills or big bumps it is even better!) and use Just the Clutch and the Brakes to manoeuver around - NO GAS PEDAL! Keep launching the car and coming to a full stop till you Know where the clutch "starts" and "stops". After mastering the clutch on level ground, start practicing on the up And the down hills. On the hills, the goal is to Never stall the engine uphill (without using the gas pedal) while getting a smooth launch and to launch the car as Quickly as possible downhill, without stalling the engine, but again; with no gas pedal. You should be much faster downhill than uphill. This sounds pretty obvious, but the point is to get our feet to know it, not our brain!
Also, Not stalling the engine is Not enough on the above exercises; you must also practice enough to launch the car as fast as possible without making it rock back and forth or lug the engine in the process! Only then can say you've mastered this step and move on.
2) After you think you are sick of traveling at sub ant-like speeds, (you get More sub ant-like speeds, but with cool racing engine sounds!), bring the gas pedal into play by feathering it between 1000 to 3000 RPM, But, Still slip the clutch so that when the clutch is fully engaged - You Are Still Travelling No Faster Than Idle RPM's (or just slightly above). This little exercise will leave little doubt in your mind that the Clutch is controlling your speed from a dead stop, and Not the gas pedal. (If you still have doubts, you are doing this wrong!)
What you are learning here is that, from a standing start:
1) It doesn't matter what the engine RPM's are on the Acceleration of the car, it depends on the Position of the Clutch.
2) You are learning to feel for the spot on the clutch travel where the engine really grabs the tires.
3) You are learning how fast the engine responds to your right foot - in this case how fast it Slows down and How you can influence this slowdown by the rate you're letting the clutch up.
Again, when you can do the above two exercises (#1 and #2) Without making the car rock or the engine lug, you can proceed.
3) The last exercise you can do is to repeat step #2 above, but instead of achieving the idle RPM speed, start by Picking the RPM speed that you want to be traveling at and practice getting there. This exercise should be done with the goal of having a steady speed at that target RPM.
Then, move on to having the clutch fully engaged when you're At the target engine speed, but instead of keeping a steady speed, keep accelerating while monitoring how responsive the engine is at that particular RPM, and how prone the tires are to lighting up at full throttle.
You want to get to the point where Just as you take your foot off the clutch, you are Floored with the throttle, but Without excessive wheel spin.
What are we learning here? For example, if you had picked 5000 RPM as your target, you will see that you have to stay on the throttle More than if you had picked 2000 RPM's. No kidding right? But teach your feet that! And more specifically, let your feet know by How much more it takes to get a 3000 RPM difference, (not much, considering we are more than doubling the speed of the engine)! When you're racing, you don't have time to look where the needle is - you listen for the engine's roar, you feel the cars vibration, or you feel the power output dropping - then you shift! But more likely than not (given a strong enough engine) you will not be able to look at the tach - except to confirm that you probably should have shifted already.
Once you can do the above exercises "at will" and "on command", you can combine them to achieve the fastest acceleration that the car is capable of, at that point in time (on that surface, at that temperature, etc...), with a little practice!
Don't practice doing full out drag's, though! Like I said before, my constant "practice" is just driving around town every day. Put all the skills you have learned above into driving Smoothly, with Precision and always under full Control. You will notice that as you "practice" driving like this, you will be undoubtedly faster than before, if for no other reason than you will want to give the car an "input" always - be it steering, accelerating, braking or a combination.
By this point, you should be able to predict what the car will do whether you give it full throttle from a dead stop or from full throttle to a dead stop. More importantly though, you should be able to compensate - almost instantly, when the car is not behaving how YOU want it to.
When you can launch the car in less then about 1/4 to 1/2 a second (flat out drag race...), you will know you have learned this technique by the speeds you can attain "effortlessly", almost like you're driving an automatic instead of a stick - but remember smoothness! Smoothness pays off by every ounce of the cars power being used as forward momentum, not in unsettling the chassis or rocking it around it's yaw axis.
Some of the very best launches I have done are right from idle! The other driver(s) did not know what hit them! They knew I was going to race them, but still, the car was sitting there so quietly at the lights... and then Wham! Light speed! While more likely than not, they are still peeling out at the lights, and I've almost reached the next intersection by the time their tires connect!
