Dragstrip Question

[99vette]

This is my first rwd v8, and i dont really know the best way to launch it. IT seems to me that it is quicker with the traction control on, because it doesnt spin. But a lot of people say that it slows your car down? What should i do?

[0to60n4.5]

Until you learn how to launch, at first the TC may help you a bit , but has to limit some power to do so. For the long term you need to leave it off and learn the exact ammount of throttle to apply and not go up in smoke. You'll have fun trying .

[99vette]

ok thanks, i tryed to stage it up once with the TC off and anything over 1k smokes the tires

[cailey37]

A set of drag radials and you're in business.......6 speed or auto??

[99vette]

its an auto.

[edward.brennan]

If you dont want to spend $$$$, then just lock it up with the brakes at about 1200 rpm (more and it will roll through the light), leave the TC off and roll the throttle on, also leave it in 3rd. If you roll the throttle too slowly it will shift on ya, so practice practice practice, I got my wifes 98 Vette down to 13.2 at 106 using this technique.

[99vette]

If you dont want to spend $$$$, then just lock it up with the brakes at about 1200 rpm (more and it will roll through the light), leave the TC off and roll the throttle on, also leave it in 3rd. If you roll the throttle too slowly it will shift on ya, so practice practice practice, I got my wifes 98 Vette down to 13.2 at 106 using this technique.

so you are saying to not put it in drive and put it in third? And stage it up and leave the line at 1200rpms?

[edward.brennan]

Around 1200 rpm, much higher and the torque converter will set in and you will roll forward. Dont mash the throttle, just roll into it. But the key to launching is practice. But it is fun no matter what!!!

[99vette]

Around 1200 rpm, much higher and the torque converter will set in and you will roll forward. Dont mash the throttle, just roll into it. But the key to launching is practice. But it is fun no matter what!!!
ok thanks, i just dont get how leavind the lights in 3rd helps?

[edward.brennan]

You can leave it in drive, it shouldnt shift past third in the quarter anyway, either third or drive is fine, once you lock up the brakes at the start line it will drop to first. Just dont waste the effort of shifting yourself. Still, its all about the fun. You will be surprised the other Vettes you can blow off the track with a C5, I ate a 67 Vette with a 427 in it by over a second in the quarter at Beech Bend in Bowling Green KY!!!

[99vette]

Well there isnt any 1/4 mile tracks around here just 1/8 mile. What do you think i can run in the 1/8 mile? All i have is a Borla catback and 120k LOL.

[edward.brennan]

Not sure, I cant find my drag slips, but I think between 8 and 9 seconds at around 80 mph, but I could be way off. In the 8th you could leave it in second, at red line you should run about 98 mph, so you dont have to worry about losing time in the shift to third. The overall length of the track is not nearly as important as the launch. That is where time is lost or gained, for the rest of it is just aiming and keeping your right foot planted in the throttle.

[98ls1blackbird]

You might want to check out leaving in 2nd. Some 4l60e transmissions actually take off in 2nd, it was an effort to reduce wheel spin in low tractions situations like snow. (sucks). Check it out and see if your corvette does. I have a 94 Z28 and a 98 Trans Am and I take off in 3rd in both. You should be able to roll the throttle on pretty quickly. I've never driven one of the newer vettes but I've had several 2nd and 3rd gen vettes with IRS and they hooked like mad. I dont know why the newer ones wouldnt also. Like everyone says, have fun while you are learning and in no time you will be mowing down the tree.

[99vette]

yeah my vette hooks really good! i dont have traction proplems. I guess i will try leaving the line at 1200rpms in 2nd gear?

[chadwick]

Hello, this is my first time here. I finally went to the drag strip and can only get a 14.2. (first time at drag strip). I have a t56, and am trying to figure out the best way to run it. I can get a 2.3 60 foot, and 100 mph. All stock. Car weighs 3735. Do you think it can do better than 14.2? Do you guys (with the six speed) take it to 5900 rpms like i do or shift at diffrent points?
thanks

[99vette]

Hello, this is my first time here. I finally went to the drag strip and can only get a 14.2. (first time at drag strip). I have a t56, and am trying to figure out the best way to run it. I can get a 2.3 60 foot, and 100 mph. All stock. Car weighs 3735. Do you think it can do better than 14.2? Do you guys (with the six speed) take it to 5900 rpms like i do or shift at diffrent points?
thanks

your car should break in the 13's

[lee1rbc]

Chadwick, how high was You elevation?

99vette, have You had Your car too the strip? With an A4 car You can heat your tires in staging and Your car should launch fine. On the street I have to roll off the line but at the track I heat them up for about 5sec(power break, at 5k) then when its time to go dont mash, but place it on the floor. I take about 1/2 a second to get the pedal to the floor.

