Hello I'm new to this forum and new to drag racing. I have been 'egged" into a drag race at a local drag stip using a staging lighted christmas tree. My challenger is a fellow co worker with a 1973 Plymouth Roadrunner 440 Hemi. He goes to the drag stip regularly.

I have a 2003 50th anniversary C5 corvette. Totally stock except for a set of 2 pipe Moria cat back pipes. 6 speed manual trans.

I have some questions:

1. For a beginner will changing tire pressure (front perhaps 40-45 back 25-30 help?)

2. Will mixing the 1/8 tank I have of 92 octane with track 105 octane help?

3. Having never done this before should I forget setting the brake to get a higher lauch RPM? It appears that the number 2500 rpm lauch appears here most often.

4. I'm middle aged. Should I flop the clutch at the third full yellow light or wait til the beginning of green.

If I do most things right it appears from my research I might beat him.

Appreciate any help from you more experienced guys.

thanks

 

As an addendum to the above. We just returned from trying some different combinations of starts and RPMs. The car seemed to do best lauching about 4000-4500 RPM. I'm afraid using a braked start using emergency brake or one foot on brake and accelorator is too much for me.

thanks this goes down Wednesday PM

Circumspect

 

I don't drag my car but let me take the time to say good luck, have fun and welcome. I am sure some knowlegable racers will chime in

Chuck

 

If it's a stick car and begins to wheel hop, GET OFF THE GAS QUICKLY. The short output shaft can break easily with hop or dead hook.

Have a look at this thread:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...65&forum_id=49

 

Welcome to the Forum and good luck Wednesday.

 

There is always next time to make adjustments if your regular setup doesnt work out. Drag racing has a serious learning curve. I wouldn't bother to mess with the minor details like tire pressure and running race fuel. Go to the track a few times and see how you do. Learn the tree and work on getting your reaction times down.

Launch RPM's are a personal thing. I have seen people that prefer anywhere from 2500-5000. It really depends on how well the car hooks up.

If you have problems hooking up, consider a pair of drag radials like the BFG's or Nitto's. You will see a massive difference with either of those tires. I will warn you, with drag radials (especially the BFG's), any weak part in your drive train will make itself known in a hurry.....

Last but not least, be ready to break stuff. Dragging is a great hobby, very addicting, and it gets expensive. After you race him scan and post up your time slips and its always cool to get someone to video tape the race...

 

Just a sidenote to your post. The last year the 426 Hemi was available from the factory in a Roadrunner was 1971. The 440, which is not a Hemi, was available in 1973. So either it's a 440 or it's had a non stock Hemi installed.

As bad azz as the Hemi's were in their day (425 hp and 490 lbs ft of torque) their performance figures weren't all that impressive by todays standards. A road test from 1973 shows: 426 Hemi/425 hp: 0-60 in 5.3 sec, 1/4 mile in 13.49 sec @ 105 mph. That puts it in the neighborhood of a stock C5. A 440 would be a little less.

 

Good luck, if he races all the time I wouldn't bet any money.

Rick

 

 

Do you mean '440 Wedge' or '426 Hemi'?

 

Just repeating what the man said and he said "440 Hemi". Thanks for the help. Will let you know if the Vette prevails.

Circumspect
Kansas City, MO

 

Maybe is a bored out 426?

 

Give me a call 913-721-3415. I'd like to go down with you.
rod

 

I have only been to the drag strip one time. I am not a seasoned racer by any means. I did learn quite a lot from the guys on the forum (C4 section) before I went to the track. This is what I did.

Turn traction control off. If it kicks in it will cut back on power. You dont want that. And it could kick in with wheel spin.

Launch around 2000 RPM, let the clutch out on the last yellow before the green light comes on. You dont want to spin the tires off the line. Wheel spin costs you time. Leave the starting line as hard as you can without spinning the tires. After the car is rolling a few feet then punch it.

Shift gears as quickly as you can, if you get wheel spin grabbing second let them spin. It is better to have a little wheel spin than cutting back on power. (reason for turning traction control off)

The race will be won at the starting line. The guy who has the best launch has the best chance of staying ahead. You are in a light car with great traction. He is in a heavy car with poor traction, unless he has drag radials and has done some suspension work.

Practice your launches before you even go the track. You have a very good chance of beating him. Believe me, I know. I also have a 73 Charger 440 Magnum. Old Mopars are nothing to take lightly so do your homework.

 

Colonel D,

God bless you! I LOVE your avitar!

 

Being an old Mopar fan I am and past owner of many mid 60's Mopars, there is a possibility that this is a 440 Hemi. There was a company if I recall named Stage V that made converstion kits for the "wedge" big block Mopar namely the 440 to allow the fitment of hemi heads. This was before they decided to recast and start to reproduce the 426 crate motors that are out now. The 440 block and 2 bolt bottom end is about 100 lbs lighter than cross bolt 426 hemi bottom end and could easily be bored out for more cubic inches. I had a friend do this to a 440 and was pulling around 650 hp out of it and was running low 10's with his 65 Plymouth Belvedere. Why would they do this and not put in a 426 Hemi, simple there was a huge savings in a 440 block versus an original 426 block back then allowing extra cash for more go fast parts or the boring of the block.
Good luck and let us know what happens.

 

1- do you have runflats? if you do dropping the pressure doesnt halp as much as it would with non-runflats. i ran my non-runflats around 25 psi in the rear and ran the fronts around 42.

2-mixing octane wont help. just run 92.

3-just hold the clutch right before it engages. hold your rpm and slide the clutch out. launch rpm depends on the track prep. gotta see how the track is hooking first.

4-start at the 3rd yellow.

good luck and have fun

 

Good luck at the track. Hope you do well.

 

Are you comparing times, or who gets past the finish line first. Most tracks these days (ones that I've been too) measure your times from when you leave the line. There is a laser that when your tire breaks the beam, the clock starts. The tree is only used for reaction time, so if you red-light, your 1/4 times are still accurate.

Since your a novice, most likely, he'll smoke you off the line and he'll have better reaction time. Don't worry about that, concentrate on launching as hard as possible without spinning. If you do that, you'll probably post better 1/4mile times than him (assuming he's stock!). Practice, practice, practice. One thing you'll find, is the first time at the line, things go very quickly, and all your well thought out ideas and tips and techniques fly right out the window and you end up just hammering it. Take a few practice runs before the "bragging rights" challange.

I wouldn't change tire pressure in run-flats, does almost nothing.

No point in adding race fuel unless the car has been tuned to use it.