First time at the track! Tonight!

[87blackroxi]

Ok, I am going to the track tonight for the first time ever. I'm not talking about the first time with the vette, I'm talking the first time ever! I need some help here.
On the launch, what should I keep the rpm's at before letting off the brake? These guys are telling me at 2200 rpm's. When I have tried this on the street I jusy spin then catch. These guys have the following: mach1 mustang, dodge stealth, honda s2000, and of all things a chevy balzer. I am sure the rpm's are gonna be different for each car, but they are adamant for the vette atr 2200rpm's. Is this right?
Now it's an automatic. so do I leave it in drive and stomp it. Or do I start down low and manually upshift?

 

[Moonunit 451]

Shift manually, watch your tach. My experience is, that there is A LOT to remember, you'll have to try different things. Your stall is 2200 on your converter if your stock.

I've only been to the track 4 or 5 times, feel like it's the first time every run :L
Go have fun, and pic up what you can as you go along. Consistancy, which I'm told is the most important thin has totally evaded me

 

[74bigblock]

Ok, I am going to the track tonight for the first time ever. I'm not talking about the first time with the vette, I'm talking the first time ever! I need some help here.
On the launch, what should I keep the rpm's at before letting off the brake? These guys are telling me at 2200 rpm's. When I have tried this on the street I jusy spin then catch. These guys have the following: mach1 mustang, dodge stealth, honda s2000, and of all things a chevy balzer. I am sure the rpm's are gonna be different for each car, but they are adamant for the vette atr 2200rpm's. Is this right?
Now it's an automatic. so do I leave it in drive and stomp it. Or do I start down low and manually upshift?

Shane... 2200 is a good start point... the track is a lot stickier than the street. It's really just trial and error. You will have to play with where you hold your rpms and dump the clutch.... also when you add more gas. Trial and error is the only advice I can give you. You'll get the hang of it after a few passes.

If you accidently burn the clutch... (hopefully you burn rubber not clutch pad)make sure you let it cool down (at least an hour) before abusing it again.

 

[87blackroxi]

I am going to a 1/8 mile track to focus on starts. From what I hear this is where the real time is made. I'll have to work up to a 1/4 mile. I guess I'll just throw myself into it and see what happens. Thanks for the input on 2200rpm's. and yes it's a stock converter.

 

[74bigblock]

HHehhee Im a putz... thought you had manual. As stated above... shift manually... and getonit!!! You'll be fine.

 

[74bigblock]

Oh and another thing... don't go thru the water trap and do a burnout... water wicks up in your radials and makes you slippity slide down the track. Just go around it, spin the tires a bit to clean em off, and stage. When you have both stage lights lit... and so does your opponent... the tree will drop. When you see the last yellow light lite, NAIL IT!!!! It takes the car a few 10ths of a second to start moving forward, and the start like is about a foot or so infront of the stage point... so to get a good reaction time... NAIL IT at the last yellow light.

 

[87blackroxi]

Oh and another thing... don't go thru the water trap and do a burnout... water wicks up in your radials and makes you slippity slide down the track. Just go around it, spin the tires a bit to clean em off, and stage. When you have both stage lights lit... and so does your opponent... the tree will drop. When you see the last yellow light lite, NAIL IT!!!! It takes the car a few 10ths of a second to start moving forward, and the start like is about a foot or so infront of the stage point... so to get a good reaction time... NAIL IT at the last yellow light.

I didn't even think of the lights. good thing you said something!
But it might not happen tonight. Within the last hour the clouds started rolling in!!!!!ad

 

[Mad-Mic]

with an 87 your not going to see 2200 rpm at 1500 rpm the car will start pulling forward. my best times came at 1300 rpm. practice as much as you can on the street. if the car spins easily in the first 5 feet you launched correctly if it spins 20 feet out you bogged the launch and will really hurt you at the track.

when you get to the track walk up and watch what others do. the very top bulb (it's actually 2 bulbs next to eachother horizontally) and the bottom bulb then the yellows for the tree. 3 yellows then green and red. the first pair of bulbs is your prestage. look on the track for the lasers where the starting line is. once these are tripped you have 6" to go before trip the second set of lights then you are "Staged" when staged bring your rpm's up and get ready to leave on the LAST yellow NOT on green and you'll do fine.

i shift at 4900 rpm to 5100 rpm depending on how the car is running. if you leave it in D the car will only shift around 4400-4600 rpm.

seat time is everything. nail the launch and shift 200 rpm below your 5100 rpm mark so the tranny will actually shift at 5100 rpm if you wait till 5100 rpm it will shift at 5300 rpm and by then it's falling on it's face.

drop your rear tire pressure to 20 psi and have fun!

don't be suprised if the car bogs bad off the launch at the track if you dead hook. with out gears the car won't pull till 2600 rpm if you screw the launch up. it is very hard to launch these cars and pull awesome 60' times. what i do is let off the brake as i'm hitting the gas at the same time but holding the brake a hair longer. it takes ALOT of time to perfect this technique but once you do you'll know

 

[Vettelt193]

so.... how'd it go?

