ssiperko's guide to better reaction times! .. detail
 

I have noticed lately that ALOT of fellow Max owners are having slow motion sickness when leaving the "tree" during 1/4 mile runs. Now I realize that e.t.'s are not dependent on reaction time but my feeling is that if you have lazer speed reaction off the line the rest of the ride will be equally as thrilling!
Auto's and stick require differant techniques so I will explain both.
1st Staging. It is critical to stage as deep as possible. If you know that you are weak off the line stage deep, if you are really quick (jumpy) don't. Roll up slowly till you see the 2nd yellow light up and inch up another 4" to 6" this will get you closer to tripping the light once it's green. The auto because it (imo...make sure you trac control is off!) is slightly more difficult because in order to get a great launch you much brk torque slightly. Once you have staged an auto hold the brake. This is when preference comes to play. You can either hold your RPM's now or wait till the lights (yellow) start dropping down. Stick shift cars must make sure the are completely stopped before you release the brake, you DO NOT want to roll at all once you release the brake! Now, once the yellows roll down relax and breathe. Sticks should already be at the desired RPM at this point and autos should be torquin up! Here is THE key .... as soon as you see the last yellow GO ... autos release the brake and sticks smOOOOOOthy release the clutch (I would imagine anything more than 2500rpm will roast most treads on a stick) and depress the throttle (no need to put your foot through the floor nothing will be gained yet) and watch the poor sap next to sit there till he sees the green light by the time he moves you'll already be gone. After several passes it'll almost seem like slow motion when you do it right! You may get beat at the end but you know who the better driver is when you get your slips. It works for me and it'll work for you!
l8tr -- SS

Bro.. I PROMISE, My R/T's will be better next time, or I will send you $$ for your choice of MOD'S ! :D

so don't pop the clutch?

After seeing Chinkzilla wheel hop, and almost disintegrate his front end , about 30 feet from me as I was watching, ease off on the Manual launch .....2K sounds good for a 6 speed launch !

Not aimed at you Kloogy... I swear ... a pattern has developed and I just wonna help. I just like killing those LS-1's off the line!
l8tr -- SS

I just mashed the pedal too soon and too hard on that one. 3k launch is good 2k you bog, slip the clutch don't drop it, and don't get hard on the gas till you feel the tires catch. Also your launch tolerances will change as you adjust tire pressure.

I know what you mean. If I was quicker off the line I would have beat the Turbo Integra. he roasted me by a full second, I was turning off my TC as the Tree lit up. But I know I sucked on my R/T's. I know you didnt aim this at me, but I raise my hand and say " I STANK" .. I still liked my ET :naughty:

I only wish my e.t. matched my r.t.!:laugh:
l8tr -- SS

:kiss:

btw I saw a Mossy (?) dealer plate in my area last week on a Nissan trk. Are you near a Navy base by any chance (I am when @ work)?

We have bases all over the place in San Diego, Navy , Marine, and Army ! ..take your pick, oh by the way, Custom Plate coming soon !

Interesting. I think that's my problem, I have a 4th gen auto. I can't seem to get rid of the urge to just stomp on the gas hard when launching. I almost always get too much wheel spin by doing that. I think if I don't hit the gas too hard until the tires catch, I will get better times.

Also, I think I brake torque it too high. I hold it at 1800-2k rpms, some auto guys told me it should be more around 1200-1500. Also, when brake torque, do you hold onto the brake really hard or just enough that you won't roll? When I hold the brake real hard, the tires would spin even worse.

Although I'm no expert in launching an auto, I believe the technique is to 'flash' the torque converter so that when you get going the TC is close to stall speed. You want to hold the brake hard (i imagine half-azzing it might cause damage). I think a touch over 1500 rpm is good for an auto launch. Try dropping your tire pressure a bit. Contrary to popular belief you always want a bit of wheel spin before you actually catch traction cause you want the engine rpms to be up a bit before you get going. This is especially true in an auto as you have no clutch! Launch too low and your car will bog until you're back in the power band, launch too high and you'll get some awful wheel spin/hop.

Hold the brake just enough not to move, remember you staged deep and you don't want that red light to come on. Generally 1500/1800rpm ideal but it's hard to watch the tach and tree at the same time. A little wheel spin is good as Chinkzilla mentioned. You want to leave at about 3/4 throttle and then floor it once past the 60' line.
l8tr -- SS