New respect for drag racing, AKA analyze a N00b's data
 

First off just let me say that I didn't buy my car to win drag races but would like to know where I can make some improvement. I will probably drag race it 2-3 times a year. I went with a 350 Z, I have a G35 coupe, and we both are new to drag racing. I had over 1/2 tank of gas, didn't change tire pressure (~35 psi all around), and left my sub box in the trunk. I ran at SIR in Tucson, elevation a little over 3,000 ft. and the temp was right around 70.

There seemed to be a lot going on and everything happened really quickly. This is my first car over 150 HP and my first time ever at the strip. I am sure the more practice I get things will slow down a little and come more naturally. I made sure all the little things were done: VDC off, stereo off, AC off, etc. Here is how things went:

1st run: Missed third gear, ran a 15.8 DOH

2nd run: DQ'ed? I don't know - I was late off the line but for some reason did not get a time. Too bad because I think this was my best run.

3rd run: This was my best so I will post all the details.
R/T - 1.008 No way was I going to red light
60' - 2.419
330' - 6.584
1/8 - 9.944
MPH - 74.42
1000 - 12.813
1/4 - 15.237
MPH - 92.45

4th run: Bumped the rev limiter in 3rd, ran a 15.6


Besides the obviously bad 60' time, how do the rest of the numbers look? I am sure there are improvements to be made in my shifting as well, but I didn't want to be too aggressive as I am planning on keeping this car for a long time. I was launching, or trying to, at about 2500 rpms. I got a lot more wheel spin than I was expecting. Should I launch at a lower RPM or feather the clutch more? If I got my 60' times down to around 2.2 how much of an improvement would that make?

It seemed to be a fairly slow track or people didn't know how to drive. There was an M3 that raced the Z I went with and won pretty easy. He (the M3) only ran a 14.2 however. Realistically with my N00b driving skills and street tires, it seems unlikely I will ever break 14.5 at this strip.

All in all it was a good time. There was a wide range of cars there but everyone I talked to was really cool. It was a totally different experience than what I was used to with encounters on the street. I think just the fact you are at the drag strip eliminates a lot of the true rice boys and posers. Most people said it was the first time they had seen a G35 at the strip and were asking me lots of questions. Too bad I couldn't have represented better and ran some better times, but you gotta start somewhere. I am learing quickly that magazine times don't = real world times, especially with all the variables and an inexperienced driver.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and help,

Nathan

Obviously you need to launch better, the elevation is obviously not going to go away either. I think most people here try to stall to 3000-3500 rpms, and then quick feather the clutch for a split second before going WOT. Try dropping your tire pressure to 22 psi or so. I would think you should be able to get a mid 14 if not better depending on the day. Some ET streets on some nice Welds would be cool as well, try a 150 shot too, you will like the results. Good luck.

sounds like me when i first went... kept messing up... my best run was a 14 flat though! when everything works perfectly,, I want the ECU CHIP it feels like it needs to go past red line.. LOL

Try running 28 psi in the rear tires. I've tried lower psi and it didn't seem to do much and I've run my best times with 28psi. Rev to 2800-3000rpm and feather the clutch to get a good launch. My best 60' so far has been a 2.046 using this method. Try not to floor it after you let the clutch out or you'll get alot of wheel hop; just continue to apply the gas smoothly until your at WOT. Don't worry about R/T just yet, once you're good at launching then you can worry about getting good at the light. My first run with my Z was a 14.3 and I'm now runnnig 13.80s consistantly, although I have added mods as well. I'm usually the only Z at the track since most people don't buy these cars to drag but I enjoy it. I'll be getting into auto-x and roadcourse racing next season though.

Thanks for the tips everyone, you have given me some good info for next time. I left myself plenty of room for improvement so my times should be significantly better next time. I might dig this thread up in a couple of months with an update of my new times. BTW, I am not really interested in running nitrous, but everything else I will try.