OK, I have seen here that some guys are doing their burnouts in second gear. What are the advantages to doing it in 2nd as opposed to 1st?

Better for the engine is the only thing I can think of? (maybe not), beside less wear and tear from tranny?

Wouldn't you get a faster wheel spinup from first and thus make the tires hotter?

What gear do you use?


Kissel-

 

revving and working it in 2nd will spin them just as easily, however it is easier on the drivetrain, and you will be able to spin them longer. On a wet spot I can start in 1st and shift to 2nd, but I usually cant make it 2nd to 3rd before they catch.

Be careful!!! If your tires catch spinning that fast, you want to be able to control the car. A kid at my highschool did that with his foxbody mustang and got a nice dent from a lamp pole.

 

When I drove a stick I used second gear. Roll through the water, rev and spin. With the auto I start in first and shift to second. Coming out of the burnout I just release the ine lock and spin them on the way to the line so I don't pick up as much debris. You need to be careful to stay in the groove when you do this.

 

I agree with what tnthub says, and I also do the same.

To answer your question on wheel speed, Second gear will have more wheel speed then first making for a better burnout and stickier tires.

 

I heat the tires up in second gear. I set the line lock and with the car in 2nd gear I spin them at around 3500-4000rpms. Actually I think spinning them in second gear gets the tire moving faster simply because of the transmission ratio of second gear compared to first gear. When I let off the line lock I spin until the nose of the car starts to dive, because that is when it starts putting alot of unwanted stress on the clutch and engine.

Also I do a wheel hop before I get to the line to make a judgement on how the track is prepped and how hard I think I will be able to leave the line.

 

I'll have to remember that!

 

thanks for the replies, I'll give it an ole try


kissel-

 

Geoff Chadwick- I am not sure if that is the right way to explain why it is bad on the car, but I know it is. My father who has built engines and raced cars for about 30 years told me this. He said as long as the front of the car is up it is fine but once it starts to dive back down you need to come out of the spin. Glad I could help.

Checked out your sight. Nice car and good power.

 

I would leave out the dry hop. If your car won't leave the same way each time you have other issues.

Daren

 

I agree no dry hop, you tend to pick up stuff. I only use 1st gear for the burnouts. I spin the drag radials until I see smoke then let off the linelock and spin up to the line. You can feel the tire start to grip as you approach the line. I have a M6 with 4.11's. Not too much mph difference using the 2nd gear method. This year I will have an auto and ET Streets. I will spin in 1st, shift into 2d and then release the linelock and spin up to the line. The ET Streets need to get hotter than drag radials.

 

I do the dry hop to see how the track,not my car, is doing. I use it to judge how much traction I can expect, especially when I make nitrous passes. It is scarry to leave the line with a 150 shot and lose traction. I usually dump the clutch at 4000 rpms, that is if the track feels good. Also if I want to run somebody for money I want to get a good feel for the track so I have the best run I possibly could.

Also doing the burnout in 1st is alright, you just have to turn the engine harder to get the same speed as you could in second gear with less rpms.

And after the burnout, my slicks are heated up so much that no matter what I do they will pretty much pick up everything I go across going to stage.

 

The problem with this is the track is not maintained behind the staging area. In other words the area where you are doing a dry hop will give you no indication of the track. In most cases the track is sprayed about 10-15 feet before the starting line which is no where near the area you are doing a dry hop. Even if the track is not sprayed the area behind the line does not represent the track conditions because it is not seeing the same type of action (staging vs. launch).

Back to the question. I do my burn-outs in 2nd. The higher wheel speed puts heat in the tires quicker.

 

red- you are correct. But generally on days that I run, they are testing 6 second cars and vht the heck out of the whole track. And those cars put enough rubber and heat from the waterbox through staging that their is generally not much difference in what I feel at staging as to what I feel in the lane coming up to staging. Darlington International Dragway is usually a well prepped track.

 

If the track is "well prepared", as you say, then you still don't need that dry hop. In fact it is probably the dry hop that blows some runs for you. It looks like you have a pretty hot mustang, was that run on your time slip on nitrous?

Oh, and in answer to the original post, I have automatics in both of my cars and generally shift up to third and release the line lock when I see smoke. It is much easier on my valve train that way.

Best Regards (and no offense meant)

Daren

 

GUMP- It is kind of a habit I have. To do the dry hop. I don't do it always. Yes that run was made with a 150 shot. It has been 3 10.90 passes but we were still working out all the bugs. I do not have the nitrous on the car right now, I am saving for a new system. On na runs it usually runs 12.0s-12.10s@110-113. It has been a few 11.90 passes too. But that was when I am able to get really low 1.6 or mid-to-high 1.5 60ft times.