Track Etiquette and helpful suggestions

[Trippen Out]

The dragstip in my area just reopened after not being used for years. I believe it will be a 1000 ft strip. So I was thinking of going down and taking my first offical pass. I have no clue what to expect and I know several of you guys do this stuff for fun. So, What can I expect to be in for. What are some proper things to do and not do while being at the track.

Also any tips or suggests would be helpful as well.

Here is a link a link to the track I'll be heading too. I could not really find any rules or regulations for standard street cars. Like do i need a helmet ( for racing not because im a burned out retard sometimes ). Stuff like that would be very help and informative not just to myself but maybe any others that might be considering taking a pass or two and are virgins racers.

http://showtimedragstrip.us/

I know I am excited to get my first slip. I am hoping i can break 15 seconds. This first ticket will be my base line for any future improvents so i can actually see if the stuff I do is helping or not.

 

[Right on the Mark]

For your speed no helmet should be needed. First thing is chill relax and have fun. I recommend you get there early so you can beat the crowds. Pay , fill out your tech card and then have car teched. Have this all done before track even starts running them down track. Go park your car and go watch couple cars go down track. Watch and see how they go around water box and back in water then roll OUT of water 3 feet and do burn out there. But before you get to water box shut off TC and OD.You will then have to get up to the starting beams, there will be the box on ground with them in it. You will have seen this from watching others go. You have pre stage and stage bulbs at top of tree. Rule of thumb is one guy sneaks up and lights top pre stage bulb , you then creep up and light yours he then creeps up and lights up his stage bulb then you roll into light up your stage bulb. NOW THE TREE CAN COME ON ANY TIME . BE READY.Have left foot on brake and right on gas. Apply brakes, throttle up abit (1500-1700rpm)to brake torque car and on second to last yellow MASH gas and let off brake. Make a great pass, stay into it till PAST 1/4 mile a smidge, slow down. Turn off track and pick up your first slip at slip tower. Yeah ha.

 

[Right on the Mark]

Oh also your first slip will not be your baseline. LOL Your best of the night will be your baseline. You will get better as the night goes on.

 

[Trippen Out]

right. best one is base line.

 

[chicken]

couple other little things ive learned, ac off (the officials wont like it dripping on the track), windows up, and no matter if you finish first or last, the car on the inside of the corner exits first. ive heard from a lot of people that doing the burn out on street tires makes it worse, not to mention do a one tire fire in the burn out area and they are all gonna laugh at you

 

[keVIIIn]

If you choose to do a burnout which is probably not needed other than a quick one to clean off debris..DONT be a douche and do a john force burnout past the tree. That is all.

 

[Right on the Mark]

Its called cleaning the tires. Not huge burnout. You need to always "clean" the tires to get dirt rocks and pebbles off tires. Also no one will laugh at you for doing a one wheel clean/burnout because there are many more people there that will be doing same thing. You can see what's the deal in my Ice run here.

 

[Trippen Out]

Nice. tell ya what if for some reason i end up with a one wheel peel. ill be ticked off that my track lok isnt work.

 

[driller]

My GoodYear Eagles like it when I smoke 'em for a second or two.

 

[KStromberg]

If you are on street tires with those 4.10s and encounter traction issues using the water box to clean off your tires, I would then suggest driving around the box and giving a quick spin of the tires ahead of the box. Debris will not stick to street tires like it will drag radials. That's all I got.

 

[lobird91]

I would agree, on street tires avoid the water. It gets up in the tread grooves and will cause you more problems than anything. Just roll past it spin em over and roll to the line, also don't be suprised if an RPM that normally hooks fine on the street causes wheelspin at the track, the built up rubber on the line that is great for warm slicks can have the opposite affect on street tires.

-Alan

 

[MooJohn]

Looking at the track's website, it appears to be an 1/8th mile track. My best guess is you should be somewhere in the low 9s depending on traction. 1/8th mile ET is extremely dependent on your 60ft time.

 

[Right on the Mark]

Looking at the track's website, it appears to be an 1/8th mile track. My best guess is you should be somewhere in the low 9s depending on traction. 1/8th mile ET is extremely dependent on your 60ft time.

All length tracks are extremely dependent on 60ft. Everyone max efforting their racing will try to get there 60fts as fast as they can no matter what track.

 

[keVIIIn]

All length tracks are extremely dependent on 60ft. Everyone max efforting their racing will try to get there 60fts as fast as they can no matter what track.

This is true^..I think what he was saying is ET in the 1/8 mile is more effected by your 60' times than in the 1/4..as in it will show a bigger difference at a shorter track.

 

[Right on the Mark]

When the heck are you going?

 

[Trippen Out]

I was supposed to go this wednesday. however i suffered a major tire issue. so im postpones by a week ill probably head up to the track anyway just to hang out and see whats up. im ordering some nitto nt555s wednesday and once i get em on ill make my first pass i hope.

