Dragstrip newbie

[Ted87GT]

Alright I think I'm finally going to make it to the dragstrip this friday. Englishtown is having a street night. I've already got a helmet but I'm wondering if theres anything else I should bring? How strict is tech at these street nights? My tires are a little worn out so I might put my old ones on the front. I also plan on icing the intake and lowering the tire psi in the back and raising it in the front. I'm hoping for low 15's or maybe even high 14's. Does anyone have tips on how I should launch the car? Its a 5 speed manual trans but I've got decent 9" wide tires on the back so It'll have a bit more traction than a car with stock tires. I also plan on driving around the water box and just spinning the tires a little bit to get the rocks off and not doing a full burnout because I've heard that's the best method. So what do you guys think? any help would be appreciated

 

[90mustangGT]

Drag racing is a sport like any other, any time playing a new sport your usually not going to do that well. It takes practice. The track is different from the street when it comes to launching. Try doing what you said and launching the same way you would on the street, then with each run try different things, different shift points, different launch rpm's, different ways of using the clutch. All cars are different, what may work for one, may not work for another. Just don't make an ass of yourself by spinning all over the place or trying to use the 60ft line as the starting line. Watch for a while and get an idea there.

 

[Ted87GT]

yea I'm not expecting huge results or anything. to be honest I wouldnt be surprised If i ran in the 16's. thanks for the advice. I'll definitely be trying a few different methods

 

[luckythirteen13]

if your ass starts to slide out, let off the gas. seems common sence but ive seen a ton of people try to keep the throttle pegged and they go right into the wall

 

[Paul Perreca]

why would your car run 16's?

 

[Ted87GT]

why would your car run 16's?

well its a convertible so it's pretty heavy. Plus I've still got the stock gears and I probably suck at driving haha. But I think realistically I'll probably be in the low 15's. Anyone know how strict the tech inspections are at these things? I dont want to drive 2 hours and find out my car's not legal.

 

[luckythirteen13]

i think it depends on the track how strict they are. my track enforces the helmet and kill switch rule but they never check for neutral safety switch or for c-clip eliminators

 

[ninety15.0]

i think with stock gears your best bet for launching the car is going to be slipping the clutch from about 3k rpm...try to keep it from spinning too much

 

[larrendeuce]

I race at atco, to pass tech in a street car you need to be wearing pants, and have a helmet. To pass for any track its more involved, but the basics are make your your taillights work if your racing at night, have your battery secured not loose, and working seatbelts. It gets more involved with heavy mods and faster times, but that should be good for a street car.