[msowers22]

I'm running a 1/2 drag in Ocala this weekend, I'm using this advice below. Is it solid?

turn all nannies off and don't use PTM or launch control. Hold down the traction control button for 5-7 seconds until both stabilitrak and TC lights illuminate. Do a standard burnout and brake torque to 1100 rpm and go. The torque management is terrible in 1st and 2nd gear so the best 60' you will manage should be 1.69-1.74. Leave the gear selector in "D" and don't use the paddles. On the settings screen, default the exhaust to Track and suspension to "tour". Place the console button in sport to utilize the performance shift mode. Have fun!

[RDBill]

I'm curious what the responses will be but with traction control off imo you're just going to roast the rear tires

[Exorcised]

I was hoping to make this event, but the wife is in Canada and I am stuck on kid patrol. It’s all going to depend on track condition. Sometimes the air fields have a lot of sand and such on them. Traction control might be good to have on until you get a feel for the conditions your dealing with. Have fun.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by msowers22

I'm running a 1/2 drag in Ocala this weekend, I'm using this advice below. Is it solid?

turn all nannies off and don't use PTM or launch control. Hold down the traction control button for 5-7 seconds until both stabilitrak and TC lights illuminate. Do a standard burnout and brake torque to 1100 rpm and go. The torque management is terrible in 1st and 2nd gear so the best 60' you will manage should be 1.69-1.74. Leave the gear selector in "D" and don't use the paddles. On the settings screen, default the exhaust to Track and suspension to "tour". Place the console button in sport to utilize the performance shift mode. Have fun!

Sounds like great advice for a drag strip.... and 1/4 mile.... The event you are going to is not on a prepped track.... There is no 60 foot time.... and you'll reach far greater speeds than on any drag strip... It just takes a bit of finesse to go fast in most cases....

I would leave the nannies on, put it in drive, or manual mode if you like to paddle shift it, and roll aggressively (do not whack it, you'll spin and possibly end up in the grass with folks laughing, because they hope secretly that doesn't happen to them) into the throttle off the line, getting a feel for her as you go.... You wont set any world records on your first pass, so no sense in trying....

Make a couple of passes and see how it feels.... You'll have time to push harder if all feels good.... I run the air pressure in the rears 2 psi below the max rated pressure, and the fronts at the recommended pressure.... Make darn sure the fronts and rears are equal side to side.... Traction is going to be your biggest enemy....I don't recommend for street tires a big smoky burnout like you see in my profile avatar... You might break them loose a bit to knock the sand and dust off of them, though if you heat them much it'll get right back on there before you stage...

Heat is another issue... I don't recommend hot lapping.... Give the car time to cool between runs... A half mile at WOT is rougher on a car than a 1/4 mile.... I recommend you open the hood, and reach up to the firewall top, and remove the rubber weather seal there... It spans the width of the engine bay.... Toss it in the trunk, and you can reinstall it after the event.... This will allow a huge amount of heat out both during and after your passes....

Contrary to the rules usually involved at a lot of these type events, I recommend a full face helmet, and a fire rated jacket with long pants at a minimum.... I would also wear preferably racing gloves....

What tires are you running, if street tires, like the factory tires, or equivalent, then ignore this...

If you are running drag radials and skinnies, don't..... you can run the drag radials, though I don't recommend it.... but do not run skinnies on the front.... These cars are too heavy for those tires at the speeds you could possibly run.... If you get even a little bit sideways, you will want the bigger beefier tires on the front.... I run 285/20 Goodyear Eagles on the front of mine and have done so up to 225 + mph.... I run Hoosiers on the back....

Most of all, have fun, don't worry about setting the world on fire.... And post pictures or speeds after the event...

[msowers22]

Thank you for the sage and informative post. It makes sense to me.......get a feel, take my time, learn and and adjust little as I ago. Nannies on, smooth push on the pedal at the start, plenty of length to catch up. I'm running the stock Goodyears, why that much more pressure in the rear? (I'll make sure they are even)

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by msowers22

Thank you for the sage and informative post. It makes sense to me.......get a feel, take my time, learn and and adjust little as I ago. Nannies on, smooth push on the pedal at the start, plenty of length to catch up. I'm running the stock Goodyears, why that much more pressure in the rear? (I'll make sure they are even)

You are aiming for high speeds, over a distance, and you are not on a prepped track.. it is not a “drag race” type of launch... you can leave pretty hard, but try not to spin... you want stability above all else...

I may not have stated the pressures well... if on the sidewall it says 36 psi... blah blah blah... then run that on the fronts, and 2-4 psi less in the rear... I run two psi less in my rears... the friction from acceleration and physical forces at speed will probably increase them to 40 plus psi prior to the end of your half mile... the fronts are along for the ride unless you get bad out of shape... then you want them at max capability... on a prepped track I would reduce rear pressures, but not here... you won’t get any sidewall flex on this launch... and those tires... so help the tires out... if you like, I could post a video of my launch or others at Mile events, or you can find them on YouTube...

[msowers22]

I got it! Than you so much for taking the time for the insights.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by msowers22

I got it! Than you so much for taking the time for the insights.

No problem, good luck and have a crap ton of fun....

