First Time Drag Racing

[derpimpkar]

I'm going to the strip tomorrow to see what the car can do. I've never gone before though. I've read some webpages on what needs to be done but I'm looking for some feedback from those with experience.

For example, how long should I smoke the factory tired after the water box? How much throttle do you give to spin the tires? What's the staging process? How do I know I reached the end of the strip?

Anything and everything is welcome. TIA.

[MaynardZed]

Drive around the water box (you don't need it, that's for drag slicks), then just a quick scrub off on the other side. Watch coasting through the beams, they come up quick. I'm a drag strip noob, but that's the stuff I messed up my first time.

[trey100]

I'm no expert but always take any new car I get to the drag strip at least once. Every strip has somewhat different enforcement of rules so this may not always be relevant.

First you must wear pants typically. Not sure where you live but no shorts usually.

You must have an appropriate helmet. Call the drag strip and they will tell you what rating it must have. Some places will rent them to you but sometimes they run out. They'll take your license as collateral.

They will do a quick safety inspection and then you get in line. Sometimes they will have specific lines depending on "class". So that you're not going up against some crazy front lifting monster in your stock car.

I've never used the water box as that is reserved for higher powered cars with slicks.

There will be folks there guiding you so no worries. They'll hold you back from encroaching the car in front of you about to race. Then they'll wave you over. Go around the water box.

Slowly creep up. They'll be staging lights (the same one that turns green for you to go). As you get closer to the starting line the first light will go on. Creep up a little more and a 2nd light will go on. Stop creeping up. You're now ready to wait for the other car to get set up if he/she hasn't done so already.

Then the 3 yellow lights will flash down. Go when you see the 3rd yellow as your reaction time will actually mean you will take off when the green light turns on. For your first time you should wait until you see green just so you can see on the print out how slow your reaction time will be. That's why you typically need to leave on the last yellow.

I don't have an F80 yet so can't give you advice on launching. I will typically rev my cars to 2,500 rpm or so (RWD ones) or 4,500-5,000 rpm (AWD ones) and then drop the clutch on my lesser powered RWD cars or modulate the clutch on more powerful ones. AWD ones you just drop the clutch.

Once you pass the 1/4 mile mark (you'll see the tall towers that mark your time), slow down, they'll be a turn around and you'll drive up to a person who will give you a print out of your times. Remember reaction times don't affect you overall time as that is measured from when your car starts to move. But it's nice to cross the line first!

Good luck. It's lots of fun and while you're waiting on line you'll get to meet and talk to a lot of other enthusiasts.

[derpimpkar]

excellent help, thank you both. I'm off to the races.

[trey100]

Originally Posted by derpimpkar

excellent help, thank you both. I'm off to the races.

Report back with your experience and numbers!

[9SECDD]

Good advice above. Some additional to add:

Put suspension in Comfort (this is important when drag racing. anything else is dangerous), everything else in sport+.

Use highest octane gas that you can get your hands on. 93 minimum, race gas even better.

Lower your tire pressure in rear tires to maybe 25psi.

Turn off air conditioner and all windows up for your run.

If you have DCT and plan on using launch control, set one of your M buttons to settings where launch control will work (S3 transmission and DCT fully off (not just MDM, but FULLY off). I set my M2 to launch control settings. This way when you are nervous you know your settings are correct and launch control will work. Make sure engine is warm (oil temp at or above 200 degrees or so?) or launch control will not work.

Set your other M button (I use M1) to burnout setting. Set transmission to D3, DCT again fully off, suspension to comfort and everything else to sport+. This way it is impossible to accidentally activate launch control (because you can't in D3). This is important because if you accidentally activate launch control on the burnout, you will not be able to use it on your run (care prevents using launch control again without a rest).

Then when you go to do your burnout and clean your tires, you have the car in M1, and when you are done, you simply hit M2 and you are good to go for your run with launch control. Do not drive through the water box, as mentioned that is for slicks. Drive around the water box and then back up to it and stop just before your rear tires would go into the water. Then, with your M1 active and trans in D3, floor it. The DCT will rev to 4000 rpm and dump the clutch, giving you a great burnout that will clean your tires and heat them up a little. I have found that this makes a big difference after your first run when your tires get stones all over them. You have to clan them or you will lose traction at launch.

Then get up to staging lights, one light, move slowly to two lights (go watch some youtube videos and/or watch others at track before your runs). Then quickly step on brake, hold it down, floor gas, and checkered flag will appear on dash telling you that you are in launch control mode. You should likely lower launch rpm to 2500 or so using the lever on the left of your steering wheel. But you have to do this quickly because the tree will count down.

