Tips on how to launch better
02-02-07, 03:01 AM
#1
Tips on how to launch better
Alright, i'm starting to drag race but my 60 foot isn't that great. Any tips on how to launch better? anybody with street or drag experiance would help. please explain in steps 
Last edited by JP's 93 fd; 02-02-07 at 03:07 AM.
02-02-07, 09:18 AM
#3
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If you can setup a two step and line lock it makes it easy as could be i pulleded 1.5 all day long. Ig not get slicks set them at 10 psi, get a nice burn out, go to the line bounce off the redline, hold the ebrake as you get the clutch right to the spot where it starts to grab when you see the lights drop the e brake, and let the clutch out.
02-02-07, 09:48 AM
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First real key is to get some slicks or drag radials, street tires will never give you a good 60’
With slicks do a nice burnout in 2nd gear. Hold the revs steady and as soon as the revs start to drop (tires warming up) let off the linelock/brake and go and stage. As aoon as your fully staged get the revs up to 7,500 +or – depending on your setup, wait for the last amber to light than dump the clutch. You bee cutting 1.50 or less all day long.
If your on street tires its a lot of trial and error. Your going to have to find a rpm where they spin 2-3 times then start to hook up. Every tire/suspension set up will differ. The biggest thing is getting your self consistent. Like once you launch you don’t want to get out of the throttle then back in it, if you can keep the revs steady till the tires start to hook is ideal. The problem is depending on your setup you can get wheel hop which is real bad.
What kind of rear suspension/ differential/ axles /tires are you running?
With slicks do a nice burnout in 2nd gear. Hold the revs steady and as soon as the revs start to drop (tires warming up) let off the linelock/brake and go and stage. As aoon as your fully staged get the revs up to 7,500 +or – depending on your setup, wait for the last amber to light than dump the clutch. You bee cutting 1.50 or less all day long.
If your on street tires its a lot of trial and error. Your going to have to find a rpm where they spin 2-3 times then start to hook up. Every tire/suspension set up will differ. The biggest thing is getting your self consistent. Like once you launch you don’t want to get out of the throttle then back in it, if you can keep the revs steady till the tires start to hook is ideal. The problem is depending on your setup you can get wheel hop which is real bad.
What kind of rear suspension/ differential/ axles /tires are you running?
02-02-07, 07:08 PM
#6
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Im on standard stuff, i find once the tyres hook up on the road the turbo hits hard and the wheels light up again, real unpredictable, so once im off the clutch i just floor it, n hope for the best
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02-02-07, 09:46 PM
#8
Originally Posted by Bacon
First real key is to get some slicks or drag radials, street tires will never give you a good 60’
With slicks do a nice burnout in 2nd gear. Hold the revs steady and as soon as the revs start to drop (tires warming up) let off the linelock/brake and go and stage. As aoon as your fully staged get the revs up to 7,500 +or – depending on your setup, wait for the last amber to light than dump the clutch. You bee cutting 1.50 or less all day long.
If your on street tires its a lot of trial and error. Your going to have to find a rpm where they spin 2-3 times then start to hook up. Every tire/suspension set up will differ. The biggest thing is getting your self consistent. Like once you launch you don’t want to get out of the throttle then back in it, if you can keep the revs steady till the tires start to hook is ideal. The problem is depending on your setup you can get wheel hop which is real bad.
What kind of rear suspension/ differential/ axles /tires are you running?
With slicks do a nice burnout in 2nd gear. Hold the revs steady and as soon as the revs start to drop (tires warming up) let off the linelock/brake and go and stage. As aoon as your fully staged get the revs up to 7,500 +or – depending on your setup, wait for the last amber to light than dump the clutch. You bee cutting 1.50 or less all day long.
If your on street tires its a lot of trial and error. Your going to have to find a rpm where they spin 2-3 times then start to hook up. Every tire/suspension set up will differ. The biggest thing is getting your self consistent. Like once you launch you don’t want to get out of the throttle then back in it, if you can keep the revs steady till the tires start to hook is ideal. The problem is depending on your setup you can get wheel hop which is real bad.
What kind of rear suspension/ differential/ axles /tires are you running?
02-02-07, 10:11 PM
#9
The king of the highway!
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anything below 6000 my car doesnt launch as hard but it always hooks (with tapping of the gas) anything more than 6500 and it spins, 7000 and it spins even more!
Oh and thats on ET Street tires i cracked a 1.8 launching at 6700rpm
Oh and thats on ET Street tires i cracked a 1.8 launching at 6700rpm
02-03-07, 08:35 AM
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Originally Posted by darkphantom
anything below 6000 my car doesnt launch as hard but it always hooks (with tapping of the gas) anything more than 6500 and it spins, 7000 and it spins even more!
Oh and thats on ET Street tires i cracked a 1.8 launching at 6700rpm
Oh and thats on ET Street tires i cracked a 1.8 launching at 6700rpm
What suspension are you running?
