[Roadkill]

Ok, I ran at the local street drags last night and it was definitely a lesson in learning. I seemed to have a hell of a time hooking up at launch and as the evening progressed, it seems that it got worse and worse for me. Ultimately i would try dropping the clutch at 2200-3000 rpm (tried different strategies) and ultimately i would just sit and spin while the other cars would take off, once i hooked up then it would be a game of could i catch up to them before the quarter mile ran out. Very fricken lame.. /images/graemlins/angry.gif I was running kumho 17's on the rear and they were definitely picking up all kinds of rocks and crap on them.. i am wondering if I was not heating the tires up enough prior to running. as the night progressed it would feel like my tires were dipped in grease when i tried to take off.. even low rpm launches and i would sit there and spin the first 10-20 feet before the tires would grab.. I would say that 90% of the cars there would get the jump on me off the line because of this.. sometimes a Serious jump to the point where i could not catch em.
My second gripe is that it seems as soon as my tranny heated up it became EXTREMELY hard to shift gears.. anyone know what the cause of this?? I am gonna have my gear oil changed out first thing this next week. I know once the tranny cooled down i was able to shift fine again.. I'm assuming that this shifting issue is not normal. Btw, my tire pressure was about 22 lbs
Input??

 

[V10 MOJO]

your shift issue is similar to mine. i had a bad gear and my dealer decided to repair the tranny instead of replace it like theyre supposed to do. synchronizers were off and shifting under high rpms or when real hot (both race conditions) was impossible, i mean i couldve broke the damn shifter or shift forks before i could get it in gear i was yanking so damn hard

go get your tranny checked

 

[MHQC]

Road, been lookin forward to your post. :thumb: Was curious to see how it worked out. I went through the same experience. Seemed I would spin like a madman through first and part of second. HELL my first run was like 13,8. at 110 or something like that. I run the michelins at 29. I just clean em up a bit before I stage. I have done about 50 runs now, and I can consistently put down 12,20's all day at 118 (and this is granny shiftin, no power shifts). Were you one of the guys who ran first in the day? The reason I ask is because from what I gather those Kumho's are supposed to hook like hell. I don't even have wheel spin at 3000 dumps on 29 psi michelins. My first guess is a lousy track conditions. As for the tranny, can't really answer, maybe needs changing. What were you 60's and 1/4 et and speeds. I'm sure with your numbers the vets on the board could give you much more feedback than me. Cool to see you drag racing. :thumb:

I can't get enough!!! /images/graemlins/gr_driving3.gif

 

[MHQC]

oops, just noticed it was street racing...ergo no times.

 

[Roadkill]

Michael,
How do you "clean up" your tires before you stage? The khumos were like gum after a couple of runs.. all sorts of gravel imbedded into them.. I am thinking that i needed to burn em up hot before starting out.. i'd be spinning like i was on grease or water for the first 15 feet then they would hook and i'd be trying to play catch-up.. if i could have gotten my launch issues worked out i don't think i would have been beat last night.. as it was i caught and beat some people that had a hell of a head start on me, but sometimes especially as the evening progressed and my spinning lasted longer, people got some serious distance before my tires hooked. /images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[MHQC]

Road, when I would do to clean em is just dump the clutch at about 2000 just to get the tires loose and then I floor it for about 2 seconds. Basically just to get the crud off of them. I normally have time to do this 2 times because I am not doing this huge burnout in the water box like the guy beside me. You don't need to smoke the michelins, just a good cleaning. But I would think that street racing has its own rules. No super pro's going down the track before you; nobody putting down adhesive on the track etc...This is maybe why launches at 2800-3000 are causing your wheel spin. Don't sweat it, I have wheel spin on a street romp too. I have found that 1800-2200 rpms dumps are fine for the street. Even if the guy gets out before you, you can always catch em (most of the time) :ugh:.

Road, if there is a drag strip near your place...hit it. You will see such a difference. Get your confidence up, and throw down some 12's. My biggest worry when I went to the track the first time with the Viper was that everyone was going to expect these world record times. Fortunately the Viper has established itself in the racing community :nod:, and the guys know what the car will do. When I was in the high 12's the veterans from the track walked over and said "having trouble hookin' with those pilots eh"? I said "bigtime". He said "just keep practicing, that car can run the high 11's".

This sort of took the pressure off because I knew the big runners respected the car and knew it was just my inexperience, so I was able to concentrate on good shifts and 60's. Like I said, what a difference 20 or 30 runs will do for you.

Still am surprised about the Kumho's sliding like that...they are supposed to hook like hell. :arcade: Be curious to know what the other guys think.

 

[Confrontational]

Kill -

Tire pressure is also critical... Obviously the more pressure - the easier to spin...

Linelock might be another way to get a better launch... That combined with a shift light... That way all you have to concentrate on is getting a good launch and the shift from second to third...

I obviously need a shit load of track time as well - mid 12's... But, there are a few things that I've done to hopefully make that next time a little better...

I have PZeros on - went through the waterbox just to burn the rocks off... Unless using slicks (or race tires) - the massive warm up burn out is somewhat useless...