so im soon gonna go to the track for the first time! im pretty much stock (ss/sc), just intake and exhaust. any tips u pros have. anything simple or mods i can get do improve times? (besides pulley and all the serious mods, cause im just going to save and put all that stuff on at once in the winter.(( pulley, injectors, meth, dual pass, and port s/c and manifold)))

i have mounts on the way now cause i hear they help getting power to the ground.
but i dont realy know a whole lot about the actual racing and controlling the car properly and such, of course i rip around the streets but just for fun.

 

Racing is so much fun. I've done it a couple times and I'm improving each time.

Do you know anything about staging and what not? I think that is what scared me the most about going to the track was I didn't know exactly what to do, but it was pretty easy.

Do you know how to launch your car? I took my car out on a back road and practiced launching my car. I wanted to do it enough times to get comfortable because at first the torque steering scared me. But I got used to it.

Just asking ya the same questions I had when I went to race for the first time.

 

staging i kinda know but launching a fwd car... have no idia.. itried it but i cant keep the tires hooked

 

The way I learned was when you get on the line it should be a completely flat surface so you can take your foot off the brake without rolling.

Keep your foot on the clutch and rev your car to a certain RPM (can't tell you what is going to be best for you as it is different for everyone) I rev my car to 2800.

Staging lights there are two lights. The 2nd light will come on when you are right where you need to be. Usually, for the Christmas Tree, there are 3 yellow lights and a green. What I was told is to go when you see the last yellow light, because by the time you react to the last yellow light the green light will already be on. Does that make sense?

Anyone else out there that can add or correct me if I'm telling him something wrong?

 

it actually should be when the first yellow light comes on you should start to give it gas and go. your rt times will be .0xx. even if you red light it (which I never have using this method) you will still get your slip and the times will be accurate

 

I don't think you want to go on the first light

 

don't worry about the tree.

my one piece of advice for the track is, pay attention to what you're doing, and drive the car. dont' worry about the other car, or the tree, or reaction time, or anything like that.

it's like a runday event right? you're not bracket racing, so worry about launching and shifting and all of that, your 1/4 time isn't going to be changed by when you leave.

also, there are two lights, usually, pre stage and stage.

you pull forward, and the pre stage light comes on, pull up some more and they're both on. if you keep inching forward, the pre stage light goes out, and the stage light is on. this is called "deep staging" and for the purpose of what you're doing, doesn't make any sense. so, stop when they're both on.

oh, by the by... when you pull up, it's rude to be waiting, staged, while the other driver isn't in the lane yet. generally, the proper way to do it is to get in lane, pull to pre stage, when he is also in pre stage, pull to stage. otherwise, you're "rushing" him.

lol, i bet the people that lived there loved you practicing on their road, lol.

 

Slip the clutch some. A very slight wheel spin is a good thing. Just to the point that the wheel car bearly be seen that it is going faster then it should. Most front wheel drives get out of the whole quicker like this. If you get any wheel hop, let off and baby the car. No need to race hard when you already killed the start.

 

Don't worry about the lights. Just go when you are comfortable. The timing starts when you move your car. If you want a good time you have to launch your car. If you drive it out of the hole like me on my first time, you will get high 15 second times. At the end you might have to brake firmly at 90 mph. Be prepared for that. Keep the car straight and focus on the track. Glance at the tach too because it will get to redline pretty quick at WOT, you don't want to over rev your engine. You have to shift lightning fast too. I recommend the first time you go 50% throttle, shift at 3-4K to get the lay of the land. If you do that it will probably take you 18 seconds, so don't be discouraged by slow times.

 

Haha, not a lot of houses on the back road I was on. And I didn't go the entire 1/4 stretch. Just would launch the car go a bit and then slow down and do it again. First time I did it the torque steering scared the crap out of me. haha

+1 You'll definitely red light if you go on the first light.

 

asherby?!?!?!?!

 

can a 2.2 torque steer?

and, when you should go on the tree is really going to depend on the person. i'm not a comp racer, so i basically ignore the lights entirely.

 

Oh Noesssss

Yeah, it pulls left a bit when I launch (and it very well could have been the crappy road I was on).

 

i was making a joke, like a 2.2 doesn't have the power to torque steer.

 

yo asherby ill race you

 

i just went to the track for the first time on friday. Was so nervous and i passed the 2nd beam so i had to back up abit...damn lights dropped on the tree some fast. ran a 14.4 with my current mods. Have a issue with my tune. 1st gear at 3500rpm is fucked for me until i change the tune. Hope u had fun cuz i did. I raced a SS/SC. Me and him talked after the race we were both shaking..lol

 

popping the cherry huh? Enjoy de-virgining urself!

 

Deep stage,then leave on the 3rd yellow,providing you are running a sportsman tree.You should have reaction times in the .100 range or lower every time.

 

thats what i learned...leave on the yellow which made me get a .128 reaction time. I was very shocked..lol