Track Technique

[FlyByU]

I thought it would be a good idea to post up a how to for the track. I know when I first went it was overwhelming.

First bit of advice, if you are running on street tires, drive around the water box. The water box is the area that the track guys hose down right infront of the lane. Usually you can drive all the way around it and do your burn out on the other side. If you have drag radials or slicks, of course you need the water box to get the burn out going.

Second bit, go on the 3rd yellow light. Dont anticipate the 3rd yellow, wait til you see it. By they time you react to seeing the light and actually go, the light is green. You will see improved reaction times from doing this (maybe a few red lights til you figure it out)

Keep the info coming guys, lots of stuff helps your ET

[wickedchargerrt]

Tire pressures should be dropped to between 20-25 psi in rear and aired up in the front to reduce rotational resistance. I air up to 40 in front and drop to 25 psi in rear.

Either you or your car needs to be on a diet. The lighter the entire structure going down the track the less force it takes to move it down track in less time.

Biggest issue. If your track only has exits on one side of the track make sure the other racer is in front of you before you head to an exit in the opposing lane. It doesn t matter how far away they look they could be going over 100 mph.

[dispdan311]

This is all good info.
Im going to Epping, NH of Friday.
It will be my first expirence.

[FlyByU]

Cool, have fun.

Keep the input coming guys.

What ive found works best in my car is to turn the ESP totally off and put the car in 1st gear. Let the car upshift on its own down the track, it is much better than trying to upshift yourself. Of course this only works in an SRT if you had your TCM flashed for the shift hesitation. Make sure you double check you are still in 1st gear after you do your burn out. Nothing worse than starting in 2nd :)

[FlyByU]

Dont let your car get hot.

Pop your hood in the staging lanes. Get a nice fan mod like the Coolit or the 25 cent fan jumper. Alot of people like to get a bag of ice and put it on the intake manifold. This seems to help alot. After every run pop your hood open and get the engine as cool as possible.

Now another thing to consider. If you are bracket racing, having a hot engine wont be as bad. Actually, you will be a little more consistant because your engine temp will most likely be very similar each run.

For the best ET, cool off the engine as best you can.

[dispdan311]

Dont let your car get hot.

Pop your hood in the staging lanes. Get a nice fan mod like the Coolit or the 25 cent fan jumper. Alot of people like to get a bag of ice and put it on the intake manifold. This seems to help alot. After every run pop your hood open and get the engine as cool as possible.

Now another thing to consider. If you are bracket racing, having a hot engine wont be as bad. Actually, you will be a little more consistant because your engine temp will most likely be very similar each run.

For the best ET, cool off the engine as best you can.

Why a cooler engine?

[FlyByU]

You lose horsepower when you get heatsoaked. Notice how your car seems faster when you first start driving? Same thing in the fall and spring, you car just performs better when its cooler.

[dispdan311]

You lose horsepower when you get heatsoaked. Notice how your car seems faster when you first start driving? Same thing in the fall and spring, you car just performs better when its cooler.

I will have to rememebr that.

Anything else you can think of

Is it nessicary to peel out before you race?

[FlyByU]

Try not to show up to the track with a full tank of gas. Gas is pretty darn heavy, something like 7 lbs a gallon. I try to have around a 1/4 take when I show up. That should be plenty of gas for your typical day at the track.

While we are on the topic, remove excess items from your car to reduce weight. Mild to extreme here. Ive seen some interesting things taken out of a car at the track, but hey, every little bit helps. Standard things to remove are spare tire and jack.

[FlyByU]

I will have to rememebr that.

Anything else you can think of

Is it nessicary to peel out before you race?

Two reasons here. You want to clean off your tires and you want to heat them up so they are stickier. Street tires dont really get the same improvement that you get with drag redials, but it does help. If you are on street tires, DO NOT drive through the water box as I mentioned in the first post. WET TIRES DO NOT STICK :) The water box is for drag radials and slicks to help them do their burnout. You will have not problems doing a standard power brake with your street tires. After you do your burnout, as you roll forward to the staging lights, hit the gas a couple times to get a feel for what kind of traction you will have. Just quick stabs, you will see some other guys in front of you doing the same thing.

