Got my ass kicked, twice.
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- Master Standardshifter
- Posts: 3086
- Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:01 pm
- Cars: 91 MR2t, 88&86 Fieros
- Location: GA
Got my ass kicked, twice.
By a Grand Am
It looked like a mid 90's Grand Am, which means it either had a 3.1L V6 with 155 hp or a 2.3L Quad-4 with 180 hp. Did I mention I only have 140 hp?
I was coming up to school and I was sitting there at the traffic light trying to turn left. There was some latino-looking dude in the Grand Am, and he knew what I was trying to do. I do this every day, I'll pull up there to the far-left lane, launch hard when the light turns green and I'll get into the right lane when I'm out of the intersection. It saves time because a line always forms in the other lane, and sometimes you have to wait for the light to cycle a couple times.
I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I launched hard anyways like I usually do. I watched the other set of lights, they turned yellow, so I went to first. I launched hard and I had my RPMs right (somewhere around 2500-3000 rpms) but I didn't get the clutch out fast enough. I get out of the turn and at most I have about a car length on him, but not enough to pull in front. So we both line up at the next intersection.
Here we have 1 light, then maybe 100 yards away there's another light. So this time I get the launch right, but there isn't enough room for me to pull on him before we're up to the next set of lights. This is the main race. I don't launch very well (rpms too low and the car bucks once as the tires grab) but I still get about a car on him off the line, I can hear him back there doing a little burnout. By the end of 2nd gear (60 mph) we're dead even, I lost my lead, and from there he pulls on me til we shut down at about 80. I'd say he had like 2 carlengths on me by 80.
It looked like a mid 90's Grand Am, which means it either had a 3.1L V6 with 155 hp or a 2.3L Quad-4 with 180 hp. Did I mention I only have 140 hp?
I was coming up to school and I was sitting there at the traffic light trying to turn left. There was some latino-looking dude in the Grand Am, and he knew what I was trying to do. I do this every day, I'll pull up there to the far-left lane, launch hard when the light turns green and I'll get into the right lane when I'm out of the intersection. It saves time because a line always forms in the other lane, and sometimes you have to wait for the light to cycle a couple times.
I wasn't sure what was going to happen, but I launched hard anyways like I usually do. I watched the other set of lights, they turned yellow, so I went to first. I launched hard and I had my RPMs right (somewhere around 2500-3000 rpms) but I didn't get the clutch out fast enough. I get out of the turn and at most I have about a car length on him, but not enough to pull in front. So we both line up at the next intersection.
Here we have 1 light, then maybe 100 yards away there's another light. So this time I get the launch right, but there isn't enough room for me to pull on him before we're up to the next set of lights. This is the main race. I don't launch very well (rpms too low and the car bucks once as the tires grab) but I still get about a car on him off the line, I can hear him back there doing a little burnout. By the end of 2nd gear (60 mph) we're dead even, I lost my lead, and from there he pulls on me til we shut down at about 80. I'd say he had like 2 carlengths on me by 80.
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- Master Standardshifter
- Posts: 5339
- Joined: Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:33 pm
- Cars: 2007 Scion tC
- Location: Ocala, FL
- Contact:
Depends on the type of ranch. I've seen plenty of motorcycles with 80 HP that could smoke a 400 HP Chevy Corvette.scion_xA_gf wrote:or in my case, lose all...thats what happens when you have 82 or less horses in your ranch...subzero wrote:you win some, you lose some.
But don't fret about it Tinton. In my old slushie Beretta, I challenged a Ford Mustang GT at a light. And off the line, I trounced him. I had about a car on him when he started to pull, and pull, and pull, and pull...and it was over.
Watercolor: I'm a grade A bone sucker!
Me:
Me:
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- Master Standardshifter
- Posts: 3086
- Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2006 8:01 pm
- Cars: 91 MR2t, 88&86 Fieros
- Location: GA
My launches weren't horrible, just real sloppy. Its so hard launching a MR car like that, I don't want to launch very hard because it might just stick and I may break an axle or a mount. If I launch real high I might get wheelspin too.
Its nothing like this bad launch I had the other day. A acquaintance of mine was driving next to me in a older BMW 325 (I think its a 325). I wanted to race, so we stopped at a light on this 4-lane. I got the most perfect launch the first time but he gave up way too early. I got like 2-3 carlengths on him on the launch, and after that he gave up. Second time he launched for real but my rpms were too low (only like 2000) so when I let out the clutch too fast it just gripped and stalled.
Its nothing like this bad launch I had the other day. A acquaintance of mine was driving next to me in a older BMW 325 (I think its a 325). I wanted to race, so we stopped at a light on this 4-lane. I got the most perfect launch the first time but he gave up way too early. I got like 2-3 carlengths on him on the launch, and after that he gave up. Second time he launched for real but my rpms were too low (only like 2000) so when I let out the clutch too fast it just gripped and stalled.
The best way to launch that car with out breaking any mounts or transaxle is to 'pre load' the trans on power.
Rev up to the range. (say, in a jetta, i launch from about 3.5k on a mild run) let the clutch out to where the car wants to move. When the tree turns green, do your thang like you would on a race launch (slip the cluth while gradually flooring the gas)
Lets be honest, thats not the best for the clutch, but that is THE safest way to go tracking on a stock car and almost have a guarantee nothing expensive breaks
Rev up to the range. (say, in a jetta, i launch from about 3.5k on a mild run) let the clutch out to where the car wants to move. When the tree turns green, do your thang like you would on a race launch (slip the cluth while gradually flooring the gas)
Lets be honest, thats not the best for the clutch, but that is THE safest way to go tracking on a stock car and almost have a guarantee nothing expensive breaks
- mesaboogie18
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- Junior Standardshifter
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