SpecterGT260

I havent done much track racing, but ive been told several times that street tires really dont need to be heated like DRs do. When I do go to the track I just roll right up to the lights. Just let about half the pressure out of ur back tires and pay attention to how much ur gripping on the launch. You should be fine.

Driver72

Well there is definitely an advantage to heating the tires up a bit on RWD or FWD cars.
Cold street tires will spin too easily.
But as I said earlier, the trick is to heat them up just enough, but also not heat up the engine
too much in the process.

When in the staging lines, don't sit there with the car idling and heating up.
Keep the engine off for as long as possible to keep the engine cooler.

But you will hook up better on warmer street tires just as you will on DR's.
Ever notice how easily a RWD or FWD car will spin their tires when the tires
are cold or you just pulled out of the garage? Then after driving around for
a while, the tires won't spin nearly as easy.

I have zero experience dragging the new MGT but I'm not sure I'd let 1/2 the pressure out of the rear tires
either. Lower pressure might be good for better launching, but then it just adds drag as you are going down
the strip. If you usually run at say 34 psi in normal driving, I'd try 26 or so for the drag strip.
But again, with the MGT I don't know what's best, that's just my best guesstimate.

jwgroovin

You can use your car as his by rolling through the water box, holding on the brake and putting the pedal to the metal to heat up the tires. You may be thinking of a line lock--just run it through Google--but the first paragragh here explains it a bit:

http://www.pharmacy.arizona.edu/staf...lLineLock.html

You'll like drag racing. Don't be afraid to ask, no matter how dumb the question might seem. We all started out as newbs at some point...

John

Sonic3v

You dont heat up stock radials you clean them off. Dont roll through the water patch drive around it. Do a little burn out till your speedo hits about 30mph to clean the tires of any dirt and your good to go.

Stock radials and DRs or slicks are made of a different compound and get stickier when heated. Radials do not.

viking396

The WORST thing a person on street tires can do is drive through the water box.... Do a dry hop on the other side of it to clean the tires off, drive around the water and it's fine, street tires don't work like slicks do and when driven through water actually hang onto it in the treads bringing it up to the starting line. There are two results for this, you get lousy 60ft's and the guy behind you gets pissed because some moron dragged water up to the line.

angcobra

^^^^ +1 most tracks will not let radials go through the water (bleach box). Pull just infront of the water, Rev it up dump the clutch, jump your left foot on the brake and spin till you start moving forward, then let off.

viking396

Unfortunately out here they do it anyway... I understand once, everybody makes mistakes, but nope, they do it again and again and again and never run good numbers. You go up to them and tell them, hey, stop going through the water, do they listen? Nope....

jwgroovin

I think it really depends. For me, the stock tires would NEVER hook up using the water box, and I (ahem!) CLEANED THEM OFF by avoiding the water box all together. We're on the same page there. And I do understand that the person behind the wheel is also a factor.

BUT, my Goodyear Eagle F1 tires, on the other hand, hook up better by going around the water box, backing the rear tires into it, pulling out slightly, then quickly spinning the tires a bit until there's just a bit of smoke. Better than dry, although still not the best option for times. I will add the caveat that the ONLY time I've tried the newer tires at the track was in 40 degree weather. If was f*&^%$# cold!!!

Like most folks that want to maximize their track performance, I'll just have to spend the bucks on rear drag tire/wheel set this spring.

Driver72

Well in the Southern Cal tracks you are free to drive into the water box
with street tires.
Most RWD cars drive around the box, then back into it and spin.
And contrary to what you and others have said, heating them up a bit
DOES give better times.
I've on numerous occasions not only have tried it myself with my
G35, but have seen and spoken to many who've produced
better times after a little burnout to heat up the rears.
In my Legacy GT, it doesn't matter since it's AWD.

And getting drag slicks is like using Nitrous, it's cheating in
a way.
Most go to the track to see what they're car is doing in everyday
driving set up.
There's not really a lot of point to go to the track, put on DR's remove
spare, jack, rear seats, etc etc and get a time, then put all those
things back in the car, only to brag up the time you got at the track.
Anybody could strip a car down to the bare bones to get the best times, but
again, 95% of the people at the track want to know what their car can do
as they drive it on the street!

chevykiller

Okay guys, mostly good advice - here's the skinny on launching...

1. Line locks DO NOT work with these new mustangs (not yet anyway) not even the pros are using them cause there is a torque nanny that will put your computer into failsafe once you hit around 6K rpm even with T/C off.

2. Water is your ENEMY with street tires. DO NOT go in the water box. Don't back into it, don't sit in it, don't use it! When they call you forward, drive around it and then park in front. Give the stager a wave 'no no' and he'll know exactly what you are doing.

3. You do want to shake your tires loose (clean them off) and you also want to keep cool. Here's the best method for streets....

After you park in FRONT of the water box, put your car in second gear. Rev the rpm up to about 4K with your heel on the brake and your toes on the gas. Pop the clutch and slowly release your heal pressure off the brake. (this is a basic power brake) you will heat up your tires and shake them loose nicely in about 3-4 seconds. Do not rev over 5500 rpm. If you do and you car goes into failsafe, just turn off the car and restart it and it will clear immediately. always remember - T/C OFF!!

Keeping cool is also a big help with lower et's. Try only turning your engine on when you have to move and when you're actually ready to race.

EDIT - Also don't let 1/2 your tire pressure out - you're defeating the launch with drag on streets. Consensus has it that 22-28 psi seems to work the best. (I don't use streets so don't know personally but those are the numbers I'm hearing at the track)