Might take 1st trip to track, need advice?

[95DsManiac]

Hi everyone.

Like the title states, I might be taking my first trip to the track ever tomorrow. Every Wednesday they host Wednesday night drags at the infamous infinion raceway in sears point. Racing season has been open up here, but I just keep adding to the car because I really don't want to get disappointed you know. Let me state that I have never raced drag style and practiced launching, but I honestly think I suck.

Before I ask what I'm looking for advice on let me state my mods:

Stock 7 bolt block with oem replacement felpro head "bolts" (ARPs will arrive tomorrow or next day along with poly mounts)....
Stock Rebuilt head w/ a few new valves and 3 angle job on all, resurfaced, cleaned/the works, no porting, with new HEADGASKEt set when head job was done 4,000 miles ago (ebay store cost 1xx.xx shipped)
DKS 264/272 cams shimmed....
MHI 20g turbo rebuilt by jus w/ roughly 3xxx miles on it since rebuild....
PTE 880cc injectors....
FP 255 Fuel Pump....
STM ReWire Kit....
Hallman Pro MBC set at 20psi....
Ebay Tial Lookalike 38mm two bolt external Wasteagte 12psi spring....
Hafe Exhaust manifold with 38mm flange....
Stock 2g IM....
Punishment Racing FMIC....
Punishment Racing o2 housing 38mm recirculated, (Wasteagte flange cut off and welded shut to run off manifold)....
Snow Performance 220psi pump, 1galon tank, red nozzle, aem progressive controller, devils own check valve, tubing, and nozzle holder with my own 60/40 meth water mix....
Ecmlink V3 Full SD....
Mitsu Style Omni-Power 4 bar map sensor....
GM IAT sensor....
Ecmlink SD cable....
Ebay 3" turbo back, no cat....
AEM Wideband kit, sensor in factory front o2 bung....
Glow shift Boost digital boost gauge....
Custom 3" turbo intake with filter....
Tokico Blues with Tokico Red springs....
17" Akita rims guessing 15-20lbs a piece....
Set of BFG R1s for the front....
Exedy stage 2 "thick" 3 puck clutch kit (used before bought with anywhere from 1-5k on it but looked new) I only put 289 on it since install....
Resurfaced OEM flywheel stepped to .608"....
New OEM TOB....
Stock transmission....
Ebay AFPR....

Might be forgetting something's but that's the stuff that matters I think.

I really want to go out there and run a 12.99 or better before I leave at 20psi with my current mods.

What advice I need is what would be the best approach on trying to hit 12s? Like what tips on launching? I read tons of pages but not everyone's set up is the same so I'm looking to see what people would do for launching knowing my entire set up.

Would those R1s be a good choice for traction?
I got my launch limit at 3550 right now on street tires, what should I go and try with the BFGs before I hit the track? On country roads of course .
With my current mods and boost level would you think I can hit 12s with effort? Or should I up the boost a little and make it easier?

I know the tune has something to do with it and my car feels really good with I did to it so far. I got the car bone stock and did all this myself as well as teaching myself and reading the basics of tuning and applying It to my gsT. I will post a couple logs before I go to bed or in the morning so you can all check them out if you can please and let me know what changes you would do to optimize power safely that is.

My IATs rarely go over a 100F and today when driving in 70Ish degrees I would get 55-81F IATs. AFRs are 10.9ish-11.5ish:1 at WOT.

Overall I just would like to know what to expect. Knowing I never raced drag style EVER. I did all the work myself on this car and put so much effort into it and just would hate to expect something and get disappointed you know. I know I'm most likely not going to run 12s after reading a lot and watching a lot of videos, but I'm not a beginner driver , I think I am a fair driver when coming to street racing. I can launch good sometimes when I practice but either burn tires or bog most the time. I just read a thread about a guy running a 12.5 with 1.8 60ft fwd with 16g his very first time out to the track which gave me inspiration and the idea to post this thread.

Thanks ahead of time for all the tips and advice from you all.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/drag-strip/382637-first-time-track-ever-fwd-tips.html

 

[Paintballaa5]

It may sound dumb, but make sure you know how the staging lights work.

I went out there and had no idea what they meant. I saw yellow, so I thought that meant it was almost time, so I sat there holding the anti-lag for 10 seconds or so. Felt like an idiot.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

I think it's going to be pretty hard to do on those tires. Those tires are made for road track racing so the sidewalls are going to be really stiff. They will probably want to wheel hop like crazy.

