Launching

1320 feet of adrenaline
Burningclutch
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 42
Joined: Sun Jul 13, 2003 10:54 pm

Launching

Post by Burningclutch »

I'm taking my Firebird to the track once I get the basics mastered. Can anyone with experience explain the proper way to launch from a stop?

Does launching = left foot holding in the clutch, right foot holding the rpm's at a certain level and just letting go of the clutch as quick as possible? I've heard launching is better for the clutch than "feathering it" off the line. Any advice?
IMBoring25
Moderator
Posts: 3418
Joined: Wed Jun 11, 2003 5:01 pm
Location: OK, USA

Post by IMBoring25 »

A maximum-effort start will be tough on the driveline no matter what you do.

The technique that's generally used depends on the car.

For vehicles without a lot of power or traction, generally it's just a standard start with a lot more gas, which isn't all that good for the clutch.

For vehicles that have enough power and traction, the "clutch drop" you describe is a common technique to get the power to the wheels as quickly as possible. This is, however, very hard on everything behind the clutch...Tranny, driveshaft, u-joints, differential, axles, tires, rear suspension...
chenga
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 109
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2003 6:44 am

Post by chenga »

A few things to keep in mind.

Dropping the clutch all at once may result in wheel spin. You're not going anywhere during this time, so it's slowing you down. It's easier on the clutch, but harder on the other parts.

Slipping (feathering) the clutch is hard on the clutch, but you'll get moving right away. Remember that you can let up off the clutch more quickly when you give more gas.

If you're at the track, time yourself and figure out what works best for the car you're driving.
xXIllegalXx
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Feb 11, 2004 11:26 pm

help

Post by xXIllegalXx »

can you tell me a better way to race drag

i have a 91 honda accord automatic and my brother have a 92 honda accord manual we have race drag once and i won did you guys think if i change the transmission to manual it will run better??
DeathShadow
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:08 pm

Post by DeathShadow »

Manual Transmissions are def. better for racing by far. How they excel in a race depends alot on the driver’s ability to well... drive standard. :) When racing (as mentioned above) try not to peal out. Yes we all love that sound and smell of burning tires on the assfault and the white/grey smoke that trails behind but this is not beneficial and will not help you win. When you do peal out your tires are not gripping the road well, thus you are not moving forward that much. If you are to bring the RPMS just enough to do a small squeak of a peel out (duration of 1 second or less) then that is perfect. After the Car gets moving then apply all that gas and RPM rage, here comes in the big advantage of standard. Begin to watch the tach, Ride the gears all the way up to the red zone and then shift. An automatic tranny tends to shift way before this is reached thus cutting them out on crucial speed and distance gain. Depending on your car it also sometimes helps to start in second and raise your RPMS alot higher at start then you could w/o pealing in first gaining greater initial distance before you have to shift again when the RPMS reach their peak point. Using second on lots of cars sacrifices crucial pick up time though but practice!
DeathShadow
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Mar 26, 2004 1:08 pm

Post by DeathShadow »

*Asphalt.... heh :shock:
User avatar
Standardshifter
Site Admin
Posts: 869
Joined: Tue Jan 07, 2003 11:23 am
Cars: 2005 Legacy GT, Buell
Location: Boston, MA
Contact:

Post by Standardshifter »

Burningclutch, how did the drag racing go?

Automatics can be modified to work very well on the drag strip, especially for bracket racing.

RWD, V8-powered cars like most F-bodies don't suffer as much performance loss as smaller cars do from having an automatic transmission. A higher stall to allow you to brake torque, combined with drag radials means outlaunching a manual trannied equal car most times.

Reprogram the transmission to shift more quickly and adjust the revs at which it shifts, and you can have a one mean drag car, albeit certainly not as fun as feathering the clutch at the launch and then power shifting down the 1/4 mile...
-Standardshifter
Shifting the Standard of Automotive Websites
Mike_E
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 110
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2004 10:19 pm
Location: USA, :MI
Contact:

Post by Mike_E »

DeathShadow wrote:Manual Transmissions are def. better for racing by far.
sry dude but ur so wrong its not even funny, autos are soooo good for racing, because it can do it perfect every time, if u disagree than look at any drag event auto's are banned. if you are taking 2 stock cars, exactly the same manual wouldnt always win just by the fact of where the auto is programmed to shift if its under performance auto then it may shift at 4 or 5 rpms, and if the car has the Low gears u can shift thru em urself and redline it. and it depends how u drive em and such. FYI: i like standards better and i can see y a person who doesnt no how a car totally works, just has the concepts would see that, i only no because im a grease monkey
ReckLess
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1301
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 3:35 am
Location: Somewhere down the road...

re:

Post by ReckLess »

mike_e i beg to differ.. i still agree with deathshadow... manuals are still the best but did you read about the drivers skills too? i don't really think tha automatic can do the clutch drop for the simple reason that it is.. automatic(but there is a clutch but the driver can't operate it) well anyway it all depends on the driver's skill,knowlage and determination to win.

