n00b at drag racing.. TIPS?

[Rosie]

So i've done all kinds of street style autox in snow sand dirt pavement but have never had a drag race before and i'm going to an event at a drag strip near my area. Any tips on this? Should I have my DCCD in any specific setting or just leave it on Auto? What rpms should i dump the clutch at? If i should dump it at all. The thought scares me cause i dont want to break anything. I just put a new clutch in last month too. Exedy stage 1 with a light weight flywheel.

Any tips would be appreciated.

[jeffmm06]

If you dont want to take the chance at breaking something, dont go. Otherwise take it up to 4k then when the yellow light on the tree goes on, start to slip out the clutch then GO. You can adjust your rpms your launching at based on how it went the prior run. IF you bog you may want to take it up a bit higher or you may not be slipping it right. Practice makes perfect, but dragging is very abusive on your car.

[Rosie]

So i've heard but i'm not gunna go run it over and over. Like i said i've never actually ran a drag and i'd like to go make a few runs and see what it can do or what i can do for that matter.

[ninefourteener]

Best advice....

Put ice in your I/C sprayer (You have an STI, right?) USE IT!!

If the line to get up to the light is long... shut the car off and push it. If your I/C gets too hot while idling, it'll drop your time by 1/2 second or more. If you can, push it with the hood open. Cooless=your friend.

Avoid the burnout puddle at all costs.... you don't need it, and if you drive through it, you'll slip and lose time.

Take out any extra weight..... spare tire, speaker boxes, dead bodies... whatever

Go to the track with less than 1/4 tank of the highest octane fuel you can get... throw in 1/2 bottle of Sea Foam... it helps.

Turn off all electronic accessories (stereo, headlights, etc... all of that causes drag on the alternator.

Put your stock wheels/tires on..... unless you have lighter aftermarket ones. Heavy/big wheels may improve your handling, but will DRAMATICALLY slow down your straight-line performance.

Leave your DCCD at 50/50... you want all the traction you can get.... thats your subaru advantage.... that's what will allow you to jump on the big HP V8 cars (Cobras, SRT chargers, Vettes, etc)

Run the RPMS to 4000-5000... and slip the clutch, DO NOT DUMP IT... a clutch is much easier to replace than a tranny)

I use the Autometer DPSS stage 2 digital tach/shift light. If you're serious about drag racing, it's worth it's weight in Gold. Even just a basic shift light is extremely valuable.

Time your "slippage" around the 2nd light, so that by the time you actually start moving, the 3rd light has already gone off.

Wait a while between runs.... let your car cool down.

Go at night.... when it's cool... don't try to drag race on a hot summer day, you'll do lousy.

****The cooler you can keep your car, the better you'll do.

[wunderboy987]

Best advice....

Put ice in your I/C sprayer (You have an STI, right?) USE IT!!

If the line to get up to the light is long... shut the car off and push it. If your I/C gets too hot while idling, it'll drop your time by 1/2 second or more. If you can, push it with the hood open. Cooless=your friend.

Avoid the burnout puddle at all costs.... you don't need it, and if you drive through it, you'll slip and lose time.

Take out any extra weight..... spare tire, speaker boxes, dead bodies... whatever

Go to the track with less than 1/4 tank of the highest octane fuel you can get... throw in 1/2 bottle of Sea Foam... it helps.

Turn off all electronic accessories (stereo, headlights, etc... all of that causes drag on the alternator.

Put your stock wheels/tires on..... unless you have lighter aftermarket ones. Heavy/big wheels may improve your handling, but will DRAMATICALLY slow down your straight-line performance.

Leave your DCCD at 50/50... you want all the traction you can get.... thats your subaru advantage.... that's what will allow you to jump on the big HP V8 cars (Cobras, SRT chargers, Vettes, etc)

Run the RPMS to 4000-5000... and slip the clutch, DO NOT DUMP IT... a clutch is much easier to replace than a tranny)

I use the Autometer DPSS stage 2 digital tach/shift light. If you're serious about drag racing, it's worth it's weight in Gold. Even just a basic shift light is extremely valuable.

Time your "slippage" around the 2nd light, so that by the time you actually start moving, the 3rd light has already gone off.

Wait a while between runs.... let your car cool down.

Go at night.... when it's cool... don't try to drag race on a hot summer day, you'll do lousy.

****The cooler you can keep your car, the better you'll do.

good info man

[Wannabe]

Some good info there. Also the launching techniques sticky has some ideas that people have tried and worked successfully. Most of the info is dedicated to launching at the strip. Give that one a good read.
Then report back with numbers.

[Rosie]

wow thats some good stuff there. thanks a lot. i'm not serious about it at all but i will take in consideration about the ICE in the I/C spray tank and im putting my Pirellis Pzero Nero back on before i go.