first trip to a drag strip

[icantdrive]

went to MIR a couple days ago for some practice runs.

does the heat/humidity really affect the trap speed much?

only ran 3 times(i'm sure someone could have done much better)

et was between 13.0 to 13.1

60 ft was somewhere between 2.0 to 2.1 secs

my trap speed was always 110 mph.

I've read that stock c5 z's will average around 115ish.

is there something wrong with my car? i'm sure my driving could use some work too. thanks.

[MikesZ06]

A couple of things to point out...

First of all, your 60' times are a bit high and you'd be surprised how important that is to your ET's. Work on that area a little bit and you'll see much improvement in your times.

Secondly, YES....high temps/humidity is a major factor at the strip and will effect your ET's and your trap speeds in a big way.

Mike

[icantdrive]

i once read the tips from Ranger on this site, but it only gives advice on either street tires or drag radials i believe. I am running toyo RA1's, which are road course tires. I wasn't sure what pressures to run, burnout or not, etc. thanks! it was a pretty humbling experience since i THougHT i was ok at launching on the street.

[Ernie King]

Considering you ran those tires you did good.. Better off running the stock tires since the RA's are not for full straight traction..

MIR is a great track to run at. Get a set of BFG'S or ET Streets, I'm sure someone would let you try a set.. Not sure what tire pressure to run but I guess in the range of 18 to 22..??

Good luck next time out...

Ernie

[panzer]

Originally Posted by icantdrive

went to MIR a couple days ago for some practice runs.

does the heat/humidity really affect the trap speed much?

only ran 3 times(i'm sure someone could have done much better)

et was between 13.0 to 13.1

60 ft was somewhere between 2.0 to 2.1 secs

my trap speed was always 110 mph.

I've read that stock c5 z's will average around 115ish.

is there something wrong with my car? i'm sure my driving could use some work too. thanks.

Welcome aboard. You did very well for the conditions. Remember that most muscle cars in the sixties could not turn the time you did at the track.

Ed Gibson
Fairfax Station

[icantdrive]

thanks for the replies.

It was a humbling experience for me. I was expecting to run in the mid 12's. I was amazed at the amount of grip that there was. I'm really determined to keep going, probably to Capitol Raceway since it's closer. It just makes me really upset to just run a 13 in this car. I've been autocrossing and DE'ing and did not expect this much of a challenge. on the street i could always get it to "hook up" and take off fast off the line. But there was so much grip on the track that there is so little time to compensate for any kind of error. I also thought my RA'1s would be better than street tires, but maybe not so much at a drag strip where there is much more grip. I think it might be harder to launch w/ the stiff sidewalls.
I have a MUCH greater respect for the skilled drag racers, thats for sure.

[MikesZ06]

Drag racing is no different than roadracing...practice is the name of the game.

Just like the folks that get very good at roadracing or auto-X'ing, the more seat time at the strip, the better you get.

In roadracing, the keys are finding the best line, hitting the apex properly, downshifting and upshifting at the ideal times and rpm's and learning when and how much to use the brakes.

I don't know about that parking lot auto-x. Some folks get very good at it. It's just too damn confusing for me

In drag racing, the keys are doing a proper burnout to get tires hot (or warm if you are on street tires), finding the right groove in the lane, timing the tree as precise as possible, launching at the best rpm for your own particular car and setup (including the tire pressure that works best for you) and hitting your shift points as ideally and smoothly as you can. Just like any other form of racing, this is more a trial and error thing than it is a precise science.

Best of luck on your next time out! I'm guessing you'll be surprised at how much easier it gets with each pass.

Mike