Everything About 1/4 Drag Racing (please explain)!

[sheruken]

Please Give Tips, Suggestions, Explanations etc, regarding everything that DRAG RACING DRIVER NEEDS TO DO..
Right from the launching (at what RPM), shifting (double clutching) (Granie Shifting *by the way what is that?*), accelerating.. I mean everything, specially about the 1/4 mile.
The Best Technique for getting the best drag time out of any car (Manual).

Thanks...

[TT]

shifting (double clutching)


This seems to come from F&F ;) usually you don't double clutch while upshiting if your tranny is ok.
As for granny shifting.. well, a "granny" is an old person basically.. so not always able to do lightning quick gear changes :D

Beside that, I'm not a quarter mile expert, so I retreat and wait for the pros ;)

[sheruken]

Your the man, thanks (yeah that was F&F) :)
Just got curious, anyways now about the Best technique. Someone.. please explain.

[zr2man99]

Anything said in F&F should not be taken seriously.

[espen]

Just remember not to blow your intake - and bring a bigger bottle of NOS than anyone else and you'll win! Easy!

[oscargarza88]

im no pro at this but i think that the best teqnique is to let the gas pedal in the floor and just shift super super fast, like they do sometimes in best motoring

[hemi_fan]

Basically trial and error. Find the best launch point, I think they are usually between 3000-4500RPM, it should be right on the verge of spinning the tires without spinning them, and also you have to use trial and error to find the best shift points. But once you launch, you'll probably want the pedal to the floor, unless your car is powerfull enough to lite em' up even while moving. Im a novice however, and this is just from what i've heard.

[amanthapar]

err
dont double cluth , dont wheel spin, i duno what car u got to rev to..? keep gas on the floor..
thats it.. i think.. im no pro .. but thats what i do..
and the fast and furious stuff ... dont take it serious..

[nchs09]

it all depends on ur car.... plain and simple. and like someone said, trial and error.

keep it off the streets btw :)

[ported_head]

NAWZZZZ! probably the only thing that is not car specific. everything else i guess does depend on your car.

[Evo]

Find the best launch point, I think they are usually between 3000-4500RPM, it should be right on the verge of spinning the tires without spinning them.

I lunch it from 6000RPM and get only little wheel spin and a lot of G-Force :lol: :lol: .. Thank God for AWD..

Well as the guys before me said all depend on your car spec.. AWD.. RWD with a lot of HP . you have to be careful when lunching it . RWD with little HP.. well just hope it will reach the other side in time.. :lol:

[sheruken]

Well according to oscargarza88's and Hemi_Fan's Advice, I tried trial and error..
I guess the best launch point for my car comes at around 3000RPM, anything more than that and the Wheels lose traction and Spin more on the same place.. than move.. Then I just keep pushing till just before the red line and shift mega fast.
I reached Quarter Mile time in 17. (some seconds).. Which I feel for my Stock car is not bad. And besides we dont get NOS here (where I live) so I guess most of em will be just doing the same bloody thing that I do.. so eventually just have to hope that I reach the other end, quicker than the opponent.
Besides these, if you guys have any technique which I am not tryin..
PLEASE SHARE.. :P

[novass]

First, let me ask a few questions.

1) What kind of car do you have and what are its specs? FWD, RWD, AWD?
2) Are you going for the fastest time without changing the car at all and leaving it stock?

Aside from those 2 questions there are some general things that you can do.

Youve already said that your car launches best around 3000, but you may consider getting a set of tires for strip use. They dont have to be slicks, but if you can find a nice drag radial and an extra set of wheels that bolt onto your car (you may even be able to put on wider tires depending on the width of your wheel well, and if you have the ability, try different sizes. Smaller tires will accelerate faster then large ones but large ones produce more top end) A lot of drag racing is traction, so if you get better tires you can lauch at a higher RPM without wheelspin. If its available, try and find some VHT. VHT is a sticky substance that you do a burnout in and makes your tires a little stickier. Dont do a huge burnout unless you have appropriate tires for it though, it isnt wise to do large burnouts in the average street tire because overheating them can actually make the rubber harden and it will reduce your tread. But a little wheelspin in VHT should suffice.

If your car is RWD and your serious in your pursuit of drag racing, try and find a battery relocating kit and put it in the trunk. You may want to get a more powerful battery so it will be able to pass the current the extra distance, but you my not need it. Ive heard stories from the old guys at the races when they used to go and take manhole covers off the street and put them in the trunk to produce better weight transfer. This may be a little drastic, but whatever works I guess.

To briefly alter the cars performance, ive seen a few guys at the strip do a few different things. You can take off the filter and un-cork the car. Do this just for the pass, but if there is a lot of dust and shit in the air, you may not want too. If you can find a high performance filter for your car, I would get it. Shouldnt be more than $50 or so US dollars. Another way to improve air flow and reduce weight is to remove the hood, ive never tried it but ive seen a lot of guys do it. Ive seen people remove seats and a few other things as well. Another trick ive seen is icing the intake. Just put a big bag of ice, water tight, on either your intake manifold or the intake and let it sit until it produces a temp drop. Im not sure how well this works because you need to find a balance between keeping the engine warm and cooling it at the same time. Oddly enough, I think ive only seen guys with early 90s Mustangs do this, not sure why that is. Ive never tried it myself because my car is carbureted, so that doesnt leave much for me to cool.

Another thing to try is changing how you stage your car. First, pre stage your car, then inch as slowly as possible and stop the moment the second staging light has come on. This will give you the advantage of a little bit more track and an extra split-second before you completely pass the lights with a little more speed and the time begins to tick. This may not seem like it would work, but in drag racing, even a hundreth of a second can help you win. If you perfect your timing, you will also be able to gas it a tiny bit sooner than you would normally and still avoid getting a red light. Or you can do the opposite and do a deep stage which will aid in your reaction times since you will have less distance to go before tripping the lights. This is evident in front wheels of top fuel dragsters. They usually have one wheel offset a little from the other in order to "fool" the lights and give the car a better starting position.

Well, I think thats all for now LOL. I didnt mean to type that much, but whats done is done. I hope it helps! :D

Keep us posted on your success and if you find any new tricks we dont know about. Talk to as many guys as you can at the races too, they may be willing to tell you some of their secrets.