Drag Racing
#1
03-19-2009, 10:59 PM
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Drag Racing
So, my school is going to be participating in a drag racing event coming up in a little under a month, and i want to race my 1993 850 GLT - non turbo, 5 SPD manual, 2.4L 20 Valve in the event.
I was wondering, what ET time should i expect?
and also, what are some things i could do to drop some weight out of the car, or tweak to give the car more power etc...?
I was wondering, what ET time should i expect?
and also, what are some things i could do to drop some weight out of the car, or tweak to give the car more power etc...?
#2
03-19-2009, 11:19 PM
Here is a good guide for you if you never been to the strip: http://forums.turbobricks.com/showpo...36&postcount=1
Here is the text:
Here is the text:
Proper drag racing technique
Ok, this is for those of you who haven't raced on a sanctioned drag way, or for those of you learning. This is based on my years of drag racing experince.
Arrival:
1. Arrive early, tech lines are long and hot. Get there early and you will start sooner when your lane is up. This is important because you will spend less time idling waiting for you turn, running all that time you spent cooling your motor. Colder motor = colder air= faster car.
2. Don't try to BS that saftey tech's they are there for a reason.
3. Be honest and ask questions, if your new don't feel bad you won't be treated wrongly.
Prep:
4. You more than likely DONT need racing fuel. I see this every time, a Stock Civic getting 110 unleaded fuel. New's flash, more octane is harder to burn. If your not running a HOT turbo motor, you won't need it.
5. Hood up, let your motor cool
6. Don't look stupid pulling off your backseat, or front hubcaps or what ever. Just run your car. If it's fast then maybe pull your back seat, but if you only run a 19 don't expect losing 10 pounds will drop you a second.
Stage:
7. What ever you do, DONT ROLL THROUGH THE WATER. Unless you have a treadless drag slick, a posi and drag front tires (or vice versa for you FWD's) you MUST go around the water. Thats an instant give away for the other guy that your a newb'.
8. Skip the huge "John Force" burnout. Most radial tires will stick less w/ excessive heat. The rubber curl's up and creates ball bearings which = no traction.
9. Roll slowly, light the first light and wait for the other guy if your "that cool." If not, stage both lights and focus.
...btw if you stage the second light and the first one goes off, STOP, any more and your going to have to back up (ie look like a moron).
The Tree:
10: The "tree" as it's called has the staging lights, three yellows a green and a red. Red is bad. Green is bad. Last yellow is the only light you care about. When that last yellow lights it's time to go. Leave on the last yellow, a 1.- reaction time is not good.
The Hole:
11: Myth- Auto's are slow. Reality- No they aren't. They are much faster at shifting and much easier to launch. Bring up the RPM to stall speed and baby it out of the hole. Sticks will ALWAYS leave to hard and spin the tires. No traction = no acceleration. Rember that, your only as fast as your tires will let you go. You'll learn how hard you can leave with out spinning.
The Track:
12: FLOOR IT
Shutdown area:
13: The track is ussualy clearly marked where it ends and where you can turn. Get off the track and back to your lane.
Tips and Tricks:
Keep an eye on quick lanes for the night, try to get them.
Cold air equals faster car, if it drops 10 degrees between runs, keep that in mind on your Dial in.
Traction Traction Traction
But always, be safe and smart. Be realistic, don't think you will be a master in one run. My first run ever, I smoke the tires to the 660 marker (660 feet) and ran a 16.6 at 82 mph. My second run was much improved at 14.4 at 97 mph. Traction counts.
Have fun, and oh DONT SET YOUR CAR ALARM. God that is annoying!
Ok, this is for those of you who haven't raced on a sanctioned drag way, or for those of you learning. This is based on my years of drag racing experince.
Arrival:
1. Arrive early, tech lines are long and hot. Get there early and you will start sooner when your lane is up. This is important because you will spend less time idling waiting for you turn, running all that time you spent cooling your motor. Colder motor = colder air= faster car.
2. Don't try to BS that saftey tech's they are there for a reason.
3. Be honest and ask questions, if your new don't feel bad you won't be treated wrongly.
Prep:
4. You more than likely DONT need racing fuel. I see this every time, a Stock Civic getting 110 unleaded fuel. New's flash, more octane is harder to burn. If your not running a HOT turbo motor, you won't need it.
5. Hood up, let your motor cool
6. Don't look stupid pulling off your backseat, or front hubcaps or what ever. Just run your car. If it's fast then maybe pull your back seat, but if you only run a 19 don't expect losing 10 pounds will drop you a second.
Stage:
7. What ever you do, DONT ROLL THROUGH THE WATER. Unless you have a treadless drag slick, a posi and drag front tires (or vice versa for you FWD's) you MUST go around the water. Thats an instant give away for the other guy that your a newb'.
