Further Tips

[ttshark]

I'm hitting the drags in two weeks. Does anyone have any specific and very essential tips as I will be competing with all my mates that have honda engine swaps pulling at least 20HP more than myself. I need to at least keep mazda dignity.

So far I will be doing the following:
*Engine Oil just changed to 5w-30
*Will be changing to Redline MT-90 for tranny
*Will be stripping back seats, spare tyre, amp and sub and possibly passenger seat
*Running a maximum half tank of 98 Premium Octane
*Keeping my worn tyres on as they now resemble a semi-slick tread
*Launching around 2300RPM
*Riding clutch for just under a second for 1st and 2nd gear
*Running the heater on high in between runs to cool the engine core

One question, will removing the belly tray under the engine cause more drag and hence lose precious time?

[HefMS6]

The belly pan on our cars is an areo piece that the engineers put on to aid in fuel economy (fairly common trick). With it removed it may produce a better cooling effect for the engine, but will definitely add to the turbulent air flow under the vehicle and therefore increase drag.

[ttshark]

okay so belly pan stays in. I'm going to take my engine cover off and also drain my oversize wiper fluid bottle as less weight up front gives better response.

Any other tips?

[MrTea]

well i think the biggest improvement thus far that didn't cost anything for a trip to the strip was bluestreak (sp?) removed his exhuast and ran open. takes like 50lbs off the car or more and aids the top end quite a bit.....you could get some practice pulling it off at home so it's only a 3min job at the track?

also, keep in mind that worn street tires are just that, WORN street tires. though they might look like slicks, the compound is still a street tire. sometimes running more tread and a bit lower pressure can help...but it takes some playing. have to test it though. also, run like 50psi (or as high as you feel safe) in the back.

[Business]

QUOTE (ttshark @ Aug 4 2009, 08:57 AM)

I'm hitting the drags in two weeks. Does anyone have any specific and very essential tips as I will be competing with all my mates that have honda engine swaps pulling at least 20HP more than myself. I need to at least keep mazda dignity.

*Launching around 2300RPM

One question, will removing the belly tray under the engine cause more drag and hence lose precious time?[/b]

This seems like an awful lot of crap just to try to keep up with your friends. Realize that you're outgunned and accept that before ever going to the track or you're probably going to break something. Being distracted/preoccupied with "keeping up" is never a good thing.

So, beyond that, I don't see why you'd launch at 2300rpm. If I had a manual and I was back doing drag runs I'd launch at 3-4k. Also, keep the splash guard on. I ran without it for over a year and there wasn't a difference.

[ttshark]

QUOTE (Business @ Aug 6 2009, 12:10 AM)

This seems like an awful lot of crap just to try to keep up with your friends. Realize that you're outgunned and accept that before ever going to the track or you're probably going to break something. Being distracted/preoccupied with "keeping up" is never a good thing.

So, beyond that, I don't see why you'd launch at 2300rpm. If I had a manual and I was back doing drag runs I'd launch at 3-4k. Also, keep the splash guard on. I ran without it for over a year and there wasn't a difference.[/b]

I was just following the tips section for launching. I am not entirely sure if I am allowed to run without the exhaust because our regulations are pretty strict, I will see if I can because that sounds great.

I know I am going to be beaten by some but I must say that I know for a fact that my mates honda that is 30kw faster I have kept up with and his car is weight reduced (mainly because he doesn't know how to shift quickly which I will use to my advantage). So I figure if I weight reduce also I will have a greater chance. I was told by someone else recently that the street tyre is hard so being slick it will suck so what if I lower the pressure somewhat on the front?

[FluffySheepBoy]

QUOTE (ttshark @ Aug 6 2009, 04:31 PM)

I was just following the tips section for launching. I am not entirely sure if I am allowed to run without the exhaust because our regulations are pretty strict, I will see if I can because that sounds great.

I know I am going to be beaten by some but I must say that I know for a fact that my mates honda that is 30kw faster I have kept up with and his car is weight reduced (mainly because he doesn't know how to shift quickly which I will use to my advantage). So I figure if I weight reduce also I will have a greater chance. I was told by someone else recently that the street tyre is hard so being slick it will suck so what if I lower the pressure somewhat on the front?[/b]

yeah i think worn tires are gunna be a bad idea because they have a hard compound and wont grip that well without tread on them. if your gunna run them like that then you better heat those suckers up really good before launching. lol but be careful not to blow them. Good luck and show those hondas whats up.

[MrTea]

a lot of strips drop a bit of water in teh burnout box to help get things moving there, if you are running street tires, i'd recommend just driving around it and skipping the burn out. street tires aren't meant to be that hot, and the added tack of the strip will naturally aid the lauch....no point in overheating the tires when it won't help.

bit lower pressure in front and higher pressure in rear. but i would highly suggest googling whatever brand tire you are running and "1/4 mile" or "strip" or "racing"...whatever, see what others have played with on that tire.

[ttshark]

well I still have the tyres that came with the rx-8 wheels. Put it this way, whoever owned that rx-8 was the tightest when it came to tyres. Cheapest of the cheap!

I'm thinking i'll run on my 16" steelies instead because they have tread and at least they are way lighter. The only thing that worries me is the much thinner wheel base.