This Sunday was my 1st time at the track. Need help improving my times. I am Car #732

I was having wheelspin issues upon launch. First two runs I tried to launch around 3k rpm. Last couple runs I actually had a guy sit with me in the car and he was recording, dialed it down to around 2k rpm and I seemed to run better times.

1st run - 15.3 - I kept it in D and let the car do the shifting. Never again.
2nd run - 15.457 - I used the manual shifting mode, but had VDC come back on as I turned the engine off, and I spun like crazy off the line.
3rd run - 15.387 - Manual shift mode, VDC off, was a bit nervous because I was lined up next to a GTR and I was just in awe of his speed, I bounced off the limiter from 1st to 2nd and shifted extremely slow.
4th run - 15.069 - Passenger in the car, manual mode, VDC off. One of my better runs.
5th run - 15.014 - Same as above
6th run - 14.9 - My best run of the day. But of course the timeslip guy loses my slip and gave it to a different vehicle and I couldn't catch the guy in time.
7th run - 15.014 - More of the same

Mods list is in my signature. I have the OEM 17" wheels with GT Eagle all seasons. I am looking at the tires as the main culprit for my traction issues, am I correct?
I plan on purchasing a set of the OEM 19" Rays with some better street tires temporarily until I am able to purchase the real wheels I would like to run permanently.

Any tips on how I can improve would be appreciated. I know driver mod needs to be installed, but I will say even though I was disappointed with how I drove and how my car performed, it was an awesome time.

 

Your traction issues stem from your right and left foot [Im assuming you are mashing the pedal left and holding with the right, immediately dropping your left on launch]. You'll get a better feel for it over time, and better tires would really only improve your launch time. No need to change those.

As for how much throttle, well you will learn. Do you have an Osiris tune? You can set a rev limit map and then bump into a performance tune for a solid launch with no wheel spin.

 

correct. I was keeping my left foot firmly planted on the brake, then gingerly stepping on the gas pedal until I reached the rpm's I wanted and trying to hold it there.

I am getting a street tune from someone local for really cheap...he seems to know what he is doing as others have credited him with good work. I knew Uprev offered different maps so I may ask him for several different maps.

 

What size wheels are you running? If you could get some 15s or 16s just for the strip with some wide tires on em that'll help. Smaller wheels give you the same effect as stouter gears. Your launches will be torqueer. If you've got 20s or something on there that's gonna hurt you.

 

i have 17 inch wheels from Infiniti.

 

Well, not sure how far you wanna go with it, but if you could find some 14 or 15 in rims and put some tall wide tires on them, under inflated them by about 50% you would basically have a variable gear ratio where you had hard launches and high top speed.

 

I jus need to break into the 13's....i know that probably isn't possible with my current setup... but that is my goal.. I went with my friend and he drives a 2015 Lancer Ralliart Auto.... and he was smoking me everytime... his best et was 14.1 so next year I definitely need to beat him

 

Oh, well dead stock a G should beat that with an expert driver (around 13.8), so you just gotta work on your technique.

(Sorry, I had no idea what your slips say. The pictures are blurry on my phone)

 

what info did you need from the timeslips...i can provide it if it helps me...

yeah i felt myself improving a lot towards the end of the day but at that point 7 runs in I felt like i was beating my car to death...i have my 60k mileage maintenance to do soon, so maybe the car will be a bit healthier when i go out next time.

thanks for the tips everyone..i will definetely work on my driver mod next time i go out..

 

^Mainly the 60' time on your slip.

There's not much you can do as far as technique since its an auto, I would just take care of any traction issues. A valve-body upgrade would help a little.

 

60' times posted after the 1/4 mile times

1st run - 15.3 - 2.650
2nd run - 15.457 - 2.651
3rd run - 15.387 - 2.790
4th run - 15.069 - 2.532
5th run - 15.014 - 2.413
6th run - 14.9 - ?
7th run - 15.014 - 2.312

 

Also, I was thinking about this, and you should be thinking about weight too. How full is your gas tank at the track? You should be running the most minimal amount of gas possible. Gas weighs about 7lbs per gallon and if you've got 14 extra gallons in there thats almost 100lbs.

Every 100lbs you remove from the car is worth about 1/10 of a second on the track. So remove everything you can from extra gas to the spare tire to the floormats. Every little bit helps.

 

yep I had that in mind... filled it to about half tank before the drive to the track... on the way we were speeding and having fun on the highway... and because this was Import Faceoff's first time at our local drag strip, they only had one entrance open in one direction... hour wait in line....

by the time I lined up, I was about 1/4 tank

 

A tune will help but you have to get your technique down. those red lights before going on the freeway will help. lol

 

You can probably do better with practice. Your 60' times are horrible. Not going to lie. 2.7 seconds is pretty much ******* it off the line. Knock that down to consistent 2.2-2.3 seconds by honing your technique or better tires.

94MPH trap speed is good for mid to low 14 second ET's. Your main issue is getting off the line. Increasing HP really won't make you faster at this point. Figuring out how to get that HP to the ground quickly and sticking will knock off more time.


I used to race my AWD sedan a few years back whenever I didn't feel like racing my Mustang. Fully loaded sedan with AWD and full size spare and some misc items in the trunk. I have to find my timeslip but my best was 14.7 @ 92-93MPH with a 2.3 60-footer. My technique was to turn off the VDC, creep to the line and mash the brake pedal. I'd give it some gas to preload the converter on on the final yellow light i'd release the brake pedal and then feed in the gas smooth and fast. I know tirespin isn't an issue with AWD, but I spent a lot of time launching RWD automatics and my technique was always the same. Preloading the converter and letting it launch you rather than jumping off the brake and onto the gas pedal reduces your wheel spin and lets you get going. With cars with similar HP as the G, i was able to get down to consistent 2.2 60-footers.

Leaving it in D or shifting myself made no difference in ET, but I preferred manually shifting the car.


Drag racing is interesting because a lot of times, what you do in the first 60' and 330' has more of a bearing on any mods you do later to try to run quicker.

BTW, the Goodyear eagles BLOW for racing. I had the same tires on my '03 Mustang GT and they were terrible for getting traction. I could get tire chirps all the way up to the 3-4 shift at 80MPH. Ditch them for better rubber