Anyone have any launch recomendations? Best ways to leave the line?

 

Rev from 2-3K up to 6K, roll off the clutch fast, but don't dump it. You'll launch like a slingshot... and smell your clutch pressure plate smoking... the stock clutch seems to be the weak point in the drivetrain. You have to launch hard to get good times, but hard launches are hard on the clutch, its a catch-22.

 

i pretty much dumped mine all at once from about 6500rpm in route to my 13.46 ¼ mile... 1.80 60'.

Goodluck.... not too good to do this stuff repeatedly though.

 

Slipping the clutch at least makes it feel like the clutch will make it through the end of the day. I'd definitely say the word slingshot is most appropriate when talking about a properly performed launch in this car.

 

A friend of mine has a modded 1995 3000GT VR-4. We took it to the track a couple of weeks ago and he told me about a launching technique a friend of his from the states had told him. When you stage the car, rev it up to 4000 and oscilate the revs between 4000 and 4500, when the lights go down make sure you release the clutch on the upswing of the revs. As soon as you start releasing the clutch floor the throttle. Release the clutch as fast as possible but no side steping. With this technique he managed a 1.87 60' time on his second pass. On his third pass he oscilated the revs between 4500 and 5000 and managed an even better 60', but I can't remember what it was. Anyway his times were 13.3 at 100 mph due to bouncing off the rev limiter in 3rd. And last pass was a 13.4 ast 105mph. Maybe the 3000GT is differente due to more torque, but it also has alot more weight.


Julian Gutierrez

 

DING DING DING


We have a winner!

 

Before I got my stutterbox, this is how I would do it. But I wouldn't let it oscillate so much. Just a little bit around the RPM that you want to launch at. Basically I would flutter my foot on the gas pedal. It gets the turbo spooling because it lets you open the throttle a bit more than you would if you just held the throttle steady. Then let the clutch out quickly as you apply lots of throttle. Don't drop the clutch, and don't let it slip too much. This usually nets a 1.7x 60-ft time on my car. Sometimes I'll dip down in the the 1.6s. My best is a 1.684.

Those floor the throttle before you let off the clutch methods may be fine for the street. But when your reaction time counts at the track, you have to anticipate when the lights are going to come down. A method like that wouldn't work too well. And frankly, launching at an RPM as high as 6000 isn't necessary. It is just worse for the clutch and driveline.

But now I have a launch limiter. If my car is stationary, I can just floor the throttle and the RPMs will stay at a pre-set limit. I have mine set to 4500 RPMs. Then I just let out the clutch and the rev limiter shoots up to 7750. I can build as much as 12 psi of boost on the line when using the stutterbox.