FWD Launching Techniques?

[Jnr Teggy]

hey there..

just wondering what you guys have found to be most effective?


i find that holding the revs at about 6k and slipping the clutch enough to allow a little spin works well..



anyone else?

[wynode]

6K!! ?? Thats heaps!

Not sure if you run a hydraulic clutch but with my old yokohamas, the optimal point was around 3.5K and then let the clutch out reasonably slowly. But its hard with a hydraulic and sports clutch.

I still get crap loads of wheel spin though. Less than 3K rpm and the engine bogs down.

[Jnr Teggy]

hey..

i forgot to mention that i am running an Exedy (daikin) 4 puck ceramic brass button clutch with cable actuation

[INFLYT]

I'll have to see what work's when I hit the strip!

[totti]

inflyt - you better start practicing on the streets, because you don't wanna waste your 3 runs

[Jnr Teggy]

inflyt - you better start practicing on the streets, because you don't wanna waste your 3 runs

totti...the stip is NOTHING even close to the strip..

so don't waste too much time...tyres and clutch on the street..


have a go...get an idea..then fine tune it on the strip :)

[INFLYT]

Beleive me there's been plenty of practice. First time out will be a case of seeing if my tyre selection is a good one. (We're running some fat Falken Azenis on the two front's at the moment) :D

[mo]

what can i contribute? im auto...just floor it? :lol:
and thing is...i can actually get to the redline :?: :?: :?:

[Weq]

If u are an auto boy, u should learn to brake touque.

[mo]

yea maybe u guys can teach me when we cruise out

[Jnr Teggy]

legally of course ;)

[wynode]

For an auto, basically the best way is to put it in drive, plant your foot on the brake.......then rev it out (so the car kinda lurks forward a bit)......then release the brake and floor it (in quick sucession).

Thats the quickest way to get off the mark.

[mo]

hrmm yea i've tried ur way wynode, but i actually get wheelspin when i do that...not for a long time though...is that normal?

any harm to my engine?

[Jnr Teggy]

it wont harm the engine..

but it wont be doing your gearbox any favours so don't do it too often!

wheelspin is fine, probably a good thing if you really need to get moving,..

[wynode]

Its OK to do every so often, but it is a lot better than revving it in neutral then slamming it into drive (yes some people do that).

A little wheel spin is OK (just a chirp). You have to practise and get the best combination of the gas pedal vs. brake etc.

[mo]

ahhh...yea i've tried using both my feet before
like one on brake and other on gas and i get off way quicker than just one foot...

yea i dont do it too often...just whenever i have that tiny urge :wink:

[JayDC5R]

@ the creek, I hold the revs at 4,500-5,000 and slip the clutch a bit, that's running 18psi in the tyres though... best 60' I get is 2.3sec...
On the street nothing more than 3Gs... too much wheel spin :(

[Teggy-Vtir]

One of my mate owns an EG civic SI, wenever he runs.. he lunch his car at roughly 5 gran. He gets everyone on his launch. =)

[wynode]

One of my mate owns an EG civic SI, wenever he runs.. he lunch his car at roughly 5 gran. He gets everyone on his launch. =)

What with all the smoke?

[Teggy-Vtir]

yupz from his exhaust =)
I used to b able to launch my civic at 5gran, until i got a new clutch for my car, den all i got was a big burn out, so now i lunch it at 3.5 =)

[A.C.S DRAG]

The key to good luaches and winning a race is TIRES. being fwd, it is very hard to get traction to luanch without wheelspinning or bogging down. my techinique, get yourself some Falken azenis tires. warm them up, then let her rip at 5500 rpm. then watch your launch ;)

[INFLYT]

Yep, Im with A.C.S DRAG that the Falken Azenis are quality whether on the street, or track, as that's what im using. :wink:

[Trust-Me]

i read in a Hot4s mag a while back it had techniques on launchin a FWD...it was something crazy like lettin half ur front tyre down and to harden the suspension for the rear... :shock:

my best time on the road is when i dropped it at around 4500-5000 rpm..
never track it yet, will someday :wink:

[dc2r]

yeah... if you let your tyres down (take air out) then there will be more surface area from the tyre to actually 'grip' onto the road, therefore giving you a better launch. But be careful because letting too much air out will cause you to lose top end speed... but this is only really good for the track, not for the street...

[Trust-Me]

yeah i wouldnt do it to my tyres, kinda recks the trye wall because its so flat!!! but i would stiffen the rear suspension.

[INFLYT]

So what would be recommended tyre pressure on a pair of Falken Azenis on the front's, for a night out at Eastern Creek?

[Trust-Me]

well i never been to a track before, but if i did go would prob let some air out but i wouldnt got half flat unless that tyre was only use for drag purpose only...IMO

[EG_2_TEG]

One of my mate owns an EG civic SI, wenever he runs.. he lunch his car at roughly 5 gran. He gets everyone on his launch. =)

my Vti Civic I had, 5k launches were da bomb!
launch rite up in VTEC

chopped a R33 GTS-T. he could only catch up after like 100km/h

[wynode]

VTEC won't actually engage while you are idling ;)

[EG_2_TEG]

but as soon as i dropped the clutch it would be right up in VTEC right?

cos da rev's didn't drop under 5k durin launch

[wynode]

Yeah.

But technically speaking you can't actually launch in VTEC ;)

On normal tyres, getting traction at 5K+ RPM is pretty tough!

[vti-2]

But technically speaking you can't actually launch in VTEC

On normal tyres, getting traction at 5K+ RPM is pretty tough!

