First timer preparing for drag race

[Nateff91]

Hey guys! My high school auto class is taking a field trip to milan drag strip in Michigan and we get to race our own cars! I have a v6 2004 LS with a cold air intake.

This will be my first time on the strip, but I have watched many times so I know how everything works. I just need to know how I should practice and what I should do behind the drivers seat. I've been trying to look up videos but nothing really is helping. Was hoping some of you guys had some tips so I can impress people with the LS even though she's a little v6. Thanks guys!

 

[RigsLS]

... I just need to know ... what I should do behind the drivers seat.

No mods 'behind' the drivers seat, just sit in the seat and focus on consistencies in launches. don't have to be the fastest!
Read the tree, time the yellow, drop the hammer!

... some tips so I can impress people with the LS ...

hand full of mothballs in the gas tank?

I'm sorry Nate but unless you are planning on dropping a boatload of money in your LS, there isn't much too impress with at the strip IMO.
You could try and put it on a bottle if you really are that desperate to impress but it's not worth it. We are talking 3.0 and 3.9L motors, heavy car.

Just shine it up good and show up ballin' Have a fun day for sure!
They dragged me to a tulip festival on my first ever school trip. No school ever took me to a Fn drag strip, YEAH!

Enjoy.

 

[Robot]

No mods 'behind' the drivers seat, just sit in the seat and focus on consistencies in launches. don't have to be the fastest!
Read the tree, time the yellow, drop the hammer!




hand full of mothballs in the gas tank?

I'm sorry Nate but unless you are planning on dropping a boatload of money in your LS, there isn't much too impress with at the strip IMO.
You could try and put it on a bottle if you really are that desperate to impress but it's not worth it. We are talking 3.0 and 3.9L motors, heavy car.

Just shine it up good and show up ballin' Have a fun day for sure!
They dragged me to a tulip festival on my first ever school trip. No school ever took me to a Fn drag strip, YEAH!

Enjoy.

What size tires do you have?

 

[RigsLS]

Who me? 19's, why? How that help Nate?

 

[Robot]

No, Nate. I want to know tire diameter.

 

[JoshMcMadMac]

Learn how to launch it. The LS is a pain to get off the line. The best thing you can do his consistently get your 60' time down.

 

[Robot]

Learn how to launch it. The LS is a pain to get off the line. The best thing you can do his consistently get your 60' time down.

I find launching from 2nd gets me to speed quicker if using sst. Then again I have shift programming. Its like it slips the clutch or something and you don't lose the time going from 1-2.

 

[Ranchero50]

Don't talk smack, and remember to relax while you watch a couple other go to get the feel for how the track 'flows'. Pay attention to the lights and the timing for the yellow as they come down. When it's my turn I usually do better with some tunes playing in the background (quietly). Watch the track folks and listen to them. Windows up, AC off, belts on. The key is consistency so always try to set up at the lights the same way. Mark your windshield 'no water' with a window marker, then drive through the water box. Once the cars ahead of you leave, do a quick dry launch (no burnout) to clean any debris off the tires. Inch up to the line and stop once you light up the first staging lamp. Then ease up until you light the second. This gives you a decent 'window' of roll out to get the car moving before the green without going red. Leave on the last yellow and keep the pedal to the floor until the win light lights up in either lane. Keep and eye on the other guy to make sure nothing stupid happens on the track to either of you. If you break, slow down and pull off the track to try and avoid dosing it with oil or antifreeze. Once done racing gently slow down while keeping an eye on the other guy. Make sure he understands you are crossing his lane if you have to in order to get to the return road.

Prep work, just clean all the junk out of the car, both up front and in the trunk. Then go flog the car for a while to make sure nothing is going to come unglued on the track. Tire pressure around 40 up front and 30 out back on radials.

Good luck and remember to have fun.

 

[Robot]

Don't talk smack, and remember to relax while you watch a couple other go to get the feel for how the track 'flows'. Pay attention to the lights and the timing for the yellow as they come down. When it's my turn I usually do better with some tunes playing in the background (quietly). Watch the track folks and listen to them. Windows up, AC off, belts on. The key is consistency so always try to set up at the lights the same way. Mark your windshield 'no water' with a window marker, then drive through the water box. Once the cars ahead of you leave, do a quick dry launch (no burnout) to clean any debris off the tires. Inch up to the line and stop once you light up the first staging lamp. Then ease up until you light the second. This gives you a decent 'window' of roll out to get the car moving before the green without going red. Leave on the last yellow and keep the pedal to the floor until the win light lights up in either lane. Keep and eye on the other guy to make sure nothing stupid happens on the track to either of you. If you break, slow down and pull off the track to try and avoid dosing it with oil or antifreeze. Once done racing gently slow down while keeping an eye on the other guy. Make sure he understands you are crossing his lane if you have to in order to get to the return road.

Prep work, just clean all the junk out of the car, both up front and in the trunk. Then go flog the car for a while to make sure nothing is going to come unglued on the track. Tire pressure around 40 up front and 30 out back on radials.

Good luck and remember to have fun.

Just don't play the theme to Chariots of Fire.

 

[Robot]

Hey guys! My high school auto class is taking a field trip to milan drag strip in Michigan and we get to race our own cars! I have a v6 2004 LS with a cold air intake.

