First Time Out on a Track

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NickBeek

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Nov 22, 2008
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So this past weekend I tried my hand at drag racing, well I made a few passes anyway. I went to a local 1/8 mile track with some friends. That's the good news. The bad news is my best ET was 10.503 @ 68.78 mph. LOL

My truck is a handshaker with a Con Ofe clutch, a Smarty Jr, oh and some stacks. The track had a slight incline at the starting line so I could not get my foot off the brake without rolling forward. I am no athlete so working three pedals at one time is not an option. My launch consisted of getting off the brake and on the go pedal. My best reaction time was .525.

Here are a couple clips from the track. Sorry for the poor quality, my 10 year old boy shot them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-nYZ3g88s8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aE0U1CgVwo

Question, are most tracks flat enough to release the break and not roll? If I would have been able to do that I could have revved before I dumped the clutch. Wouldn't this produce a better run?

I plugged in my numbers on a calculator I found on line and from ET and weight of the truck it said I had 366 HP at the crank. I have dynoed at 414 at the wheels on Dunbar's dyno. Does this mean I suck at driving, or the calculator is off, or the dyno is off?

OK I'm done for now, go easy on me..... :hehe:
 
Well it helps if you can use the third LEG. This is based on length more than anything. :hehe:

Not bad for the first time and a hand shaker..:Cheer:

The only thing I can tell you is practice, practice and a little more practice. It gets a little easier every time. But there is no way I know of except experience.

It is addictive, isn't it. :woohoo:
 
Nice Runs! The way things sound, hopefully we can get another Diesel Enthusiast (your son) to run in a couple of years.
 
Thanks for the encouragement guys.

My boy would run right now if someone let him. He a a stoned cold junky for diesel motor sports. I have no idea where he gets it from.:hehe:

It is addictive. I'm seriously thinking about running in the ET bracket class in Rockingham next month.

I like to hear how some of you other gear rowers launch too.

Oh BTW, the third leg thing is out of the question too...... LOL
 
If your brakes are adjusted right, you can use the e-brake to hold it and build a little boost. Again, gotta have good timing though.
 
it is pretty hard racing a 6 speed. Ive tried launching different ways and nothing seems to work. Sounds like you have a fan in the crowd also!
 
Find somewhere safe to practice lauching, like a parking lot at an industrial plant thats shut down at night or something like that. Then start practice, work on using your right toes on the break and your right heel on the throttle. Start slipping your clutch a little while rpms are at 2k 2500 or hirer depending on how long you want your clutch to work. It will become second nature after a few attemps. You should have a good double disc for any slipping of the clutch.
 
LOL "My dad won?!" Kids are great.

Time slips have sold more speed parts than any advertisement. Congrats on starting a fun addiction.

I'd go to Rockingham if for nothing else but to hear the announcer. That is one funny fat bastard.
 
I was there racing my junk too! I witnessed it first hand and we all thought Nick did a GREAT job!! We were gonna start talking smack to the guy in the Civic, but then decided not too. LOL!!
 
I have a hard enough time getting my truck to hook up and go down the track, i cant imagine shifting gears as well.
 
Thanks guys. Some more practice is definitely in order, but that's the fun right?

Carolinaredneck got his "fat bottom girl" (Dually) rolling pretty good too.
 
if you are planning on slippin the clutch at all to build boost, go to a dual disc. i made that mistake and paid for it lol. it'll sure do a better job than the clutch you have at the present time. it wont take much slippage to melt that clutch to the flywheel and there you'll be. just my .02
 
Thanks. I don't plan on trying to build boost by slipping the clutch. I do want to see what I can do on a flat starting line where I can at least get some RPM's built up before I dump the clutch. Using that method, what are some suggested launching RPM's?
 
NickBeek said:
Thanks. I don't plan on trying to build boost by slipping the clutch. I do want to see what I can do on a flat starting line where I can at least get some RPM's built up before I dump the clutch. Using that method, what are some suggested launching RPM's?
Click to expand...

I like about 3000 & let the clutch out quickly but dont dump it.
 
I like to launch my truck around 3800 rpm. You shouldn't try that much your first time out, work your way up slowly.

I started with launches around 2300 rpm and worked my way up. Once I started doing 2800 rpm or so, I had to start playing with tire pressure to get the correct amount of wheel spin to allow my truck to track straight and not pogo-bunny hop down the track.

Believe it or not, one night they made me leave because my truck was dumping so much dirt on the track when it would hop off the line. I spent hours at the car wash but it seems no matter how much you wash the underside there will always be hidden dirt that likes to come off when you hop.

I finally learned to play around with tire pressure and ended up adding a little air to create more wheel spin and eliminate wheel hop on both the front and rear axle.
 
My best 60' time is only 1.86 seconds but I'm literally coasting over the 60' timer as I'm trying to grind my way to 3rd gear. The first 30' on a well prepped track at 3800rpm is WICKED!!!

At 3800 rpm, my 99' leaves much harder than a buddies 05' 4x4 auto at 20psi with HTS trans and MPI twins.

Now the 2-3 synchros in my 5spd are just about toast so I quickly learned that NV4500 transmissions are not designed for power-shift drag racing.
 
Thanks for the suggestions guys.

The first run I tried it in 2wd since I wasn't leaving under boost or even revved. The rear wheels broke loose and my long bed did the hokey pokey until I let out and grabbed 3rd gear. The other runs I used 4 wd. LOL
 
Go to summit and buy a line lock....Make a switch out of a motorcycle type rear brake switch with a spring attatching it to your clutch lever. Then you pump your brakes to set, flip switch to arm the solenoid ( released by switch on lever) and there you have it...as much brakes as you need and they are released when you let the clutch out.
 
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