Drag Racing Technique Improve your track times

need help "feathering" the clutch...

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Old 10-01-2004, 06:52 AM
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need help "feathering" the clutch...

okay - went to the track a couple weeks agon and was pulling 2.8 60' cause i kept spinning no matter what i tried-

since then ive been told i need to "feather" the clutch - well im new to racing a stick and not quite sure how to go about it without riding the clutch bad-

anyone give me advice?
thnx



ohh im going back tonight to practice
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Old 10-03-2004, 09:25 PM
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Re: need help "feathering" the clutch...

I would not try to feather that clutch too much as stang guys do, that hydraulic clutch DOES NOT take kindly to it. I have been a 1.82 sixty foot in a 5.0 5 speed stang on PLAIN radials. In a stang there is a "dump off" point where you go ahead and let the clutch out and floor it. Try that in a six speed F-body and the clutch will slip, the hydraulic clutch will not release fast enough and the clutch will slip. Be careful, either the clutch or rear end will give up if forced in a six speed F body.


David
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Old 10-04-2004, 01:14 AM
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Re: need help "feathering" the clutch...

i have a specIII clutch, and billet steal flywheel... stock i just feathered( just could feel it), with this one, i launch at 2800 rpm, i dont drop it, but release/feather it pretty fast, i pull 2.1 sixy foots, know not great, but not bad either, just go to the track and play with it, youll get it, also if you have cheap tires, makes it hard either way

cory
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Old 10-04-2004, 07:33 AM
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Re: need help "feathering" the clutch...

Just rey a nice and smooth quick release. Not a dump, just a smooth quick release of the clutch and be raising the rpms during the release.\

The track must not be treated or something to get a 2.8... That is a lot of spin. Avoid shiny spots on the track. Try 20 pound of pressure in whatever tires you are using. Spin them just enough to clean off the dirt. Try a full tamk of gas. I know it isn't recommended, but man you are spinning a lot so try anything to hook up.

My hunch is it is a combination of crappy track prep, crappy street tires, and the need for more experience behind the wheel. Practice helps. Change one thing at a time until you get it right and then practice to get the consistency.
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Old 10-04-2004, 12:40 PM
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Re: need help "feathering" the clutch...

I got my car about 1 1/2 years ago. Since then I've been out racing maybe a dozen times. My original 60' times were crazy high, eventually I got down to a 2.6 60' while dropping the clutch. I just played with it a ton and found that on my car I need to dump at around 1800 rpm to not spin the tires all the way through first and second gear :P

Just recently I've been feathering the clutch and have been quite pleased with the results. I dropped the pressure in the tires a bit, did a 15 second burnout and pulled off a 2.0 60' on street tires. For a drag racing novice I've been told that's not bad, especially at an altitude of 2500 feet. I'm not too sure what fastfatboy is talking about when he says it'll slip the clutch... I was always told that's what feathering the clutch was. You're not letting all the power the engine is making get to the wheels, so isn't that slipping the clutch by definition?
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Old 10-04-2004, 07:40 PM
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Re: need help "feathering" the clutch...

Yea I would recomend not letting the tire pressure down to the 20's in street tires. Keep it around 30psi.
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