[jfrolang]

I moved this from the other thread, since this is hardly my 1st drag race anymore.

I went out to the track today, had fun. I made 6 or 7 passes. Here's my best two (car #58 ):

I was hoping to get into the 14s, but I just couldn't launch as well as I would have liked. I tried burning out a couple times, but I could only get one wheel to spin. :x My best trap speed of the day was 95.65, on the very first run.

I went to the track with a local rexer, he's not on this forum. He honestly should have had a better time than me, but his best time was 15.1. He's got an 88 Si with a B16, Y1 LSD, CTR cams, Skunk2 IM, some kind of header and lighter wheels than me. His problem is his junky tires (Federal brand econotires :lol: ) and he isn't tuned. Here's us lined up in the staging lanes:

You'd never guess what else I saw at the track either, a Honda Beat!

Well that's that. It was fun, and I can't wait to go back.

 

[Ragnaarok]

so I take it you got what you wanted with your new powertrain ?

 

[jloehlein]

Part of the problem with your lack of traction at the start may have been your burnouts. You don't do burnouts with street tires, they just get more slippery. You should drive around the water box and spin them a little (a couple revolutions) to clean them off. You also want to run lower tire pressure in the fronts to get them to bite harder. It has been a while since I have been to the drag strip on street tires, but somewhere in the mid-20s (psi) should give you good results. If you go again you may want to play around with the tire pressure and see what works best for your setup.

Nice trap speeds though!

 

[jfrolang]

Yeah I mean I only tried burning out after the first few runs to see if it would help, and it didn't. For the last 2 runs I went to 20 psi and was able to get that 2.4 60 foot on my last time out. There's definitely still room to improve there. I feel like if I could launch it well, I could easily get a 14.8 or better. Lighter wheels will be coming soon too, and they should help as well.

 

[BigDare23]

You need to edit your post now since I'm on the forum!

I couldn't get any traction {sad}. It made me wonder why I even invested in the LSD. Plus I lowered my tire pressure everytime. I tried launching my car at various rpms too. That sad part was my first run (ever) was my quickest time and I had a horrible launch :shock: Well, Jeff and I have until mid April to get our cars ready, and hopefully I can get away from this obd0.

 

[signalpuke]

Are you loading the clutch? That will help with traction a lil and keep your drivetrain from being damaged from the initial shock of a clutch dump.

 

[jfrolang]

Are you loading the clutch? That will help with traction a lil and keep your drivetrain from being damaged from the initial shock of a clutch dump.

Do you mean holding the clutch just at the friction point, but before moving the car? Should the brakes be on or anything?

 

[signalpuke]

Exaclty. Like riding the clutch, I use the hand brake to hold the car.
I put the car in gear, ease out on the clutch and hold up on the E-brake. When the light hits I drop the E-brake and ease out the clutch and ease in on the throttle.
It takes a lil practice, but once you get it down it is easier. My problem is traction and limited seat time at the strip, I need to get my throttle modulation down, and better tires lol. Try to avoid the water they throw down to. If you cant, spin the tires a rotation or two to "burn off" the water. Moniter tire pressures too, I write them down on my timeslips, along with the outside temp :wink:

 

[jfrolang]

Good tip. I'm still very new to drag racing, but it's a lot of fun. I can see me being hooked already. My next visit to the strip will probably be at the end of April at Import Showdown, I'll see if I can improve my time a bit.

 

[imgoingforit]

That beat was on honda-tech a while ago...I want.

-Chris

 

[CRX Toad]

That beat was on honda-tech a while ago...I want.

-Chris

Yes it was. Guys SN over there is Dax.

 

[ludesrv]

Exaclty. Like riding the clutch, I use the hand brake to hold the car.
I put the car in gear, ease out on the clutch and hold up on the E-brake. When the light hits I drop the E-brake and ease out the clutch and ease in on the throttle.
It takes a lil practice, but once you get it down it is easier. My problem is traction and limited seat time at the strip, I need to get my throttle modulation down, and better tires lol. Try to avoid the water they throw down to. If you cant, spin the tires a rotation or two to "burn off" the water. Moniter tire pressures too, I write them down on my timeslips, along with the outside temp :wink:

Ouch brutal tip. I would never do that. If you have a puck clutch you would never be able to do that. As soon as it touches the car moves basically.

What I do when I race (thought by my brother who won the 2005 CSCS drag racing for all motor) is I preload my engine. I set my RPM to whatever feels right for the car/tires. I have my prelude at 5500, the ZC civic was at 4500, and my B16 I was gonna do it at 6000rpm. When the light turn to the second yellow I start to release the clutch, by the last yellow I'm almost at grabbing point, by the time the light turned green I was moving, and you get .55-.60 reaction times. You EASE the clutch out, never dump it. Easing the clutch out makes the car move before receive WOT, thus making the tires spin alot less.

The way described by signalpuke would burn out your clutch for no reason at all. Why would you ride your clutch when you don't have too.

