Launching advice??
05-10-2008, 01:28 AM
#1
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
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Posts: 2,033
Launching advice??
Ok, so I have very little seat time in actual RACING..
Today, a friend caught up with me and we went out to some BACK country roads.. He has a GTO that's worked over, fairly powerful, but an automatic. So we raced twice, once from a dig, and once from a 30 roll.
The dig, he got up on a brake stand and let it fly, whilst I spun damn near the WHOLE way through first (I think I launched at ~3k?), and part of second as well.. Needless to say, that didn't end well for me.
The roll, I was in second @ 30 mph, and we just stood on em. Got to damn near 110 by the time I grabbed 4th, and then I shut it down almost right after. I had him by about two busses when we shut down.
And yes, the stock brakes SUCK when coming down from those speeds. I think I warped the front rotors by not being gentle enough with them..
Oh well, one more reason for the big brake kit.. 
So, the point of this - what RPM should I be launching at? Is it more of a "slip the clutch" kind of thing, or just dump the clutch? I'm riding on 285/30/20 Nitto 555's (street tire, not the DR - yet).
Any advice is more than welcome. The guy was a REAL good sport, and didn't give me any **** about anything, especially since he knew it was all in my launch, not in the car. He found that out quick when we went from a roll.
One other thing - I know everyone's gonna say "you don't get traction with 20's".. But, I would like to increase my traction. Today, getting on the expressway, I turned onto an empty on-ramp in first. Stabbed it, and the tires just broke loose, caught up towards 5k somewhere, then broke loose again grabbing second @ ~6100 (shifted HARD, I was beating on her pretty good), then third just barked, and I was at 90 merging into traffic. The rear end didn't slide in either direction, just spun the tires. Would LCA's or relo brackets or any of that stuff help me keep it planted? I'm planning to get 305/35/20 DR's when I wax this set of 555's (car never sees rain).. I'm thinking that would help too, right?
*sigh* if it's not one thing, it's another...
Today, a friend caught up with me and we went out to some BACK country roads.. He has a GTO that's worked over, fairly powerful, but an automatic. So we raced twice, once from a dig, and once from a 30 roll.
The dig, he got up on a brake stand and let it fly, whilst I spun damn near the WHOLE way through first (I think I launched at ~3k?), and part of second as well.. Needless to say, that didn't end well for me.
The roll, I was in second @ 30 mph, and we just stood on em. Got to damn near 110 by the time I grabbed 4th, and then I shut it down almost right after. I had him by about two busses when we shut down.
And yes, the stock brakes SUCK when coming down from those speeds. I think I warped the front rotors by not being gentle enough with them..
Oh well, one more reason for the big brake kit.. So, the point of this - what RPM should I be launching at? Is it more of a "slip the clutch" kind of thing, or just dump the clutch? I'm riding on 285/30/20 Nitto 555's (street tire, not the DR - yet).
Any advice is more than welcome. The guy was a REAL good sport, and didn't give me any **** about anything, especially since he knew it was all in my launch, not in the car. He found that out quick when we went from a roll.
One other thing - I know everyone's gonna say "you don't get traction with 20's".. But, I would like to increase my traction. Today, getting on the expressway, I turned onto an empty on-ramp in first. Stabbed it, and the tires just broke loose, caught up towards 5k somewhere, then broke loose again grabbing second @ ~6100 (shifted HARD, I was beating on her pretty good), then third just barked, and I was at 90 merging into traffic. The rear end didn't slide in either direction, just spun the tires. Would LCA's or relo brackets or any of that stuff help me keep it planted? I'm planning to get 305/35/20 DR's when I wax this set of 555's (car never sees rain).. I'm thinking that would help too, right?
*sigh* if it's not one thing, it's another...
05-10-2008, 09:26 AM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: CA
Posts: 1,914
RE: Launching advice??
If you are launch at only 3k, I would suggest slipping the clutch, I launch at around 4k at the track on DR's and still need to slip the clutch a little, just to get going with baking the tires.
05-10-2008, 10:03 AM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 1,609
RE: Launching advice??
ORIGINAL: exx1976
Ok, so I have very little seat time in actual RACING..
Today, a friend caught up with me and we went out to some BACK country roads.. He has a GTO that's worked over, fairly powerful, but an automatic. So we raced twice, once from a dig, and once from a 30 roll.
The dig, he got up on a brake stand and let it fly, whilst I spun damn near the WHOLE way through first (I think I launched at ~3k?), and part of second as well.. Needless to say, that didn't end well for me.
The roll, I was in second @ 30 mph, and we just stood on em. Got to damn near 110 by the time I grabbed 4th, and then I shut it down almost right after. I had him by about two busses when we shut down.
And yes, the stock brakes SUCK when coming down from those speeds. I think I warped the front rotors by not being gentle enough with them.. Oh well, one more reason for the big brake kit..
OMG! YOU SHOULD SEE HOW MAD I GET EVERY TIME I HAVE TO SLOW DOWN AFTER CROSSING THE LINE AT THE TRACK...