[ScrapMaker]

Well I just went to the track today, in my 2000 A4 WS6 with 103k on the odometer...

My fastest(and first) run was 14.0754@99.47mph and this was with TCS on...

my second run was with TCS off... and I just decided to mash the pedal all the way... seeing how I literally just rolled off the Tire lot this morning, my Khumos had about 60 miles on them... I figured I'd have some good traction...

well that didn't work at all... I smoked them for about 100 feet until I let of the throttle a bit... I probably could have smoked them to the finish line, if I didn't crash before then.. and I ended up with a 16.68@95.50

each time I would try and launch at like 2000rpm, but every time I would get over like 1500, it seems that the car would roll.... I think I need a higher-stall torque convertor...

wonder what I can accomplish with this old motor?

[chadwick]

im 24" above sea level

[chadwick]

anyone have the six speed. If so, do you shift at 5800-5900 rpm's, or do you shift at diffrent points? I was told that i should shift at diffrent points because the torque would be better and that i would lose horsepower going to high of rpms. What do you guys think?

[99vette]

Chadwick, how high was You elevation?

99vette, have You had Your car too the strip? With an A4 car You can heat your tires in staging and Your car should launch fine. On the street I have to roll off the line but at the track I heat them up for about 5sec(power break, at 5k) then when its time to go dont mash, but place it on the floor. I take about 1/2 a second to get the pedal to the floor.

thanks, thats what i was thinking, on the street, i can just stomp it with the tc off, and it will only spin for about 1 or 2 secs. But some cars act totally different at the strip.

[ScrapMaker]

I had worse tracton at the track than I do on the street...

[99vette]

so does one of my buddy's who had a 04 gto 6-speed. On the street he could hook really good, but at the track, the best he could run was a 9.000(1/8 mile)

[lee1rbc]

Sorry to hear about those times scrapmaker, on my car I have 275-40-zr17s and 60ft for me is a best 2.01. But like I said I always warm my tires. I have tried not warming my tires and was sideways after hitting second. I know some people will tell You to go around the water box and not to heat up Your tires but for me it works. I dont spin in the water box, I just roll threw it by a foot and then start spinning. After about 5 to 7 sec I let off the break and burnem for about 8ft. Then I'll give it a punch before I stage to see how there hooking:) I have a in car vid of me running a 13.28,(shows pre staging) I'll see if I can download it tomorrow.

[ScrapMaker]

I have a in car vid of me running a 13.28,(shows pre staging) I'll see if I can download it tomorrow.

a 98 non-ramair getting 13.28? that's a tall-order for me to believe...

you are stock, m6?

and the reason most people drive around the water, is street tires really don't benefit from it... but you still need to at least chirp them for one or two revolutions, to get the oil and any water that may have gotten on the tires...

I was at an F-Body vs Mustang shootout event... almost every stock SS or WS6 got around 13.9-14.2... automatic or m6...

[99vette]

What do you think a stock 99 a4 vette will run?

[edward.brennan]

A stock 99 Vette (my wifes was a 98 A4) should run the times I posted before in the quarter, but I know you dont have access to a 1/4 mile track, and I am clueless on the 1/8.

[99vette]

13.2 is very good fr stock! Ill just add a vararam system and ill be in the 12's

[97formula]

99vette.....when he was saying put it in 3rd instead of drive that is because you tend to get a little better throttle response than in drive.
:)

[ScrapMaker]

my friend has a 2000 v6 camaro... he CANNOT burn out in drive... but in 'First,' he can do it with ease...

I never understood that... is it a computer setting?

[99vette]

Well thats a good thing if you get traction

[chadwick]

anyone have the six speed. If so, do you shift at 5800-5900 rpm's, or do you shift at diffrent points? I was told that i should shift at diffrent points because the torque would be better and that i would lose horsepower going to high of rpms. What do you guys think?

[WhiteLs1]

Even on a street tire you benefit from burning them out for a bit. I would say drive around the water and then back up for your burn out so that you don't have water dripping off your front tires. Then mash the gas and go!!:burnout:

[99vette]

99vette.....when he was saying put it in 3rd instead of drive that is because you tend to get a little better throttle response than in drive.
:)
SO if you take off in 3rd, does the trany automatically shift down to 1st?

[JattGunMan]

i have a 2001 camaro ss m6 and i raced this guy in a wrx not even a sti and he was killlllin me from the dig....mostly in part of the fact that i cannot launch at all whatsoever so i just sat there at idle rpm and rolled off the line:thumbdn: and mashed on it when i got rollin.....i just dont get this thing to launch.. do u guys launch at 2,000 rpms?lets say ur stopped ur revvin at 2,000 do u drop the clutch really fast or gradually and are u supposed to be pressin the gas at this time too????sorry for the essay i just need help:help:

[ScrapMaker]

in our cars... you probably don't wanna drop the clutch very high, because you will just keep spinning...

maybe you'd be better off with a smoother transisition... definitely don't just 'drop' the clutch... this is where the automatic CAN help, since the converter smooths out the engine output....

