gedmeyer said:
Well, I'm finally going to take my '81 to the strip tomorrow night. I'm a bit excited to see how the stroker is going to perform. It should be near perfect weather, cool and dry!
Having never gone to the strip before, is there any tips I should keep in mind? Since I'm driving a manual, I am certain my shifts will probably be slow. My biggest concern is missing a shift, so I don't think I will be doing heavy power shifter.
What's the best take off method for me to use with my 4spd and highway rear gears? How about the burnout, I've never done one. Is it required?
Rule #1:
If you have NEVER been to the strip, I'd
highly-advise you to go and watch at least once, to familiarize yourself with the commonly-accepted practices at the strip,
without running your car.
This method will make you more 'in-tune' with what is going-on:
keep your eyes open, find another C3 owner and ask him questions, so that when you DO go, you'll know what is happening, how to 'read' your ET slip, when to go to the staging lanes, where to exit the strip, etc...
Having-said-that (
and knowing that NOBODY will listen to that advise), and that you only have a few days until your maiden voyages, here are Rules #2 and up:
Rule #2:
Unless you are running at an un-sanctioned strip, you'll need, ay bare-minimum, a T-shirt with sleeves and long-pants (
no tank-top or shorts), and if your stroker runs 13.99-or-quicker, you'll need a helmet, too.
At 11.99-and-quicker, you'll need a roll-bar/cage, and a fire jacket, as-well, and
ALL convertibles running 13.99/quicker need a bar/cage.
Rule #3:
Contrary to what most people advise 1st-timers, run a full tank of gas in your car.
YES, it weighs more, and may slow you down some, but the fuel-tank is between the drive-wheels, and if it doesn't hook, you'll gain no knowledge about your set-up, be frustrated, and have contributed $30 to the strip-operator's retirement account while doing-so.
Not cool.....
Rule #4:
If the car gets squirrelly, simply 'lift', and abort the run, and inspect the car before making another attempt:
if something
IS wrong with the car, you'll probably get the same results.
The
only racers making history on their first runs are those that
"go-agricultural" (
off-the-end).....
As-far-as 'strategy' at the track, here are a few things to consider:
A:
'stage' as shallow (
when the 2nd bulb is lit) as you can each run:
this allows maximum 'roll-out' and the quickest ET
(
P.S.: you DO know that RT and ET have nothing to do with each other..... don't you?)
B:
you have a 'stroker', so it may be able to pull that "
highway rear gears " you mention via torque.
The sooner you get that car into a higher-gear, it'll really rock-n-roll:
if you feel safe-enough,
try power-shifting from 1st into 2nd, and ignore it on the 2-3 'cross-over' shift.
C:
For every .01 you can knock-off your 60' time, the momentum, or inertia gained will clip another .01 from your ET down-track.
Only trial-and-error at the strip will tell you if the car is hooking:
burn-outs may, or may-not, be needed.
D:
Most tracks have 'cones' set-up down the strip, at various points:
these 'cones' mark where additional timing information is recorded, at 60', 330', 594' (
used to calculate 1/8-mile MPH), 660' (
1/8-mile ET), 990' or 1000' (
various timing systems use 990' or 1000'), 1254' (
used to calculate 1/4-mile MPH), and 1320' (
1/4-mile).
{both 1/8-mile, and 1/4-mile 'speed-traps' are 66' long, and your MPH is calculated thru this area}
If you can, try to make a
'mental-note' of where you are on-track when making your shifts (
1-2 either before or after the 330'; 2-3 before/after 660', etc.).
Take a note-pad, and you can break-down each run into the
'incremental-times' (
0-60': 60'-330': 330'-660', etc.).
If you know 'where' (
in-distance) you are shifting on-track, you may be able to see why one run was quicker than another to a certain spot, but slower after that spot (
missed-shift, etc.).
Keep-in-mind that making more than a single change between runs may result in whole-sale ET changes, and you might not know which one worked, and how-much it worked, too.
If you want to be
very thourough, make a run and documents the results:
make a single change, make a run, document it,
and then, go back to your initial settings (
tire PSI, shift points, etc.), and make another run.
If all is well, you
should be back close to your initial ET/MPH results.
There are a million other things to discuss, but for you first trip at the strip, I've given you enough to confuse you already.....
:L
I will
EXPECT a
full and detailed report late Tuesday/early Wednesday!!!!!
:dance
(
I learned from a very talented, 5-Time Track Champion racer, who, when he got 'excited' between Rounds, 'danced' just like that little guy above, due to his 'extra'-nervous energy.....)