The best way I have found to get a good launch is to use the feedback that the car can give me and make the appropriate adjustments to the inputs I give it via the clutch and the gas pedals.
To apply this, you have to slip the clutch! This is the total opposite of the "drop the clutch @ XXXX RPM" philosophy.
The difference is that you cannot control what the engine will do once you have "let go" of the clutch. And what you can't control, you can't adjust or learn from. So in essence, anything good or bad that happens is almost pure luck, unless you happen to be racing in the exact same circumstances everytime! Not very likely. (Even the position of the moon will probably affect how the engine/tires respond that day!)
I have almost never found this style of launching a car satisfactory. (I start making excuses that the tires did not hook up because they were too cold, the engine bogged down because it was too hot, the fuel was different than last time or a million other excuses, all of which I cannot precisely control, which is why it is so easy to put the blame on them.)
However, by slipping the clutch and using that feedback to modify what I do with the clutch and gas pedals, I have nothing to blame but ME if I flub a (drag) race. Moreover, I can teach myself to become more sensitive to what the car was communicating, and not allowing that situation to happen again.
First, forget what your tach says! Just launch the car at various RPM's (by ear/vibration/feel) while slipping the clutch at varying degrees a few times. The car will "suck" in the clutch by itself, When and If you have the right balance of clutch let-up speed to gas pedal stomp speed. This is not an all or nothing proposition; there is not just one "perfect balance". This "balance" can be found in almost all the range of the engine. As a matter of fact, the reason I'm so good at this is because I don't just use it to just "race", but I "practice" it constantly in everyday driving - it's how I drive the car.
The difference is that when I'm driving in traffic and just "keeping pace", I am doing my little trick at a much reduced speed and a much reduced RPM range, as compared to when I am flat out racing.
Specifically:
Slip the clutch - as much as it needs to;
1) keep the wheels from spinning out of control, but you Do want some wheel spin!
AND
2) keep the engine from bogging down.
Don't be worried to modulate both the clutch and the gas if you are giving too much or too little of either or both. The point is to have the clutch totally engaged by the time the engine is giving full power. The faster you can accomplish this sequence, without stalling the engine or peeling out (too much!) or slipping the clutch needlessly (you'll wonder why all the noise but you're almost standing still!), the faster your takeoff, (and I'm sure your 60 foot times!).
Think of your feet acting like a scissors: when your right foot is pushing down, your left foot is coming up. Try to keep both feet doing something until you are either 1) redlined or 2) have used up all their travel - At The Same Time.
The other things I can recommend is to definitely turn off ASR and slow your right foot down! We have tons of power and torque: we will never get the best launch by just dropping the clutch - at any RPM.
The best lesson I can give you in driving a manual is that when the car is NOT rolling: First the clutch controls your speed and Then the go pedal controls it, (but only if we let it)! When the car is moving at anything above 2-3000 RPM, the go pedal takes priority (depending on the car - ours are above 2500 RPM's, because of the turbo. Below that, (to have the fastest acceleration from a rolling start), use the clutch almost like you have started from a dead stop).
If you want to practice this technique you first need to master 3 steps.
1) Go find an empty parking lot (if it has hills or big bumps it is even better!) and use Just the Clutch and the Brakes to manoeuver around - NO GAS PEDAL! Keep launching the car and coming to a full stop till you Know where the clutch "starts" and "stops". After mastering the clutch on level ground, start practicing on the up And the down hills. On the hills, the goal is to Never stall the engine uphill (without using the gas pedal) while getting a smooth launch and to launch the car as Quickly as possible downhill, without stalling the engine, but again; with no gas pedal. You should be much faster downhill than uphill. This sounds pretty obvious, but the point is to get our feet to know it, not our brain!
Also, Not stalling the engine is Not enough on the above exercises; you must also practice enough to launch the car as fast as possible without making it rock back and forth or lug the engine in the process! Only then can say you've mastered this step and move on.
2) After you think you are sick of traveling at sub ant-like speeds, (you get More sub ant-like speeds, but with cool racing engine sounds!), bring the gas pedal into play by feathering it between 1000 to 3000 RPM, But, Still slip the clutch so that when the clutch is fully engaged - You Are Still Travelling No Faster Than Idle RPM's (or just slightly above). This little exercise will leave little doubt in your mind that the Clutch is controlling your speed from a dead stop, and Not the gas pedal. (If you still have doubts, you are doing this wrong!)
