Track Preparation Tips

[sean05]

Hey guys,
Me and my friends are playing on going to the track sometime in Augest or whenever it gets warm enough.. I was just wondering what i should know so i can atleast know more then them..

Loose some tire pressure?

Take out Jack and spare?

Whats a good launching RPM for a stock max with a y pipe and intake?

Around what RPM should i shift at? ( i know its always different in every car but just around where)

Should i leave on my 18's?

How long should i burn um in the pit?

Should i burn them at all?
( running all season tires )

Anything else?

[Ferbs02SMMax]

Originally Posted by sean05

Hey guys,
Me and my friends are playing on going to the track sometime in Augest or whenever it gets warm enough.. I was just wondering what i should know so i can atleast know more then them..

Tracks should be open in April or May.

Originally Posted by sean05

Loose some tire pressure?

Yes 25 psi. Dont go there with 35psi, you will spin out of the hole, and you wont hook.

Originally Posted by sean05

Take out Jack and spare?

Yes. Less weight always good. Take your front seat out if you can.

Originally Posted by sean05

Whats a good launching RPM for a stock max with a y pipe and intake?

2000rpm's. If you are spinning too much start launching at 150rpm less increments, and 150rpm higher increments if you are bogging

Originally Posted by sean05

Around what RPM should i shift at? ( i know its always different in every car but just around where)

Shift at 300rpm before redline, so when it engages, you just touch redline. Maybe 6000 rpm.

Originally Posted by sean05

Should i leave on my 18's?

No, ditch the heavy wheels for lightweight steel wheels.

Originally Posted by sean05

How long should i burn um in the pit?

Don't.

Originally Posted by sean05

Should i burn them at all?
( running all season tires )

Don't. Only tires you should warm up are dr's or slicks.

Originally Posted by sean05

Anything else?

Yeah, have fun. Relax, you will get more comfortable as you get more runs under your belt. Go around the waterbox, pay attention, wear pants and long sleeves.

[Ferbs02SMMax]

Originally Posted by MaxGR97

Lol why do you say wear pants and long sleaves?

Every place I've always been to mandates pants/long sleeve shirts as a precaution in case you have a wreck while going down the track (or the car next to runs in to you) and you are stuck in your car, waiting to be helped/extricated out. AFAIK, if you are wearing the pants, and a fire starts, you have a better chance of having minimal burns, as compared to shorts, where your chance of being burned badly suddenly jumps to 100%.

There's a reason the guys running Top Fuel and Funny Car are decked out, rules require you wear flame-retardent clothing. I know we aren't driving 5 second cars, but you get the point...

[Nealoc187]

I've never been at a track that mandated long sleeves, but they don't allow tank tops or wife beaters, your shirt has to have some sleeve at least, even if it is short sleeves. Some tracks may require long sleeves who knows. They won't allow you to run with shorts on that's for sure.

As for the other stuff there are no real set rules of what you should or shouldn't do as far as technique. Some of the best drag racers on this board launch their car right off idle, they don't tach it up at all. Also I don't drop my tire pressure one bit when I go to the track on street tires. I run my street tire pressure which is 32psi at the track. You just have to see what works best for you.

Make your car as light as you are willing to make it. Spare and jack are easy. Taking off your 18s is easy. Taking out the seat is pretty easy but not as easy as taking out the spare. Taking out all your interior is not that hard but it's not that easy either. Taking off your bumper supports is not easy, etc. It's all about how much work you are willing to put into it.

Avoid the water at all costs, don't do a burnout.

[SteVTEC]

Another great topic for a sticky.

[otter1]

Another tip - Air up the rear tires to the max pressure on the sidewall (50 psi on Michelin Pilot A/S). This cuts the contact patch in half and seems to be worth a 10th.

Also crank adjustable shocks up to full stiff to control wheel hop.

02 6spd - all stock except for shocks, sway bar, K&N - 14.45 @ 96

[ptatohed]

Don't forget your DOT helmet.

[JClaw]

Helmets are required for cars running 13.99 and faster only. In the time trials you can run 13s without a helmet but once you dial your car for the eliminations, you need a helmet. Even dialed in at 13.99 they won't let you run without a helmet.