IMboring25, is there any other techniques use in drag racing? as mentioned the "drop clutch" is one... are there any other?
:twisted:
The YoYo Freak
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 95
Joined: Sat Jun 05, 2004 7:40 pm
Location: Central CA
Contact:

Post by The YoYo Freak »

Mike_E wrote:
DeathShadow wrote:Manual Transmissions are def. better for racing by far.
sry dude but ur so wrong its not even funny, autos are soooo good for racing, because it can do it perfect every time, if u disagree than look at any drag event auto's are banned. if you are taking 2 stock cars, exactly the same manual wouldnt always win just by the fact of where the auto is programmed to shift if its under performance auto then it may shift at 4 or 5 rpms, and if the car has the Low gears u can shift thru em urself and redline it. and it depends how u drive em and such. FYI: i like standards better and i can see y a person who doesnt no how a car totally works, just has the concepts would see that, i only no because im a grease monkey
Perhaps if that were split up into separate, coherant thoughts, I could understand that. Either way, from what I could pick up from that, I disagree with you. When driven correctly (that's the key), a manual transmission will almost always defeat a comparitively similar automatic car. The only exception that I can possibly think of is if the automatic has been reprogrammed to shift at redline or even higher than redline.

My mom's Corolla LE redlines at 6500. Highest I've ever gotten it up to is 5000 (flooring the gas). With my Eclipse, I can go however high I want to. ;)

Jared
ReckLess
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1301
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 3:35 am
Location: Somewhere down the road...

re:

Post by ReckLess »

THERE ARE ALOT OF FACTORS TO CONSIDER ABOUT! but think about it... why is WRC,F1,DRIFTING and most major racing events(cause i don't know if theres other event that uses automatic) uses manual transmission? did you ever think about that? they would have use automatic a long time ago if that was the case.... anyway i only know one automatic unfortunately i forgot which.. is faster in the starting line and when i mean faster like the drop clutch fast
:twisted:
Xk0rEaNb0iX
Senior Standardshifter
Posts: 108
Joined: Sun May 23, 2004 11:45 pm

Post by Xk0rEaNb0iX »

a bit of power is lost through the hydraulic converter in an automatic transmission. manuals also feel more precise. wrc + f1 cars usually have SMGs, which are just like regular manual transmissions, except that there is no clutch pedal. (a mechanical clutch still exists, but it's not driver-controlled. the computer automatically engages/disengages the clutch when the driver decides to shift.)
ReckLess
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1301
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 3:35 am
Location: Somewhere down the road...

re:

Post by ReckLess »

oh really WRC cars are SMG :shock: :shock:
:twisted:
BMWboy
Junior Standardshifter
Posts: 33
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 6:28 pm

Post by BMWboy »

Its not really correct to say there is still a "mechanical clutch" in an automatic. Automatic cars have a torque convertor. The torque convertor is bolted straight onto the flywheel, and also the shaft running into the transmission. It does have something similar to a clutch, in the stator peice inside of it which allow it to slip the shaft to the tranny while it shifts, but does not work in any way like a manual transmission clutch which can completely move away from the flywheel. There are some automatics now though that can lock the torque convertor so that you have 100 percent grip, just like you would in a manual. Anyways yes you can reprogram the ECU and all kinds of other tricks to get automatics to work very well in drag racing, but if you are doing heavy duty mods to your car, you would have to get a very heavy duty automatic because most stock automatics cannot take huge amounts of HP. Manuals on the other hand, can be more easily upgraded by getting a stronger, better clutch for racing, a better flywheel, etc. And also if you do any kind of other racing besides drag, then manual is definitely better because you can always be in the proper gear. No amount of programming in an automatic can make it know that you are approaching a turn that will require you to downshift early to get through the turn with enough power. So for overall racing I would have to say manuals are superior.
ReckLess
Master Standardshifter
Posts: 1301
Joined: Sun Apr 11, 2004 3:35 am
Location: Somewhere down the road...

re:

Post by ReckLess »

well anyway it also depends on the skill and experience too not just the car
:twisted:
Post Reply