...when you launch, how do you do it? Do you start in 3rd?

Just curious...

 

I don't have a stick but 3rd seems kinda steep to me. I was thinking 2nd would probably be ok.

 

I'd think 2nd would be done before you got any traction. 2nd on the street gets me about 2 seconds worth of rolling before it's time to shift into 3rd.

 

Well don't take what I say as fact cause I don't know what I am talking about lol. Some one who has a stick will answer better what gears do you have and what size tires? I would think that 3rd would be hard on the clutch.

 

Leave in 2nd gear.

If 2nd is only getting you a few feet with your foot mashed to the floor then you need a 3200 spring and some more pump. launch in 2nd it should lay you back in the seat

 

if you have a good clutch and you know how to leave the line just right 3rd would be fine .....i can do it with my ol girl ran a 16.4 before the injectors and the rest of my pump work maybe next season i'll take her out and see what i can do....but like brandon said if you do it in 2nd it will leave ya in the back of the seat just be ready to shift

 

I think 2nd is the fastest way to get off the line. You'll lose quite a bit of 60' if you launch in 3rd.

And don't waste alot of time winding out gears try to get to 5th ASAP (but don't short shift it and lug it haha)

Let the torque of the big cummins take over in 5th

 

Not in a 1st gen myself, but any drag racing is hard on a clutch. Fastest way is to slip 3rd till about 1500rpm (heavy throttle start) and let it rip and row like you stole it. Good luck getting it home like that without a dual disk though.

Slipping second a bit and being generous on throttle between shifts worked best for me.

 

I started in second. Had major traction problems, track was like ice. Had to nurse it off the line, then lay into it.

 

Any stick racing i've done i always launch in 2nd unless there isn't enough motor(different story) or the gears or tires are undersized then 3rd seems better with some clutch burning. I like to leave heavy right footed and abuse the clutch. Although i'm sure mustangs and gas dodges aren't quite the same.

 

I'd start out in second, but wouldn't be afraid of third either.....I would practice banging all the rest of the gears also, that will have a big effect on ET.

 

If you don't mind replacing clutches get a nice dual disc and practice till you get the technique down for 3rd gear launches. If you want the clutch to last, 2nd gear launches are way easier on the clutch. I have done one 3rd gear launch in mine and the clutch held good and it launched hard but I decided that was enough of that. I feel that I am a bit faster leaving in 2nd gear than 3rd gear. (assuming I can get it to shift decently which is a crap shoot) I asked Peter about it and he told me 3rd gear launches are ok but not if you want it to last. They can take a beating but you will wear it out really fast. Plus the heat you create by doing that can really affect the holding power. The hotter it is the less power it can hold. If you launch real hard in 3rd it will get really hot and could be hot enough to slip under heavy load in 4th or 5th down the track. And once you glaze it, you are putting in a new one. I have not raced mine yet but on the street on my stock size tire I have to ease into it to get traction but I think the key to a good launch will be 2nd gear and some sticky tires. I hope to get out to the track this winter and put this theory to the test.

 

Interesting. I'm probably not going to be drag racing anytime soon, but I was interested to hear how you folks did it.

Thanks.

 

No five speed for me but i seen GLHS launch in second and he runs 13 's so food for thought.

 

I dragged my 93 rag 2 trips down the track. I suspect it will never drag again. Crossyboy made fun of me so now I have a complex.
Its just to hard on the tranny and clutch for me. My auto 89 is much better for running the track. It runs very close times every time. ( good for bracket )