My rear setup:
Kaaz with 4.33's, Race axle)
Jim Lab bushings all around, Rotary extreme toe links and trailing arms, tociko 5 ways and eibach pro kit.
with above setup I clicked off a 1.46 60' in 40 deg air temps dumping it at 7700 rpm's
God I live that feeling,
JP, are you running stock turbos/boost? what rear tires are you running
when I was running basically stock (dp,intake, ecu, catback. I found launching around 3800, and keeping the acel pedal steady till the tires started to hook then rolling into the throttle. I found mashing it after it bogged it would just light them up. its just going to be trial and error
02-04-07, 10:44 AM
#11
Laying Down Rotary Law
Do not the drop the clutch on drag radials
you will break something at the track
pre-load! the clutch
Drop the clutch around 6-7K on ET streets or slicks
you will break something at the track
pre-load! the clutch
Drop the clutch around 6-7K on ET streets or slicks
02-04-07, 11:00 AM
#12
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Originally Posted by kabooski
Do not the drop the clutch on drag radials
you will break something at the track
pre-load! the clutch
Drop the clutch around 6-7K on ET streets or slicks
you will break something at the track
pre-load! the clutch
Drop the clutch around 6-7K on ET streets or slicks
preload is the best, wheel
hop is your enemy
if you cant get the concept of preloading (or just have big feet like me), or still get to much wheel hop
and have a good enough clutch, you can just slip the clutch a bit. i was cutting 1.91-1.94 consistantly (in 30 degree weather mind you) doing that. I just didnt feel like breaking peice of my drivetrain.
i wouldnt try it with a stock clutch to much but my act 2900 has prolly taken 300 launches at least and still looks pretty new
02-04-07, 12:06 PM
#14
Laying Down Rotary Law
I've done 1.8-1.9 60' on 255/50/16 toyo proxies pre-loading the clutch (holding the E-brake up)
and then easing off the pedal while accelerating
good for 12.2 in the 1/4 when I was in the 400'ish HP mark
and then easing off the pedal while accelerating
good for 12.2 in the 1/4 when I was in the 400'ish HP mark
02-04-07, 05:31 PM
#15
Originally Posted by mmonaco
hold the ebrake as you get the clutch right to the spot where it starts to grab when you see the lights drop the e brake, and let the clutch out.
02-04-07, 05:44 PM
#16
Laying Down Rotary Law
its take some pratice till you get it right! , I let go of the ebrake at the last light
and gradually floor it <-----(faster if I feel no wheel hop or excessive sping)(slower acceleration if I feel wheel hop and tire spin)
and gradually floor it <-----(faster if I feel no wheel hop or excessive sping)(slower acceleration if I feel wheel hop and tire spin)
02-05-07, 04:12 PM
#17
The king of the highway!
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/\ that ebrake trick i havent tried it yet?
3.9 gears, & Tein coilovers with a softer rear stabilizer, and the tires were lower pressure (20 F, 22 R)
or maybe your clutch. I used to have a street disc. All i did was change to a 6puck (kept the same pressure plate) and my car hooked a hell alot better with the streets.
And to be honest a 6puck isnt as harsh as you might think. The only problem is the car will shake a little under 1mph driving (traffic)
Originally Posted by Bacon
What suspension are you running?
My rear setup:
Kaaz with 4.33's, Race axle)
Jim Lab bushings all around, Rotary extreme toe links and trailing arms, tociko 5 ways and eibach pro kit.
with above setup I clicked off a 1.46 60' in 40 deg air temps dumping it at 7700 rpm's
God I live that feeling,
JP, are you running stock turbos/boost? what rear tires are you running
when I was running basically stock (dp,intake, ecu, catback. I found launching around 3800, and keeping the acel pedal steady till the tires started to hook then rolling into the throttle. I found mashing it after it bogged it would just light them up. its just going to be trial and error
My rear setup:
Kaaz with 4.33's, Race axle)
Jim Lab bushings all around, Rotary extreme toe links and trailing arms, tociko 5 ways and eibach pro kit.
with above setup I clicked off a 1.46 60' in 40 deg air temps dumping it at 7700 rpm's
God I live that feeling,
JP, are you running stock turbos/boost? what rear tires are you running
when I was running basically stock (dp,intake, ecu, catback. I found launching around 3800, and keeping the acel pedal steady till the tires started to hook then rolling into the throttle. I found mashing it after it bogged it would just light them up. its just going to be trial and error
3.9 gears, & Tein coilovers with a softer rear stabilizer, and the tires were lower pressure (20 F, 22 R)
Originally Posted by AWD-RWD racer
man, i spin all day lon launching my car at 2k rpms....i need better tires 
And to be honest a 6puck isnt as harsh as you might think. The only problem is the car will shake a little under 1mph driving (traffic)
Last edited by darkphantom; 02-05-07 at 04:25 PM.
02-05-07, 05:20 PM
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I dunno how exactly the FC ignition would allow this but... anyone here (turbos only obviously) heard of a two step rev limiter?
It lets you hold a rpm @ WOT with the turbo spooled up (it basically retards spark so the exhaust is hotter, though it turns into backfiring soon enough) and leave with a stick at full spool.
Might be worth a shot, but make sure your clutch and tires can handle it. And uh obviously you need to set the spark back to normal when you take off the line.
