Quote:
Originally Posted by 2SSARMY
Your 1/4 mile pretty much depends on your 60' though. It is the hardest part, your launch. The rest is just shifting and letting the engine do its thing.
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shifting can make a HUGGGGGGGGGE difference in my opinion, more than most amateurs realize. a successful shift must be a) fast and b) what most people neglect, you have to get back on the gas before the clutch reengages, otherwise you'll upset the balance and suspension load of the car and the nose will dip. it takes some torque to get the nose back up, torque therefore not converted to forward motion. i call it "bogging" at speed. also, shift points are CRUCIAL as they differ in each gear. i think its more important to consider what rpm you'll end up in the next gear when you let the clutch out, than what rpm you take the previous gear up to.
EXAMPLE: my car has somewhat close 1-2 gears, but the 2-3 shift is a wide gap. so i take 1st to 6400 (about 100 or so rpm after the power curve starts to fall off) but for the 2-3 shift, i take it all the way up to 6700-6800 before i shift to third, this gives me more momentum and keeps me close to peak torque when i get into 3rd, which i stay in through the traps. most people will even tell you its better to stay in a gear past peak power through the traps than to shift into a higher gear for the last 100 feet or so. Why? because you lose all of your momentum and suspension preload when you make that shift.