fbodyfreek

as we all know one of the biggest problems with the fbodies is getting traction. a friend of mine claims that if i launch the car in second i won't spin outta the hole. after that he says to drop it into first to gain speed and then go to drive. i can understand is rationality with not spinning, but i get the strong feeling this would screw up my E/T. so recap: launch out of second, drop into first, and then go to drive. he claims that i will get better times, but to me it sounds like a load of crap and too much work that gets little results. anyone ever tried this and should i stick to keepin it in drive? by the way i'm still on street tires. thnx.

gator's 99TA

iTrader: (2)

hillarous

rocketman442

iTrader: (8)

01_ram-air

iTrader: (3)

1) Go punch your friend
2) Traction is not a major problem. Go buy a set of sticky tires.

I guess my consistent 1.5 60' times are traction limited.

94z28L

iTrader: (4)

suspension and good tires, no replacement for em, ive watched the 6 speed guys launch at 4500 or so on mt ET street radials with suspension similar to mine and cut 1.5 and 1.6 60' that are puttin down a good amount of power, not some kinda 4-link or ladder bar set up that requires a ton of work just basic bolt on suspension from spohn/umi/bmr

WheelsUp84z

iTrader: (14)

umm in an automatic, it doesnt matter where you put it..it doesnt actually launch in 2nd gear, and with that much of a stock car...you'd probably see the same results if not better leaving it in drive instead of manually shifting

rocketman442

iTrader: (8)

A 4L60E starts in 2nd if manually selected. Many other trannies do also.

Shon Herron

iTrader: (25)

We do that with the manual cars when they are on street tires or the track is just crap and we dont want to pack up and go home. but for an Auto car, that is just dumb much less pretty hard to do....

mrdragster1970

Too complicated & inconsistant.

Shon Herron

iTrader: (25)

I will also add that having alot of gear in a moderate weight car helps alot too when launching in 2nd so you dont fry the clutch.

12secSS

iTrader: (30)

That works, but you may try doing it slightly different. First, leave it in drive or OD and instead of moving the selector from 2nd back to first ... do not put the accelerator to the floor. Gradually depress the accelerator down, while being on the edge of tire spin. Instant better launches without breaking the transmission. Which will result if you listen to your friend. Autos do not like that (shifting from 2nd down to first, up to 3rd) being done to them under WOT.

GTA91

iTrader: (14)

Tell your buddy to lay down the crackpipe

1999TransamWs6

iTrader: (21)

tell your friend to jump off a cliff

01_ram-air

iTrader: (3)

+1, if you put the car in 2nd, it will be in 2nd.
However, if you put the car in 3rd (which is D for a Camaro), the car will start in 1st.

gruntwork

iTrader: (2)

correctamundo. Since your car is basically stock it should be a lot easier to work with. I've had 3 A4 4th gens and the way I launched on a stock converter is to hold the brake with my left foot, leave it in OD and when you get the green, quickly stab the gas to 1/2 to 3/4 throttle to flash the converter, but not 100% throttle. Enough throttle that the tires barely chirp and then hook or just plain hook. The instant you notice the tires are not spinning at all, put your foot to the floor cuz it shouldn't unhook after that. Make sure you give the tires a quick spin to clean them off, no burnout nessesary, just a waste on street tires.

You also could try holding the break with your left and give it 1K rpm's just to load the drivetrain while keeping the above method the same. Sometimes this way takes some of the initial shock out of the tires.

....Oh yeah, and your friend is an idiot.

rocketman442

iTrader: (8)

Same as my cappy

import slayer

I have never heard of that before

aaron653

iTrader: (1)

weird my car starts off in first no matter what. if the selector is in second, it starts in first and will only shift to second.

12secSS

iTrader: (30)

GM started doing this (with LS1s) in 2000 IIRC. So 98-99 models will always start out in first, 00-02 can start in 2nd.

rocketman442

iTrader: (8)

My 94 caprice starts in sencond if manually selected.