I got this from another forum and since I have not seen it posted in 05+ I figured it might be useful for some. Others probably know all of this.
(edited: Comments below are not those of poster as he claims to know nothing about drag racing. Although several replies were that they were correct.)
Drag Racing Tips
· Try to go to the track when you have less than a 1/4 tank of gas left. (Every gallon of gas adds to your cars weight)
· Use *91* or higher octane Fuel
· Let your engine cool off by popping the hood and position your car so the hood will cast a shadow on your engine BEFORE you make any runs at the track.
· If you drive a V6, take off as many of the plastic covers off the engine as you can, all they do is help hold in the heat.
· Buy the 8lb bags of ice, they are worth the $1.50 you will spend! Put the ice on top of your intake manifold. Bring a towel if you can to mop up any condensation from the bag. When the ice starts to melt, use a key to poke a hole in a corner of the bag and drain out the water. When you put the bag back on, make sure the hole is facing UP so the water doesn't get all over your engine.
· Ideally your engine temp should be just above the C line when you start your car. By the time you finish staging it should be 3-4 lines above the C line. If your temp gauge is still at the C line when you race.
· Every 5-10 minutes while your car is cooling off, start your engine for about 30 seconds so you can move the hot engine coolant away from the engine with colder coolant from the radiator.
· Avoid the water pit if possible when staging.
· Turn OFF traction control (TCS) and disable OverDrive (on autos).
· Do a quick dry spin of your tires to knock off any rocks or dirt that may be sticking to them. In an auto: To spin your tires just hold the brake, punch the gas real quick and let off the brake.
· Staging: Slowly pull up to line while watching the Tree (The thing with all the lights in the middle) Once the first pair of yellow lights come on, slowly inch forward until the second pair of yellow lights come on. You are now staged!
· Launching: In an automatic wait until the car next to you is staged and then begin brake torquing. Use your left foot to FULLY depress your brake pedal while using your right foot to bring the revs to around 1,800rpms or whatever works for you particular setup. There are 3 yellow lights and a green light. When the THIRD yellow light comes on, release the brake while flooring the gas peddle at the same time. If done correctly your car will start moving right as the light turns green and you will have a quick reaction time.
· If your tires peel out to much on the launch, reduce your rpms next time.
· If your engine bogs down of the line because your tires don't chirp, increase your rpms when launching.
· A small quick chirp generally gives the best results in an automatic.
· Racing in D3 or D4 makes no differences in your 1/4 mile times since 3rd is good for a very high speed and you will never go fast enough in the 1/4 mile to worry about your tranny shifting to 4th.
· Always turn off your radio, AC and any electrical accessories. When racing at night, only turn on your parking lights. Always roll up your windows before staging and ALWAYS buckle up!
· When you finish a run, find a spot, pop the hood, put your bag of ice back on the intake manifold, and wait a good 30 minutes before you next run.
· If you go to a track with long lines try to push your car up to the staging area before starting it. Otherwise your engine will just heat up and your cool down period will have been wasted.
· If you drive an automatic leave your tire PSI around 30-34psi. It doesn't hurt to increase your rear tire pressure but typically auto's don't have problems with traction off the line.
· If you lower your tire pressure too much its going to increase your rolling resistance and decrease your trap speed and probably hurt your 1/4 mile time.
· Write down your launch rpm on the time slip so you can compare how your rpms affect your time.
· If you can buy a radio shack indoor outdoor thermometer that measures the humidity. After each run write down the the temp and humidity. This will help you because there are websites that can factor in temp and humidity to adjust your times so you can compare runs from different days when the temperature was different.
· Convert your times for hot and cool days: Drag Calculator
· If you want the best possible quarter mile time, take EVERYTHING out of the car that can easily come out. Empty the glove box, console, and OF COURSE, the trunk. (Don't forget the jack and tools Remove the floor mats and trunk floor/spare tire cover. If you want to go nuts, pull the front passanger seat. That thing weighs a TON.
