i use to race dirt modifides but sence i got hurt i can no longer race anything that isnt street legal so i was thinking about getting into bracket racing this spring/summer with my cobalt
its a 06' super charged 90,000miles(almost)
stage3 clutch
comp cams
zzp cold air
zzp long tube
3"exhaust
2.8" pully
zzp tune

its in my garage being stored and im wanting to start getting it summer ready ive never drag raced at a track before any ideas on what i should do special or check diffrent from hot rodding on the street? also any weight reduction ideas that wont make the car look retarded or mod ideas are always welcome aswell thanks alot for any help! i look at this site all the time lots of good folks here! ill try to get some pics of my car tonight or tomarrow to post up,thinkin ill stay around here, love working on my cobalt to much not to.

also does the foot rest thing by the clutch get in any one eles's way? 8 months later and i still hate that foot rest lol

 

DO IT !!!!

check your home track to see what class you'll run and what the rules / restrictions are for your class.

stuff that can help your car in the brackets --

WOTbox if you're in an electronics class
slicks
peewee footballs / drag bags in the rear
rotated mounts
spherical control arm bushings

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.....remember it's consistency and strategy that win, not the fastest car

I'm hoping to hit the track for some "time-only's" this summer myself. I made it ONCE two years ago and broke an axle on the first pass

 

RWD time

 

Bracket racing is more about consistency then speed. the biggest things to remember is it's designed to make the finish as close as possible, look over your shoulder and if your out front by a mile let up, hit the brakes and close the gap. Sounds odd in racing to slow down but if your that far out your probably going to break out (go quicker then your dial in)

 

id suggest before you start bracket racing see if your track runs a street legal program. usually its pretty cheap to run in and its just grudge racing. good way to get some experience with the car on the track, bracket racing can be pricey, my local track can be $150-300 for a weekend, depending whats going on that weekend.

 

Most tracks do FYI. Money is money to them.

 

Slicks. That's all you'll need. No need for weight reduction.

Also go out to a test n tune before hand and get used to driving the car the same way every time. A shift light wouldn't be a bad idea either whether you're running 10s or 15s. Figure out a way to drive that's comfortable and consistent. While it is bracket racing, the faster the better. It's much better to leave second than be the slower car. You're track will probably have a beginners class called street legal like Sharkey said or a similar name. It will be mostly street cars or budget weekend racers going 11s and 12s that just like having some competition instead of just test n tune all the time. He is right though about the price. Not quite that high but even the beginners class you can spend about $75-80 per event after factoring fuel, entry fee, buy-back if you lose first round, food and drinks, etc. But all in all it is fun and you'll have a blast doing it. Plus being fwd if you're consistent on the launch you'll have fun watching the guys get confused down track with the fwd vs rwd difference between mph and et.

That "electronics class" will be superpro, and he'll need a lot more than a wotbox for that lol.
I knew it! As soon as I saw this thread I knew you would be here.

 

And a G85^ for starters

 

Eh. Not needed that much.

 

I personally like having the head start in the street class, with it being mostly beginners and just out for fun the longer they wait the more likely they either get anxious or loose concentration and either red light or are late off the tree

 

I'm not familiar with all the NHRA classes, so I may have worded it poorly. A couple years ago at one of our local tracks there was a budget street class that didn't allow such things. I grumbled because of the wotbox in my car and wondered what it would take for me to run the class, whether the thing could be off, or completely out of the car. In the end it didn't matter, I ran the car once.

 

thanks alot for all the quick replys!! thats awesome! looks like i wont need as much as i was thinking ill put slicks and traction bars on the list for now. the shift light is a good idea, i normally run them in my v8's but this thing i shift by sound,cant help it i like to make it yell. lol

not worryed about cost at all, ive raced dirt mods,sportsman and street stock and out local track might as well be a demo derby so i know how that goes lol just hopin i dont break to many axles i dont like changing them very much.

ill definitly check into my local tracks and see what they have going on a street class would be great for me! just tryin to race with out so much trouble/danger im gettin to old for that lol

BlackielawlessSS not rwd time. ive owned plenty plenty of rwd cars including all my dirt cars and besides being able to drive side ways down the road doing a burn out, i like my cobalt more. im sure it'll be diffrent at the track but last summer i was smashin mustangs and camaros up pretty good on bald tires i cant assume they had mods but hey 4 vs 8 cylinders i was happy.

sorry for the rant not tryin to be an ass just pointing out fwd can be just as fast as rwd if setup right. ill be replying a little later to other replys im popping a fresh battery in the cobalt (mine died) and gonna let her warm up for the first time in forever. to bad we got so much snow last night i wanted to drive her today too! Thanks again for all the help and replys yall!


**EDIT what is it a wide open throttle box does? i get a WOT switch for nitrous but i geuss i dont understand that. thanks!

 

The WOTbox is a launch control. It is legal in the no-electronics classes under the "Clutch launched, stick shift vehicles may use single stage rev limiter to control starting line RPM." That's all a WOTbox is.

 

oh is it really? thats cool, thanks! im gonna look into that, hell i thought the only launch control for a stick shift was ur foot lol maybe i need to get a little more educated on the electronics part of things... they always confuse me lol