Where did you practice?

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Re: Where did you practice?

Post by .insane »

TheBears54 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.
are you on the chicago bears message boards by any chance
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Post by Giant Robot »

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?

Post by TheBears54 »

.insane wrote:are you on the chicago bears message boards by any chance
Nope, never heard of it :(
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Re: Where did you practice?

Post by .insane »

TheBears54 wrote:
.insane wrote:are you on the chicago bears message boards by any chance
Nope, never heard of it :(
funny theres a guy by the name of dabears54 on there lolz
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Post by TheBears54 »

Well I looked up Route 66 raceway, looks great! And they're gonna have a test and tune day this Saturday :D
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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Post by hockeystyx16 »

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.
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Post by TheBears54 »

hockeystyx16 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.
Meh, i misread... its on april 19th, not march 19th :(
Oh well, more time to practice starts on some parking lot.
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Post by Bawked »

empty parking lots right ? :wink:

Don't want anyone getting hurt because of your need for speed :lol:
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Post by TheBears54 »

Bawked wrote:empty parking lots right ?
Psh!
Where's the fun in that! 8)
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Post by six »

Be mindful of your differentials. Don't do too many drag starts in a row without some cool down driving in between.
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Post by DocPHD »

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)
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 :D ). 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).

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 :twisted: .

i think that pretty much covers it.
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Post by hockeystyx16 »

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
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Post by six »

I highly doubt he can run 13s, especially if it's stock. STi's run 13s, if a WRX can, what's the point of an STi?
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Post by Giant Robot »

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!
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Post by AHTOXA »

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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