While you are waiting your turn in the staging area, watch the other cars ahead of you. You will most likely pick something up from them.

[dispdan311]

Two reasons here. You want to clean off your tires and you want to heat them up so they are stickier. Street tires dont really get the same improvement that you get with drag redials, but it does help. If you are on street tires, DO NOT drive through the water box as I mentioned in the first post. WET TIRES DO NOT STICK :) The water box is for drag radials and slicks to help them do their burnout. You will have not problems doing a standard power brake with your street tires. After you do your burnout, as you roll forward to the staging lights, hit the gas a couple times to get a feel for what kind of traction you will have. Just quick stabs, you will see some other guys in front of you doing the same thing.

While you are waiting your turn in the staging area, watch the other cars ahead of you. You will most likely pick something up from them.

I have the 3.5 V6. I have never even tryed to burn out. So actually doing it will be interesting.
The only other thing Im worried about is going before the green.
now some one said at the third light hit the gas
is that true

[FlyByU]

Try to line up in the groove when you stage. All those cars ahead of you laying down nice sticky rubber will help your traction.

When you stage, try to stage shallow. Shallow, meaning try to barely trip the second stage lights. Inch forward very slowly til the second light comes on. This will help keep you from redlighting. Thats another reason why reacting on the 3rd yellow and not the green works. It gives your more room for error.

Like I said earlier, dont anticipate the 3rd yellow, wait til you see it. What you doing is basically anticipating the green.

[dispdan311]

Try to line up in the groove when you stage. All those cars ahead of you laying down nice sticky rubber will help your traction.

When you stage, try to stage shallow. Shallow, meaning try to barely trip the second stage lights. Inch forward very slowly til the second light comes on. This will help keep you from redlighting. Thats another reason why reacting on the 3rd yellow and not the green works. It gives your more room for error.

Like I said earlier, dont anticipate the 3rd yellow, wait til you see it. What you doing is basically anticipating the green.

Oh geez I feel like a greenhorn from the Deadliest Catch

[FlyByU]

You will catch on, its too much fun not to :) This is my first year at the track and Ive learned so much. Everything Ive said is stuff other people have passed on to me. The first time you roll around the corner to the staging lanes and you look down the track is such a rush.

Alot of this stuff is universal but you need to figure out what works for you and your car. Let us know how it goes and pass on what you learn.

[dispdan311]

You will catch on, its too much fun not to :) This is my first year at the track and Ive learned so much. Everything Ive said is stuff other people have passed on to me. The first time you roll around the corner to the staging lanes and you look down the track is such a rush.

Alot of this stuff is universal but you need to figure out what works for you and your car. Let us know how it goes and pass on what you learn.

I sure will.

I keep thinking of Talladega Nights

[FlyByU]

Before you go to the track, check their website for the rules. You will need a helmet and not all tracks rent them. Not all helmets are created equal either. Safe bet is to buy one there if they have a store. Believe it or not, I got my helmet at Englishtown and it was cheaper than anywhere else I looked.

When you get to the track, you will have to go through tech inspection. Should be pretty quick for a mildly modded car. Fill out your tech card as soon as you get it to save time when its your turn.

[FlyByU]

The shoe polish they put on your windows for your car number and class are a pain to remove afterwards. Get some of the stuff that is designed for this purpose. It wipes off with a dry cloth and is much better for changing your dial in times you have to write on your window. Driving home with a bunch of shoe polish on your windows kinda sucks too :)

[dispdan311]

Before you go to the track, check their website for the rules. You will need a helmet and not all tracks rent them. Not all helmets are created equal either. Safe bet is to buy one there if they have a store. Believe it or not, I got my helmet at Englishtown and it was cheaper than anywhere else I looked.

When you get to the track, you will have to go through tech inspection. Should be pretty quick for a mildly modded car. Fill out your tech card as soon as you get it to save time when its your turn.

i checked there rules and it says if im running under 13.99 i will need a helmet. I have compaired my car to others that have there times posted on the forum and im looking at 14.5 to 15.00

[FlyByU]

There you go, you should be fine then.

Come on guys, any other tips or techniques Im missing here? More input the better.

