Advice on how to legally drag race (less car prep, more how-to)

Our local place, Kil-Kare in Xenia OH, has a test-n-tune every Thursday over the season until end of October.  I'm organizing a social event for our SCCA region to come hang out and give it a try if they like.  (I'm curious what the Abarth will do, but not expecting greatness.  It's a bucketlist thing really.)

I remember a thread earlier this year but I think it was more how to set up your car.  I'm looking for more advice in general.  Go fast, don't turn, I get it.  More specifics?  Especially a FWD hatch, rev it up a bit and dump?  More RPMS?  Build boost then go?  Never tried it, even as a stupid kid on the street.

It's going to depend a bit on the car, tires, suspension, etc.  Tires with stiff sidewalls won't respond as well to being shock loaded on launch as those with soft sidewalls, for example.  

Trial and error for the launch. Depends on tire, suspension set up and how durable you think the hard parts are. Courtesy stage and dont take forever to roll into the second bulb once the other lane has there first set of bulbs lit. 

If running street tires drive around the waterbox if your not going to do a burnout. The best part about a test and tune night is just have fun and enjoy your car. 

Some good advice here

This might even be the thread you're thinking of. 

I never wound up making it to the strip to put any of it to use though. 

FWD on street tires, limit wheel spin, can result in wheel hop. 

In reply to RevRico :

Yup, that's the one. Thanks, I'll go back and review.

Side step the clutch after bouncing the rev limiter. Leave on the second yellow light. (By the time you eye sees the second yellow, tells your brain, you brain tells your limbs and your limbs actually start to move it’ll time you for a near perfect light.) if you get massive tire smoke from launch, lower the rpm for launch. If you get clutch smoke, go home, your vehicle isn’t ready. 

Also, pump up your rear tires more, lower the psi in the fronts. How much power are you pushing? What size are your front tires? Some guys will swap to two spare tires on the back of a fwd to get less rollin resistance. 

In reply to Trackmouse :

Dyno'd 187HP at the wheels if I remember.  17" stock size, like 205-45 or something.  I don't plan to be very fast, but I'd like to make the most of it, since I'll probably never do it again.  The light sequence was something I was interested in, thanks.

Above all, have fun. Where else can you (legally) wring out third gear? 

I actually do a fraction of a second delay when the third yellow lights up nowadays.  When the bulbs were incandescent, I tried to leave when the third yellow hit full brightness.  When drag strips I went to switched to LEDs, I found I'd tend to redlight when I left on the third yellow as soon as it lit up.  Your reflexes may vary.

In reply to eastsidemav :

It depends on how quick your car can leave the lights too. Things like suspension squat and tire grip play a role in that. Same with temperature of the track. 

My advice On leaving the lights comes from my old automatic  sohc neon. My RB powered 240sx also took the same amount of delay over the lights because it couldn’t keep traction on those skinny, cheap 195’s. 

If you can't get around the water box, then you may need to spin them just a little to try to fling some of the water out from between the tread blocks. 

Also, for me, traction at the strip has always been worse than traction on the street. Way worse. Like, "My car will barely chirp third on the street, why am I wheelhopping and pedaling third?" worse. 

easy advice, just go and have fun running and get ideas after watching some poeple run the lights and speak to some of the other more of the poeple that will be there and do this a lot.

Having fun = 100% of the goal.  Now the weather forecast keeps going back and forth, currently not looking good.  But I have the last Thursday of the month as a backup.

Don't worry much about the light your first few passes.  The clock doesn't start until you cross the line.  Concentrate on finding the right launch rpm and rate of clutch engagement--that split second between outright dump and roasted clutch.  Assuming you don't miss a shift, your time is going to be determined by your 60', so all the technique pretty much happens coming off the line.  Play with tire pressures, and beware wheel hop--if you're going to break something, it's probably then.

Just remember- you take air out, but you can’t put it back in! Unless they have a compressor on site. 

Trackmouse said:

Just remember- you take air out, but you can’t put it back in! Unless they have a compressor on site. 

Easy fix: bring a bike pump.  And you get a bonus arm workout before the drive home too!  

Ooh, forgot about taking the rear seats out and spare tire and jack. In some cars it’s worth it. My old celica’s back seat only weighed 20lbs. It’s like it was made of nothing, in fact, that’s what everyone that sat back there complained about. 

Having done NHRA tech locally I can give you a few pointers for the tech line, tho many are the same going for any tech line:

1. Have your tech card filled out as best you can.

2. Make sure your Battery is bolted down. I have personally seen countless street driven cars come thru tech with a battery NOT held down and the owners never realized it. 

3. Make sure there are no loose articles in the passenger compartment or trunk.

4. Be polite if questioned on anything. The individual doing the tech is who decides if you are racing or watching, and he may have questions if anything looks out of place / out of the ordinary. Just be polite and explain calmly anything he may find, even if he's being a shiny happy person about it.

As for racing, it depends if they prep the track or don't prep the track. And then if they do prep the track, how intensive they prep the track. Every track is different when it comes to how much they prep for various events. 

Have fun!

Trackmouse said:

In reply to eastsidemav :

It depends on how quick your car can leave the lights too. Things like suspension squat and tire grip play a role in that. Same with temperature of the track. 

My advice On leaving the lights comes from my old automatic  sohc neon. My RB powered 240sx also took the same amount of delay over the lights because it couldn’t keep traction on those skinny, cheap 195’s. 

Good point.  This was on a scooter with the centrifugal clutch loaded up and a solid rear suspension.  A car could definitely be a little slower to get moving.

I think they have a compressor, but I could take my small air tank.

Jerry said:

I think they have a compressor, but I could take my small air tank.

I promise that you will not be the only one there that has one.