Do a good burnout(watch for smoke and listen till I hear the tires to start pulling the motor down). I have used the same technique on all my "tired" cars. Shallow stage then bring RPM until the car starts to rise (usally about 1500) last yellow hit it and hang on. My 70 has quick time pros (28x11.5)with the 454 in the car it 60' 1.63-1.65. The car now has 405 small block and a tight 2500 stall and goes 1.73-1.75.

 

Definition of a good burnout?

There is a clip of my car doing a good burn out at the very end of this Street Car Shootout video.

http://teamprickracing.com/RealStreet.wmv

 

Just don't understand how many of you guys can leave at the start of the third amber and not red light ???

My car is consistent at 1.80 sixty foot and I am very careful in staging the same. Have to leave in the middle of the third amber to cut a good light. Just a shade early from middle of amber and she goes red.

How can this be happening ???

10.50 x 28 slicks with 12.5 psi, 4.1 gears, leave at 1200 rpm, no spin, no bog, just goes, but hard as heck to cut a consistent good light in the middle of the amber.

Where am I going wrong ???

How can I get the car to react slower ??

 

Idle at 1200 (set in the pits using idle screw), foot barely contacting gas pedal. when I see the third amber I push the gas pedal down and go.

Agree...don't know if this technique generates the best ET and/or 60' time or not, but it's the most consistent for successful bracket racing. This is what works for me, anyways.

 

Just don't understand how many of you guys can leave at the start of the third amber and not red light ???

My car is consistent at 1.80 sixty foot and I am very careful in staging the same. Have to leave in the middle of the third amber to cut a good light. Just a shade early from middle of amber and she goes red.

How can this be happening ???

10.50 x 28 slicks with 12.5 psi, 4.1 gears, leave at 1200 rpm, no spin, no bog, just goes, but hard as heck to cut a consistent good light in the middle of the amber.

Where am I going wrong ???

How can I get the car to react slower ??

Does your track use the old style bulbs, or the new LED's? Also, lowering air pressure in the front tires will slow your reaction times (Makes the tire contact patch longer)

 

I tend to footbrake anywhere from 2000-2800 rpm. Once the lights flash (.400 Pro tree 90% of the time), I swap feet and go...WOT launch. I treat the radials just like I would true slicks. 275/60 M/T ET Street Radial, 3515 lbs race weight, 1.39 60' best so far.

Am seriously considering a Griner Pro Brake over the winter to try and improve reaction times with the .400 Pro tree.

 

10secbu -- I use the same tires and technique you do to launch and typically cut low 1.5 sixties and 11.0 to 11.teen @ 120 mph ETs. That's with my little SBC and 3540 lb camaro.

When bracket racing I increase the stage RPM to reduce reaction times. Not sure if it would help you to increase your launch RPM to cut a quicker light or not but it seems to work for me.

 

10secbu -- I use the same tires and technique you do to launch and typically cut low 1.5 sixties and 11.0 to 11.teen @ 120 mph ETs. That's with my little SBC and 3540 lb camaro.

When bracket racing I increase the stage RPM to reduce reaction times. Not sure if it would help you to increase your launch RPM to cut a quicker light or not but it seems to work for me.

A higher start line rpm won't help enough. Once I get to 2600-2800 rpm, the front end starts extending and I lose valuable front end travel for proper launch & traction. I simply cannot get enough start line rpm to make the chassis react quick enough for the .400 pro tree. Even deep staged and 3000 rpm, the best light I've gotten on the pro treet was a .530...not close to being competitive against .450-.480 lights. A t-brake, higher launch rpm, and shorter front tires are my only chance at quicker lights. I'm now working with tightening the front shock extension to quicken reaction times but must be very careful not to reduce front end travel as the car will then not transfer weight, nor will it hook on the little tire. With the shocks I have, you can easily tighten them so much that there won't be any suspension travel. As an example, out back I currently have the compression/bump set at 8 to 10 clicks (total of 24 clicks) and the back end of the car is nearly rock solid pushing it down by hand. The shocks also have a rebound adjustment as well, again, 24 clicks.

 

I think thats the only way to react to a .400 pro tree,,,gotta have a brake. I tried racing last year in a 12.00 index with a .500 pro tree, we couldnt deep stage and my best light was a .632, that was back with 1.7x 60ft times, now I'm at 1.5x but too fast to run the 12.00 index now I'd probably still be struggling to get a .59x light. That pro tree stuff isnt near as easy as it looks...can you say "anticipation"

 

Good thread!

Here's my technique, footbrake to 1600 rpm (any more would spin badly), release the brake between the second and third yellow and roll into the throttle. On a good pass I would be at full throttle in about 2 car lengths. I was also using Tom Baird's shock nut trick to get some "free" front end movement. Tires were worn 255-50-16 BFG Drag Radials. Bests are in my sig.

 

This is what I do. Car idles at about 1500. Light up top bulb and put car in neutrual. Doing a quick check list of guages. Normally I wont put it in gear until the other guy puts his second bulb on, but that is not always the case. Once i put car in gear I pick up the rpm's to about 1900 and start bumping in. I try to stage as shallow as you can, just barely flickin the bottom prestage light. As soon as I see any hint of light comming from the last yellow I'm out of there. With an 8inch converter(4200) TH400 4:56 gears running 28X12.5 M/T streets my best 60 ft is a 1.58. Normally it's around 1.65's.

 

I prestage and then bring the rpm up to 1700. And then slowly bump in, and leave on the last yellow. For my car this will get me in the .010 range for a light. Of course I'm never all that consistent in the light dept.
If I try to leave higher, the car spins worse because the front end starts to rise before I leave. Others here have noted the same thing. Two things would help that.....better rear brakes or a looser converter.

This year I've run a lot on a .400 pro tree in a heads up class. Man, it's tough with a heavy foot brake car. They leave too slow. Best I've done is a .170, and that was by taking a big bite out of the start line, w/o turning off the top bulb. I'm not sure if we can deep stage...turn the top bulb off. I would try it, but don't want to find out the hard way.......
I suppose I should just ask huh?

Heads up is fun as long as you are in the hunt. I'm the only NA car participating...and as we have a new program, I'm sure the boost folks will be turning it up, and the nitrous folks will be spraying more. Might have to go back to the brackets! Ha!

Ron

 

I thought every tree has the ability to adjust the timing between lights and quite possibly that each track may be slightly different ? ? ?

I've only been down the 1/4 mile a few times, but I did manage to get a perfect pass once;

I cut a .500 light & ran my dial in @ 12.60​

• burn out box ​
• pre-stage AND ​
• wait for contender to Stage ​
• Roll into lights shallow *​
• spool up to 2500(stall)​
• last yellow comes on floor it & pray for win ​

ZZ430 (crate engine)​

28x12.5 ET Streets​

Tuned Eaton 4:10 ​

​

​

​

* I hate to wait on staged on the line while someone fiddles around prestaging. So I'll watch for the other guy to stage 1st and make him wait until I'm ready because the starter will drop the hammer when both cars are staged. Therefore giving you (mental) the advantage.​

That being said I hope I never have to run against anyone that reads this or we may be sitting on the line at closing time

 

The tree uses LED lights.