[ptatohed]

Originally Posted by JClaw

Helmets are required for cars running 13.99 and faster only. In the time trials you can run 13s without a helmet but once you dial your car for the eliminations, you need a helmet. Even dialed in at 13.99 they won't let you run without a helmet.

I see. I'm going to a 1/8 tonight. They require all racers to have helmets. I found a pearl white DOT motorcycle helmet at Wal-Mart for $78 that matches my Icelandic Pearl almost identically! I first went to a motorcycle store and the helmets started at $200!

[chernmax]

Originally Posted by Nealoc187

Taking off your 18s is easy.

Unless of course your ride comes stock with 18's, than leave them on...

Also recommend only a 1/4 tank of gas, less weight and god forbid if you wreak, less fuel spill...

[ptatohed]

Back to the topic - there are basically 5 things to help your car go faster (well 6 if you count driver skill - but let's just assume that is going to inevitably come with time):
1.) Increase horsepower (duh).
2.) Increase traction.
3.) Weight reduction (another obvious one).
4.) Decrease aerodynamic drag.
5.) Increase heat dissipation.

The beauty of this is items 3-5 can be low cost and even free. I'll provide a few examples and maybe you guys can help chime in.

1.) Horsepower. No one needs explanation of this. Intake, Y-Pipe, NOS, supercharger, etc. The more the better.
2.) Traction. This can range from upgrading your stock diameter/width tires to some wider/stickier street tires or drag radials to buying slicks for your car. Tire pressure plays a roll but since I don't have a lot of experience, I won't talk numbers. Avoid the water in the staging area if you are on street tires. Sport tuned suspension will help your launch. Some people even jack up the back of their car a little to put more weight over the front wheels. You can do this with rubber spring spacers found at auto part stores. Try power braking/launching at higher revs but back off if you find yourself loosing traction.
3.) Weight reduction. Probably also goes without explanation. Here is a link which might help: http://lighter.maxdes.net/ On track nights, I do the following: Remove trunk carpet/board, spare tire, jack, tools, floor mats, headrests, rear seat, metal plate behind rear seat, all loose items. Rotational weight reduction is even more beneficial (ex. lighter rims/tires, lighter crank pulley). Oh and go with a 1/8 to 1/4 full tank - gas weighs 6lb/gal. I think the rule is one tenth seconds off your 1/4 mile E.T. per 100lb shaved.
4.) Aerodynamics. I think this is something often overlooked. When your car has to fight wind resistance, you are basically loosing horsepower. Try driving on the highway with your hand out the window. Make your hand parallel with the ground (fingers forward) and then perpendicular to the ground (fingers up, palm forward). Big difference, huh? Some ideas might include: remove front license plate, remove windshield wipers, fold or remove sideview mirrors, build/install underbody panels which help guide the air easily under your car - especially when there is a vertical plane like the gas tank, spare tire well and rear bumper. Over-inflated and/or two spare tires in the rear will help reduce drag as well.
5.) Heat dissipation. This is another important aspect sometimes overlooked. Some ideas: run your heater on high while in line (if your engine is running) (use "economy", not your AC compressor), keep your hood open while in line, push your car if possible, use as much water (and less antifreeze) in your radiator as your climate/season will allow, do Jime's fan mod which lets you turn your stock cooling fans on low or high via a switch, some people use spacers at the back of their hoods to allow gap for heat to escape - I removed the rubber seal instead. Take your grill off for the night. Maybe remove a clearance or headlight near your intake.

Please feel free to correct me or add to my list. Thanks.

[grey99max]

Originally Posted by MAXSE5SPD

for cars with adjustable suspension, im kno firming up the back is the way to go, but what about the front? would leaving it soft help counter wheel hop, or stiffening it up?

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EDIT: Woops - I just noticed I posted in a Sticky thread. Hope this isn't a problem, but if forbidden, mods please remove this.
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Personal opinion - anything you do to keep the back and front suspension from moving is a good thing. If the car moves around when launching, you are wasting power and adding time to the launch.

