Help, need advice!
 

Although I am almost 70 yo and have not drag raced in over 50 yrs, my ability to do my car justice was a total bust when I raced it for the first time yesterday. I am so disappointed in myself and need advice to get better. DA was ~ 1300. Let me start by explaining what I did. 1) arrived at track with 5/8 tank; 2) immediately lowered tire pressure on DRs to 25 lbs hot; 3) not able to do a burnout very well; 4) launched car at 3K; 5) encountered lots of wheel spin; 6) not sure if I had totally pressed go pedal all the way throughout the run, but I know when I shifted gears I took foot completely off the gas. Everything just happened so fast, and my reflexes suck. Being an M6 on DRs, I was also a bit concerned about breaking a DS or axle. Anyway, I didn't expect to be quite this bad and it makes me wonder if I am just too old to be screwing with an M6 car. I think the car should easily be capable of sub 11.5 runs. What do you see from the time slip and what can I do to improve or is it time to hand in the man card?

Which time was yours? MPH of both cars is 116, that’s not typical of a sub-11.5 car IMO.

Right lane. I think the MPH was very low due to all the wheel spin.

Well I'm almost 67 and I've drag raced for 50 years and had a lot of stick cars but learned my lesson on a c5 head and cam vet. Never again, love my autos now.

I'm 63 and gave up on racing stick cars about 40 years ago .. No shame in running a auto at any age ..

Was this Saturday at LSC event? If so I was there. Your 60ft could be better with DR but this is what I got on the OEM tires, feathering clutch at 2500 launch and using no lift shift. Seems like you maybe lost time on shifting?



60ft 2.05
1/8 7.95
1/4 12.10
mph 118.9

Yes at LSC event. I was definitely spinning big time even with DRs, totally lifted off go pedal on each shift and did not check the RPMs before shifting. A shift light would be helpful. I also wish the car had line lock, as it would be easier for me to do a burnout that way, as I really did not get the DRs heated after driving thru water box, just cleaned them off a little. I am going to need a lot more practice at Northstar, but that may not happen until next year.

If you didn't turn the tires over in the water box before the burnout attempt, it can make doing one more difficult. Once your back tires are in the water just lightly gun it to spin the tires just a bit. Roll on out of the water box, then floor it and pop the clutch. Once you have good wheel speed, you can back off the throttle a bit and kind of blip it, so you're not sitting there banging the rev limiter. If your car will do a second gear burnout, you may want to use second, but you should be able to build enough heat either way. You don't have to do a John Force burnout. As long as you get a little smoke, you should be fine with most drag radials, but some tires do need more heat than others. You may also need to lower your air pressure more depending on the track. Some require going as low as 12 psi. Takes some testing to find what works best for your car and track.

I always used no lift shifting, even on the older cars that didn't have the electronic NLS. If you don't feel comfortable doing NLS, try just barely backing off the throttle. Either way will provide a good shove in the back after each shift, if you have decent grip, and will help raise your speed and lower your ET. Make sure you are on the mat all the way through the last set of timing lines. Many will lift early when first getting into drag racing. Of course there are some cars that are too fast to hold on the floor through the 1/4 on tracks with a shorter shutdown area, but you shouldn't have to worry about that. My track has a short shutdown and guys cross at 150 and more with enough time to slow and make the turn. I do 130+ myself with full width tires and great brakes, so I'm nowhere near the limit.

Try running with less fuel. As long as you're not hurting your 60, less fuel is less weight, and will improve both your time and speed.

I think it's a little early to decide that you are 'too old'. The big issue is being away from racing for 50 years. Seat time is needed to keep your skills up, and being away for so long has let those skills atrophy considerably. My thought is that you should get some more practice.

You never to old, there is always the little blue pill. Haha

Thanks guys for the advice and encouragement. I take a little blue pill, but its for BP, still plenty of lead in the pencil.

Here is some of the advice I have received from different sources:

Lower DR pressure to the 18-20 lb range and experiment from there.

Burnout, I was told to drive thru water box and do a 2nd gear burnout in the damp area. I did my burnout at ~ 3500 in the damp area and did not floor it. Car did pull to the side so I let off. I have heard you should put your foot lightly on the brake to keep car straight, but I did not do that either.

Launch at 4000, do not dump clutch and progressively apply go peddle until car hooks, then floor it.

Use NLS

Edit - I forgot to mention one other tip, leave on the second yellow.

With these DRs I wonder how the DS and axles will hold up? I understand the 1LE axles are more like ZL1s so maybe those will fair better than those on a regular SS. I guess I should also install a DS safety loop in case the DS goes or would it be a good idea to replace with G Force? I know bias ply is recommended for manual cars, but I wanted to get a better effective rear ratio with a 26" tire (MT ET Street R 275/40/17), as the MT ET Steet Rs bias ply are 28". Why MT does not offer the bias ply in a 26" tire I do not understand.