Drag strip tips

Skeeterbop · 10-22-2011, 02:26 AM

Ok so tonight being the first time out to the drag strip ever I wasn't expecting much, but this is horrible. First of all the track isn't very sticky (imo), it is uphill all the way, track elevation is 3750 feet above sea level, and if you aren't doing a burnout there is no way of getting around the burnout box. Anyways, my first run went like this: Get lined up on the starting line. The staging lights come come on, then the lights start counting down. At this point I start to roll back and i figure it doesn't matter since I'm about to take off. The third light goes on and I launch. When i get to the timing booth they hand me the slip and I had red lighted. I talked to my friend who was watching and he said that he thinks it red lighted me due to me rolling backwards out of staging. So the next run I decide to hold it in place using the clutch. This was a horrible idea, it caused the clutch to heat up and when I shifted to second it slipped very badly. The third and final run was my best and it was still horrible. This time I used the parking brake to hold me in place and then released it as I let of the clutch. I gave it to much gas though and smoked the rear tires and was slow shifting to second. Once i got rolling though I did ok. So I'm just trying to find some advice on how to get off the line better. Here is what my slip looked like, and yes I'm the one on the right (i'm so ashamed):

HTML Code:

Left                            Right
0.968        RT              1.345
2.610        60ft            4.184
70.62       Speed          69.87
10.431     660ft            13.124
88.44    Vehicle spd      92.70
15.968       ET             18.470

Skeeterbop · 10-25-2011, 12:31 AM

Anyone have any suggestions on what i should be doing to get off the line better? I.E. when I should begin accelerating or what RPM I should start at for launching? I know I need more practice, but it would be nice to have a starting/reference point.

Brazilbro · 10-25-2011, 03:09 AM

You shouldn't be rolling back after making a complete stop at the staging lights. I always stage first then wait for other to fully stage.. once other dude is fully staged I rev to about 4k. and wait for the lights to drop. then just drop the gas as you ease of the clutch at the same time. I don't really worry about red lighting or coming of the line late because I'm just working on getting the best ET and since its not a race. Just takes pratice

Skeeterbop · 10-26-2011, 06:49 PM

It would be nice to be able to just hold the revs, but this track is definitely uphill. I'm just going to have to use the parking brake to stay in place. I did it the last run (only run i got a slip for) and didn't have any problem with staying still or not getting it disengaged. I just need to work on my launch and reaction time. I feel if i did everything right at this particular track, I would be happy to see high 14s and especially happy to get mid or low 14s.

Skeeterbop · 11-04-2011, 12:11 AM

Ok, so something I realized that is nice about being in SW texas, the drag strip is open every friday evening weather permitting. I plan on going out tomorrow night to try to improve over last time. Here is a video of one of the guys I went there with. I found out later he was using the hand brake to hold still at the line. He is the RX-7.

Skeeterbop · 11-06-2011, 12:27 AM

So last night went pretty well. I shaved three seconds off my best time last week. My best run last night was a 15.2. Unfortunately no slips were available cause the printer was broken, which was a bit irritating. One of the other guys i went with was driving a fully loaded Z and his best was a 15.05 iirc. It's funny, my first night out nobody bothered about asking to run against me. Last night I had quite a few people ask. I won some and lost some. All in all I had a great time. Here is a few runs i got on my go-pro:

chuckd05 · 11-06-2011, 05:03 PM

getting better for sure... work on shifting quicker and getting off the line a little harder.... what were your 60 foots?

also do you know what the 335 ran ?

Skeeterbop · 11-06-2011, 06:40 PM

To be honest i have no clue what my 60 foots were, the printers were down after my second run of the night. First run i red lighted and all it said was 0.00 for everything. The second slip i mistakenly tossed thinking it was a receipt and didn't realize it until later when i pulled the receipt out of my pocket later to look at my time slip. Also the timing system was a bit fubar'd, It wasn't giving them 60' times, 1/8th times or 1/8th speeds. So all i got was my et and speed. My i would guess my 60' was close to 3 seconds /shrug. Last time it was 4.xx

Skeeterbop · 11-06-2011, 06:41 PM

the 335 was about a full second faster than me on that particular run. All i know is that he was running low to mid 14s.

gaveup · 11-09-2011, 03:39 PM

Wow, and to think I was extremely mad at myself for only running a 13.3.

Note to self: don't ever go to whatever track that is.

