Reasonable launch RPM
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,470
Likes: 460
From: East Windsor NJ
Reasonable launch RPM
Headed out to Englishtown after work and I may make a few passes (first time in my '00 FRC). What's a reasonable launch RPM for a stocker on (hopefully) dry tires - 2500?
Racer
Joined: Nov 2014
Posts: 286
Likes: 12
From: Cypress TX
I'll let the experts chime in, but here's my two cents.... Seat time is where you will find the right place to launch. There are so many variables that will change where you take off at...Track prep, weather, tire type,PSI in tires, gearing, etc. The best thing to do is feel it out. Now you can break something at any power level, I think wheel hop is the main thing you want to avoid to prevent damage to the drivetrain on C5's.
Good luck and have fun!
Good luck and have fun!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 7,818
Likes: 2,268
From: Brighton MI
I'll let the experts chime in, but here's my two cents.... Seat time is where you will find the right place to launch. There are so many variables that will change where you take off at...Track prep, weather, tire type,PSI in tires, gearing, etc. The best thing to do is feel it out. Now you can break something at any power level, I think wheel hop is the main thing you want to avoid to prevent damage to the drivetrain on C5's.
Good luck and have fun!
Good luck and have fun!
Drag racing with a manual trans is playing with fire - experienced racers can do it and generally live to tell the tale, but novices need to be careful...breaking expensive parts ruins a fun day faster than almost anything...especially if the car you are racing is your ride home.
I've drag raced several different manual trans cars, though it has been a long time. Never broke anything. Here's my advice...
Start conservative (lower launch rpm) and work your way up until you find the sweetspot of initial rpm, how aggressive to release the clutch and how aggressive to go to WOT. The answer will be different for every car and will be different on the SAME car with different racing conditions.
With this approach, the worst that will happen is you bog the engine and leave a few tenths on the table as you learn.
Going *****-out side-stepping the clutch at crazy launch rpms is a great way to discover tennis shoe mode in your Vette.
The above is meant for guys like me (and it sounds like you too) who are not at the race track all the time with tons of experience and tons of high performance mods on your car.
Good luck, have fun...and post up your results!
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 2,470
Likes: 460
From: East Windsor NJ
Had a blast - but there were a lot of cars out and a lot of waiting around. I was able to make 2 runs - the first was a 14.7 but the second a lot better at 14.3. I launched at 2000 and mashed it - I could hear the squealing and feel the rear sliding around but no hop - just enough "give" in the track to not risk breaking anything. Ran it up to 5000 - again - first outing with this car and treading gently. I saw a number of other C5, 6, and 7 there including a Z06 and a ZR1. Also spent time with (forum member?) YO-EL (Ellis) comparing notes on our pewter/black '00 models. He has a lot of work on his and runs 11.5's.