Also, launching at the track and on the street are completely different.

If you can manage a sub 2.0 second 60ft some how and your tune is good then maybe. I'm not sure if the 20g flows enough at 20psi to propel a full weight 2g to those times.

 

[Mischif]

From what you have done i think the thing that may prevent you from hitting your goal is how good you can launch. With you being fwd a lack of traction will be your biggest hurdle. The fact that you've never gone down a track before doesn't help. Try and get as many runs in as you can. The seat time is what you need at this point. Practice practice practice.

 

[95DsManiac]

Thanks for the tips.

Yea I Hurd the same about the tires but I have read a lot of people doing good with them even though they are road race tires.

Mischif: so do you think I got the power and mods to take it to the 12s? Even a 12.9999999 would put a huge smile on my face and make me feel good. I guess I'll shoot for 13.99 first then practice practice practice right?...

So let me ask a quick question that might be a rel dumb question to ask, but close mouths don't get fed .
So, say this was your car, and knowing what is in it and the power it is capable of making, what would be your personal take on proper burn out, staging, launch limit, anti lag if needed, and launching the car to get a good time?

Also what psi would be efficient enough with my turbo then if 20psi wouldn't? What should I up the boost too knowing I am on a stock block?

Thanks again.

 

[Pipnorcali]

I've been going through the pains of fwd dsm's and your gonna have bad traction problems , I would say 13.4@110 or so with some 2.4-2.6 60ft's .. Just get some seat time and have fun till you get some slicks.

I had tons of problems with a LSD and less power than you some ol BFg drag got me from 14.4 to a 13.5@106 ( no spin in second a lil in first )

The streets hook better than a wed night track , play with your launch and go around the burnout box if your on r1's

You got the mods for 12's all you need is some hoosier's

 

[Dsmkauai]

Get ready for some wheel hop if you plan to launch. You will end up needing lower the front tire pressure abit like under 20psi and raise the back to like 50psi if your tires can handle that. Try launching at a lower rpm and slip the clutch abit to ease into power. Also a 2 stage boost control works wonders with a gst launch around 10-12 psi and after you have traction go up to 18-20 and ride out third. Just have fun take it easy get used to the car and what it can handle, don't worry about the light, just go on green don't worry so much about reaction time yet. Once you get the hang of things then try launching at the second light or around there every tree is different.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

After rolling through the water box (scratch that go around if possible!)and then getting the signal to burnout. I would only burnout for a few seconds to basically clean the tires off. Roll forward to till the top set of staging lights light up, wait for the guy next to you to do the same. Then inch forward lighting the second set. After the last person lights the second set of staging lights the countdown begins. As soon as I see the top light light up, I floor it for the launch limiter to build some boost. Since it's your first time just wait for the green to launch.

As for the limiter I think you have it set low. I would rather over-spin the bog any time. Your want to spin, just not too much. I would set the limiter just above the bogging launch rpm.

I would also recommend utilizing the NLTS function in link. It really helps out.

I would run the maximum amount of boost I can without knocking and not having to pull a ridiculous amount of timing. This takes a while to figure out though and lots of tinkering in the tune as well.

I wouldn't bother with anti-lag, the turbo isn't that big and you don't want a ton of boost off the line with a FWD anyways.

Your going to want to experiment with whether or not you think it's worth it to shift into 4th at the end.

 

[Pipnorcali]

. I'm not sure if the 20g flows enough at 20psi to propel a full weight 2g to those times.

My lil t28 got a 12 so im sure a 20g can do it since dsmkauai got a mid 12 on a 16g.

On a side note youll run faster at sacramento raceway over sonoma
and take out your pass. Seat , jack,spare tire to shed a lil weight

You'll want to leave it in 3rd

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

My lil t28 got a 12 so im sure a 20g can do it since dsmkauai got a mid 12 on a 16g.

On a side note your run faster at sacramento raceway and take out your pass. Seat , jack,spare tire to shed a lil weight

Both at 20psi?

 

[Pipnorcali]

I got mine at 20psi

Here's me on the brakes twice running a bracket class (I let off at the end so I didn't break out) 13.3@105

Pip's 1995 eclipse gst cmi march 3rd 2013 - YouTube

 

[Dsmkauai]

Mine was just at 20psi maybe closer to 19psi but flowing 37lb/min and 20 degrees timing up top my timing curve was really nice thru all the gears. nlts helps alot if you can get it down perfect every time, takes alittle getting used to if your used to shifting normal.