 

[DRTH VTR]

with an 87 your not going to see 2200 rpm at 1500 rpm the car will start pulling forward. my best times came at 1300 rpm. practice as much as you can on the street. if the car spins easily in the first 5 feet you launched correctly if it spins 20 feet out you bogged the launch and will really hurt you at the track.

when you get to the track walk up and watch what others do. the very top bulb (it's actually 2 bulbs next to eachother horizontally) and the bottom bulb then the yellows for the tree. 3 yellows then green and red. the first pair of bulbs is your prestage. look on the track for the lasers where the starting line is. once these are tripped you have 6" to go before trip the second set of lights then you are "Staged" when staged bring your rpm's up and get ready to leave on the LAST yellow NOT on green and you'll do fine.

i shift at 4900 rpm to 5100 rpm depending on how the car is running. if you leave it in D the car will only shift around 4400-4600 rpm.

seat time is everything. nail the launch and shift 200 rpm below your 5100 rpm mark so the tranny will actually shift at 5100 rpm if you wait till 5100 rpm it will shift at 5300 rpm and by then it's falling on it's face.

drop your rear tire pressure to 20 psi and have fun!

don't be suprised if the car bogs bad off the launch at the track if you dead hook. with out gears the car won't pull till 2600 rpm if you screw the launch up. it is very hard to launch these cars and pull awesome 60' times. what i do is let off the brake as i'm hitting the gas at the same time but holding the brake a hair longer. it takes ALOT of time to perfect this technique but once you do you'll know

I agree with Mad-Mic. He knows how to get maximum performance from his C4. There is one thing that I want to throw out for discussion, however. I would assume that you are doing bracket racing. There are two things that win in bracket racing. You need them both. The first thing is a good reaction time. The second thing is consistency. I do not know about the shifting characteristics of the C4, but it seems to me that the automatic will shift itself more consistently than you could do it manually. You may go faster shifting yourself, but it might cost you in consistencey.
Jim

 

[87blackroxi]

so.... how'd it go?

Well, It didn't. Half an hour before work lets out, the woman calls and says she has friends over for dinner plans. When I told her to save me some scraps and i'd be home at 11:00 pm, it didn't fly. So I had to punk out on my friends and not go.
It was kind of a good thing because here are the results: The honda s2000 had clutch problems after the 2nd run, the mustang's oil cap blew off on the 3rd run shooting oil everywhere, and the stealth mysteriously sprang a leak and dumped oil everywhere. The chevy blazer was the only one to run all night. pretty consistent too around 10.8 on the 1/8 mile. So my lady must have been an omen saying don't go or something bad will happen.

 

[Im1ru2]

Where did they run?? Bradenton? I went to sunshine speedway last year and had a great time, I'll have to dig out the time slips if I still have them.
I thought they Closed sunshine down to add on to the Ulmerton interchange?

Jamm'in Jeff

 

[Edmond]

Half an hour before work lets out, the woman calls and says she has friends over for dinner plans. When I told her to save me some scraps and i'd be home at 11:00 pm, it didn't fly. So I had to punk out on my friends and not go.

If faced with a similar situation, I think I would've done the same thing!:L:L:L They call guys like us whipped.:L

Did any of those guys suffer serious damage?

 

[Moonunit 451]

Apparently, you failed to discuss with her that you were going to the track last night in advance :eyerole

 

[87blackroxi]

Where did they run?? Bradenton? I went to sunshine speedway last year and had a great time, I'll have to dig out the time slips if I still have them.
I thought they Closed sunshine down to add on to the Ulmerton interchange?

Jamm'in Jeff

Actually in lakeland. I never even knew there was one there until last week. But it's only 1/8 mile.

Edmond and Moonunit, you both are dead on. you know a smart man chooses his lady each time because he is not coming home to his buddies, nor does he live with them. and No I didn't have the insight to run it over with her prior to the day.
What can I say? I'm a guy!

 

[Jersey-vinny]

Nothing to add. Just want to reinforce several things.
1. Stay out of the water
2. Go on the last yellow- you will use up the 0.5 seconds in reaction time.
3. Leave it in Drive-consistency and reaction times are EVERYTHING in bracket racing. Best time means nothing. Anyway, the trans probably shifts itself faster than you can and certainly does it more consistently.
Have fun-that's what its all about.
VINNY

 

[Moonunit 451]

Edmond and Moonunit, and No I didn't have the insight to run it over with her prior to the day. What can I say? I'm a guy!

My faith is restored :L

There have been several mentions on consistancy. If you want to bracket race, like for money or to just try and stay out for more rounds, the leaving it in drive makes a lot of sense.

If you want to find out how fast you can get down the track, forget it, shift manually

 

[Vettefan87]

Do not leave it in Over drive or Drive. I shift mine when the digital readout on the tack says 48-49, and I am sure there is a little delay. I have found on the street that the best launch is around 1300. Your breaks will never hold anything above about 17-1800 I believe is the highest I could get it. I have not gone to the track either, this is just street experience, and a couple Gtech runs. Good luck.