Racing Tips

[Ross]

Ok, guys, here's one which a lot of you can probably offer advice on. I have never had a car before which was really worth the trouble of learning some racing techniques. Now that I have one, I need some advice from the pros out there! I know that getting the best time from a standing start takes more than just taking your foot off of the brake and stomping on the gas, but there must be a lot of tricks for making the car perform its best. Obviously, you want to turn off the AC so it doesn't rob power, and I suspect that you probably want to take off the overdrive. But exactly what techniques do y'all use for making that short, fast run? As always, thanks in advance for all of the collective wisdom. (By the way, please don't tell my wife about this!) Ross

[BlackHole]

Mines real simple turn everything off Radio/Climate control/lights. I don't trully know if turning off airide helps but take about 2 to 5 pounds out of rear tires bigger contact area equals better grip
Don't know about the O/D as I had mine on and with 800 miles done a 15.363 at 92 MPH which is pretty good considering car was not broken in. But what works for me might not be good for you you just got to experiment and find what works for you.

[LincMercLover]

Like he said. I rev up to about 2000 and slam her. A slight chirp and away you go! Just don't hold your revs for too long, as it'll cause drivetrain damage over time.

[Ross]

LincMerc, I'm going to show my ignorance here (again). When you say "rev it up to 2,000 and slam her", do you mean put it in neutral, rev it up, and drop it into drive? like you would do if you had a standard shift and you were revving it up before you let out on the clutch? no brake used at the line, just foot on the gas and hand on the shifter?

[SSparky]

Ross,

Here is a link for some basic info.

http://www.musclecarclub.com/library/race/drag-racing-tips.shtml

I had the same questions last year when I went to the track the first time. Turn off all accessories, keep it in drive, not OD. Remember , you're trying to launch over 2 tons of fun there so don't wait for the green. Go on the 3rd yellow.

Do a search on the web and I'm sure you'll turn up some free practice trees you can use on your computer.

HTH Have fun.

Paul

[mtnh]

Here I was, trying to see if anyone was looking for road racing tips. Hmpph! There is more to life than drag racing, and these cars are well-suited to being tossed about. Has *Anyone* tried some road course type of fun runs, or should I just go back to www.lllsoc.com and read about my LS buddies doing solo-II challenges? :-)

Mike (who likes the run to last longer than 15 seconds)

[Fourth Horseman]

Originally posted by mtnh
Mike (who likes the run to last longer than 15 seconds)

That's what my girlfriend keeps saying. Am I missing something? Where's the FAQ!?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

[mtnh]

The race just lasts longer, the more you run it, 4th!

Mike

[Tom Kuznicki]

Geez, I hope he was joking about slamming it at 2000. I guess that would be OK if you wanted to just trash your trans but I hope he really meant to take it up against the converter in DRIVE. If not, than this guy is about a quart short.

[cyclone03]

OK ARE YOU TALKING STREET OR DRAG STRIP?
Ops didn't mean to yell.
On the street,just say no,not worth getting busted now(TX) up too 6 mo.'s in jail,forget that.

At the track,to get the best time ever you have to COOL the car way down you want the temp gauge just barley to come off the "C" ,this will take at least 2 hours here in TX this time of year.
Maybe even a bag of ice on top of the intake.
With a stock Marauder heres what I did.
Go around the waterbox,back up to the tracks that the guys using the water box leave then place the trans in drive turn off the OD,AC off,stereo off,well everything off.Then right foot on the gas,left foot on the brake throttle up to 1800-2000rpm then off the brake fast and the throttle to the floor.
Thats what we'll call a burn out.
Then off the gas and on the brakes so you don't cross the start line.
Stop, wait for the guy burning his tires to the rims.
Wait for the other guy to turn on the top "pre stage" bulb then you ease into the lights and turn on the top "pre stage" bulb yourself,do this very carefully don't just jump in and turn on both bulbs(not cool and shows your a geek)
Wait for the other guy to "stage" both top yellows on,then you bring up the R's,left foot HARD on brakes right on gas,hold RPM to 1800,then without moving your left foot pop the brake off and on tell you turn on the "staged" light.
Don't move!!!
Wait for the starter to activate the "tree".
The amber lights will start to count down,or come down if you will.
When the LAST yellow comes on,release the brake "FAST" and nail the throttle to the floor.If your car is like mine you'll get a quick "chirp"on the tires and off you go.
Hold the throttle to the floor for the next 1/4mile at the finish line let off the throttle ALL the WAY.Let the car coast,after all your at Houston Raceway Park and you have all most 3/4mile to slow, get on the brakes a little and start looking for the other guy,if he's in front of you ok,but keep an eye on him anyway,if you can make the second turn off without locking up the tires do it.If hes behind you and you are not going to cross his path go a head and turn off,if you have to cross his path take the next turn out,don't stop on the track and wait just go to the end(if you want the next run to be a flyer you'll be sitting for 2 hours anyway)
Now your off the track,find the ET booth and pick up your time slip,should read about .650RT,2.25 60',6.50 330,9.98 1/8mile,15.20 1/4 93.9mph.
There you have it.
Forget about cooling it,pull back into the lanes do EVERYTHING the same as above and your ET will be 15.66@92.88mph at 86deg.F air temp. Hot lap it again and you'll see 15.78,repeat 15.80 etc etc....................
Have Fun

[jgc61sr2002]

Ross - Never do neutral drop will raise havoc on your transmission and the rest of the drive line.

[SergntMac]

Originally posted by mtnh
Here I was, trying to see if anyone was looking for road racing tips. Hmpph! There is more to life than drag racing, and these cars are well-suited to being tossed about. Has *Anyone* tried some road course type of fun runs, or should I just go back to www.lllsoc.com and read about my LS buddies doing solo-II challenges?

Hey Mike, why not organize a MM challenge for us here in your area? I agree that drag racing is rather an easy event to compete in, little or no talent can get you started. A challenging race on a closed course sounds like fun!