Most important part of the 1/4 run is the start. Practice your launch and reaction. The 60 foot times on your slips tell a big part of what happened on your run. Dont hammer it so hard off the line. More often then not, you hear people complain about traction. Roll into the throttle, dont just floor it. Of course this is just what works for me and what Ive seen. May not necessarily be what works best for your car and setup.

[dispdan311]

There you go, you should be fine then.

Come on guys, any other tips or techniques Im missing here? More input the better.

Most important part of the 1/4 run is the start. Practice your launch and reaction. The 60 foot times on your slips tell a big part of what happened on your run. Dont hammer it so hard off the line. More often then not, you hear people complain about traction. Roll into the throttle, dont just floor it. Of course this is just what works for me and what Ive seen. May not necessarily be what works best for your car and setup.

What is the track like there for traction
is it slippery where my tires will spin easyer

[FlyByU]

You should have better traction at the track than you do at the street. They prep the surface with a substance to make it sticky, plus you got a bunch of sticky hot rubber on the ground too.

[dispdan311]

Okay
I will try power braking tonight

[FlyByU]

Here is another useful tip. Bring a folding chair and maybe a few cold drinks. You will be waiting around alot. I havent done a test and tune night, but I know at a track day where you have several racing classes going on at the same time, you will have time in between runs. I say bring a couple cold drinks because its about a 1/4 mile from the pits to the snack stand, LOL. You can leave your cooler, chair or whatever in the pit area while you racing. From what I have seen, people respect your space.

[dispdan311]

sounds good

[SublimeTime]

sounds good

Now I am going to play Carly Simons "Anticipation" for Dan !!!!:grin:

[dispdan311]

Now I am going to play Carly Simons "Anticipation" for Dan !!!!:grin:

Your killin me Gary.

[Crazy Charger SRT-8]

The shoe polish they put on your windows for your car number and class are a pain to remove afterwards. Get some of the stuff that is designed for this purpose. It wipes off with a dry cloth and is much better for changing your dial in times you have to write on your window. Driving home with a bunch of shoe polish on your windows kinda sucks too :)

this may be a dumb question but this post spurred a question I have. What is dial in time? I have no idea what it represents.

[FlyByU]

Its a 1/4 time you think your car is going to run. When you line up with another car, their dial in time can be much slower or faster than yours. The person closest to their dial in time without going under, wins that race (if you go faster than your dial in, you lose). It sucks when you are up against a car with a 17 sec dial in and his tree starts 5 seconds before yours. Its very hard not to red light. You have to watch him go down the track for what seems like forever.

There are some strageties to bracket racing but I havent really figured them out yet. I was trying to catch the slower cars and just keep my nose in front of theirs. That works great unless they are "breaking out" or going faster than their dial in.

I won a round even though I broke out because the car that I was going against redlighted. You see that right away too, so it takes the pressure off. First foul counts.

Bracket racing is pretty fun, it makes for even races no matter how fast the cars are. Being faster I think is more difficult.

[Crazy Charger SRT-8]

so for a stock SRT putting a 13 second dial in time would be more than enough room to not go under? BTW thanks for the explanation

[CHERRY]

OK guys, let me try to help all of you. I have been Drag racing for over 34 years and have learned a couple of tricks. If you look at my Time Slip at the bottom of my signature this is with a basically stock R/T with only a
K & N CAI.

Go to this post and study it and Practice it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.chargerforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13657
My post is number #8


Let me know if I can be of any other help...

Regards
Chuck Green

[425hp]

How about launching? What do you recommend?

C.

[FlyByU]

Nice post Cherry, experience and practice is huge at the track. Ive learned that already.

[FlyByU]

so for a stock SRT putting a 13 second dial in time would be more than enough room to not go under? BTW thanks for the explanation

You will know better what to put your dial in time after your practice runs. You usually get 2-3 runs before you the first round. 13.0 should be good, but if you have good air and you are running fast that day, who says you cant run 12.8's :)

[wickedchargerrt]

Yea i followed cherry's advice on that one thread and ran 14.1 at 98.04 first time in the charger. All i have is a cold air at the time. We had to wait two hours between runs cause it seemed every mustang on earth was blowing coolant on the track .

