1st Ever Track Runs - Any Suggestions?

EricR · 02-18-2006, 01:41 AM

OK, last weekend my son and I went out to the track so I could try my hand (foot?) at the drag-strip.

It was a Test n' Tune day at Pacific Raceways so you just ran against who ever you happened to be next to in the (very long) line.

We ran my bone stock 2005 ST -- which is car #752 on the attached timeslips.

Based upon what I've read here at FF I wasn't afraid to launch her hard with some real RPM's and guess I didn't do too bad. Otherwise I would have likey made starts that were more like leaving a traffic light in a hurry and would have really sucked. Ha! Thanks guys for sparing me!

The first run was against a current model Maxima 3.5L with an auto trans but otherwise stock (except for new tires he said were expensive). Of course he was pulling away from me the whole way. My goal for that first run was to beat 18.00 and YEAH, I was into the 16's!

The second run was against an Impreza RS 2.5L, again with an auto trans, but also with an intake and exhaust. He blew us off the line by about 1 1/4 car lengths but after that my baby gained on him 'til we were about 1/2 a car length ahead at the end for our first ever win! My reaction time was worse than the first run, but somehow I managed to shave off almost two tenths for my best of three runs.

The third run was against a ??? (maybe an Integra? - he just kept going - never even saw him turn off the track or even back in the pits). For my goal for this run was reduced R/T. The third time is a charm 'cause we were the ones with the jump off the line and the ST held them off all the way down the track for another win! Interestingly though, even with a much quicker R/T this was my slowest run of the day.

Would some of you more experienced drivers help me understand what these timeslips might have to say, answer some questions, and offer any tips or suggestions for improvement?

NOTE: My ST is Left lane, Left lane, then RIGHT LANE for the 3rd run.

1) Does the 60' time (and further down times) include the R/T time?
Answered by Foc: "reaction time has nothing to do with your ET. The clock doesnt start when the light turns green, it starts when you break the beam by moving forward.

2) My second run has slightly slower reaction time and MPH, yet shaves almost .2 seconds off the ET of my first run. What did I do right that time?

3) Are one of the early times they record for you (60' perhaps) a good indicator as to how well you are hooking up and putting your the power to the ground?

4) I tried for less wheel spin on the second and third runs, launching a bit over 2500 RPM vs 3000 RPM for my first run. Do the slips say it worked?

5) On the first and second runs I bumped the rev limiter (6750 IIRC) a couple of times just as I was shifting. So for the third run I stuck some tape on the dash at about 6500 RPM to remind me to shift a bit sooner. My guess is this is why the third run was my slowest even with such a big improvement in R/T. Do the timeslips agree or dissagree with my theory?

6) My second run was 16.578 with a .589 R/T. If I would have instead had near perfect R/T (ha, ha, ha) wouldn't that run have (barlely) broken into the 15's?
Answered by Foc: A big NO (see the answer to question 1)

7) At the bottom of these slips it says either "Left 1st" or "Right 1st" and a time. At first we thought the time was the difference between the two ET's but that doesn't add up. What is the time for?

8) We were just funnin' and so my teen son (almost as big as me) stayed in the car for all three runs (along with a cooler, toolbox, etc.). I noticed some of the other drivers stacking seats, tires, tools and what all in the pits area. How much of a time penaltiy do you think we paid for the extra weight?

If you see something in the timeslips I'm not smart enough to ask about, please feel free to post your ideas and/or critique.

As a side note, on the third run my son shot some video that is kinda fun 'cause the audio caught him getting all pumped that we were winning. Once he remembers to tranfer it to the computer I'll see if I can put it on the server at work and then post a link here. I bet some of you guys could even tell me what we ran against that third time.

Sorry for the long post and so many questions.

Thanks for your thoughts, feedback and help!

EricR

--- Best Reply Awards Section ---

R/T not included in ET times -- Posted by Foc
How to shift for better times -- Posted by Goinloco1
Tips for a faster launch -- Posted by Kenpokid
ST specific ideas -- Posted by 05zx4st

My favs, but thanks to everyone who posted!

Sponsor · Advertisement

EricR · 02-18-2006, 01:43 AM

Thought I had the timeslip scan attached, but it's not showing. So here's another try at it.

