I'll be honest with ya, I really haven't raced that much before. I have a stock 96 Z with the M6. I have a hard time gettin out of the hole, i either spin or i don't maneuver the clutch right and get left behind. I need to find a medium, my buddy is wanting to race me in his 5.9 dodge dakota RT, i need to know how to get the jump i want, i know this sounds kinda silly, but can somebody give me step by step instructions. thanks

p.s we'll be at the track

 

I'm no 6 speed expert, but practice practice practice. What type of tires do you have? If they're regular street tires, drop them down to around 22-24 psi. That'll help you launch because the sidewalls will have some flex.

Don't do much of a burnout, and try to avoid the water box at the track, just clean off your tires.

Try giving it some gas between 2200-2500 rpm, and slip the clutch out at varying speeds. See if you spin, bog down, or hook.

You won't have much trouble with that Dakota R/T 5.9, my uncle has one, we raced at the track. Bone stock it ran 15.6@92

 

theres 2 ways to do it as far as I can tell...
1. rev it to 3000RPM, slip the clutch on the takeoff to avoid spinning, release when you can get traction. This has the added benefit of destroying your clutch in a big hurry

2. rev it to 2000-2500 (depending on tires/traction), drop it and give it gas as the tires grab. This one is tricky as if you don't do it just right you will either spin like crazy or bog out on the launch. This is the one that I do though because I can't afford a new clutch or rear end.

 

Um, about the tires - do NOT deflate street tires. I don't know where this myth come from, try it if you should, but at least don't be suprized if street tires at 22-23psi won't give you better times [compared to regular 30-32psi]. I guess it's best to try, but low tire pressure is generally for drag radials with soft sidewalls. One person I know actually told me he had better results with 35psi (mustang gt). So you might experiment with the tire pressure (I did), but personally I found that normal "low-speed" tire pressure of ~32psi works best. I guess the theory behind that is that if you have stiff, reinforced sidewalls, lowering the pressure makes tire pressure on the road lower in the center part of the tire thread.

....about the launch. If you are on not-that-great track/street try to start by going from idle - i.e. don't go higher than 2k; drop the clutch somewhat gently and go WOT at the same time.
If it hooks+bogs - increase original rpm+drop the clutch slower.
Faster drop will put more power to the ground (=> faster acceleration) and make spin more likely. However if you drop it too fast and it hooks - say your rpm dropped to like 1500rpm in the process - that's bog, and with clutch fully engaged motor has to pull to the power band, with 60' times going to waist in the process.

Practice. It's easy to explain but sometimes difficult to do. Depends on track prep too, so don't expect exactly the same numbers to work every time, learn to feel it.

 

Wrong forum

 

launch in 6th gear....jk


have you ever tried launchin in 2nd.....im serious about 2nd

rev it up really high and take off....it worked preety good for me when i practice on the street....although i havnt tested the "starting from 2nd gear" method at the track


just my 2 cents

 

I had trouble with my stock G-Force tires because they spun in 1st, 2nd and 3rd! At my local track, you can't avoid the water pit. A burnout dries the tires some (some because your wet front tires continue to leave a wet track), but does not heat them up. High speed rated road tires are made not to heat up.
I got another set of rims and put on a set of Nitto drag radials. What a difference! I can launch at 4,000 and away you go! I then installed a line lock so I can heat up the rear tires and let them get sticky.
I does all come down to practice, but drag radials will put a big grin on your face.

 

Drag radials will help. In terms of tire pressure, the goal is to have maximum footprint on the track surface. Many people let some air out of their rear tires to increase the flex in the sidewall at the launch. If too much air is let out and the sidewall is somewhat stiff (like a street tire) the center of the tire "cups" and loses contact with the track surface reducing traction which often results in spinning the tires.

The goal is to reduce pressure enough to relax the sidewall while not cupping the tires. You can check this out by dropping the pressure and getting on it and examining the tire tracks on clean pavement.

Make a few test launches and come up with the best tire pressure for your car. Back when I ran drag radials I used between 18-22 pounds in the rear tires.

The front tires you can blow up a bit (not too much). Put just enough air in them to stiffen them up so the outside and inside edges come off the pavement. This will reduce the contact area and minimize the dragging of water to the starting line.

A line lock is of great assistance in obtaining a consistent burnout.