(edited: Comments below are not those of poster as he claims to know nothing about drag racing. Although several replies were that they were correct.)
Drag Racing Tips
· Try to go to the track when you have less than a 1/4 tank of gas left. (Every gallon of gas adds to your cars weight)
· Use *91* or higher octane Fuel
· Let your engine cool off by popping the hood and position your car so the hood will cast a shadow on your engine BEFORE you make any runs at the track.
· If you drive a V6, take off as many of the plastic covers off the engine as you can, all they do is help hold in the heat.
· Buy the 8lb bags of ice, they are worth the $1.50 you will spend! Put the ice on top of your intake manifold. Bring a towel if you can to mop up any condensation from the bag. When the ice starts to melt, use a key to poke a hole in a corner of the bag and drain out the water. When you put the bag back on, make sure the hole is facing UP so the water doesn't get all over your engine.
· Ideally your engine temp should be just above the C line when you start your car. By the time you finish staging it should be 3-4 lines above the C line. If your temp gauge is still at the C line when you race.
· Every 5-10 minutes while your car is cooling off, start your engine for about 30 seconds so you can move the hot engine coolant away from the engine with colder coolant from the radiator.
· Avoid the water pit if possible when staging.
· Turn OFF traction control (TCS) and disable OverDrive (on autos).
· Do a quick dry spin of your tires to knock off any rocks or dirt that may be sticking to them. In an auto: To spin your tires just hold the brake, punch the gas real quick and let off the brake.
· Staging: Slowly pull up to line while watching the Tree (The thing with all the lights in the middle) Once the first pair of yellow lights come on, slowly inch forward until the second pair of yellow lights come on. You are now staged!
· Launching: In an automatic wait until the car next to you is staged and then begin brake torquing. Use your left foot to FULLY depress your brake pedal while using your right foot to bring the revs to around 1,800rpms or whatever works for you particular setup. There are 3 yellow lights and a green light. When the THIRD yellow light comes on, release the brake while flooring the gas peddle at the same time. If done correctly your car will start moving right as the light turns green and you will have a quick reaction time.
· If your tires peel out to much on the launch, reduce your rpms next time.
· If your engine bogs down of the line because your tires don't chirp, increase your rpms when launching.
· A small quick chirp generally gives the best results in an automatic.
· Racing in D3 or D4 makes no differences in your 1/4 mile times since 3rd is good for a very high speed and you will never go fast enough in the 1/4 mile to worry about your tranny shifting to 4th.
· Always turn off your radio, AC and any electrical accessories. When racing at night, only turn on your parking lights. Always roll up your windows before staging and ALWAYS buckle up!
· When you finish a run, find a spot, pop the hood, put your bag of ice back on the intake manifold, and wait a good 30 minutes before you next run.
· If you go to a track with long lines try to push your car up to the staging area before starting it. Otherwise your engine will just heat up and your cool down period will have been wasted.
· If you drive an automatic leave your tire PSI around 30-34psi. It doesn't hurt to increase your rear tire pressure but typically auto's don't have problems with traction off the line.
· If you lower your tire pressure too much its going to increase your rolling resistance and decrease your trap speed and probably hurt your 1/4 mile time.
· Write down your launch rpm on the time slip so you can compare how your rpms affect your time.
· If you can buy a radio shack indoor outdoor thermometer that measures the humidity. After each run write down the the temp and humidity. This will help you because there are websites that can factor in temp and humidity to adjust your times so you can compare runs from different days when the temperature was different.
· Convert your times for hot and cool days: Drag Calculator
· If you want the best possible quarter mile time, take EVERYTHING out of the car that can easily come out. Empty the glove box, console, and OF COURSE, the trunk. (Don't forget the jack and tools Remove the floor mats and trunk floor/spare tire cover. If you want to go nuts, pull the front passanger seat. That thing weighs a TON.
