Well y'all my first test and tune night is next Saturday at the local dragstrip. I've never set foot on a dragstrip much less ran a car so I'm rather ignorant to the whole process. Some advice from the veterans on the board would be much appreciated. I know they sell 120 octane gas their and I'd like to try a tank in my car. I know I need a helmet and seat belts, I don't know about a shoulder harness? Is the burnout pit asphalt with water on it? Can I burn my street tires (15x8) without worrying about damaging my rear end or worse? I just put a nine inch rear under it with a Moser locker and 3:25 gears...its an automatic. Do you hold your RPM's at a consistent level during a burnout if so what level. Sorry for such a long post but I really need some good advice from some of the seasoned vets on the board. As far as I know I'm one of the only guys that runs a Maverick and I don't want to embarass myself or fellow Mav owners. Thx in advance, Rick
I guess I'll jump in here and maybe help you understand the process a bit. Burnout boxes differ from track to track but ours has to water troughs to wet the tires. Some just spray water on the ground for you to get into. Street tires need little heating and in some cases are better off with no burnout. Just rev high enough to get them spinning and thats it. One thing the tracks require is that you do not start to burnout while there are cars at the line. Wait until they launch and the starting grid is clear. To not ramble on in this post, the best thing to do is go up close to the burnout pad and start line and just watch what others are doing and then try to duplicate it somewhat. Practice is going to be your best teacher, the key is doing the same thing each time consistantly. Don't feel embarrassed if you screw up, we have all been there and done that. Have fun first and then think about kicken butt later. Our first TNT is tomorrow and I am anxious to see how my new 331 performs in the Fairmont. The Mav is not finished but young sons 84 Stang is going to make some passes too. Good luck and I bet after the first pass down the strip, you will be hooked on it like many of us here. Be fast and be safe but don't overdrive it unless you feel comfortable after some good runs.
Unless you are running at some real back woods track, there should be a couple of track officials to motion you along. Just watch for them. They are there to keep things safe and get you through in the most organized manner possible. There will probably be someone in the staging lanes to tell you when to move ahead, someone to motion you into the burn out box and to tell you when to do your burnout. Someone may motion you to stage. Before you line up, you might want to just ask the person in the pits next to you a few questions. Most tracks have different lanes for class even in test-n-tune. Ask what lanes do street cars with DOT tires line up in? Several tracks here in the southeast run ProTree lights for street class. Pro Tree flashes all three yellow lights at the same time and then green instead of the 1 yellow, 2 yellow, 3 yelow, green. Find out what kind of light you are running before you get to the line. Make your run If you beat the guy ahead of you, watch in your rearview and enjoy the moment - but be courteous and if you have to merge over into his lane to make the turn up the return lane watch to make sure he can get stopped if you cut over. If you are behind at the lights, use the same courtesy and expect that the guy in front of you might have to cross your lane to to return. Don't speed up the return lane or in the pits. Watch out for other people - and most of all HAVE FUN!!!!!!! :bananaman
all the tracks i run at will let you know if you cross over in front of another car to turn off on. all the tracks i run exit to the left. therefore the car on the left turns off first even if you have to stop and wait for him to catch up. this way no one passes in front of another. just think what would happen if the car in the left is a lot faster, but stalls off of the line. just when your turning left, he got started again and is coming at a 100mph. also many tracks don't like you to do a burnout if you are running street tires. if you do a burnout usually there will be a guy at the starting line to tell you when to start. watch what the cars in front of you do. most of all "HAVE FUN".
woohoo! Rick- I'm excited for you! I'm hoping to finally make it to the strip this year too and it'll be my first time. I can't wait. Have a great time and take pictures and even video if you can.
burnouts this may sound way off the norm but, Last summer ,my first race I ran street tires p245/60/r14, As most people say with street tires you are better off not doing a burn out, I tried this my first run, I left the line with alot of whell spin,after five runs with increasing burnouts, by the last run I did a monster burnout a good 10 sec, were talking major tire smoke, I left the line and no wheel spin at all my best run. Doing the burnout on MY street tires seemed to work for me ...just my $.02 This yr a whole different setup, first time with slicks, time to learn all over! Most of all have fun!!
You will have to go through tech inspection first. Make sure there is nothing loose or hanging under the car and you have nothing leaking. The 2 biggest things I have seen that will fail you in tech inspection is battery not properly secured and radiator overflow vented to the ground. Make sure you have a catch can for the overflow and bolt the battery down.
Also depending on your motor, I wouldn't waste my money on the racing fuel, unless you have a motor that needs it. From what I've read the fuel for any motor is the one just above where it would octane ping or knock. If you drive around o the street and get on it and there is no ping keep using that fuel.
Thx for all the good advice guys...keep it coming. Ray the anticipation is killin me...is it Saturday yet I think on the first pass I'll abstain form the burnout and see how she hooks up then go from there. Good thing I just put a catch can on it too. Ward your right about the pinging...I have some on the high end when I get into it and I'm runnin high test so I think I'll try some of the 120 they have.
Hey Riporter, dont know alot about the drag strip, but have fun, and good luck! Hope everything goes good. Thom
rick, good post. my son is taking the mav. next sat. i was going to ask the same ??? m.a.v. could you tell me something about t.n.t. at macon nat. dragway? thanks guys for the info...frank...:bananaman :bananaman
I'd try Octane Booster First.. Rick, I'd recommend trying some octane booster first. I don't know how much racing gas is in your area, but it costs me a little over $5 per gallon here, and I'll tell you right now...that gets old quick! Entry fees, sodas, food, tow vehicle gas, racing gas, hopefully not a buy-back, but if I have to I will....It all adds up. It's not anything for me to spend well over a $100 on a race night. But to me, it's worth every penny. It's a pretty expensive hobby you're undertaking, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. Try the octane booster, learn the basics, HAVE SOME FUN! I've seen too many guys come into the sport with big ideas of winning money and trying to be the fastest guy around. That's ok, I hope to aspire to that someday(come on lottery tickets ), but as it stands right now, I'm still participating in the sport, and most of those guys are long gone, only to be replaced with a new crop every couple of years. Don't get in over your head, and enjoy yourself. Your car will run what it's going to run. if you stick it out, quicker times will come. There's a whole lot more to bracket racing than meets the eye. You're going to see that it's not as easy as some folks make it look. You'll get the hang of it, and it truly is a blast. Just don't burn yourself out on it before you enjoy all of the fun that it can provide. I think that you'll find that racers are some of the nicest folks around. They'll help you out with anything you need. You may just have to ask someone sometime. Good luck at the track, don't be shy about asking something if you don't know, and make it happen. After you make that first trip down the track, you won't be able to wait for your second pass. Hell, it's worse than I imagine heroin to be. I don't know how many thousands of passes I've made down the track over the years, and I still get butterflies at big races . Be sure and let us know how it turns out, and take a lot of pictures. Oh Yeah....Wear Em Out!!!!!!! Sorry so Long, but I'm at work, and I'm bored.
Stripped a gear Well there wont be any test and tune for me Saturday. I put the new rims and tires on the rear and decided to see how she would hookup...Well she hooked up so good I stripped a gear or broke a tooth off...sounded like a rock rolling around in the rear end when I pulled back in the shop. It was a used set of gears...I shoulda known better. I'll pull the pumpkin tomorrow and have a new set in by next weekend for sure, gonna go from a 3:25 to a 3:55. I'm bummed out to say the least but I'm glad it did it now and not at the track. BTW guys thanks for the tip on the octane booster...I put one bottle in and it helped some...so I added another bottle and it cleared it right up...no pinging whatsoever...and a nice little boost to boot