It lets you hold a rpm @ WOT with the turbo spooled up (it basically retards spark so the exhaust is hotter, though it turns into backfiring soon enough) and leave with a stick at full spool.
Might be worth a shot, but make sure your clutch and tires can handle it. And uh obviously you need to set the spark back to normal when you take off the line.
02-05-07, 05:41 PM
#19
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Wait when you list your tire pressures those are for street tires?
See this thread
https://www.rx7club.com/rotary-drag-racing-167/tire-pressure-594855/
You don’t want to run lower pressure in normal street tires at the track. Only lower the pressure when running DOT drag radials, or Bias ply Slicks.
I dont know the settings for tien's so i cant help you there
Don’t know if its even worth it for reference but I run my fronts on setting 5 (full stiff) and my rears on 3. I was meaning to try them on setting 2 ( #1=softest) but that will have to wait for a few months.
What your going to have to do is, get your air pressures up to spec. then try different rpms, and find out what rpm works best for you. And even then it will still vary a bit.
At some point you’ll probably end up playing with the suspension settings. But for now pick one setting and stick with it till you cant get your 60 any quicker. At that point your going to be pretty damn consistent off the tree and you’ll be able to feel the difference when you change a setting in your suspension.
See this thread
https://www.rx7club.com/rotary-drag-racing-167/tire-pressure-594855/
You don’t want to run lower pressure in normal street tires at the track. Only lower the pressure when running DOT drag radials, or Bias ply Slicks.
I dont know the settings for tien's so i cant help you there
Don’t know if its even worth it for reference but I run my fronts on setting 5 (full stiff) and my rears on 3. I was meaning to try them on setting 2 ( #1=softest) but that will have to wait for a few months.
What your going to have to do is, get your air pressures up to spec. then try different rpms, and find out what rpm works best for you. And even then it will still vary a bit.
At some point you’ll probably end up playing with the suspension settings. But for now pick one setting and stick with it till you cant get your 60 any quicker. At that point your going to be pretty damn consistent off the tree and you’ll be able to feel the difference when you change a setting in your suspension.
02-05-07, 05:50 PM
#20
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Harder shocks mean less weight transfer BOTH ways, unless they are two way adjustable.
I wouldn't want the fronts to be overly stiff because you want the whole car to lean back on launch, but not bounce or '***-shake' on the way down.
And yeah, tire pressure plays a big role!
I wouldn't want the fronts to be overly stiff because you want the whole car to lean back on launch, but not bounce or '***-shake' on the way down.
And yeah, tire pressure plays a big role!
02-05-07, 06:41 PM
#21
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see thread
https://www.rx7club.com/rotary-drag-racing-167/proper-drag-suspension-541711/
Dan's running in the 9's and 1.36 60's, sure his power is much more than ours, but...
https://www.rx7club.com/rotary-drag-racing-167/proper-drag-suspension-541711/
Dan's running in the 9's and 1.36 60's, sure his power is much more than ours, but...
Originally Posted by Dan Schechter
I am going to start a post on trying to get the car to launch properly, and hold weight in the correct place throughout the track. My setup was working well for a while, but it needs to be changed, because I'm wasting too much energy with the car weight transfer in between shifts. I am using an old school ground control coilover setup with Tockico Illumina 5-way adjustable shocks and Eiback 500lb springs. My front shocks I've set to 5 (stiffest), and my rear shocks I've set to 2 (next to softest). I recently found a video of my car (by the way, thank you for the video, AGracingphoto.com) that has a different, but very interesting view on how the car reacts with the suspension I am running, and I don't like it at all. I have been talking to Ari a bit on this subject, but I also want to know what everyone elses input is on what suspension they are using, and how well they feel it works for them. By the way, you can view the video I found here...... http://www.jigsawrx7.com/videos.html (just click on the 2nd link from the top that says "semi-finals - Me against ESX Subaru").
02-05-07, 07:11 PM
#22
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bacon those tire pressures were only for the track. on the street i usually run 30 front 33 rear
just to let you know on those drag radials you have to run a lower tire pressure on those tires or else. Drag radials = less life on the tires + less gas mileage. Ill keep my streets thankyou very much
just to let you know on those drag radials you have to run a lower tire pressure on those tires or else. Drag radials = less life on the tires + less gas mileage. Ill keep my streets thankyou very much
02-05-07, 11:11 PM
#23
02-06-07, 12:57 AM
#24
www.mancavecolorado.com
Originally Posted by mmonaco
If you can setup a two step and line lock it makes it easy as could be i pulleded 1.5 all day long. Ig not get slicks set them at 10 psi, get a nice burn out, go to the line bounce off the redline, hold the ebrake as you get the clutch right to the spot where it starts to grab when you see the lights drop the e brake, and let the clutch out.
I'm a good teacher! LOL
02-20-07, 10:50 PM
#25
Damn!!!
Preloading the clutch felt much better than just letting the clutch out . I didn't do it the track but just outside in the street a few min. ago and it felt like i got a good launch. Can't wait to see what I can do at the track. 