So, the point of this - what RPM should I be launching at? Is it more of a "slip the clutch" kind of thing, or just dump the clutch? I'm riding on 285/30/20 Nitto 555's (street tire, not the DR - yet).
Any advice is more than welcome. The guy was a REAL good sport, and didn't give me any **** about anything, especially since he knew it was all in my launch, not in the car. He found that out quick when we went from a roll.
One other thing - I know everyone's gonna say "you don't get traction with 20's".. But, I would like to increase my traction. Today, getting on the expressway, I turned onto an empty on-ramp in first. Stabbed it, and the tires just broke loose, caught up towards 5k somewhere, then broke loose again grabbing second @ ~6100 (shifted HARD, I was beating on her pretty good), then third just barked, and I was at 90 merging into traffic. The rear end didn't slide in either direction, just spun the tires. Would LCA's or relo brackets or any of that stuff help me keep it planted? I'm planning to get 305/35/20 DR's when I wax this set of 555's (car never sees rain).. I'm thinking that would help too, right?
*sigh* if it's not one thing, it's another...
Ok, so I have very little seat time in actual RACING..
Today, a friend caught up with me and we went out to some BACK country roads.. He has a GTO that's worked over, fairly powerful, but an automatic. So we raced twice, once from a dig, and once from a 30 roll.
The dig, he got up on a brake stand and let it fly, whilst I spun damn near the WHOLE way through first (I think I launched at ~3k?), and part of second as well.. Needless to say, that didn't end well for me.
The roll, I was in second @ 30 mph, and we just stood on em. Got to damn near 110 by the time I grabbed 4th, and then I shut it down almost right after. I had him by about two busses when we shut down.
And yes, the stock brakes SUCK when coming down from those speeds. I think I warped the front rotors by not being gentle enough with them..
Oh well, one more reason for the big brake kit.. OMG! YOU SHOULD SEE HOW MAD I GET EVERY TIME I HAVE TO SLOW DOWN AFTER CROSSING THE LINE AT THE TRACK...
So, the point of this - what RPM should I be launching at? Is it more of a "slip the clutch" kind of thing, or just dump the clutch? I'm riding on 285/30/20 Nitto 555's (street tire, not the DR - yet).
Any advice is more than welcome. The guy was a REAL good sport, and didn't give me any **** about anything, especially since he knew it was all in my launch, not in the car. He found that out quick when we went from a roll.
One other thing - I know everyone's gonna say "you don't get traction with 20's".. But, I would like to increase my traction. Today, getting on the expressway, I turned onto an empty on-ramp in first. Stabbed it, and the tires just broke loose, caught up towards 5k somewhere, then broke loose again grabbing second @ ~6100 (shifted HARD, I was beating on her pretty good), then third just barked, and I was at 90 merging into traffic. The rear end didn't slide in either direction, just spun the tires. Would LCA's or relo brackets or any of that stuff help me keep it planted? I'm planning to get 305/35/20 DR's when I wax this set of 555's (car never sees rain).. I'm thinking that would help too, right?
*sigh* if it's not one thing, it's another...
O, and the only way you'll be beating an auto gto is w/ some drs...
05-10-2008, 12:59 PM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location:
Posts: 1,470
RE: Launching advice??
Itoo amonly N/A, but totally agree with the other posters after seeing many drivers just sitand spin in their street tire shod torque monsters becausethey dumped the clutch and slammed the pedal to the metalduring launches.
Heck,considering your engine's high torque output, you may alsohave to gradually feed in the gas in 1st(and possibly 2nd) to prevent spinningwithyour current tireseven when slipping the clutch.
Heck,considering your engine's high torque output, you may alsohave to gradually feed in the gas in 1st(and possibly 2nd) to prevent spinningwithyour current tireseven when slipping the clutch.
05-10-2008, 01:05 PM
#5
5th Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location:
Posts: 2,033
RE: Launching advice??
Man, the gradually feeding the gas thing wasn't what I wanted to hear.. I mean, I'm not trying to hang the tires on the street, but I really wanted to be able to mash it and just have it STICK, ya know? I don't know. I guess I'm going to have to get really serious about traction mods now.. Time to start that thread.. LOL
05-10-2008, 02:40 PM
#7
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 1,609
RE: Launching advice??
ORIGINAL: exx1976
Man, the gradually feeding the gas thing wasn't what I wanted to hear.. I mean, I'm not trying to hang the tires on the street, but I really wanted to be able to mash it and just have it STICK, ya know? I don't know. I guess I'm going to have to get really serious about traction mods now.. Time to start that thread.. LOL
Man, the gradually feeding the gas thing wasn't what I wanted to hear.. I mean, I'm not trying to hang the tires on the street, but I really wanted to be able to mash it and just have it STICK, ya know? I don't know. I guess I'm going to have to get really serious about traction mods now.. Time to start that thread.. LOL