What you are learning here is that, from a standing start:
1) It doesn't matter what the engine RPM's are on the Acceleration of the car, it depends on the Position of the Clutch.
2) You are learning to feel for the spot on the clutch travel where the engine really grabs the tires.
3) You are learning how fast the engine responds to your right foot - in this case how fast it Slows down and How you can influence this slowdown by the rate you're letting the clutch up.
Again, when you can do the above two exercises (#1 and #2) Without making the car rock or the engine lug, you can proceed.
3) The last exercise you can do is to repeat step #2 above, but instead of achieving the idle RPM speed, start by Picking the RPM speed that you want to be traveling at and practice getting there. This exercise should be done with the goal of having a steady speed at that target RPM.
Then, move on to having the clutch fully engaged when you're At the target engine speed, but instead of keeping a steady speed, keep accelerating while monitoring how responsive the engine is at that particular RPM, and how prone the tires are to lighting up at full throttle.
You want to get to the point where Just as you take your foot off the clutch, you are Floored with the throttle, but Without excessive wheel spin.
What are we learning here? For example, if you had picked 5000 RPM as your target, you will see that you have to stay on the throttle More than if you had picked 2000 RPM's. No kidding right? But teach your feet that! And more specifically, let your feet know by How much more it takes to get a 3000 RPM difference, (not much, considering we are more than doubling the speed of the engine)! When you're racing, you don't have time to look where the needle is - you listen for the engine's roar, you feel the cars vibration, or you feel the power output dropping - then you shift! But more likely than not (given a strong enough engine) you will not be able to look at the tach - except to confirm that you probably should have shifted already.
Once you can do the above exercises "at will" and "on command", you can combine them to achieve the fastest acceleration that the car is capable of, at that point in time (on that surface, at that temperature, etc...), with a little practice!
Don't practice doing full out drag's, though! Like I said before, my constant "practice" is just driving around town every day. Put all the skills you have learned above into driving Smoothly, with Precision and always under full Control. You will notice that as you "practice" driving like this, you will be undoubtedly faster than before, if for no other reason than you will want to give the car an "input" always - be it steering, accelerating, braking or a combination.
By this point, you should be able to predict what the car will do whether you give it full throttle from a dead stop or from full throttle to a dead stop. More importantly though, you should be able to compensate - almost instantly, when the car is not behaving how YOU want it to.
When you can launch the car in less then about 1/4 to 1/2 a second (flat out drag race...), you will know you have learned this technique by the speeds you can attain "effortlessly", almost like you're driving an automatic instead of a stick - but remember smoothness! Smoothness pays off by every ounce of the cars power being used as forward momentum, not in unsettling the chassis or rocking it around it's yaw axis.
Some of the very best launches I have done are right from idle! The other driver(s) did not know what hit them! They knew I was going to race them, but still, the car was sitting there so quietly at the lights... and then Wham! Light speed! While more likely than not, they are still peeling out at the lights, and I've almost reached the next intersection by the time their tires connect!
Last edited by KurtP; 06-21-2003 at 09:50 PM.
06-21-2003 | 09:48 PM
#7
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: bel air
Part 2
The very best launch I have ever done in my Jetta was against the Camaro SS - I was redlined in first by the time I had let go of the clutch, the tires did not stop singing all the way through 1st and 2nd gears (but I never let them totally go up in smoke like the Camaro's did)! And I was at least 5 car lengths ahead of him when I switched to 2nd and before I shifted into 3rd, I noticed he had given up - we were downtown and my speed was over 110 Km/h - at 3:30 AM. (Now this is not to say that my Jetta 1.8T is faster than a Camaro SS, except that on that particular day at that particular time I was the better Driver.)
Once you "perfect" this method of launching your car, you will surprise a lot of other drivers - even drivers with all wheel drives (I eat Jeeps/SUV's for breakfast, especially ones with attitude)! The bonus is that (on the street, anyway) when they see you take the lead like that, some cars which should easily beat you in the 1/4 mile will give up because they start to fear/wonder "What does he have under the hood?!?"