I rubber-block the rear springs, 4 each side, raising the car a bit, so that the car doesn't squat down when launching. Since I have Tokico lluminas adjustable struts, I set both front and rear to "5" - the tightest setting. Some racers use tie-wraps or tie-down straps to keep the front end down.

On launch, I have no visible lift in the front or squat in the back. This keeps those 2.0x 60's coming back.


ptatohed mentioned using lighter rims/tires to go faster - I'm going to try putting my Mazda Millenia wheels with BFG DRs on the back when I finish with dynos. I don't use them anymore, but that wheel/tire combination is around 30 lbs - about 15lb lighter per wheel than what I have now. Oh, most all tracks now ban the use of spare-tire "doughnuts" on the track - they are only rated to 55 MPH, you know.

[Scottwax]

No one mentioned leaving on the last yellow? Don't even think about waiting for the light to go green. Most tracks use a sportsman tree for brackets. Once the prestage and stage lights are lit, within a couple of seconds the three yellows count down .5 seconds apart. Leave when the third yellow lights, believe me, by the time you react, put your foot down (dump the clutch with a manual) and the car actually starts to move, you won't redlight in the .5 seconds it takes to go from the third yellow to green and you should get a decent reaction time. If the track is running a pro tree, all three yellows flash at once and again, go when they do, the green is .4 seconds behind.

Stay completely out of the water with street tires and just do a quick dry hop to make sure the tires are clean. Do a long burnout and you will end up heating the tires up too much and end up losing traction.

Try to make 3-4 runs before you worry about your dial in. Typically, I would set mine .05 lower than my quickest run. If you are running time trials during the day and brackets run at night, as the air cools, your car should start running quicker so bear that in mind when setting your dial, morning time trials and afternoon brackets, the opposite is true. Sometimes though, you hook up better when it warms up vs cooler weather so the power gain/loss due to temperatures gets offset by how your car hooks up. Usually takes a few trips to the track to figure out exactly how your car responds to changing temperatures.

I always emptied my trunk but otherwise left the car in full street condition. Who cares if you run a couple tenths faster with the interior stripped? Seriously, if you have a street car, run it in street trim other than maybe stickier tires. When you race away from the track (even though none of us does it), do you ask the other driver to wait while you pull over and gut the interior? Nothing more hilarious than seeing a Civic driver pull out his seats, door panels, etc and STILL RUN A 17!!

Use the time trials for your all out runs but once you start running brackets, consistancy is the key to winning. Launch at the same rpm, shift at the same rpm and don't be afraid to lift before the traps (finish line) if you have a good lead. If you run quicker than your dial, it doesn't matter if you get there first, you still lose. Just be careful if you are running against a much faster car, you won't believe how much distance a 10 second car can close on a 14 second car in a second or two. It ain't pretty.

[carsarecool]

question: if something DID happen (God FOrbid) like someone came across the lane, or you lost control and wrecked, will your insurance cover it like any other accident or will they make a big stink cause you were "racing" ? Or are tracks required to have their own? sorry for the n00b q's ive never been to the track but ive been reading up on it a lot and really wanna go

[ptatohed]

Originally Posted by Scottwax

No one mentioned leaving on the last yellow? Don't even think about waiting for the light to go green. Most tracks use a sportsman tree for brackets. Once the prestage and stage lights are lit, within a couple of seconds the three yellows count down .5 seconds apart. Leave when the third yellow lights, believe me, by the time you react, put your foot down (dump the clutch with a manual) and the car actually starts to move, you won't redlight in the .5 seconds it takes to go from the third yellow to green and you should get a decent reaction time. If the track is running a pro tree, all three yellows flash at once and again, go when they do, the green is .4 seconds behind.

Stay completely out of the water with street tires and just do a quick dry hop to make sure the tires are clean. Do a long burnout and you will end up heating the tires up too much and end up losing traction.

Try to make 3-4 runs before you worry about your dial in. Typically, I would set mine .05 lower than my quickest run. If you are running time trials during the day and brackets run at night, as the air cools, your car should start running quicker so bear that in mind when setting your dial, morning time trials and afternoon brackets, the opposite is true. Sometimes though, you hook up better when it warms up vs cooler weather so the power gain/loss due to temperatures gets offset by how your car hooks up. Usually takes a few trips to the track to figure out exactly how your car responds to changing temperatures.

