On friday I am going to the drag racing track here in Phx Az. I have never raced a car before, so I would like some advice on how to achieve the fastest time. I have a 2003.5 sedan automatic, no mods. Should I use the manualmatic? Or should I let the car shift for me? If I shift should I wait untill the red line? Should I PUNCH it from the start? Should I turn off the VDC? Help, any advice would be great!
thanks.

 

Hey G_now, check out this link as it has some tips that will help you. Let us know how you do!!

Drive safe, have fun, kick butt when necessary
<font color=green>'03 Emerald Mist</font color=green>
Premium/Sport/Xenon

 

What ever you do don't drop your tire pressures. You have radial tires,dropping pressure in them hurts you. The gearheads there will tell you to drop your pressures to"hook better" don't, you will over heat the tire and blow it up.

03.5 Sedan/B. Silver/Prem/Winter/Aero/Tint/Rims
69 Chevelle Hard Top BB/4.11's/Posi

 

thanks, that link was awesome. I do have another question. How bad is it for your car to take it to the track. Does it hurt the engine to push it to the limit? One of my friends says dont do it. it hurts the car.

 

That's BS and I don't mean Brilliant Silver. Cars are meant to be driven. Hard, soft, however you desire. This is no pansy car. Engineers design cars to be driven hard, otherwise there would be way too much warranty work. I autocross mine and have not had any problems at all. Go put it to the test and have fun.

'03 AT Sedan | Brilliant Silver | Willow Leather | Sport | Premium | Aerokit w/Spoiler | Nav

 

I agree with lead_foot, with the exception that going to the track on a regular basis will almost certainly shorten the life of your tires. But if you're OK with that, then by all means have some fun.

Only other thing I would recommend is that if you are going to be pushing your car hard on a regular basis, be sure you keep up with maintenance, ie things like checking fluid levels, tire inflation, etc on a regular basis.

Jeff Kohn
H-Town, TX
2003.5 Automatic Sedan, Desert Platinum/Willow, Premium, Nav, Tint

 

I can tell you from many, many years of past autocrossing experience that it is very stressful on a car and does alot of wear and tear....not just on tires. It is particularly hard on transmissions, clutches, rears, and brakes. Not that that should dissuade you! It is well worth the wear and tear for the fun you will have. If you decide to take it to a real racetrack (and I don't mean a drag strip), the wear and tear factor goes up exponentially, as does the fun factor!

04 G35 6MTS Aero Kit/Nav/Prem/Wint (Hopefully Sept 03)
Warning: Objects in Mirror Are Losing!

 

What RacerX said.

If you go frequently, your automatic tranny will not like you. You will need to upgrade your tranny fluid or at least change it frequently (every 6 months or so). Be VERY religious about checking th efluid level and as soon as you see it change tint, change the fluid. Also check the rear differential and CV boots frequently. Beside the tires the tranny and drivetrain are the most affected by drag racing

On a side note, PM me so we can hook up at the strip. I went to firebird on 6/13 and I went to Speedworld on 6/18. I am on call this weekend so it doesn't look like I will make it friday. Next wednesday at speedworld will be good.

I recommend making a big sign for your dash saying "Turn the MFing VDC off". Let us know how it goes and remember you won't run mag times there as it will be >100 F on the strip until well after dark, as well as firebird is roughly 1200 ft in altitude. To correct your times to sea level and normal temperatures, download "Virtual Engine Calculator" (do a search)

Have fun beating up the domestics.

Better Life thru Chemistry

 

Unfortunately, there is no dipstick to check the tranny fluid. The owner's manual says to take the car to the dealership for servicing the transmission.

I think I heard that they have a "tool" that basically looks like a dipstick, something that should have come with the car. Any idea how much those things are?

2003.5 G35 Sedan Desert Platinum/Graphite Premium/Sport/Aero/Nav/Winter