By the way, I'm not abusing my clutch by driving like this, as a matter of fact, I think I'm even babying it most of the time because I'm not "shocking" the drivetrain with the power of the engine all at once. Instead, I'm letting the tires/transmission take the full power of the car as fast as they can handle it. My last 5 speed (92 Golf) lasted me over 140,000 Km before the clutch even hinted of slipping (on it's own, not when I wanted it too!).
Even though I had a new clutch installed, it would have probably lasted another 30-40,000 Km easily, (without toooo many more races).
Let me know if my suggestions improve your times at all - but don't forget, I've been driving like this for many, many years (20+) so if you have to "practice" this style before you "get" it, don't worry, it will be worth it when you beat that first "muscle car" that is shaking the buildings and your car - at idle!
George Sinesios
Once you "perfect" this method of launching your car, you will surprise a lot of other drivers - even drivers with all wheel drives (I eat Jeeps/SUV's for breakfast, especially ones with attitude)! The bonus is that (on the street, anyway) when they see you take the lead like that, some cars which should easily beat you in the 1/4 mile will give up because they start to fear/wonder "What does he have under the hood?!?"
By the way, I'm not abusing my clutch by driving like this, as a matter of fact, I think I'm even babying it most of the time because I'm not "shocking" the drivetrain with the power of the engine all at once. Instead, I'm letting the tires/transmission take the full power of the car as fast as they can handle it. My last 5 speed (92 Golf) lasted me over 140,000 Km before the clutch even hinted of slipping (on it's own, not when I wanted it too!).
Even though I had a new clutch installed, it would have probably lasted another 30-40,000 Km easily, (without toooo many more races).
Let me know if my suggestions improve your times at all - but don't forget, I've been driving like this for many, many years (20+) so if you have to "practice" this style before you "get" it, don't worry, it will be worth it when you beat that first "muscle car" that is shaking the buildings and your car - at idle!
George Sinesios
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06-21-2003 | 10:43 PM
#8
Thread Starter
New Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 259
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From: Southtown
Wow! Thanks a lot Kurt for taking the time to type all that, it's very helpful. This means that I need to get back to the basics, but I have a much better understanding of what I should be doing. As for getting a good launch from idle, I think I know what you're talking about. I'm going to go out and work on everything that you just told me. Thanks a lot!
06-21-2003 | 11:00 PM
#9
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Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 2,622
Likes: 0
From: TX
Very well explained....
Slipping the clutch really is the best technique...
I don't have a great 60 ft from the track to show for it but I have yanked several converted Automatics out of the hole on the streets.....a huge feat for a 6 speed car.
People always ask me....."What RPM are you launching at?"
I basically have to explain what i'm doing much like was explained above.....i just move both pedals (gas down clutch up) aggressively and use the input I'm getting from the car to determine when to let off the clutch and floor it...etc...
But as said above get to know your car really well.....mostly how the clutch engages before you try launching.
Good luck.
Slipping the clutch really is the best technique...
I don't have a great 60 ft from the track to show for it but I have yanked several converted Automatics out of the hole on the streets.....a huge feat for a 6 speed car.
People always ask me....."What RPM are you launching at?"
I basically have to explain what i'm doing much like was explained above.....i just move both pedals (gas down clutch up) aggressively and use the input I'm getting from the car to determine when to let off the clutch and floor it...etc...
But as said above get to know your car really well.....mostly how the clutch engages before you try launching.
Good luck.
06-22-2003 | 05:40 AM
#10
Registered User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,906
Likes: 1
From: jacksonville, FL
Wow nice explanation helps clarify it a little. Sorry about calling names it just seemed like you were bashing on a newbie to a 6mt. It happens a lot on these forums. So slipping the clutch works the best, but wont that eat through my clutch really fast?
