First time drag racing...wanted to share the experience
 

Hey guys, I took my car to the drag strip last night for the first time since Ive owned it (2 years). I had low expectations since it was my first time ever to a drag strip. Overall, my numbers are pretty dissappointing because of my inability to launch :lol:.

Conditions of the track- It was 43 degrees outside (very cold track).

My first run- 7K clutch dump, the result was a WHOLE MESS OF WHEEL HOP!! Ive never even had wheel hop launching that high until I was at the track.

Result- 15.6 @89.3 mph

My Second run- 5K Launch about 75% throttle, the result was a WHOLE MESS OF WHEEL HOP!! Even with a less agressive launch I sat there like a moron bouncin my ass end like a rap video.

Result- 15.5 @89.4 mph

Before anyone asks why my speed is so low, I have a grind going into 4th. All and all I had a fun time, saw some sweet cars. I have kuhmo ecstacas on my car that cost $100 per tire so maybe crappy tires and a cold track and inexperience were the culprit. It was fun though.

Cool man! Like your honesty. Hope you go again.

Try lowering your rear tire pressure and launching around 4,000.

That was what I was going to try next. Every Wednesday night theres drag racing for the public at the sac raceway which is like 30 minutes from my house. Ill go again next week or the week after. I actually had a lot of fun. Even at 15.5 I looked like a stud compared to the stock preludes and integras with a fart cannon :lol: Its fun to run a couple times then just chill and watch the real drag cars run :)

What psi whould I lower my tires to?

Dont always relate the slow times to tire pressure. The drag course surface makes a diference as well. Dont slam the gear shifts but dont feather the clutch either. Find the sweet spot. You will not get wheel hop if you go easy on the shifts. I had your problem too. I fixed my shifting and had no wheel hop. It helps a lot. What were you 60' times?

The timeslip doesnt say 60'

This is exactly how the best one reads
Reaction: .533
I1: 2.465
I2: 6.689
I3: 10.148 MPH: 70.835
I4: 13.103

ET: 15.593
MPH: 89.377

Well, I was shifting like shifting was illegal. Like I chirped every shift. Is that bad? I mean Ive never dragged raced on a track. Ive been an idiot on back roads and thought I knew how to drag race :lol2:

That's what you dont want to do, chirp. You can chirp on streets and not get wheel hop mainly due to the road surface. Drag strips have all kinds of debris from burnouts and so many different tires go on that track. Street driving and drag racing is totally different which is why people spend $$$ to get the proper set up. Remember the 8 is set up for the circuit for a reason. You'll get better with strip expeirence. Your 60' is kinda slow too. It's takes time. Give yourself a few times and you will get better. Your on the right track though.

what's a good 60' time?

I would imagine a good 60ft time for this car would be in the low 2 second range. Maybe as low as 2.0, that's my guess coming from an AWD car.

Keep in mind that driving styles on the track and driving on "back roads" is totally different. The drag strip has MUCH more traction than a normal road. They put VHT down and you stick more than normal. It is also harder on transmission, rear ends, drive shafts, etc.

If this was your first time you were probably a bit excited and a little out of your element. Work on launches and 60 ft times. That is where the race is won. Once you get past 60 ft, all you do is stand on it and swich gears when needed.

RX8's are a little out of their element in that environment to begin with, but see if the drag cars can take a corner!

+1....and dont dump the clutch, try feathering it, might burn the clutch a lil, but its a good lil pull with not a lot of wheel spin...its what i do when i practice my launch...

sounds like fun! i've been wanting to go to our local drag strip recently, i guess ill just have to wait for my wider tires to come then ill tear it up!

:dubs:

a good 60 goal is 2.0-2.1...
a guess decent would be a 2.2-3
at the local 1/8th track my times were 9.1-9.2 with 2.1 60fts
from your "timeslip" i can tell your 1/8th was 10.148.....so in "drag" launching is the most important part....work on the feathering of the clutch and youll run 14's

You might want to get your car checked out... I know you have some things weighing it down and maybe you're not the best driver... However, ET is usually an indication of driver error but trap speed is usually an indication of power. Even if you didn't drive very well you should still be trapping at least 92-93mph. Also, you can't really blame it on the 4th gear issues because your trap speed in the 1/8is 5-6 below where it ideally should be. If you can get some dyno runs for a decent price locally maybe take it in for a few pulls. Don't mean to worry you, but if your traps are still that low your next time out I'd get the car looked at for sure.

I thought of that too, heres a couple things I thought might have added to this. One is coils, my coils need replaced. Two is 91 octane gas, although I put octane boost in it. Three is elevation, I think I was 500-1000 feet up. Could any of those cause slower speeds?

elevation definitely changes things. i dont think ~750 feet makes 1 second difference. but it definitely will make a difference.

at sea level i pulled a 2.00 flat 60 foot and trapped 14.4 @ 93. my friends srt-4 pulled 14.5 @ 97. the rx8 needs some top end power... yes thats right. stock for stock an rx8 can compete with an srt-4 in the 1/4 mile. a car that is a known "dragger." so quit the bs for circuit cars. the rx8 can drag. they are close enough that it comes to driver skill.

launch at 4-4.5k like cosmo said.
method 1. feather the clutch out smoothly but quickly (as quickly as you can smoothly do it and provide equal gas)
method 2. side step the clutch and use the gas pedal to control your traction.

with all methods of launching. you want max hp and max traction. any chirp/spin/burnout is lost time.

Yes, coils could be a problem and hopefully it's something as simple as that. 91 octane shouldn't be an issue since your car isn't tuned for higher octane. 500-1000 feet isn't going to make a big difference in trap speeds but if for some reason it's higher than that it could explain it somewhat.

Thing is that's a really good time for an RX-8 and a really poor time for an SRT-4. I've seen stock SRT-4s run consistent high 13's with traps as high as 103mph. With somewhat equal drivers an RX-8 doesn't have a chance in hell against a properly running SRT-4.

Ike's hit it on the head.

There are far more fast cars on the road than competent drivers driving them.

That's why a fast car don't mean shit! But a nice one does.

Im just about to turn 63,xxx and the last time I had the coils changed was when the TSB came out when I had 20,XXX. My plugs and cat have recently failed and my wires were so loose they were making a knocking noise so I just replaced those. So if anything, Im hoping its the coils :lol: Its the only thing I havent replaced when I did my ignition tune up. WHat do you think?

I think you shouldn't have to replace the coils on any car that often...:lol: However, the RX-8 does have issues with coils and it certainly could be a problem.

they said my coils have 'hotspots' on them. That was 5k miles ago. I just havent had a chance to change them yet. How often do you replace yours?