 

[shadowboy]

Car 56's timeslip has numbers pretty close to my best:

60ft: 2.178
330ft: 6.253
1/8th: [email protected]
1000ft: 12.613
1/4: [email protected]

 

[signalpuke]

Exaclty. Like riding the clutch, I use the hand brake to hold the car.
I put the car in gear, ease out on the clutch and hold up on the E-brake. When the light hits I drop the E-brake and ease out the clutch and ease in on the throttle.
It takes a lil practice, but once you get it down it is easier. My problem is traction and limited seat time at the strip, I need to get my throttle modulation down, and better tires lol. Try to avoid the water they throw down to. If you cant, spin the tires a rotation or two to "burn off" the water. Moniter tire pressures too, I write them down on my timeslips, along with the outside temp :wink:

Ouch brutal tip. I would never do that. If you have a puck clutch you would never be able to do that. As soon as it touches the car moves basically.

What I do when I race (thought by my brother who won the 2005 CSCS drag racing for all motor) is I preload my engine. I set my RPM to whatever feels right for the car/tires. I have my prelude at 5500, the ZC civic was at 4500, and my B16 I was gonna do it at 6000rpm. When the light turn to the second yellow I start to release the clutch, by the last yellow I'm almost at grabbing point, by the time the light turned green I was moving, and you get .55-.60 reaction times. You EASE the clutch out, never dump it. Easing the clutch out makes the car move before receive WOT, thus making the tires spin alot less.

The way described by signalpuke would burn out your clutch for no reason at all. Why would you ride your clutch when you don't have too.

I think we are both saying the same thing, different wording. It works with pucked clutches too, I have an Exedy 3-puck cerametallic in mine, lil grabby, but you can feel the point right before it grabs.
Any new track time for you lately Jfro?

 

[shadowboy]

I stage by inching the car forward, engine at ~2000rpm, as soon as the first pre-stage light is lit, I press the clutch pedal down, coast the car until the 2nd pre-stage light is lit, then stop with the hand brake while raising the revs to ~3000rpm (street tires with a 420 treadwear rating). As soon as I see the first yellow light, I ease the clutch pedal out while gently squeezing the throttle in. Once the clutch is fully engaged I modulate the throttle to keep the revs ~3000rpm until the tires hook, then I hammer the throttle.

I've gotten a 2.178 60ft with 420-treadwear Falken Ziex ZE-512s this way. The falkens work best at ~18psi for me.

 

[jfrolang]

Car 56's timeslip has numbers pretty close to my best:

I think that was an EF hatch with a B18A swap.

Any new track time for you lately Jfro?

nope.

 

[BIG_T]

the key to getting off the line the fastest with traction is to feather the clutch. tires and wheel size is a big factor in 1/4 too. u need to get some 13-14 with a good tread design. i bet u could dip into 14.7's with this. is ur car tuned or chipped at all? the key to faster times is obviously gettin ur 60' down :wink:

 

[jfrolang]

the key to getting off the line the fastest with traction is to feather the clutch. tires and wheel size is a big factor in 1/4 too. u need to get some 13-14 with a good tread design. i bet u could dip into 14.7's with this. is ur car tuned or chipped at all? the key to faster times is obviously gettin ur 60' down :wink:

I'll try different launch techniques the next time I go to the track, but I don't see it in the immediate future. My front camber (-3.6 degrees) doesn't help for launching either. I do have lighter wheels now, those old ones were 18 pounds each, new ones are 12. I don't think I'd invest in a set of dedicated drag wheels/tires though, it's mostly for fun if I go to the drags.

My car isn't chipped or tuned at all, just the stock ECU for the motor. JDM OBD-1 PR3. I could certainly benefit from a lower VTEC point at least, right now it doesn't switch to the high cam until 6000 RPM.

 

[shadowboy]

the key to getting off the line the fastest with traction is to feather the clutch. tires and wheel size is a big factor in 1/4 too. u need to get some 13-14 with a good tread design. i bet u could dip into 14.7's with this. is ur car tuned or chipped at all? the key to faster times is obviously gettin ur 60' down :wink:

That's also the key to a shortened clutch life. If the car is a daily driver, modulating the throttle is a slightly less effective method, but much better for the longevity of the clutch.

As I said, what I do is ease the transition from clutch to throttle and modulate the throttle to keep it at my launch rpm until the tires hook. A 2.1 60ft with hard street tires doesn't lie.

 

[signalpuke]

I agree with you Shadow, but it is a double edged sword. I would rather have my clutch on the edge of the friction point (minimal wear, if any) and deal with it going out than having to replace axles. I try to make my clutch the weakest part of my setup for that reason, but still retain the clamping properties I need to harness the power of the engine.
It is ultimately up to the driver, the power of the motor, the launch, and the traction. Street car with a street clutch and low power that is rarely tracked and maintenance is kept low will be driven differently than a car that is set up for the track and "abused"