I was thinking about taking my car to the track but i was wondering what is all involved and what is the best way to get a good start and best results?

 

Floor it...

If your auto hold the brake till about 1500-2000 RPMs, then when the light turns green, let the brake go, and floor it.

If your standard, a good tip is to shift fast

this is discussed like every 2 days....

 

dont forget your helmet

 

Does everyone need a helmet to be allowed to race? Or is this just a precaution??

 

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I think he was being sarcastic (I think, haha)

 

LOL, I don't think you'll need a helmet .

 

Thats what i thought- but just a few minutes earlier i read another post about having a helmet at a race track, so it made me think ...

 

Not unless you are running in the 12.0 and under.

 

Depends on which track you go to. Some tracks here in the NE required a helmet no matter how fast/slow you run.

 

Its 13.99 or faster at the two tracks here. I don't wear it for N/A runs, then when I spray I put it on. It is the responsibility of the guy in the booth that gives you your timeslip to check.

 

Don't Floor it from the top, This will cause a spin out give it about 3/4 gas then floor it.

 

yeh doing that thing with thte brakes works good for autos

 

Actually, I wasnt being sarcastic. I didnt know about the helmet rule until I got there. Everyone who races must where a helmet at my track no matter what. NHRA rules I guess. I almost didnt get to race but some guy with a firechicken let me use his, but i was almost sol.. You better find that out beforehand or just bring one in case

 

What is better leaving it in auto or going through the gears like 1, 2, and D?

 

Going through the gears from 1-2 & 2-D with OD on and moving the shifter at the right time to allow the needle to drop from redline (6600 rpm). Leaving it in D will not allow the needle to reach redline and this will slow your time by .1-.25 of a sec.

 

for autos (4th gen), when racing, should i do the brake thing and just put it in drive, or should i go from 1 to 2 to 3 then drive...

would that actually make a difference?

thanks

 

This has been debated a zillion times over, but here goes. I don't know why your auto doesn't go to redline in the first two gears. The race is over after only two shifts anyway. My car goes to redline, @WOT, in 1st and 2nd. Manually shifting the gears in theory only really allows you to choose the shift points. Our cars loose a lot of ummph just shy of redline (around 6k), so shifting past that is a mood point. Yes, you could gain a tenth if you go to the dyno several times and plot your particular car's best shift points. You could also bounce of the limiter, miss a shift, etc.

To be honest, you could easily gain a tenth or more if you just concentrate on driving or improve your car's performance by modding or lightening. That's more realistic a scenario than you being close to perfect shifting. Put the autos in D, take the O/D button off, slightly torque brake the car, watch the light, 3rd yellow jump on it and go. I've said it before and I'll say it again, "It's the shoes Michael Jordan".

 

Yes, it will make a difference, going from 1-2-D with OD has been tested at a track and a tenth to 2 tenths drop in time has been noticed. If you ask several MD/DC/VA auto 4th gens. they all claim to see gains and those who don't are those who don't know how to catch the shift point. If it even has to come down to it I have time slips to show for it.