[17CamaroZL1]

Sounds like you've been given good advise. Your original post is pretty much spot on for a prepped dragstrip. One small change I'd suggest, simply because of simplicity, is if you're going to run in Sport Mode, instead of doing the hold until all off, simply do a quick double tap of the TC button. You should see a message on the dash that says Competitive Mode Active. This gives you the same results as holding until all off and is much faster to do. That's what I do at the strip. This mode also has a very simple launch control available if you want to try it. Simply stand on the brakes good and hard, smash the accelerator to the floor real quick, and the RPM should level out around 1200 (if I remember right). I've only tried this on some backroads a few times and it seems to roll into the throttle a little slower than the custom launch control and spun less, so it might even work for your half mile event. You could always hit the TC button right after your launch to turn all the nannies back on in case you need them during the remainder of the pass.

[17CamaroZL1]

More than likely, just leaving all nannies on and controlling the launch yourself will work best on the unprepped surface. It has in my experience. This is why I still haven't even tried to use launch control at the dragstrip. If the drag radials I have now show a big difference on a prepped track like they did on the unprepped track I tried them on, I will finally test launch control.

[SSE 4 2SS]

Any updates on how it went today.... A coupe of my friends are there, one with a ZL1 Camaro, 5th Gen, and the other with a C6 Vette.... Both with M2K....

[Jimabe]

I raced a 1/2 mile event last year in Michigan.
Did it on stock tires inflated to 33 all way around. It was mid 90s and yes the pressures went up 36-37 during the session. We did a morning session then afternoon session. We had no choice but to hot lap and did 6 consecutive runs in each. First run was fastest for all of us as heat soak knocked timing out. Lost up to 5 mph during each session.

I hit traction control twice and put in race mode. Tried launch control once and sucked for me. Found leaving in D with very slight feather off line then full monster mash worked best. No burnout as top speed only concern. On last run ended up burning plug wire on LTs and towed home so watch that stuff if u have headers.

Am going to try sport mode a few times this year and see if that makes any launch difference but I doubt it. As stated traction from dig is not prepped so launching w least amount of spin is the goal. Worst thing is the guy in next lane grudge race gets out on u if he not spinning��

I got drag radials this year for 1/4 mike racing but don’t think I will put on for the 1/2 mile. They are 17” with more side wall and seemed a little more squirrelly. At 160, think I want the stability of the stock tires

Also going to add weapon x cooling to see if that helps traps speeds from heat soak.

Have fun!

[SSE 4 2SS]

Originally Posted by Jimabe

I raced a 1/2 mile event last year in Michigan.
Did it on stock tires inflated to 33 all way around. It was mid 90s and yes the pressures went up 36-37 during the session. We did a morning session then afternoon session. We had no choice but to hot lap and did 6 consecutive runs in each. First run was fastest for all of us as heat soak knocked timing out. Lost up to 5 mph during each session.

I hit traction control twice and put in race mode. Tried launch control once and sucked for me. Found leaving in D with very slight feather off line then full monster mash worked best. No burnout as top speed only concern. On last run ended up burning plug wire on LTs and towed home so watch that stuff if u have headers.

Am going to try sport mode a few times this year and see if that makes any launch difference but I doubt it. As stated traction from dig is not prepped so launching w least amount of spin is the goal. Worst thing is the guy in next lane grudge race gets out on u if he not spinning��

I got drag radials this year for 1/4 mike racing but don’t think I will put on for the 1/2 mile. They are 17” with more side wall and seemed a little more squirrelly. At 160, think I want the stability of the stock tires

Also going to add weapon x cooling to see if that helps traps speeds from heat soak.

Have fun!

Couple of questions....

I understand you stating there were two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, did you run both, and were you mandated to run every pass possible.... I'm just thinking it's your car, and I wouldn't let anyone tell me I had to run if the car is heat soaked.... In the Mile events I run, they run from dry track sunup time in the am, until lunch, and then again after lunch until sunset30.... Some folks tried to run every pass they could, and others set a goal and tried to reach that.... With my car, and the complexity of it, and the power level, my goal was two passes a day for three days.... If I was in a normal power range, I might have tried for maybe three a day, but not to the potential detriment of my car.... Just curious...

Next, and this is for your safety and the longevity of your car.... You may be side by side with another car on the grid, with a start tree.... but there is no clock and no need to launch with the lights.... My car launched with all the rapidity of a battleship in mud, and most any other car would out run me off the line, but I'll pass 99 percent of all other cars by the 1/4 to 1/2 mile... I also know my car can get really really loose... and... I've seen others in relatively stock powered cars, or lightly modified cars that couldn't drive for crap, so there is no way I would run side by side with another car.... Fortunately, the Standing Mile events are one lane, one car.... and so I didn't have to worry about others.... Having said all of that, why not let the other car take off with the lights and head down track, and when it's a safe distance out, then launch your car and know you are safe.... If the other car loses it, you have plenty of time to stop, and it's not like you are racing them, you are racing an inanimate speed trap....

[msowers22]

The day was really a ton of fun! It was measured on speed not time at the end of the 1/2 mile. You did get speed at the quarter mile too. I did 9 runs and averaged between 143.5 to just over 145. I started experimenting with line lock and competition mode and it was not quite as good. I tried no nannies too, that was super squirrelly. The best (and easiest) was S mode full nannies and a nice even push to the floor over a couple seconds.

Thank you again for the advice. Its is a much different game than a 1/4 mile run.