I need to make it back to the track to learn how to launch my a4 properly..

[speedaddict]

i have a 2001 camaro ss m6 and i raced this guy in a wrx not even a sti and he was killlllin me from the dig....mostly in part of the fact that i cannot launch at all whatsoever so i just sat there at idle rpm and rolled off the line:thumbdn: and mashed on it when i got rollin.....i just dont get this thing to launch.. do u guys launch at 2,000 rpms?lets say ur stopped ur revvin at 2,000 do u drop the clutch really fast or gradually and are u supposed to be pressin the gas at this time too????sorry for the essay i just need help:help:
I've got an 01 TA M6, I have a little trouble with the launch too. Try going somewhere and practice doing it. I've always heard 1800, when i try it, I'll rev to 1800, and dump the clutch, I've nailed it a couple of times, usually it just nose dives like the tc is on. When I street race, I'll rev higher and not dump the clutch, but just let off slowly (but not to slow)and I'll go by the "feel" of the car, trying not to spin the tires. I don't go to the track, but love to race. I wish someone who does could clarify it up a little for the launch in an M6. Do they dump it and mash simultaneously or dump it and then hit the gas immediatley after? And at what rpm?

[97formula]

Yes 99vette when you put it in third it does the same thing as in drive but you will not shift out of third and you will have better throttle response.

its not like you put it in third and it takes off in third!! :)

[ScrapMaker]

will you have better throttle response in first and second as well, or just the added response from not changing to fourth?

I could have sworn that somehow my friends 2000 v6 was more capable of a burnout when it was stuck in 1st...

[97formula]

I had a 96 firebird v6 that was m5 and i could lay a 40ft strip of burn rubber, and shifting in 2nd i could easily bark em!!

[jking]

Hello, this is my first time here. I finally went to the drag strip and can only get a 14.2. (first time at drag strip). I have a t56, and am trying to figure out the best way to run it. I can get a 2.3 60 foot, and 100 mph. All stock. Car weighs 3735. Do you think it can do better than 14.2? Do you guys (with the six speed) take it to 5900 rpms like i do or shift at diffrent points?
thanks

The launch is by far the most important part of the run.

As a rule of thumb, every .1 you knock off of your 60' comes out to about .15 off of your ET. I suspect this has something to do with momentum, but I really don't know the physics behind it. Time slips don't lie though..

You should be able to hit mid 13's. Your trap speed is low for some reason, maybe it was your driving, or maybe it needs a tune up or has some mechanical problem.


Different model cars have different launch characteristics such as optimal RPM, available traction, ect..

But the method of launching a manual tranny car is the same across the board.

If you are running street tires, do not drive through the water, and do not smoke them down. Just drive around the water (if possible) and do a practice launch or two before you get to the light.

You need to figure out what RPM your car launches best at. I don't recall the RPM on my LS1 C5, but my Z06 sweet spot seems to be 3600-4000.

The key to launching is to eliminate the two factors that kill time. Spinning and bogging. If you launch too low, you will bog, and if you launch too high or apply too much gas, you spin. I would prefer to spin as opposed to bog because you can control the amount of wheel spin by backing off of the gas. Once you bog, you are screwed, and you have to wait for the RPMs to come back up, all the while losing valuable time.

The best launch method is to find your best RPM range, and slip the clutch on your launch, allowing as much power as possible to the back wheels without spinning, while keeping your RPMs up to prevent a bog. Basically the clutch asorbs all of the extra power that would be causing your wheels to spin.

It takes a lot of practice at first, and it's not the best way to go if you are worried about clutch longevity, but it will get you your best times.

When you get to the line and staged, let your clutch out to the point right before it starts to engage, and hold your RPMs in the sweet spot. Probably around 3500.

When you are ready, let out on the clutch to the point where it is nearly engaged, but not all the way, and try to use the throttle to keep the RPMs in the sweet spot. This usually all takes place in the first few feet. As you feel the car start to hook let the clutch out all the way, and apply as much gas as you can without spinning. With decent tires, you should be fully engaged and on your way in the first 15' or so.

It sounds like a lot, but it happens fast, and with practice, you will be able to pull it off smoothly without thinking about it.

With an LS1 car, I would suggest that you shift as close to the redline as possible without hitting the limiter.

[jking]

That is for straight up street tires.

DR's are a little different and a lot depends on the car.

My Mach 1 I could dump the clutch at 5k and it would launch really hard with 1.6x 60's. There really wasn't anything to it..

I have to apply some clutch slip to the Z06 on DR's. I've gotten some 1.7x's out of it.