Remember: My ST is Left lane, Left lane, then RIGHT LANE for the 3rd run.

dwdgsi03 · 02-18-2006, 12:06 PM

From what others have told me, keeping your rt and 60ft times consistant and low can make a world of difference.

BTW, I found this hilarious for soome odd reason. Maybe bacause I pictured it in my mind.

Quote:

The third run was against a ??? (maybe an Integra? - he just kept going - never even saw him turn off the track or even back in the pits).

Foc · 02-18-2006, 12:10 PM

Sounds like you had alot of fun. I don't really have any advice for you other than practice, and ditch the weight. Also, i think you should know that reaction time has nothing to do with your ET. The clock doesnt start when the light turns green, it starts when you break the beam by moving forward.

dwdgsi03 · 02-18-2006, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Foc
Sounds like you had alot of fun. I don't really have any advice for you other than practice, and ditch the weight. Also, i think you should know that reaction time has nothing to do with your ET. The clock doesnt start when the light turns green, it starts when you break the beam by moving forward.

That's good point to know! Thanks for the info.

GreenEnvy · 02-18-2006, 12:34 PM

60' times arent bad, their consistent. but your 330 are kinda all over the place.
do you take your foot off the gas when shifting gears? you want to keep the rpms up between shifts and into the next gear or the motor will lug to catch back up.
also, find the point on your clutch you can slip gears. takes extra time when your putting it to the floor and then back up.
main thing is to keep your rpm's up while going down the track , practice shifting quickly into the next gear, and have some fun.
you also said you had a bunch of stuff in the car? get rid of everything. most tracks make you remove anything not bolted to the car for safety purposes.
that and the more weight you remove you will gain a little more time.
ohhh, and talk to some of the others racing for pointers. each track is different and has its own feel. theyll let you know some pointers for the track and may watch you run to let you know what they see that needs work

05zx4st · 02-18-2006, 12:36 PM

looks like you were definately afraid to give it some gas... should be pulling better than 10.8 in the 1/8...did you disable the traction control? your 60' times are pretty bad..work on those,and youll be in the 15s

EricR · 02-18-2006, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Foc
Sounds like you had alot of fun. I don't really have any advice for you other than practice, and ditch the weight. Also, i think you should know that reaction time has nothing to do with your ET. The clock doesnt start when the light turns green, it starts when you break the beam by moving forward.

Oh yeah, we had some good fun!

Sure practice is important, but with the long lines I want to be smart about what I try next time I go out. It also reminds me of what my Jr. High typing teacher would say over and over (and over and over and over): "Practice makes perfect ... unless you are practicing it wrong"!

OK, got it, the R/T isn't in the ET. So if I'm understanding this right your R/T is still important so you don't loose a race to a car with a slower ET, right?

Thanks for clarifying. You've killed two of my questions with one stone!

EricR · 02-18-2006, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dwdgsi03
From what others have told me, keeping your rt and 60ft times consistant and low can make a world of difference.

Any tips on how to lower that 60' time?

From what others have told me, keeping your rt and 60ft times consistant and low can make a world of difference.
BTW, I found this hilarious for soome odd reason. Maybe bacause I pictured it in my mind.

Same here. It was really odd. Talked with the other drivers after the first two runs and they were both cool though.

EricR · 02-18-2006, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by goinloco1
60' times arent bad, their consistent. but your 330 are kinda all over the place.
do you take your foot off the gas when shifting gears? you want to keep the rpms up between shifts and into the next gear or the motor will lug to catch back up.
also, find the point on your clutch you can slip gears. takes extra time when your putting it to the floor and then back up. main thing is to keep your rpm's up while going down the track , practice shifting quickly into the next gear, and have some fun.
you also said you had a bunch of stuff in the car? get rid of everything. most tracks make you remove anything not bolted to the car for safety purposes.
that and the more weight you remove you will gain a little more time.
ohhh, and talk to some of the others racing for pointers. each track is different and has its own feel. theyll let you know some pointers for the track and may watch you run to let you know what they see that needs work

OK that makes sense - I'm sure I could improve my shifts based upon your input. IIRC I did speedshift on that second run.

It's an ST with a trunk so that's were most of the extra weight was - except for my son, I let him ride shotgun

"Gas it and go" was the tip ForceFedFocus gave me at the track, but he's got a turbo!

Thanks for the help!