Skeeterbop · 11-11-2011, 12:45 AM

yeah it's not the greatest. It is extremely slick, I honestly believe i have more traction at a stoplight than i do on that track. They say it is prepped but i find it hard to believe. Next time i'll leave the brakes off in the staging lights so you can see just how much of a slope it has.

Skeeterbop · 11-11-2011, 12:57 AM

So i figured out what my RT times were in this video by carefully pausing it as I went past the boards

1st run: 1.073
2nd run: 0.?92 (think it is a 0.892 but not sure)
3rd run: 0.684
4th run: 0.744

So I now have an idea of how my reaction times are.

Skeeterbop · 11-11-2011, 01:08 AM

also after looking throught the official quarter mile times, with the RT from the last 3 runs I would think i should be doing low 14s. Can 3700 feet elevation plus a slight uphill track affect my time by almost a full second, or am i missing something else?

Skeeterbop · 11-11-2011, 01:31 AM

and finally after plugging in the wether from that night on DA Calculator - Density Altitude Calculator - DragTimes.com I gte an estimated ET of 14.2 @ 100mph which is where I was hoping to be. I guess based on this I'll be doing good to hit mid 14s at this track.

tranceformer · 11-11-2011, 10:05 AM

if its time trial, the reaction time does NOT count towards the ET. iirc, reaction only counts towards the et in bracket racing.

10-22-2011, 02:26 AM	#1 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	Drag strip tips Ok so tonight being the first time out to the drag strip ever I wasn't expecting much, but this is horrible. First of all the track isn't very sticky (imo), it is uphill all the way, track elevation is 3750 feet above sea level, and if you aren't doing a burnout there is no way of getting around the burnout box. Anyways, my first run went like this: Get lined up on the starting line. The staging lights come come on, then the lights start counting down. At this point I start to roll back and i figure it doesn't matter since I'm about to take off. The third light goes on and I launch. When i get to the timing booth they hand me the slip and I had red lighted. I talked to my friend who was watching and he said that he thinks it red lighted me due to me rolling backwards out of staging. So the next run I decide to hold it in place using the clutch. This was a horrible idea, it caused the clutch to heat up and when I shifted to second it slipped very badly. The third and final run was my best and it was still horrible. This time I used the parking brake to hold me in place and then released it as I let of the clutch. I gave it to much gas though and smoked the rear tires and was slow shifting to second. Once i got rolling though I did ok. So I'm just trying to find some advice on how to get off the line better. Here is what my slip looked like, and yes I'm the one on the right (i'm so ashamed): HTML Code: Left Right 0.968 RT 1.345 2.610 60ft 4.184 70.62 Speed 69.87 10.431 660ft 13.124 88.44 Vehicle spd 92.70 15.968 ET 18.470 __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

10-25-2011, 12:31 AM	#2 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	Anyone have any suggestions on what i should be doing to get off the line better? I.E. when I should begin accelerating or what RPM I should start at for launching? I know I need more practice, but it would be nice to have a starting/reference point. __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

10-25-2011, 03:09 AM	#3 (permalink)
Brazilbro A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 1,131 Drives: Juke/240Z Rep Power: 848	You shouldn't be rolling back after making a complete stop at the staging lights. I always stage first then wait for other to fully stage.. once other dude is fully staged I rev to about 4k. and wait for the lights to drop. then just drop the gas as you ease of the clutch at the same time. I don't really worry about red lighting or coming of the line late because I'm just working on getting the best ET and since its not a race. Just takes pratice __________________ Juke AWD/240Z SR20 08 Evo 10(Stage 2) SOLD Fastest Sport 6spd 370Z 11.8 @126.5SOLD