8. Skip the huge "John Force" burnout. Most radial tires will stick less w/ excessive heat. The rubber curl's up and creates ball bearings which = no traction.
9. Roll slowly, light the first light and wait for the other guy if your "that cool." If not, stage both lights and focus.
...btw if you stage the second light and the first one goes off, STOP, any more and your going to have to back up (ie look like a moron).
The Tree:
10: The "tree" as it's called has the staging lights, three yellows a green and a red. Red is bad. Green is bad. Last yellow is the only light you care about. When that last yellow lights it's time to go. Leave on the last yellow, a 1.- reaction time is not good.
The Hole:
11: Myth- Auto's are slow. Reality- No they aren't. They are much faster at shifting and much easier to launch. Bring up the RPM to stall speed and baby it out of the hole. Sticks will ALWAYS leave to hard and spin the tires. No traction = no acceleration. Rember that, your only as fast as your tires will let you go. You'll learn how hard you can leave with out spinning.
The Track:
12: FLOOR IT
Shutdown area:
13: The track is ussualy clearly marked where it ends and where you can turn. Get off the track and back to your lane.
Tips and Tricks:
Keep an eye on quick lanes for the night, try to get them.
Cold air equals faster car, if it drops 10 degrees between runs, keep that in mind on your Dial in.
Traction Traction Traction
But always, be safe and smart. Be realistic, don't think you will be a master in one run. My first run ever, I smoke the tires to the 660 marker (660 feet) and ran a 16.6 at 82 mph. My second run was much improved at 14.4 at 97 mph. Traction counts.
Have fun, and oh DONT SET YOUR CAR ALARM. God that is annoying!
#3
03-20-2009, 06:30 AM
Your probably looking at the 15's to 16.0 in a quarter mile run.
Your N/A not much you can do to tweak your engine that will gain you significant power increases. So don't bother.
For every 100lbs taken off your car you'll gain around a tenth of a second. So... If you really want to if you think it is cool or not or worth it or not... Loose
- Rear seats
- Spare tire and tools
- Front passenger seat
- Door panels (Inside)
- Speakers
- Headunit
- Carpet
- Headliner
Yeah a pain to take out and to put back in. So personally I wouldn't. Your not going to run a better time basically even if you do all of that.
Just go and have fun.
FYI sell your N/A and buy a turbo model.
Your N/A not much you can do to tweak your engine that will gain you significant power increases. So don't bother.
For every 100lbs taken off your car you'll gain around a tenth of a second. So... If you really want to if you think it is cool or not or worth it or not... Loose
- Rear seats
- Spare tire and tools
- Front passenger seat
- Door panels (Inside)
- Speakers
- Headunit
- Carpet
- Headliner
Yeah a pain to take out and to put back in. So personally I wouldn't. Your not going to run a better time basically even if you do all of that.
Just go and have fun.
FYI sell your N/A and buy a turbo model.
#4
06-27-2009, 10:05 AM
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This is why I sold my 95 GLT.
The only thing I miss about it is that the interior panels didn't rattle like the typical wagon's do, and that the A/C would freeze your face clean off.
But it was a very slow car. I think you would be hard pressed to get anything better than a low 16 out of it.
The only thing I miss about it is that the interior panels didn't rattle like the typical wagon's do, and that the A/C would freeze your face clean off.
But it was a very slow car. I think you would be hard pressed to get anything better than a low 16 out of it.
#5
06-27-2009, 11:02 AM
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practice practice practice.
practice on just the lauching. rev to about 4,000 rpm give or take drop the clutch and floor it. when you drop it, you dont want to spin to much (some is normal and fine) but you dont want to be boggy off the start. if you find that your droping the clutch and it just feels like ur not taking off fast, try it at a higher rpm, as high as u can go with out doing a burnout.
as far as shifting, the faster the better. you can practice safly just getting onto the highway a bunch
and remember, a trip to redline a day keeps the doctor away
practice on just the lauching. rev to about 4,000 rpm give or take drop the clutch and floor it. when you drop it, you dont want to spin to much (some is normal and fine) but you dont want to be boggy off the start. if you find that your droping the clutch and it just feels like ur not taking off fast, try it at a higher rpm, as high as u can go with out doing a burnout.
as far as shifting, the faster the better. you can practice safly just getting onto the highway a bunch
and remember, a trip to redline a day keeps the doctor away
#6
06-27-2009, 11:51 AM
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#7
06-27-2009, 06:29 PM
I went to the track in Charlotte NC with my Turbo 850 R. If I were you, I would not expect anything better than a 17.0. I was running in the WRONG transmission ecu mode (econo instead of sport) but my best time was about 15.4.
Here is some info on the thread I posted: https://volvoforums.com/forum/showth...t=31281&page=2
Have FUN!
Here is some info on the thread I posted: https://volvoforums.com/forum/showth...t=31281&page=2
Have FUN!
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