Ok me and my friend were running our cars on a 1/4 mile peice of road yesterday. He has an altima and I have an 87 sport with only a cone filter as of now( since my MT duals will not arrive until next week). We measured a 1/4 mile of road near some truck yards where all the warhouses in my town are at and first we ran in his car. we only had two stop watches so the times are obviously off by fractions of seconds, but he ran a 17.48 with me in the car. I thought it was good, then we got my car and I ran am 18.2x. When he tells me this I am like WTF so I run again and I grind second so I got like a 19 and I try again reving to 6k this time instead of 4k and I get a 18.4x. Oh he was in my car when I ran it so there was an extra 180lbs. i the car and my school stuck froly another 20lbs. I have some old potenzas that are low on tread could this make a difference because he has fairly new( like two months old) Toyo tires. I think I just suck at driving. can anyone give me tips on how to better my 1/4 mile times. I want to at least be in the 16s which the rx7 should be capable of Right? Constructive critisism welcome. Just don't flame me cuz I can't drag well. Thanks

 

Oh and my 0-60 time was like 12.xx seconds. that sux. I used to get 13 sec. from my 94 Grand Am auto and 4cyl.

 

you're problem is that you're not going fast enough. No seriously, what is your launch like? Good traction is everything. It should just spin. Just a hair. Better to spin some then bog. i ran a 13.9X @ about 97 mph. GOOD traction will pay dividends, at the end of the 1/4. go back and practice your launch. start at 3K and see if it spins or bogs, and from there, adjust the launch in 500 rpm increments. don't ride the clutch either, adjust your gas if you have wheel spin, but this will come with practice.

 

yeah where I was launching I dumped the clutch at 4k and got wheel hop. then I tried it at 6k and it spun a lot more. Would new tires help? I would like to buy some cheapo 100 dollar tires from pep boys and burn them ut to see how fast I can get. Next time I will leave my spare and jack and all the other crap at my friends house. Got an more tips?

 

Get a g-tec. A 1/4 uses a trap a stop watch dosen't. You should be running a low 16 with that car. and the Altima should kick you *** in the 1/4. 2002 altima 14.2 @98 Luskville dragway PQ. stock.

 

My friends altima Is an 95 GXE with a 4Cyl. in it. It is not that much faster than my car. What the heck is a G-tech?

 

G-tech will measure your 1/4 miles, 0-60 and such. I dont think they are that accurate though...?

Nick

 

go here to see what a G-tech is
http://www.gtechpro.com/

 

Or you could go to a track, and keep it off the road, eh?

 

This was not a regular road dude. It is not like I drag on a friggin school zone or something. This is a desolate area that we checked out for traffic, pedestrians, and COPS. We ran the cars like at 7:30 in the afternoon that is like after everyone is gone. We have a track here but I don't want to make myself look like an idiot at the track without a little bit of practice before hand. TIPs More Tips.

 

Dont ever dump your clutch. Feather your clutch out so that you get as little wheel spin as you can. Dumping your clutch at 6K isnt going to get you anywhere fast.

BTW-stop watches arent the most accurate 1/4 mile measuring devices.

 

Don't take this stuff out until you get to the "drag area". Getting a flat and not having the jack or spare will suck ***.

 

You mean thats where you were shifting at in all gears or just launching from that rpm? If that is your shift point that isnt going to help your 1/4mile time any, redline that mother!

 

uh I always redlined it

 

Ok, I went to the track and my first time out I ran a 16.3 in the 1/4. My car has a dirty air filter and a blown exhaust gasket before the cat. I have an 86' base model with 40K on the rebuild. I launched at about 2700 to 3000 rpm and shifted at 7000 rpm. I think I pulled an 83 mph trap. I feathered the clutch a little bit, and kept the gas on the floor for my launch. For my shifts, I just shifted as quick as I could. Oh and we can't forget my shifter bushings are shot to hell so my throws are all long and mushy. My other advice would be Don't use a stopwatch! It's not going to really tell you anything legit. And I raced a 96' altima gxwhatever and I spanked him. His car was auto but we raced from a roll.

 

I must have misunderstood your post then, no need for the attitude. You did post asking for help did you not?

 

sorry for the hostility. I apologize. It is ok.

 

If you are getting axle hop you need to lower your launch rpm, mine is 3650 but I'm using wider tires.

 

Tips

1) Dont race on old industrial roads. They are generally dirty and harder to gain traction on. A prepped track is WAY better.
2) Get good tires. If you are using a street tire, only do a little spin before the race to get gravel and **** off it. Heating a street tire makes traction worse, not better. Heating a race tire will get you way better traction. Drag radials are like 180 bucks a tire, you only need two Its a good investment... if you get these, make sure they are HOT before a run.
3) Stop using stop watchs. Either get a gtech (or similar) or go to a track. It costs like 10 bucks to race for the entire night at a drag strip. A gtech is like 200 bucks.
4) Go to a drag strip one day, full pressure in the front tires, about 22psi in the rear. Experiment with the pressure in the rear, it will change the times. Also pressure when the tire is hot is dif than when its cold.
5) Dont dump the clutch unless you are on drag radials or slicks. Rev to about 4500 and then feather it thru first then go WOT in second. Or something like that, if you can go WOT in first w/o spinning, do it.

 

Forget drag racing, learn about road racing instead.

 

the launch RPM will vary depending on where you're at. Try lowering your psi, but if they're not drag radials i wouldn't bother going lower than 25 psi , and raise the psi on the fronts to 40-45 to lower rolling resistance. I and my friends shift at 7.5K Cheap tires won't do anything for you. Traction is everything. get a spare set of rims from a junkyard and mount some GOOD tires on those and use them only when you have to. The BBS vert wheels are a great buy for you. WIDER IS BETTER. avoid burnouts prior to your launch. Most street tires perform better when cold. If you go to the track, avoid the water box. AND DO your maintenance. FOULED plugs don't make you go quicker, neither do dirty air filters.

 

If your car is not running 16.7 in the 1/4 and an 8 second sprint to 60 mph there is a problem with it, or your driving tecnique. The GXL, which is the heaviest RX7 NA, was capable of those numbers. If you are serious that it ran 0-60 in 12 seconds, something is really wrong.

 

Loose weight, dont have your friend in the car and last but not least get naked.

 

I think I am just a bad drag racer. I have BBS rims. and a spare set of GXL rims. Also I don't trust my friend with his stop watch plus the delay in pushing a button at the finish. not to mention the 200lbs in the car that are usually not there. I will try those tips and run it again soon because next week I get my MT duals so it will chand my times.

 

I weigh 123lbs and I am 5' 9" I am skinny