Great Information.

Thanks guys!

I am gonna smoke me some mustangs! :lol:

 

I'm lurking in this thread and happy to see that TDogg hasn't been roasted for asking these types of qeustions. And, you guys have been so helpful w/your answers "to the novice" that it's making me think I need to give this track thing a try. :eek:

So, I'm jumping in now that TDogg has been the brave one. Is there much risk of standing on the brake while doing the burnout, or is it just a matter of shortening the life of the brake pads (oh, and of course, the tires. :D:D).




[Modified by SteveL2, 11:11 AM 5/16/2002]

 

There's so much going on and so much to take in on your first trip to the track. I would try to keep things simple on the first time out. I don't have nearly as much experience as some of the guys here, but I am much closer to your experience level. Hopefully these tips will help.

- Put a post it note or some kind of warning on your keys, center console or gear shift. The note should read "TURN OFF TRACTION CONTROL." Sounds stupid, but it's easy to forget. Nothing kills a pass like the traction control.
- Watch a few runs before you try it in your car. Especially notice where the staging lights are. It's easy to look really stupid trying to search for the beams. You may want to skip the burnout on your first pass to simplify things even more.
- If you are on the outside lane, WAIT FOR THE GUY ON THE INSIDE LANE TO EXIT THE TRACK BEFORE DRIVING ONTO THE EXIT ROAD. That sounds insanely basic, but once the adrenaline starts to flow, things can get a little wacky. Also, avoid driving to the last exit. The longer you are on the track, the longer the next set of guys will have to wait.
- Slow down to the track's pit speed limit on your way to pick up your time slip. This is more a matter of controlling your nerves than anything else.

The speed will come with more passes. Don't try to set a national ET record on your first pass, and things will be fine. Have fun.

 

All good advice. You'll see a lot of guys doing stupid and inconsiderate things - be prepaired for that. Learn from their mistakes and set an example with good behavior, as outlined above. It's tempting to want to yell at the annoying guys who don't play by the rules, but you'll have to leave that to the track officials - the guys who engage in bad behavior rarely believe they are in the wrong. Don't be afraid to point out bad behavior to track officials.

 

Definately turn off the TC. Its caused me a moment of embarrasment once or twice starting my burnout. ;)

Just be careful to stay off of the rev limiter when burning out.
Its easy to get excited and bounce off of it.

Just hold the go pedal to around 5k to 5.5k until you see a little smoke with the runflats, a lot of smoke for the Drag radials. :reddevil

There will be some wear on the pads and the rear tires, but nothing too horrible.

Unless you burnout like me;) http://myhost.virtualgiant.com/Scott97/Mov00087.mpg

 

All you fellas offer good advice, but, I've found that every C5 is just a little bit different. I always have a heck of time launching. If I tach it up to 1800 & let it loose, the best I can do is wait till it grabs & then stomp it. Unfortunately I usually get all pumped up and sit there wasting 1st gear. Then by the time I hit second that A4 is usually at least a length ahead. Hitting second always is a treat too as after catching traction I hit second and break loose again. Fortunately, remember , be patient. All things being equal, you'll usually catch those A4's in third & smoke em in 4th..... :smash:

 

C5's have 4 wheel disc brakes.. so isn't that terrible to do a burn out with the breaks on???
Breaks and Gas on rear wheels at same time...... not a pretty picture

 

TDogg72, if you don't use the brakes, the car will roll forward. Not a pretty picture considering that other cars and track personnel are directly ahead of you. Your alternatives are:

a) not doing a burnout at all. I go this route unless the tires are picking up a lot of dirt or gravel that day. Regular street tires usually don't respond well to a lot of heat anyway.
b) buying a line lock. The line lock will hold the front brakes, and allow the rear wheels to spin freely.

Hope this helps.

 

Bring it on, big daddy! :lol:


[Modified by jschindler, 10:09 PM 5/17/2002]

 

When you going? im a regular at PIR wendnesday night brackets. Dont feel bad if your times are not what you think. PIR is a greasy track and will take a ton of practice to get your car off the line well. Its all about fun anyways, and you will have lots of that. I will look for you there.

 

I got my M6 C5 last October and have drag raced it quite a bit. I'm still on run flats so I just spin the tires for about 2 seconds and get off just to get the rocks and dirt off. Unless you're running drag radials or slicks, you won't see any benefit from doing a hard burnout on run flats. That's just my opinion.

I usually shift around 5800-5900 RPMS just before rev limiter. A stock C5's max HP should be in the 5400-5700 RPMS range so I like to shift just as I'm about to start dropping off. I'm with these guys, I wouldn't worry about trying to power shift it your first time at the track. I've gotten my best times power shifting but we're only talking about .10-.20 and it's a little tougher on the clutch. I've had a tough time hooking off the line launching at anything above 2000 RPMS but then again if I go from idle I bog so you'll have to look for a happy medium. Good luck and have fun.


[Modified by Superj, 1:10 AM 5/18/2002]

 

Sixguns,
IF i get new tires on by wednesday next week, I will likely be at the track that night...
My rear literaly have almost NO tread, so I dont think it would be a good idea to race w/ those..