# My first time racing with timeslips, any tips on how I can improve?



## 200sxOuTKasT (Feb 24, 2003)

This was my very first time racing at a drag strip today, and I just wanted to post my times to see what the community has to say about what I was doing wrong and how I can improve. I spent hours searching how to do the perfect launch so my launch basically consisted of me sitting at the stage light, revving to 3500, and feathering the clutch when it was time to go. I didn't really care much about reaction time, I just wanted to get the best quarter mile times as I possibly could. I shifted at about the rev limiter (not where the red line is as my tach is way off, my rev limiter last time I hit it was just before 7500 on my tach so I shifted at maybe 7300-7400). I pretty much got about 16.7 consistently except on my very first run which was close enough at 16.8. I raced my two friends only for this race as I was too embarassed of my 200sx to go against anyone else. I thought this car was suppose to be like 17-18 second quarter miles. Although I'm not impressed at all with my numbers, I was happy that I went racing and was able to win against my friend's CRX. 

Here are my timeslips:










If anyone has any tips on how I can improve, please share them with me. And also, the best way to launch a FWD manual car. Also, I'm sort of curious if these numbers are much too low for my car and if I should be expecting much better numbers? Please note that this way my first time at the drag track doing completely legal drag racing. I know my 60' times are shitty, and my reaction times are worse (although this I don't care about really). I don't mind people being blatant saying I suck ass as a driver or not, but at least take into consideration that this was my first time and that I'm a complete noob. Some improvements I know that I can make are better tires definently, as I noticed I had some wheelspin launching at 3500. I currently have 14" Federals that have crappy traction dry and worse when wet. If it turns out that these are actually some decent quarter mile times (probably not) then I might even consider spending some cash on a Hotshot Header, UR pulley, and a Fidanza flywheel. Thanks again everyone in advance. 

Also, please don't dog on my friends for either driving Hondas or cause of their times; this was their first time at the strip as well. They greatly respect my beatup Nissan and always offer words of confidence, meaning they'll have even more respect for all of you as well  .

Also if anyone reads the GA16DE forums, my timing was set at 10 degrees cause I couldn't get it to 15 degrees properly. I'm sort of curious now how much the advance in timing could affect my times. I'm all for another .1 sec faster quarter mile time but thats sortof asking for a lot  .


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## NotAnotherHonda (Aug 7, 2003)

work on that 60'...learn how to drop that clutch...what rpm did you launch at?


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## Nuskool (Jan 5, 2004)

^3500

and for your timing 10 is not bad at 13-15 you are looking a few hp but you have to be running the highest octane you can.

Those times are actually not bad at all for the GA. Its supposed to run a high 16 stock.. your 16.7 is pretty good... Gut that bitch, get some better tires, maybe a header, and you will deff. see an improvment


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

As a rule of thumb, every tenth of a second you knock off the 60' you also knock off the 1/4 mile time. You should be able to get 2.2-2.3 second 60' on street tires.

Lew


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## wes (Apr 30, 2002)

lshadoff said:


> As a rule of thumb, every tenth of a second you knock off the 60' you also knock off the 1/4 mile time. You should be able to get 2.2-2.3 second 60' on street tires.
> 
> Lew


AGree I was able to cut a 2.201 on the stock tires. Getting the power down is key which is why the 60' time is such an important number.


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## spdracerUT (Jun 11, 2002)

shoot for a 2.2-2.3 60ft on street tires. drop your tire pressures to around 20-22psi. And I'd launch around 4-5k on your car. When I was NA with my SR, I was launching around that range. With the turbo, I'm around 3-3.5k. of course, it depends on track conditions and what kind of tires you have... but I think 4-5k rpms on your car would be a good place to start.

Khiem


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## xt_out (Jun 23, 2003)

numbers look good for your first time (and a ga16 of course!)
:thumbup:


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## 200sxOuTKasT (Feb 24, 2003)

I would just like to say thank you to everyone for your tips on how to improve.

I don't plan to gut this car because this is my daily driver, and when I was racing, everything I normally have in the car was still there because I wasn't originally planning to race but just watch, so the spares, jack, and all the crap I leave normally in the backseat (I moved most to the front) was still in my car.

I remember lots of people saying anything under 2.5 is very possible for almost all cars so I kept trying to mess with the way I released the clutch to improve that 60' time but it never really changed. Next time I will try to launch at 4500. But I remember trying to launch around that range before (on my friends private road, not public) and my tires would not catch, if that were the case then is it my tires just not being good enough? 

Also I really wanted to get that timing done before going to the races but I couldn't cause of problems I ran into as I mentioned here...
http://www.nissanforums.com/showthread.php?t=53449
If anyone can please help me or tell me what I did wrong please tell me. To summarize it all, I followed 1997GA16DE's instructions to up the timing but when I went to double check, I could not see the timing marks anymore. I don't know if this is suppose to happen when you increase the timing or not but I could see it when I removed the TPS sensor. Thanks again for all your help everyone.


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## xt_out (Jun 23, 2003)

i dont think its your tires with the not catching issue. thats a high launch rate unless you have internal work or cams (iirc from past threads) i try to launch around 2500-3000rpm. oh yeah :woowoo: for LSD in the 96 tranny (i think anyways )


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## NotAnotherHonda (Aug 7, 2003)

just remember---the time you screach your tires is time you COULD be gripping, thus making better times...


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## 200sxOuTKasT (Feb 24, 2003)

Heh, hopefully I'll try this again sometime soon, although I really don't want to pay another $20 just to see my car do the same times again or just a little better. So maybe when I get the UR pulley and Hotshot header I'll give it another go, although I won't get to see how much I improve from hearing everyone's tips on improving, I think it'd be more worth the money that way  .

Also about that lsd thing, I'm sortof curious about a phantom grip now...probably don't need it till I get better tires and more power though =P


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## NotAnotherHonda (Aug 7, 2003)

200sxOuTKasT said:


> Also about that lsd thing, I'm sortof curious about a phantom grip now...probably don't need it till I get better tires and more power though =P


i suggest getting the nitto 555 tires. they are as close as non street legal as you can get...right?


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