This will be my first time on the strip, but I have watched many times so I know how everything works. I just need to know how I should practice and what I should do behind the drivers seat. I've been trying to look up videos but nothing really is helping. Was hoping some of you guys had some tips so I can impress people with the LS even though she's a little v6. Thanks guys!

Nate, what tires are you running in back? I would run with 40 psi first BC you my not have to worry about them spinning anyway. If they do, drop it down to 35 psi. The LS ABS acts silly when you have unequal pressures like that especially if you have advance track on.

 

[RigsLS]

AC shuts off on WOT on the LS. (so I read somewhere)

 

[Robot]

AC shuts off on WOT on the LS. (so I read somewhere)

I never heard that on the LS. I had a 1989 Escort GT that did that but that was a 4banger and you could see the switch on the throttle mechanism.

 

[joegr]

AC shuts off on WOT on the LS. (so I read somewhere)

Yep. Gen II cuts the AC under heavy acceleration. I wish it didn't. I need the AC more than a few extra horse power.

 

[Nateff91]

Thanks for the responses guys! And by impress people, I mean my High School class... Im racing against probably a lot of 4 bangers and not so "up to par" cars. Just want to get the most out of the LS as I can!

Tires: Mastercraft Touring LSR 225/55R16 , which are all at the maximum 44psi

Again I appreciate all of your guys' help. I just want to go there looking like I belong there and know what I'm doing

 

[Ranchero50]

The reason you don't run the AC is because of water out of the condenser drain will get you flagged off the track if they see it and can cause problems if it drains at either end of the track as the cars CG shifts around.

It's not really a performance thing but a safety thing.

 

[Robot]

The reason you don't run the AC is because of water out of the condenser drain will get you flagged off the track if they see it and can cause problems if it drains at either end of the track as the cars CG shifts around.

It's not really a performance thing but a safety thing.

Well, I'm gonna have to wait until winter to go to the track. Its too damn humid here to be in the car without the a/c on.

 

[Kumba]

The reason you don't run the AC is because of water out of the condenser drain will get you flagged off the track if they see it and can cause problems if it drains at either end of the track as the cars CG shifts around.

It's not really a performance thing but a safety thing.

Exactly this. On your average daily driver car it's not a problem but with a car built to drag and putting down some power a few drops of water on the track can cause the car to do some strange stuff. You can basically cause torque steer from one wheel getting less traction then the other. It's more pronounced with slicks since the tire flattens the water out into the contact patch instead of just squeezing it between the treads.

 

[Telco]

My local dragging track has a Thursday test and tune day every week, which is a run what ya brung with no bracket racing or anything on that day. It's also when people do their grudge match races. If you can and your track does it, spend some time there on their test and tune day to make some practice runs.

Yep. Gen II cuts the AC under heavy acceleration. I wish it didn't. I need the AC more than a few extra horse power.

It isn't just the extra horses, it's also to keep from overspinning the AC compressor to avoid warranty claims.

 

[1LoudLS]

basically, if you're new to dragging, dont bother with SST (if you have it) its just one more thing that will cause you error and cant really get a lot of advantage from.

then its all about the lights and the launch.

for the launch, I usually get to the line, then get heavy on the brake and rev it up to between 1600 rpms and 2000 depending on temperature.

depending on what going on at the track that week, you never know how the lanes are gonna be, Ive seen it slick as wet pavement, and I've also seen it well prepper and few LSs would ever have to worry about spinning

 

[RigsLS]

Yep. Gen II cuts the AC under heavy acceleration...

Joe, if I'm not mistaken, I thought I read this in my 1st GEN workshop manual somewhere, Do we know if the 1st GEN has a WOT AC cut out also? I thought it did. I often compare and read the online 2nd GEN manual, I can't 100% recall ... WOT AC cut out on both GEN's ?

... by impress people, I mean my High School class... Im racing against probably a lot of 4 bangers and not so "up to par" cars. Just want to get the most out of the LS as I can! ...

Sounds like fun, at the very least Nate, get rid off all junk in the LS, clean out the trunk, remove and hide the spare tire, have about 1/4 tank of fuel and add some serious octane boost to the tank, fill it up full when done. Concentrate on the launches, if you are allowed to make several runs, you can come out a winner if you keep all your times consistent.

If possible, snap us some pics of your day? either way, good times for sure, just don't grenade your LS by trying to impress.

 

[joegr]

Joe, if I'm not mistaken, I thought I read this in my 1st GEN workshop manual somewhere, Do we know if the 1st GEN has a WOT AC cut out also? I thought it did. I often compare and read the online 2nd GEN manual, I can't 100% recall ... WOT AC cut out on both GEN's ?...

Here's why I phrased it that way.

1st gen does have WOT cut-out for the AC, I believe.
2nd gen cuts the AC under heavy acceleration instead of at WOT. The reason is that 2nd gen has electronic throttle control. On the 2nd gen, WOT happens a lot. It can happen when you aren't accelerating that much and only have the gas pedal part way down. For this reason, it wouldn't work out well to have the AC cut out every time this happens. The ETC figures out how much power/acceleration that you want, and then figures out what is the most economical way to provide it using combinations of throttle position and gear selection.

 

[RigsLS]

Makes sense, thanks for the confirmation, just keep on learning new things everyday with these LS'es. +1

 

[Nateff91]

Thank you all! There will be pictures for sure! Still got some time, supposed to go Oct. 4th! I also have a go pro so there will be video too! Pretty excited! I'll be practicing launches at quite a few lights now too