 

[Trippen Out]

These just came in today. Im hoping to get them mounted and what not in time to make it this week.

I still got the old ones on the front. I order another set of these on the 15. soon ill be riding on all 4. figure they must be better then the beat up nexon tires

 

[Right on the Mark]

Man we are waiting!!!

 

[keVIIIn]

What's the width on those nittos? Weren't you the one with the rubbing issue on the inside fender well?

 

[Trippen Out]

Yes I am and i kept the same size tires 275/40/17. Someone said if ya cant deal with a little rub ya shouldnt be using them so im dealing with a little rub when i hit a hard ass bumb. no biggie. all i can say is i tried to chirp them in the gears and couldnt do it. typically i can get a chirp or a nice squel out of the 1/2 and some minor chirps from the 2/3. not these. they just stuck and went. So far I am enjoying the ride quality. I will be grabbing 2 more next pay day for the fronts...

So the good news is my work is going to let me get our about an hour early tomorrow. When they asked why I wanted to leave I said i was gonna go have a race. So he was like okay cool. The bad news. Its calling for rain tomorrow eveining . so we will see.

heres what happened to the old tire. and heres a shot of the new ones mounted. I tried to get a nice back end shot of how fat they were looking sadly i went full retard on the photography skills.

 

[UltimateSVT]

Damn, I feel the same way you do. I did go down the track a couple times back in 1999-2000. About 5 times to be exact. That's it. It's been 15 years so I feel almost just like you do man! I've been dieing to go to the track but I don't feel comforatble going with my slow @ss base Mark. I don't want to feel embarrassed.

 

[Trippen Out]

are you kidding i have close to half a ton of extra weight in my car and it runs sorta pooish. im still gonna go down it. its worth it for the time slip how else you gonna know if you make any improvments when ya work on it.

 

[Right on the Mark]

are you kidding i have close to half a ton of extra weight in my car and it runs sorta pooish. im still gonna go down it. its worth it for the time slip how else you gonna know if you make any improvments when ya work on it.

Whats with this 1/2 ton of bs? Get it out before racing.

 

[Trippen Out]

cant. im about a qtr ton myself and the speakers in the back are unremovable

 

[Trippen Out]

Popped my track cherry!

so I made it out to take my first pass. I got 3 in total then we got rained out. I was so close to my 4th but a mustang blew his engine just ahead of me and by the time the cleared the track for racing again there was one more pass then the rain. I was a little sadden my 3rd pass I fouled hard core. I got it staged and before i could get the brake held and start reving the engine up the brake slipped and popped the red light so i left off the gas and then said F- and just took off. naturally it was my worse pass at a 11.5. My buddy took that ticket and said yep we are throwing this one out and tossed it out the window on the way home so i cant post that.

I am also a little sad because my very first pass. It did not generate a ticket for me so i have no prized first pass slip. the booth said i ran a 10.27 with a .7xx reaction time and crossed the line around 70 mph. I did not get a chance to see anyone take any passes first as I was the first one on the track and down that sucker. I have to say ive ripped off the line from red lights. ive turned corners and punched it . i love to nail the on ramps to the highway full open throttle. NONE of those things were as fun and awesome feeling as it was ripping off from a lighted tree down an actual track. I think I might of caught a bug or something because I just cant wait to do it again.

To be honest i probably could of gotten about 5 or 6 passes in but after each pass i parked talked with my buddy and a few of the people around the track and then went again. it was slow enough that i could of easily gone back to back to back a few times before it started picking up.

For such a small track. 1/8th mile there was some nice cars out there. lot of em with some real power behind them. there was an actual dragster out there too. not top fuel but still pretty awesome to see one on such a small track. even saw a big ole hoopty station wagon. those guys were having fun he was taking passangers with him down the track it was funny.

I did spring for a little better fuel since my gage was already low. I picked up some 110 but i figured thats probably a little high considering my car is actually tuned for 91. so i cut it down with some ethonal free 90. I have to saw I think my engine likes drinking that stuff a heck of a lot better then the normal 91/93 i put in it. anyway here is my proof. I know the times suck. I wasnt counting the tree i was actaully responding to the light turning green. and remember the car is super over weight with my giant fat ass and the 300lbs easy worth of stereo gear in the trunk. I am sure if put my skinny friend behind the wheel it would of made high 9s at least.

oh and what also pissed me off is i kept forgetting to turn off the traction control and the overdrive. but i will forsure remember that next week.

oh.. grin.. i forgot to mention. that on my 2nd run. when i shifted into 2nd. sure enough i got a chirp out of the tires. it was apparently loud enough to be heard across the tracks as people were asking me what i did to the transmission to make it not only chirp the tires like that but to lurch forward at the same time.. It was pretty awesome the way it shifted and you just get kicked forward

Needless to say it was a lot of fun!