I always emptied my trunk but otherwise left the car in full street condition. Who cares if you run a couple tenths faster with the interior stripped? Seriously, if you have a street car, run it in street trim other than maybe stickier tires. When you race away from the track (even though none of us does it), do you ask the other driver to wait while you pull over and gut the interior? Nothing more hilarious than seeing a Civic driver pull out his seats, door panels, etc and STILL RUN A 17!!

Use the time trials for your all out runs but once you start running brackets, consistancy is the key to winning. Launch at the same rpm, shift at the same rpm and don't be afraid to lift before the traps (finish line) if you have a good lead. If you run quicker than your dial, it doesn't matter if you get there first, you still lose. Just be careful if you are running against a much faster car, you won't believe how much distance a 10 second car can close on a 14 second car in a second or two. It ain't pretty.

Good stuff Scott. I've never done any of this bracket stuff you are talking about (I just go and run) but good stuff for those who do.

I do disagree with you about "a few tenths" being negligible. Drag racers kill for a tenth.

Thanks for the tips.

[wyche89]

i went to the track for the first time a few weeks ago.. that sh*t was fun! the main thing is you get better with more experience... my first 4 runs were 15.7, 15.5, 15.1, and then 14.9... and i'm gonna try that lowering my tire pressure to get better launches, cause that was an area that i was weak in.. and there was no avoiding the waterbox at atco.. they sprayed for everybody! bastards... on leaving on the last yellow by the way scott... as far as stripping my interior and loosing my spare tire and jack... please.. that's only for strictly drag cars... i spend 99.9% of my time on the street, and im not spending it with my interior a total shell! nor am i gonna spend the time doing it before i go to the track, and put everything back afterwards.. and as far as the spare tire and jack.. i'll take a .01 second slower time instead of being faster, but totally screwed if i get a flat on the way home.. different strokes for different folks, but thats just how i roll

Originally Posted by JClaw

Helmets are required for cars running 13.99 and faster only. In the time trials you can run 13s without a helmet but once you dial your car for the eliminations, you need a helmet. Even dialed in at 13.99 they won't let you run without a helmet.

i dont know how the laws are accross the country, but in atco, nj they make everone where a helmet.. even the 17 second cars!

[khantalha+]

Originally Posted by wyche89

i dont know how the laws are accross the country, but in atco, nj they make everone where a helmet.. even the 17 second cars!

thats , here in Ohio i think u have to be 10.00 seconds or less

[grey99max]

Originally Posted by wyche89

as far as stripping my interior and loosing my spare tire and jack... please.. that's only for strictly drag cars... i spend 99.9% of my time on the street, and im not spending it with my interior a total shell! nor am i gonna spend the time doing it before i go to the track, and put everything back afterwards.. and as far as the spare tire and jack.. i'll take a .01 second slower time instead of being faster, but totally screwed if i get a flat on the way home.. different strokes for different folks, but thats just how i roll

i dont know how the laws are accross the country, but in atco, nj they make everone where a helmet.. even the 17 second cars!

Amen on leaving the seats, spare tire and jack in the car - my spare tire is right under the dual nitrous bottle rack. Stays there, too.

Local rules here have tightened up this season - everybody wears a helmet. Fire jackets for nitrous, add-on turbos and superchargers, NHRA rules are being applied to everything - better than losing the tracks, I figure.

[ptatohed]

Right after I plopped down $70 (I know, I know, that's not that much for a helmet)for a DOT helmet (Wal-Mart), my local 1/8 mile track changed their requirement to a Snell rated helmet. If I remember correctly, Snell helmets start at $200.

Needless to say, I 'acquired' a Snell sticker.

[SmokeNismo]

should tires be inflated to 25 psi cold or hot? also what about summer tires, don't they do a litlle better with heat? should try to burn them out for a second maybe? at least to clean them off.

[SmokinMax01]

Going to the track tonight and just had a quick question...

Is it ok to have the drop resistor mod on AND manual shift an automatic, simultaneously?

Or should I just manual shift only?