Originally Posted by seanmorr370

Just took my '12 370z to the strip at Bradenton Motorsports Park last Thursday for the first time to see what I could get out of my Z. 13.61 was the best I did out of 5 runs (I didn't keep my time slips - I will in the future to get better feedback from you guys.).

I couldn't believe how much better the grip was compared to the street. I can floor it from a dead stop on the street and my back end will be all over the place, holding the brakes to build up RPM isn't even an option. However, on the drag strip, I found that I was actually able to build up RPM at my launch by holding the brakes, with little to no wheelspin. DRASTIC difference in grip as far as I can tell. Anyways, I've got a couple questions about this:

1 - Does it actually help to hold the brakes to build up RPM for a launch, or does it just feel that way? If so, do any of you 7AT guys have any insight on what RPM to launch at?

2 - Is it best to let the 7AT shift on it's own, or is it possible to out-shift the computer by going into 'semi-auto' mode on the 1/4 mile strip?

I'm trying to see what I can change to get a better time out of my 7AT than a 13.6. I have a Mesiterschaft CBE, and K&N Typhoon intake. Stock tires right now, but I have Continental Extreme Contacts coming in later this week, which I hear are lighter than the stock tires so maybe that will help. I removed the spare tire/tools as well for my day at the strip. I was shifting myself, and tried a couple of runs launching at 0 RPM, then I tried a few launching with a little RPM built up, and didn't notice much of a difference - but perhaps I just need to launch at an even higher RPM (like 4-5k maybe?). Thanks in advance for the answers and advice.