Another tip go to the bathroom before you get in line. Sometimes they will run some of the 10 sec cars for a while, or bikes, or mustangs will break down. You can sit in line for hours sometimes and the second you go to the bathroom you come back and everyone is waiting on you.

[dispdan311]

I am no longer a virgin! I went to Epping yesterday and had a blast. Did 3 runs. First 2 were slow I think it was because the car was still hott. Did my last run after the sun went down and was so much more intense.

[SublimeTime]

I am no longer a virgin! .


Ummmm, Dan? I think you should clarify you are no longer a "DRAG RACE" virgin. Might clear things up.:)

[dispdan311]

Ummmm, Dan? I think you should clarify you are no longer a "DRAG RACE" virgin. Might clear things up.:)

Thanks Gary! lol
Okay ppl I am no longer a drag race virgin.

[kwaziekeller]

Notes from my recent track outing... These motors love to be cool. I've heard 140-150deg, is "optimal" for some reason. All we have in AR are 1000' tracks... but the difference between an 11.32 and an 11.04 was about 10deg ambient air (92 down to 82) and my engine temp went from 210 (right off the freeway) to 170deg. Get there as early as possible and leave her sit and cool off it'll reward you time wise.

Ice on the intake manifold is a VERY good idea. For those who don't know... put a towel under the bag so you don't get water all over as it melts. My intake mani never got cool to the touch last night.

The track I was at is moderately prepped (not NHRA but it's good enough) and with the warm air temps I just did a quick 1-3sec dry burnout to get any pebbles or dirt off the tires, then staged. It's a really good idea to try to "get in the groove" of the other cars when you stage. With my usual air pressure in the tires 33psi (cold) I was cutting consistent 2.04-2.07 60' times using the shallow stage, power brake/brake torque to 1500rpms, let off brake/mash gas method, with little to no wheelspin.

I'm certain I can get into the 10's in the 1K with a little more time to cool off, and ice on the intake mani. I find it SO much easier to launch the SRT8 compared to my ol' SRT4 (except it was really easy to launch that on slicks... 5Krpm dump and go...). A little practice makes perfect, not saying I'm running the best I can, but it was my first time out with this car, and I'm ok with the results.

[FlyByU]

Keep the info coming, it all helps.

[Bud]

OK guys, let me try to help all of you. I have been Drag racing for over 34 years and have learned a couple of tricks. If you look at my Time Slip at the bottom of my signature this is with a basically stock R/T with only a
K & N CAI.

Go to this post and study it and Practice it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.chargerforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=13657
My post is number #8


Let me know if I can be of any other help...

Regards
Chuck Green

Chuck,

Did you post the "shoulder roll" practice launching technique a while back? I would be curious to re-read that again before heading to the track.

[Carlos Garza]

Notes from my recent track outing... These motors love to be cool. I've heard 140-150deg, is "optimal" for some reason. All we have in AR are 1000' tracks... but the difference between an 11.32 and an 11.04 was about 10deg ambient air (92 down to 82) and my engine temp went from 210 (right off the freeway) to 170deg. Get there as early as possible and leave her sit and cool off it'll reward you time wise.

Ice on the intake manifold is a VERY good idea. For those who don't know... put a towel under the bag so you don't get water all over as it melts. My intake mani never got cool to the touch last night.

The track I was at is moderately prepped (not NHRA but it's good enough) and with the warm air temps I just did a quick 1-3sec dry burnout to get any pebbles or dirt off the tires, then staged. It's a really good idea to try to "get in the groove" of the other cars when you stage. With my usual air pressure in the tires 33psi (cold) I was cutting consistent 2.04-2.07 60' times using the shallow stage, power brake/brake torque to 1500rpms, let off brake/mash gas method, with little to no wheelspin.

I'm certain I can get into the 10's in the 1K with a little more time to cool off, and ice on the intake mani. I find it SO much easier to launch the SRT8 compared to my ol' SRT4 (except it was really easy to launch that on slicks... 5Krpm dump and go...). A little practice makes perfect, not saying I'm running the best I can, but it was my first time out with this car, and I'm ok with the results.

Is this what you guys mean...?

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b264/ffiimo/misc%20photos/chargerintake-1.jpg

[FlyByU]

Yep, you got it.