I finally get a much needed break from work in September! Im heading to Phoenix 9-4 to 9-13 visiting my mom and sister. Probably get some wakeboarding in, and a lot a relaxation. Cant wait......literally counting down the minutes.

Anyway, my sister had the great idea to head to Firebird Raceway on friday 9-11 for something to do. A few questions instantly popped up. I did a search and had crappy results.

1) Tire pressure? I dont have drag radials and plan on using what I got.....Eagle F-1 GS-D3. I have them set at 32 psi. I plan on leaving the fronts alone and setting the rears at 20-25 psi. Good or Bad idea? What psi do you guys run?

2) Should I avoid the water and the burn out? Im thinking probably yes......the track might make me go around the water anyway.

3) What should I set the D-Specs at? front and rear? or just rear?

4) launching RPM? this is the only thing the search really produced. Many mentioned numbers between 2500-3000 rpm. I dont plan on dropping the clutch either.

thanks, mike

 

I would lower the rear tire pressure to about 20-25 psi.
Avoid the water you can do a small burnout to get dirt off your tires if you want.
I would try launching around 1-1500 rpm. For me anything higher and I just spin. But try different ranges and find what works best for you and the track.
Good luck and have fun.

 

just thought of another question too.........

How high should I take the rpms before each shift. Redline? not quite redline?

 

I would say not quite redline. Maximum horsepower is a bit before redline. Also, you don't want to hit the rev limiter.

 

For the shocks, you'll need to play around and try some different settings.
For the fronts, set them at full soft (7 turns out from hard).
For the rears, it really depends on your tires and suspension setup. Most run the rears near full-hard. I've had success with running the rear shocks much softer, even as much as 6 turns out from full hard. WIth street tires, that will vary.

Mainly, watch the rear grip, be careful, and HAVE FUN!

 

1500rpm??? Really, I would start there but would think you would find your self in the 2500-3000rpm. Granted you'll dial that number in after a few passes.

 

Well I'm by no measure an experience drag racer, but from my experience on my slightly modified stang I can provide you the following inputs.

I have only ever used the stock 17" Pirelli's and I do a quick burn out outside of the water box just to get the rocks off the tires. The water box has given me no gain (and no loss either)...but I think pointless to waste your rubber.

If I launch at 2000 I'll just spin out, so for me it's about 1700. Don't pop the clutch, but dump it pretty good. For your tires I think you'll be able to hook up a little better. Start at 2000rpm and go from there. Too low and you risk stalling which is a bit embarrassing....

Tire pressure...my best run was at 29PSI.

I shift 1st to 2nd at 5900rpm. Any higher and I spin the tires in second. Second to third I take it to 6400rpm. That got me my best time.

But no matter what you do....HAVE FUN!!!!!

 

I set my D-specs at one turn before full hard.

Do 2nd gear burnout. It's more of a tire clean off not a burnout. So rev the car to somewhere near 5k and drop the clutch. Let tires spin then get out of it. Got 1.9 60's with that and around 2000-2500 clutch slip launch.

Take the car to just before red line.

The first few passes, just get used to staging and starting off the line. Then concentrate on getting faster.

 

I have an auto, so I don't know what RPM to suggest. I launch at 1800 with DRs. When I had my stock tires I launched at 1700. Much more than that I would spin. I would also go around the water and spin the tires just enough to clean them off. The great thing about being able to test n tune, is you can experiment with different things to see what works best for you and your car at the particular track you are at. The most important thing is to HAVE FUN!!!!!! Good luck and let us know how you do.

 

Indeed, the most important aspect is to HAVE FUN! It's really a blast, and a little addicting. Be sure and have that big smile on your face while driving down the track!