Once you launch, let the launch control shift into 2nd for you, but then take over and shift using your paddle shifters at 6000rpm or soon after in each gear. Launch control shifts at redline, which many have told me is not optimal for our small turbos.

That's about it. Stay on the throttle until you pass the timing towers at the end of the run. That's where the 1/4 mile ends typically.

Have fun!

[shockin330i]

Good Idea on the m settings!

[derpimpkar]

It was a wild Saturday for me. The traction issue is a real thing. I never solved it to be honest. I tried the backing into the water box and burnout but I still slid. It could have been I started on the shiny part of the track, screwed up launch control and just revved first, I'm not sure. I tried rolling on the pedal in S3 too with slightly better success than launch control but no better than traction control. I know it's a skill thing. I'll keep going to get better. I can't be a magazine driver.

Still a great time. All sorts of cars and skill. Everyone was very cool and talkative. I'm sure I made some Integra owner's day when I spun forever and never caught him. I'm 63 on the time slip below and the other car was a Stage 2 Audi SQ5 sleeper. He was in the high 11's eating peanuts the whole time. Ridiculous.

I've got the notes from above for next time. See if I can get low 12's and stop spinning. The car is a rocket ship once it hooks up though, holy crap. Thanks again all!

Edit: I'm #63.

[9SECDD]

Don't sweat it man. my first time was similar. You will learn as you keep doing. I had times in the 14s my first time given how much I was spinning at launch. hehe. Got 11.70 on my third day out (with Jb4 though).

learn to lower the launch rpms with launch control. that will help. some have great success launching without using LC (get rolling, and THEN floor it). I have tried both and still have faster times with LC. Also still learning. Keep it up! Have fun.

[MChat]

Launching is the key. That 2.379 sixty foot is killing your 1/4 mile E.T. General rule of thumb I've found to be true is that every tenth of a second you spend in the first 60' cost you a tenth and a half to two tenths at the end of the track. With a sub 2.0, 60' you'll be knocking on (or in) the 11's.

For example, my last car ran 14.40 with a 2.37 60'. Then (after much seat time) went 13.76 with a 2.06 60'.

[derpimpkar]

a friend suggested another track last weekend. it turned out to be a good tip. what I learned in this thread coupled with a much better track resulted in some good runs. I think I'd have made it into the 11's if I didn't have 1/2 tank of gas and remembered the 6k shift. thanks again!

[9SECDD]

Originally Posted by derpimpkar

a friend suggested another track last weekend. it turned out to be a good tip. what I learned in this thread coupled with a much better track resulted in some good runs. I think I'd have made it into the 11's if I didn't have 1/2 tank of gas and remembered the 6k shift. thanks again!

Ahh, much better time! Nice job.

[trey100]

Thanks for posting your results. Much better 60' times but I'm surprised at the 5 mph change between days. Typically your end mph will pretty much stay similar regardless of your spinning. But even at 115 your good launch placed you almost in the 11's. These DCT cars are brutal if they hook up.

By the way put your name down in the thread for quickest DCT cars.

[MChat]

Originally Posted by derpimpkar

a friend suggested another track last weekend. it turned out to be a good tip. what I learned in this thread coupled with a much better track resulted in some good runs. I think I'd have made it into the 11's if I didn't have 1/2 tank of gas and remembered the 6k shift. thanks again!

Nice. A 1/2 second off the 60' and almost 3/4 of a second off the quarter. Way to go. Amazing the difference a good launch makes.

Originally Posted by trey

I'm surprised at the 5 mph change between days. Typically your end mph will pretty much stay similar regardless of your spinning.

In my experience, a poor launch with a higher ET results in a higher trap than a good launch with a lower ET. I know it sounds weird, but if you think about it Acceleration is measured distance/second/second. When you have a poor launch and a higher ET, the car has more time to accelerate.

My previous car ran 12.2-12.3 at about 122 mph on DOT tires (cheater slicks), and ran 11.9 at 119 mph on full slicks. It ran ~13 flat at ~125 mph on street tires.

[trey100]

Originally Posted by MChat

Nice. A 1/2 second off the 60' and almost 3/4 of a second off the quarter. Way to go. Amazing the difference a good launch makes.

In my experience, a poor launch with a higher ET results in a higher trap than a good launch with a lower ET. I know it sounds weird, but if you think about it Acceleration is measured distance/second/second. When you have a poor launch and a higher ET, the car has more time to accelerate.

My previous car ran 12.2-12.3 at about 122 mph on DOT tires (cheater slicks), and ran 11.9 at 119 mph on full slicks. It ran ~13 flat at ~125 mph on street tires.

Makes some sense but for some reason on my runs my trap speed always hovered the same whether I spun out or not.