are you on the chicago bears message boards by any chanceTheBears54 wrote:You had to practice somewhere.
So where was it?
Parking lots?
Open streets?
Or are there special tracks near most big cities for people like me?
I live in the Chicago area btw.
Where did you practice?
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Re: Where did you practice?
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See if you can find a test-and-tune night if you want to run for fun. Some drag strips also offer similar racing on tuesday or wednesday nights in the summertime. Best of luck, and it's definitely fun to race against buddies down the drag strip, no matter what car you've got.
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Re: Where did you practice?
Nope, never heard of it.insane wrote:are you on the chicago bears message boards by any chance
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Re: Where did you practice?
funny theres a guy by the name of dabears54 on there lolzTheBears54 wrote:Nope, never heard of it.insane wrote:are you on the chicago bears message boards by any chance
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Well I looked up Route 66 raceway, looks great! And they're gonna have a test and tune day this Saturday
Gonna get some buddies and go for it!
Now I'm just wondering, how do these things typically work? I know you don't just show up and get in line... so what are the specifics (cost/average waiting time..etc)
Gonna get some buddies and go for it!
Now I'm just wondering, how do these things typically work? I know you don't just show up and get in line... so what are the specifics (cost/average waiting time..etc)
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Meh, i misread... its on april 19th, not march 19thhockeystyx16 wrote:a racetrack open this early in the year, its kinda early for that, especially in chicago climate. and if it is open, its gotta be one of the very first TNTs of the year, it will be packed.
Oh well, more time to practice starts on some parking lot.
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normally, you register at the gate (usually $5-$15 to race all day/night), get a reg card (to label your make/model and engine for the announcer), take your ride up to a safety inspector, who'll make sure your car isn't going to fall apart/explode, make sure you have seatbelts, etcedera. if your car's going to be doing better than 14s, you should invest in a helmet. most places kick you out if you go too fast without one. (but at least you still get your timeslip ). Waiting usually isn't too terrible. you just get in line in one of the lanes, creep up when there's room (or wait because it doesn't matter, no one's going to cut in front of you. just leave room for people behind you).TheBears54 wrote:Now I'm just wondering, how do these things typically work? I know you don't just show up and get in line... so what are the specifics (cost/average waiting time..etc)
then comes the fun part. roll over dry or wet pavement and prestage (i.e. burnout. heat those tires up till they're grabbing that strip all nice and good). wait for the light. go either on the last amber or half way through it. (time it right).
and try to pass the person next to you .
i think that pretty much covers it.
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then theres all the stuff about preventing heatsoak. get your car off the trailer (if you towed it there), warm it up to normal temp, turn it off, raise the hood, and push it thru the staging lanes. when its your turn to prestage, start the car up, you cant really do a burnout in a AWD, so stage and go. your car probably runs 13s stock, so you wont look like an idiot showing up a slow car to a test n tune.
after the run, get back in line, shut it off, rinse and repeat.
lose as much weight as you can. the lighter you are, the faster you will go. back seat, passenger seat, donut, jack, stuff that is easy to take out. this is why its nice to trailer (or at least dolly) the car to the track, you can strip it down and leave all the sh1t in the truck, and if you break down (you will break something eventually) its nice to push it up on the dolly or trailer and not have to wait a week for a free AAA tow.
drop the tire pressures a little, softer tire will hook better, but with your AWD, traction isnt a concern, you should be getting 1.7 60 foots on street tires no problems.
and this reminds me, i need to make it to one of the TNTs here soon, to see how slow my car is and embarrass myself. i should get my buddy with his 3.4 slush camaro to go with me, so i dont feel as bad lol
after the run, get back in line, shut it off, rinse and repeat.
lose as much weight as you can. the lighter you are, the faster you will go. back seat, passenger seat, donut, jack, stuff that is easy to take out. this is why its nice to trailer (or at least dolly) the car to the track, you can strip it down and leave all the sh1t in the truck, and if you break down (you will break something eventually) its nice to push it up on the dolly or trailer and not have to wait a week for a free AAA tow.
drop the tire pressures a little, softer tire will hook better, but with your AWD, traction isnt a concern, you should be getting 1.7 60 foots on street tires no problems.
and this reminds me, i need to make it to one of the TNTs here soon, to see how slow my car is and embarrass myself. i should get my buddy with his 3.4 slush camaro to go with me, so i dont feel as bad lol
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Don't worry too much about the fancy stuff (heatsoak, reducing weight, decreasing tire pressure, etc.). Worry about that after you've got a few passes under your belt.
Around my area, only fast cars (11 seconds or faster) use trailers, and there's plenty of fast daily drivers that don't. Don't worry about any trailer.
Don't worry too much about heatsoak either. It will have an effect on your car, but far less than your launching and shifting will.
Since you're not trailering the car, don't worry about taking a couple things in the car. I carry a spare tire+jack, snacks+drinks, air compressor, basic hand tools, all in the car even during a run.
With an AWD car, you don't want to do a burnout. Drive around the "waterbox" (where they spray the water on the pavement, before the staging lights) if possible. You don't want your tires to be wet when going down the track, or else you'll fling water on the main track.
All of this stuff will be overwhelming the first time (especially with the staging lights, etc.), but you'll get it after a while. Just remember to have fun!
Around my area, only fast cars (11 seconds or faster) use trailers, and there's plenty of fast daily drivers that don't. Don't worry about any trailer.
Don't worry too much about heatsoak either. It will have an effect on your car, but far less than your launching and shifting will.
Since you're not trailering the car, don't worry about taking a couple things in the car. I carry a spare tire+jack, snacks+drinks, air compressor, basic hand tools, all in the car even during a run.
With an AWD car, you don't want to do a burnout. Drive around the "waterbox" (where they spray the water on the pavement, before the staging lights) if possible. You don't want your tires to be wet when going down the track, or else you'll fling water on the main track.
All of this stuff will be overwhelming the first time (especially with the staging lights, etc.), but you'll get it after a while. Just remember to have fun!
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I practiced outside a middle school. Right when the classes got out and as school buses were standing on the side. I would do 0-60 up the block and see how I did. Doing it when the kids got out proved to sharpen my mental focus on not hitting the redline and getting my shift points right.
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