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Re: First Timer with RWD at the Dragstrip!
Even drag radials won't allow you to launch this car the way you'd really like to. There's just too much initial torque for the meats and IRC.
My suggestion is to work forwards, not backwards. What I mean is instead of launching at 2700, 3000, 3500 rpms, etc and backing off to avoid wheelspin or wheelhop, do it the other way.
On your first pass, launch as though you were leaving from a stop sign back home in a bit of a hurry. Try to keep full traction through the launch but try and avoid bog as well. Once you've got that down, increase your rpm's on the launch in the next few passes by no more than 200 rpm until you find the sweet spot. Once you've started experiencing spin or hop again, you've moved too far up the rpm scale.
As you can imagine, different days or tracks are going to provide variables to the launch based upon track prep and DA.
Also, between runs you can experiment with tire pressure, going down no more than 1psi per launch. Eventually you will get a feel for the best tire pressure for your car and tires.
'Stepping off the pedal' rather than a slower release will almost always get you spin or hop with DR's.
Also remember that since these cars have so much torque, second gear shift can also cause a loss of traction and can even effect your final times more than the launch. It is also this shift that is the most dangerous on a slippery track and can put you into a wall quick as a bunny.
I've always found the weather temperature variations to be a real ball buster. Our engines love the cooler weather and therefore trap speeds go up. Unfortunately, tires like the hot weather so they launch better on a hot, sticky track. We're damned if we do and damned if we don't.
Anyway, those are a few thoughts about the strip that might come in handy.
Mike
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