Okay guys I am gettin ready to head to the track for the first time in the truck. It is only 1/8 mile track I am goin to, but any suggestions about how to run the truck? I mean how do you do a 4x boosted lunch, do you stay in 4x all the way down the track?? Never done this with a truck in 4x4 before....

 

I've got a 6 speed, but I don't think there's too many differences.

I launch in 3rd gear and 4 high. Through out of 4 high before shifting to 6th.

 

OK this is my sequence for drag strip.

Go around the water. Burn out does no good on street radials in 4wd.

Get lined up straight.

Shift into 4wd High.

Roll slowly forward until you turn on the top (pre-stage) light.

Get on the brake hard.

SLOWLY accelerate to build up boost to where you want. I usually leave at 15-18psi.

Bump brake forward to light second light (Staged). Try to keep the boost at consistent level.

The tree should start down.

On the third (last) yellow light release the brake and floor it.

Leave it in 4wd High until you slow down. Shift to 2wd before you turn off.

This video shows my staging on the strip fairly well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWIEM2PG_qs

 

Cool thanks, I was thinkin this is the way to do it but seein it is nice.

 

Hey Glove I'm Geting My Truck Back Together We Need To Get Together At Imm. Dragstrip.

 

They are runnin on the 29th of this month west coast muscle car club is havin a so called big turn out and the car club I hang with is goin why don't you come on over.

 

Sounds like you’ve never driven down a drag strip before in any vehicle, not just in the truck, so here are a few basics. If you’ve been down the strip before, ignore the rest of my response and listen to the others’ advice (though some aren’t bad to look over even if you’ve been down the strip before)…

In preparation, empty the bed of the truck (safety requirement at most tracks, and it helps reduce weight). Clean out the cab of the truck of anything that is not permanently attached (again, two-fold purpose. The items can be projectiles in a wreck, and it helps save weight). Most tracks require full shoes, long pants and no cutoff shirts, with additional clothing requirements the quicker you run. It would also be a good idea to carry a helmet (and take to tech). Check your track’s requirements for the helmet, though I personally think it’s a good idea to wear one even if not required.

You will likely have to go through tech, where they will check for a few basic things. If your haven’t altered many things, shouldn’t be a problem… They will usually check to make sure batteries are tied down, there is a coolant recovery/catch can, and the neutral safety switch works (comes from the factory with all three, so unless you’ve modified them, should be OK). Other than that, they’ll look for obvious things like oil/transmission leaks, etc. Again, the quicker you go, the more stringent the requirements, but you should be fine with your truck.

As for making a pass, if you are running street tires, BYPASS the water box (as in, drive completely around it. Do NOT get the tires wet). With street tires, you generally accomplish nothing by doing a burnout except reducing tire life and dragging water up to the starting line (making other racer’s experience less pleasurable in the process). Make sure you have all accessories turned off (while fan is OK, do not run AC in staging lanes, as condensation will drip on the track). Before pulling around the water box, make sure your windows are rolled up, you are buckled in tight and have on all required safety gear.

When you pull up to the starting line, make sure you line the tires up in the two black streaks that run down the center of the lane (called the “groove”) and that the truck is facing straight down the track. That is where the track is the stickiest and you will get the best traction. You’d be amazed how many people (even in faster race cars) start out of the groove and/or lined up crooked.

When you approach the starting line, there are two sets of yellow bulbs you will light at the top of the Christmas tree (“prestage” and “stage”). This is one area where technique may change depending on what you are trying to accomplish. For this, I am assuming you are simply looking to produce the best ET your truck can produce. To do so, slowly roll until the “prestage” light comes on (similar to how you would roll to bump a curb in a parking spot). After you light the “prestage” light, STOP! You then want to barely “bump” the truck forward until the “stage” light just barely flickers on. STOP! Do not roll forward any further until you are ready to leave. This is what is called “shallow staging” and produces the best ET (but worst reaction time). The difference in staging technique can make almost a tenth of a second difference in ET (shallow stage, versus deep stage with the “prestage” light out). How you stage also affects your reaction time (inversely to ET), but if you are simply trying for the best ET, don’t worry about reaction time right now.