You can but you get stupid amounts of wheel spin. :mrgreen:

With street cars that aren't heavily modified, good launches happen between 3 - 4,000RPM depending on tyres.

[A'PEXi]

similar technique for a turbo?

[EG_2_TEG]

with my civic, 5k launches were easy with minimal wheelspin

in my teg, anything above 3k results in big wheelspin :?

and yeah, i can agree with vti-2 about different types of tyres

[bennjamin]

in my D16a8 powered EG5...



Handbrake up - 1st gear....

foot firmly on clutch, revs hovering about 4.5k...

on the word (GO!)dump/feather clutch+feather accelerator/floor it, dump handbrake...BANG into 2nd ( or crunch lol) and hold on !

BTW i have semi slick falken azenis on the front for abit of an advantage
8)
not that i would know anything about drag racing :roll:

ben

[wynode]

on the word (GO!)dump/feather clutch+feather accelerator/floor it, dump handbrake...BANG into 2nd ( or crunch lol) and hold on !


LOL ur a classic ben!!

But yeahh those semi slicks make a big difference. I get major wheel hop. Need new shocks :(

But yeah, on normal street tyres around 3-4000RPM.

[Civic Type R]

But technically speaking you can't actually launch in VTEC On normal tyres, getting traction at 5K+ RPM is pretty tough!
You can but you get stupid amounts of wheel spin. :mrgreen:
Tell me about it !
Ive got vids at home from Kwinana motorplex with about 5 2.9 sec 60foot times - due to some serious wheel spinning.
:shock:

[INFLYT]

So can anyone here say that they've proven these theories on the drag strip?

[Civic Type R]

Ive had 8 passes so far at the drag strip.

6 of them i kept spinning the tyres when dumping the clutch at 3k -3.55 rpm.

2 passes were done at 2.5k rpm and i bogged :(

My conclusion was my launch technique was crap and add to that i did everything wrong on the day.
Things i learnt :
1. reduce front tyre pressure to 20psi
2. turn OFF all accessories and or remove them
3. turn heater to ON but only to level 1 fan
4. turn Aircon OFF
5. remove all unnessarey items like Hungry Jacks vouchers etc.
6. hold the throttle at 4000rpm and on the 3rd orange slowly but briskly ease off the clutch to slingshot you off the line.
7. Do a burnout before you launch it.
8. too fast off the clutch and you will spin the wheels.
9. remove radar detector, all stereo equipment + spare tyre etc.

I dragged a VP SS who got a 20 sec pass. :x He was spinning the wheels all the way down the track and damn the screeching sound is awful !

[dc2r]

why do you turn the heater on?

[bennjamin]

why do you turn the heater on?

this is to reduce under bonnet / engine tempretures...it basically vents all the hot air into the cabin stead of in and around the engine...keeps it alittle cooler !


Or atleast thats my theory. I once drove a mates VW beetle form Brisbane to Sydney in 1 nite....the only thing keeping it together was that i had the heater on all teh way :)

[wynode]

The heater takes heat from the engine cooling system, so turning the heater on helps keep the engine cooler.

Either that or he was COLD ;)

[Civic Type R]

You hit the nail on the head :)

[dc2r]

That's all good and true about the heater taking heat away from the engine cooling system... BUT... Doesn't turning the fan on decrease power? I have felt the power when accelerating with the fan on and off and you have to work harder when its on. So what is better? Losing power by having the heater on, or getting rid of the heat in your engine bay?

[LatinoHatchCrap]

dayum this is really interesting guys...so i guess practicing is the key since every setup is diffrent

[JayDC5R]

So can anyone here say that they've proven these theories on the drag strip?

I've had several passes @ EC...

Tyre's at about 19-22 psi
Launch at 4000rpms...
Constant 2.3-2.4 60" on stock rubber... need some semi slicks...

[pgclee]

depends what tyre and where you launch the car..

it is so much difference if you launch on the street than on the drag strip..

i'm using a semi slicks...and i launch on the street darn well...around 4.8k and after slightly releasing and dumping the clutch all the way and let the power floor onto the ground, and you will feel the car is pulling away from its starting ground pretty quick...or if you can feel like you launch it then you feel something like a rolling start, then is a great launch..

but in drag strip...i don't think that you can launch it there...i mean within 4.8k rpm...very hard to control the power as the strip has rubber and it's grippy...but did you all notice something?...most car that launch well with a high rev is rear wheel drive car...it's because their burnt rubber are at the rear and left little infront...so FWD car won't really launch well in the drag strip...slippery...and you can't get the power down....unless you want to improve your time, after market 3rd,4th and 5th gear, 4.785 or 4.929 final drive and a better LSD will at least bring you down another half sec dude...

conclusion..the more money you have, the faster the car goes..

[karbonphyber]

hey there..

just wondering what you guys have found to be most effective?


i find that holding the revs at about 6k and slipping the clutch enough to allow a little spin works well..



anyone else?

it's different between cars. but generally...... fwds need a high launch to be able to get the car moving.

different drivetrains require different techniques, which in this case... there's only 4wd, fwd and rwd. lol

cheers mate.

the ideal launching technique would be minimum slip maximum traction. keep that in mind as you launch. hanging at 6krpm with your clutch burning wouldn't be such a good idea unless you're sponsored with new clutches everytime u do that =o)

aim for a dump but do maintain your car all the time - know that what you do has an effect on your beloved car - take care of it.


maybe you should try doing timings to ensure that you get best timings - that's what i do. just try launching the car and accept all the 'data' you get from the launch and determine if the car goes well on high/low rpm launch. all the more is..... just look at the specs =o)