 

[95DsManiac]

Ok I'll try it, wish me luck. Oh and BTW at 20psi I'm getting 42lbs a minute with 18-19 degrees of timing and no knock with the meth injection so far. I still got room to grow. Ill try to post a log soon. Time to call it a night.

 

[ZenkaiRacerDsM]

I totally looked over the meth injection. You should definitely have the power with the timing that will allow.

 

[xxNocturnalxx]

Here's a nice bit of good info for beginners and for everyone for that matter, drag racing 101.

Drag Racing 101

My favorite rules:

5. Some tracks employ a courtesy rule. This means that the first car into the staging beams should light only the pre-stage light. When the second car is pre-staged, then either of you can move up slightly into the staging lights.

9. Go around the water box. Do a short burnout to get the dirt off of your tires and heat them up a bit. Hold the brake with your left foot, and goose it with your right for a couple of seconds. You don't want to get near the water. It will run in your tread, be thrown into your wheelwell, and drip on your tires and the track the whole run. This is very dangerous for the "Big Boys" running slicks behind you, and could get you removed from the track. Also, don't do your burnout in the water, as it tends to throw water all over everyone and everything within 50 yards of the starting line! The car in line behind you will be very annoyed.

 

[95DsManiac]

Ok, I'm up and it's race day . I didn't get any sleep last night because I couldn't stop thinking about how I'm going to launch this thing. I got to travel about 20 miles to pick my car up and then 70-80 miles to get my R1s from the storage and shed some weight at the same time. I'm going to take out the back seat and all the tools, parts and junk I got in there .

Yea I think I mentioned the meth in the first post if not ill go put it. I just went from a 4gph 20 micron devils own nozzle to the old, but new, snow performance red nozzle. It flows about 100ml more than the devils own one, so I should have room for more timing.

I'm definitely going to read the link nocturnal posted. The rule 5) gots me confused . I think it's just because I don't know how to talk and understand drag racing yet but I learn.

Also thinking about upping the boost.

 

[Dsmkauai]

Don't worry about upping the boost bro!! Just run the car a few times and get used to it, don't add to the complications. I wouldn't even worry about launching the car right away, start by just running the car down the track by taking off normal. This is good to do as kind of a shake down run. If all goes well then start thinking about launching.

 

[Pipnorcali]

For the first couple runs take it easy and get the feel for the track ...don't turn up the boost , it's really a bummer if you break on your first pass.
Just try to relax when your about to run ....just launch around 3k and go from there (don't worry about no lift shifting or preloading yet)

 

[nelliott500]

You're not still having serious trans issues?

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/new...-identify-my-clutch-transmission-problem.html

 

[silvreclips]

You have the power for sure but with no track experience and a fwd car I dont think you will get your 60ft times down low enough for 12s. Ill bet you will run about 13.6s @ 112

 

[95DsManiac]

Ok I got bad news, the track was closed for practice runs today for pro racing or something like that.

Even more bad news too.

Nelliott500: you remember . After about the first 300 miles after clutch install everything went back to normal. The car stopped shaking really bad when taking off from a stop. It also stopped being really hard to go into first. It still grinned going into reverse but not as much. Well today after I found out the track was closed, I decided to go pick up a steal of a deal on a 1990 bare 6 bolt block, 90 really good condition 6 bolt crank, 90 oil filter housing, 90 front case and oil pump, 1g starter, 500 miles 6 bolt fwd act flywheel (looks new), all pulleys, rear main seal, all bolts for everything, 1g fwd transmission plate for block, 6 bolt oil pan, 6 bolt oil pick up tube, and 6 bolt oil dip stick with tube all for 200 bucks and a exedy clutch I had sitting in storage. Well on the way there I got stuck in traffic. Right on a 25-35 degree angle hill, well it was literally stop and go, bumper to bumper, and about 15-20 minutes of that the clutch started to mess up. Or the transmission, or both for all I know. Ill be starting a thread about it because its going to be off topic and I got a lot to say.

Back to the subject at hand; thank you to all who are taking there time to shoot me some tips and helpful advice. Any and all additional advice and tips are welcome and highly appreciated.

Thanks.

Anthony B.