10-26-2011, 06:49 PM	#4 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	It would be nice to be able to just hold the revs, but this track is definitely uphill. I'm just going to have to use the parking brake to stay in place. I did it the last run (only run i got a slip for) and didn't have any problem with staying still or not getting it disengaged. I just need to work on my launch and reaction time. I feel if i did everything right at this particular track, I would be happy to see high 14s and especially happy to get mid or low 14s. __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-04-2011, 12:11 AM	#5 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	Ok, so something I realized that is nice about being in SW texas, the drag strip is open every friday evening weather permitting. I plan on going out tomorrow night to try to improve over last time. Here is a video of one of the guys I went there with. I found out later he was using the hand brake to hold still at the line. He is the RX-7. __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-06-2011, 12:27 AM	#6 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	So last night went pretty well. I shaved three seconds off my best time last week. My best run last night was a 15.2. Unfortunately no slips were available cause the printer was broken, which was a bit irritating. One of the other guys i went with was driving a fully loaded Z and his best was a 15.05 iirc. It's funny, my first night out nobody bothered about asking to run against me. Last night I had quite a few people ask. I won some and lost some. All in all I had a great time. Here is a few runs i got on my go-pro: __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-06-2011, 05:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
chuckd05 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: NY Posts: 2,391 Drives: No longer a Z Rep Power: 20	getting better for sure... work on shifting quicker and getting off the line a little harder.... what were your 60 foots? also do you know what the 335 ran ? __________________ 09 370Z 6M PW - FBO Best 1/4 mile = 12.926 @ 109 SOLD -- 08 BMW 135i - FBO 12.1@120mph SOLD -- white 09 e92 335 Coupe Mtech - 11.9 @ 119 :-)

11-06-2011, 06:40 PM	#8 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	To be honest i have no clue what my 60 foots were, the printers were down after my second run of the night. First run i red lighted and all it said was 0.00 for everything. The second slip i mistakenly tossed thinking it was a receipt and didn't realize it until later when i pulled the receipt out of my pocket later to look at my time slip. Also the timing system was a bit fubar'd, It wasn't giving them 60' times, 1/8th times or 1/8th speeds. So all i got was my et and speed. My i would guess my 60' was close to 3 seconds /shrug. Last time it was 4.xx __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-06-2011, 06:41 PM	#9 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	the 335 was about a full second faster than me on that particular run. All i know is that he was running low to mid 14s. __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-09-2011, 03:39 PM	#10 (permalink)
gaveup Enthusiast Member Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Tamarac FL Posts: 324 Drives: 10 Nissan 370Z MB M6 Rep Power: 181	Wow, and to think I was extremely mad at myself for only running a 13.3. Note to self: don't ever go to whatever track that is. __________________ 2010 Magnetic Black Metallic 370Z 6M stillen gen 3 CAI - topspeed test pipes - invidia gemini CBE - UpRev tune 301whp (HP Logic Mustang Dyno)

11-11-2011, 12:45 AM	#11 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	yeah it's not the greatest. It is extremely slick, I honestly believe i have more traction at a stoplight than i do on that track. They say it is prepped but i find it hard to believe. Next time i'll leave the brakes off in the staging lights so you can see just how much of a slope it has. __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-11-2011, 12:57 AM	#12 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	So i figured out what my RT times were in this video by carefully pausing it as I went past the boards 1st run: 1.073 2nd run: 0.?92 (think it is a 0.892 but not sure) 3rd run: 0.684 4th run: 0.744 So I now have an idea of how my reaction times are. __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-11-2011, 01:08 AM	#13 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	also after looking throught the official quarter mile times, with the RT from the last 3 runs I would think i should be doing low 14s. Can 3700 feet elevation plus a slight uphill track affect my time by almost a full second, or am i missing something else? __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-11-2011, 01:31 AM	#14 (permalink)
Skeeterbop A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Fort Bliss, TX Age: 40 Posts: 1,440 Drives: 2011 GM 370 base SP Rep Power: 16	and finally after plugging in the wether from that night on DA Calculator - Density Altitude Calculator - DragTimes.com I gte an estimated ET of 14.2 @ 100mph which is where I was hoping to be. I guess based on this I'll be doing good to hit mid 14s at this track. __________________ Srenity: "Yeah no rest needed to spread the love when your 20 that's for sure...."

11-11-2011, 10:05 AM	#15 (permalink)
tranceformer A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Palm Beach, FL Posts: 1,213 Drives: 2009 370Z PW 6MT Rep Power: 268	if its time trial, the reaction time does NOT count towards the ET. iirc, reaction only counts towards the et in bracket racing. __________________ Ray 2009 370Z Base Sport 6MT / 12.860 @ 109.09mph / 1.921 60ft / street tires official 1/4 mile track times

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Drag Strip Videos	johnnydrama	Track / Autocross / Drifting / Dragstrip	0	06-09-2011 10:22 AM
First time going to a drag strip.	Vegitto-kun	Track / Autocross / Drifting / Dragstrip	31	04-29-2011 05:52 PM
1/8 mile drag strip	brado	Nissan 370Z General Discussions	28	03-25-2011 11:18 PM
St Thomas Drag Strip	Z eliminator	Canada	3	03-22-2010 02:03 PM