my father calls the other day, and tells me he wants me to go racing with him in a few weekends... He has a low 11 second stroked 327 comet, and I know I stand no chance if we line up together, but if you all can provide some tips, as far as shifting goes, launching, etc....it would be helpful.
I have practiced a few starts on the street, but if I launch anywhere above 1200, all I do is annihilate the tires...... what should I do to try to get the best ET possible?? thanks!

 

get drag radials..

its what I am doing.. I realized early on that its not even fun when you cant launch hard..

other than that, feather it out of the hole and shift good..

Run to about 58-5900 and shift..

I use the clutch on all of my shifts.. Just what I prefer..

Out of the hole is where you wont be doing anything impressive..


DO NOT BURN OUT ON STREET TIRES...
cant stress that enough.. Spin clean but do not smoke them..

go around the waterbox... very important.. do not get any of your tires wet.. bad for traction..

 

How else can you shift? Ive own nothing but stick shift vehicles but this is my first performance, but I ve always used the clutch, should I try something different???????

 

I'm no expert but the best thing you can do is practice. Just be sure it's safe when you do it.

 

some people dont use the clutch for 2-3 and 3-4.. Last person I knew that did that on a stock car.. argued about its good.. He soon was replacing the clutch fork.. some people never learn...
hehe

 

when on the 1/4, should I use traction control or turn it off??

 

Traction control is useless in the 1/4. It is going to slow you down by pulling your foot off the throttle for a prolonged period. About the only time ASR is useful is in the rain when you forget that you cant accelerate like normal.
I have found a teeny bit of wheelspin (1-2 revolutions of the tire at most) gets me off the line a little bit quicker than none at all. Havent really been able to find the happy medium between chirping the tire and bogging, but it is probably due to my unwilingness to slip the clutch. All I have ever run is street tires, which is why my best 60' is a 2.10.

I would also look into airing down the rear tires a little bit. Too low and aside from the danger, the center of the tread cups and you get less traction. Air up the fronts for a teeny bit less rolling resistance while you have the equipment out. Make sure your engine is cooler (but not cold) when you run. Running a cool motor can give you 1-2 tenths over one that has been running at operating temp, or idling in the staging lanes forever. Some gas in the tank provides weight in the back for mildly better traction off the line.

Dont forget your helmet! Even on a bad day you should be in the 13's with some practice. (My first time out with my car I ran a 13.73 @104 ... it was my first manual tranny experience on a dragstrip ever!!)

 

helmet and jeans or pants.. no shorts...


I wouldnt go less than 28psi on the rears for street tires.

I always feather the clutch.. got a 2.0 on a hot engine with almost no gas.. I will return to the track when I have my DR's.