Hey everyone, well today is the day. I'll be taking the G to the drag strip (1/8 mile).

This is my first time doing this, ever. Are there any tips I need to know of to have a succesful evening?

Is there a true and effective way to launch from the starting point? I have a 5AT which makes it a bit more challenging I think.

When the "tree" hits green do I just mash the gas all the way down? I don't want the engine blowing up on me. lol

In case any SD peeps want to come watch/race. It will be held at the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot in San Diego. (6pm-12am). For info go to www.racelegal.com

 

Are you going tonight? I've been down to Qualcomm a couple times when my friends were racing. You dont want to completly mash the gas down cause then the tires will just spin, but you wont blow your engine due to the revlimiter. Put your foot on the brake and gas at the same time and hold the RPM's anywhere from 2000-3000, then when the light turns green you should get a decent launch and just keep that lead foot on the pedal. Make sure you put it in Manual Mode and dont shift into 4th, hold 3rd until the very end or you'll lose time. Oh, and only run with a 1/4 tank or less, less weight. Take out any sub boxes if you have them.
-GP-

 

Yeah tonight, I'm excited/nervous.

OH so do it in manual mode? I thought full auto would be better? explain the difference? I'm a big time noob when it comes to racing...but the times that I've gotten ballsy on the street and punched it, i get shifts at very high rpm's. I'm just afraid I'll forget to shift, while trying to keep the car in a straight line! haha

OK about launching, so don't mash the gas, how about after I take off, do I just put the pedal to the floor at WOT?

 

For most drivers, launching the automatic has no penalties when compared to the manual. In stock form, one has the potential to perform better launches with the manual, most, including myself, don't. The automatic can do low 2.2's and mid 2.1's just fine, and it will do them over and over and over again.

I can't give you any launching advice. Ask 5 different people, and you'll get 5 different answers. DaveB flashes the throttle and side-steps the brake at the last amber light. My wife pretty much launches from idle. You're gonna have to try various methods, repeatedly, and see what works for you.

Definitely run it in manual mode, not automatic mode. Make sure VDC is off. If you're going to an 1/8th mile, you won't be close to shifting to 4th. You should be in the middle of third at the end of the track. Hold each gear as long as you can, and shift firmly. In my wife's car(redline's at 6600), she shifts from first to second at around 6300rpms(Correct me if I'm wrong Cheryl), but she can hold onto 2nd gear a tad longer.

Make sure you don't have a bunch of crap in your car. Run with as little gas as you're comfortable with. And if you're really trying for good times, don't carry a passenger.

One last thing to consider is to use a 10mm nut driver/socket to remove the plastic engine cover. It's there just for looks. You won't notice any difference without it, but it's not doing you any good sitting there trapping heat.

 

Do you find that a power brake type launch produce the best 60ft times? I've had some say that a little tire spin is actually beneficial to get the desired wheel speed. Also, have you actually raced in -1600ft DA? I'm mostly familiar with AA (adjusted Altitude) but I think they are usually close.

 

If I launch off idle, I get 2.3 60 foots. If I momentarily hold the brake and gas, building the rpms to 2400rpms or so, I get low 2.2 to mid 2.15 60 foots on the crappy EL42s. BTW, I go full throttle from the start. I've never had trouble spinning on the track. It just bites and barely makes a chirp.

 

Thanks so much for the tips so far.

I've been reading up on this and I saw some posts that suggested airing down my rear tires to about 22-25lbs...Is this accurate?

and what about the burn out? An aquaintance suggested not even burning them since street tires don't get hot enough to be sticky.

 

DaveB says traction isnt a problem with the 5AT. I would think you would hurt your ET with the lower air pressure. Also, as far as the burn out goes, I've always pulled around the water box with a street car. You can leave a trail of water with your front tires. Also depends on how dirty the tires are, you wouldnt want rocks and other debris on the tires. I'm curious to see what kinda times you'll run. The temperature has dropped almost 40 degrees so our first track day of the season is cancelled.

 

ok I see...so no air down...I hear it's not desirable on lo-pro tires.

go around the water...check

I'll still do a burn out...looks fun, I've always wated to do that...lol, I'm such a rookie.

 

Burnouts are worthless on street tires. The rubber compound is not like that of a slick or drag radial which means if you roast them, you'll make them greasy and possibly make for a worth 60 foot.

 

I hear you guys mention "60 foot" what's that?

 

What I know from many days at the track (raced a 10 sec 2000 Camaro) are consistent with many comments above:

NO wheelspin is desireable off the line. Although some wheelspin will sometimes help trap speed, it will hurt 60' and ET.

I've not raced the G yet, but if Dave says wheelspin is not a problem on a decent prepared track, then forget the burnout and whatever you do, do not drive through the fricken water. It drags water up to the line which hurts you and other serious racers. I've wanted to strangle a few 90 hp Honda ricers in my racing day.......

Dave is right on holding the brake and applying gas at the line. What that does is preload the TC, which is important. Just be careful not to overdo it and redlight.

As said above, NEVER wait for the green. You go on the third yellow. Reaction times must be practiced, and it probably won't matter in this particular race (a test and tune), but waiting for green is too long.With most track formats, .500 is the perfect reaction time, not .000.

The G is different than almost any other auto I've experienced. Although I haven't proven it yet, the more I read the more I believe that the best times are done with MM mode. That is not true with most autos, but I've read that on this board as well as mag tests, so I'd go with that. Forget you even have a speedometer. Focus only on your tach.....

Good luck and have fun!!

 

Again thanks for all the tips...

Unfortunately the race has been canceled, due to the threat of rain. D'oh! I'll dig this thread up again in a few weeks and post an update.


I'd still like to know what 60' and ET stands for though.

 

60' is a time measured at the track that your car takes to go the first 60 feet of your run. It is critical in drag racing that you get a good launch, as the rest of your run depends on it. Here's what a 1.48 60' on a street car looks like with me in it

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/dbeofam/Dave3.JPG

ET stands for elapsed time, which is the time displayed on the clock when you cross the line. It is, by definition, your race time. When someone posts a 13.95 @ 101.5 mph, the 13.95 is your ET.

 

sure keep us posted