On a side note, if there is a vehicle in the other lane, it is common courtesy (and at some tracks for racing a track rule) to do what is called “courtesy” staging. Meaning once you or your opponent have “prestaged”, you should not “stage” until your opponent has also “prestaged”. Once both vehicles have “prestaged”, there is usually no rule about who “stages” first. Once the first vehicle has staged, there is a set amount of time the second vehicle has to stage (usually 7 to 10 seconds) before they will be given a red light and their pass is dq’d. Many newcomers in the street classes are not aware of courtesy staging, but it is an area that can make you look like a jerk if the person in the other lane expects it and you roll in and light both bulbs.

Once you have both staged, assuming they give you a “sportsman” tree, there will be three amber (yellow) lights that flash .5 second apart and then the green will come on .5 second after the last amber (on a “pro tree”, all three ambers flash at the same time, then the green comes on either .4 or .5 seconds after that – depending on the class and setup). You want to launch when the last amber light turns on (or for a “pro tree” when all three ambers flash). DO NOT wait for the green light to leave!!!! If you do, your reaction time will be horrible and anyone that might be in the other lane will be long gone before you ever leave the starting line. While reaction time does not affect your ET at all, it can make you look pretty silly when you are dead-late. Your lane’s timing clock does not start until you leave the starting line, regardless of how early or late that might be. Unless you are racing somebody, the reaction time is completely irrelevant, but you still don’t want to look silly. If your reaction time is too bad, you can actually cover the quarter mile quicker than your opponent and they still get to the finish line first.

As soon as you cross the finish line, begin to slow down in a controlled fashion. Before you make a pass, think through situations such as having no brakes, or the throttle being hung wide open, or your opponent crosses into your lane, and how you might react to those situations. Bad things happen quickly at 100+ mph and you need to be prepared to react quickly should something out of the ordinary happen. The first instinct, even in a relatively tame vehicle such as your truck, should be to lift off the throttle if something isn’t going right. “Live to play another day” so to speak…

As a general rule, the vehicle in the lane closest to the turnoff has the right-of-way to the turnoff road, though it is always a good idea to keep a sharp eye out on the top end. You’d be amazed how many wrecks happen at the turnoff! Most tracks have multiple turnoffs. Familiarize yourself with how many your track has and where they are located. DO NOT EVER turn around to come back to a turnoff!!!! There is a chance more vehicles are racing in your direction as you are headed for the turnoff. If you turn around, you risk a head-on collision with oncoming vehicles. Simply drive to the next turnoff.

Pick up your time slip at the ET shack, head back to the pits (or staging lanes), and do it all over again, trying to learn from what went well, or might not have gone so well. Have fun! I know I do every time I go to the track. Be safe!

In addition to the basics and the techniques already listed by others, as a general rule, weight = ET. The more weight you can remove, the quicker you will run. I’ve seen almost all the tricks, from basic to absurd (especially for a street vehicle). A few basics, like removing the spare tire and jack assemblies, to removing 1 battery (don’t really need 2 to make ¼ mile passes) are pretty easy and straight-forward. If the bed is empty, not much need for a heavy tailgate to hold stuff in… Run with the least amount of fuel you feel comfortable having in the vehicle. Stuff like that helps, though it doesn’t make as much of a difference in a 6000+lb vehicle as it would something lighter. As a general rule, the biggest yields come from lightening anything that rotates.

It’s up to you to decide what you are hoping to accomplish and what you are willing to sacrifice. Did I mention, “Have fun!”?

 

That's not my original work... got it from someone else on here...

I stay in 4wd all the way down, as soon as I let off, I shift out. What do you have done to your tranny? You have a smarty jr, so I would not be too worried about carnage. Leave the line as hard as you can if you have a laminited/billet flexplate and input.


Good luck. Have someone video tape it...

 

Thanks Mad, I put a Goerend trans in the truck in Oct, Billet Flex, billet TD TC, billet input, up graded VB. I am breaking it in now and should have at least 500 miles on it by time I go to the track.

 

The 29th Might Be A Little Soon My Injectors Will Be In Some Time Next Week