DURSO

I have a 5 speed Auto Enthusiast, and have a question about racing from a dead stop.
I obviously will turn off the TCS.
Should I be power braking? What is the best RPM to hold at for take off.
Also, should I use the Auto Stick? If so, where is the best shift points in the RPM power band? Do I just let it shift at the red line in each gear?
This car does have one of the better Auto Sticks that I have driven, in the fact that it actually will hold the gear till red line without shifting, but it seems that the power goes flat after a certain RPM.
Thanks for the secrets and help!

Blue350zCali

I dont know much about racing AT but I dont think it is a good idea to push your transmission. AT just are not really built for drag racing, IMO. Why didnt you just get a MT if you were interested in drag racing? Just be careful you dont damage your AT with all stress your putting on it.

Dolby109

Actually, there is nothing wrong with drag racing an AT transmission. They should generally hold up just as well as a manual. A well driven manual should last longer, but a poorly treated one just the oposite.

Also almost all sub 11 second cars use automatic transmissions.
Most of the sub 10 second cars use semi-automatic (automatics where the driver tells it when to shift).

So it would stand to reason that you should probably shift yourself (as long as you would shift at a higher rpm than it does itself).

It is true well driven manuals are almost always faster for drag racing than automatics in 12 second and above applications because they put more power to the ground, and tend to have better gear ratios.
But not everyone can drive a manual as fast as they can an auto, and many people don't want to put up with shifting.

BigBadBuford

There is nothing really wrong at all with an auto for drag racing, in most cases they are actually preferred. I wouldn't be too worried with pushing the Z's trans too hard. If you do drive it VERY hard, I would consider having a trans cooler installed, but autos can take a beating just as well and in most cases better than a manual so I wouldn't worry.
I am not sure what the stall speed of the factory torque converter is, but there will be a definite point where you will not be able to rev the engine any higher w/ out the wheels spinning. I would bet it is probably around 2500-3000 rpm. I am not sure how much the computer will let you get away with since it won't let you brake and gas it at the same time, but I would try to stall it up to the point where the wheels want to loose traction, then floor it and let go of the brakes quickly for a good launch. If it does spin, I would try stalling it up a bit less, but I think at stock power levels you shouldn't have any problem.