06-22-2003 | 05:52 AM
#11
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Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
From: bel air
no worries mate, no glass jaw here
while this IS the method i have used for some time to learn my car i CANNOT take credit for that series of text(the undersigned does...) it is, however, the most effective way to learn a car and learn launch imo.
heres the thing about launching the car, you are going to burn something up anyway you cut it. slipping hte clutch out alot will burn the clutch up more quickly, but lets compare that to "dropping" the clutch or lugging the motor. lugging the motor wears the actual motor out faster. dropping the clutch is what breaks your "hard parts" ie, tranny input shaft, diffs, gears, synchros, the REALLY expensive stuff, AND the clutch
so its kinda, just the clutch, or the clutch AND everything else
the key (VERY IMPORTANT) to helping the clutch live a long life is LET IT COOL. launching on over heated clutches is what roasts them in VERY short order. after a launch, let the thing cool for a bit before going again and it will last much longer.
while this IS the method i have used for some time to learn my car i CANNOT take credit for that series of text(the undersigned does...) it is, however, the most effective way to learn a car and learn launch imo.
heres the thing about launching the car, you are going to burn something up anyway you cut it. slipping hte clutch out alot will burn the clutch up more quickly, but lets compare that to "dropping" the clutch or lugging the motor. lugging the motor wears the actual motor out faster. dropping the clutch is what breaks your "hard parts" ie, tranny input shaft, diffs, gears, synchros, the REALLY expensive stuff, AND the clutch
so its kinda, just the clutch, or the clutch AND everything else
the key (VERY IMPORTANT) to helping the clutch live a long life is LET IT COOL. launching on over heated clutches is what roasts them in VERY short order. after a launch, let the thing cool for a bit before going again and it will last much longer.
06-22-2003 | 06:21 AM
#12
Registered User
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,906
Likes: 1
From: jacksonville, FL
hehe i know all about letting it cool i get to push around my 3300 lb car while i shut it off between runs. Usually sits like that for 15-20 mins at least. Hurts me alot but its good for the car. And i dont really mind burning up a clutch it will just give me an excuse to put a beefier one on when it wears out
06-22-2003 | 12:36 PM
#14
Registered User
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 337
Likes: 0
From: NJ
ummm too much writing here -- so im not gonna read it -----
mt advice
rev at 3500-3700 -------ride the clutch out -- never let those rev dip under 3500-- trust me -- yeah its bad for your clutch -- but your racing your car anyway -- the whole idea is bad --- ride it out ---- get a hard initial roll THEN break into wheel spin--- slight spin not hardcore --- try to hook completly at about 5000 and then mash the petal
thats my technique
28 psi ---- stock tires ----- WITHOUT HEATING THEM!
2.10 60ft
14.0
mt advice
rev at 3500-3700 -------ride the clutch out -- never let those rev dip under 3500-- trust me -- yeah its bad for your clutch -- but your racing your car anyway -- the whole idea is bad --- ride it out ---- get a hard initial roll THEN break into wheel spin--- slight spin not hardcore --- try to hook completly at about 5000 and then mash the petal
thats my technique
28 psi ---- stock tires ----- WITHOUT HEATING THEM!
2.10 60ft
14.0
11-11-2003 | 10:25 PM
#18
Thread Starter
New Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 259
Likes: 0
From: Southtown
I'm glad you guys brought my thread back up. I've been away from my Z for the past few months (at college), but I just bought a 240SX S 13, and I did a quick launch in it tonight. Either I've gotten better or the car is easier to launch, because my launch was much better than in the Z. I think I'll practice in the 240 a few more times before I try it again in the Z. I can't remember if I ever did try launching the Z with the VCD off, though. I keep forgetting to press that damn button. It was always raining, so I would usually leave it on.
11-12-2003 | 08:21 PM
#19
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,056
Likes: 0
From: ... aren't you?
People always compliment me on my launches. I'm usually able to leave my friend's LS1 behind like 1 1/2 to 2 car lengths on the stop. I usually slip the clutch for a split second while holding the tach around 2.5-3K rpms then when I feel I get traction a quickly (but not IMMEDIATELY) let into the throttle... works pretty well for me.
10-12-2005 | 07:00 PM
#20
I use the above method also.. possibly the best launch i've ever had was i had TCS off, released the clutch ever so that i started rolling and when it turned green gave it aout 75% gas and released the clutch at the same time and ill get the slightest tire chirp and then i give it full gas. I get pushd back into the seat a lot harder then if i slide the clutch in from 3500 rpm or w/e. Idle launches rock but are pretty tuff to do.