1/4 mile advice

[Steve-L]

I'm thinking of taking my car to a RWYB day at the Pod but I have never done a 1/4 mile sprint before so was hoping someone can give me some pointers as to getting a good start.
The cars quattro so I guess I do not have to worry about excessive wheelspin off the line but do I take the rev's to about 3000 and slowly release the clutch or do I dump the clutch (I do not like the idea of doing this though) ?
Also when is the optimum time to shift up, when the needle hits the redline or before ?

Any tips appreciated.

 

[s3rob]

I got 14.3 out of my new S3 at Santa Pod the other week.

It's surprisingly hard to launch with Quattro. If you dump the clutch at 4k it will bog down off the start before picking up but also if you feed the clutch slowly you'll go nowhere fast.

I found it is best to raise to 4k rpm and feed in the clutch quickly and progressively.

Shift up just before the limiter kicks in.

 

[Defratos]

With the "lovley" weather we've been having, I've been testing the car out on some empty spots here. If its wet then take it to 4k-5k and I find releasing the clutch quickly to the biting point and then feed it in (Does that make sense?) If you over rev then you might just sit in the same spot wheel spining, but if you get it right then you'll fly. Get it too short and you'll bog down, pretty weird with the S3.

 

[rich1068]

Why not pop along to Inters this weekend and practice on their run?

 

[Steve-L]

Thanks guy's.

I thought bringing the clutch to just before the biting point and feeding quickly and progressively would be the best way but was not too sure.
Like anything practice makes perfect but as I've never done this before I will probably get a bit nervous and screw it up on my first run but hopefully I can get a few runs in.
Does the actual 1/4 time include reaction time or does the clock start once your moving ?

 

[RobinA3]

I went to the Pod in my A3 not so long ago and got a best 14.44secs.

I have been a few times in my old Polo so i aint a stranger to the drag strip stuff.

Here is what i did.

Turn off the traction control.

Hold the car on the biting point at 3500-4000rpm and when the lights go amber drop the clutch and let the quattro system do the rest.

When you get used to it then hold the car on the start line with the hand brake (keep the hand brake button pressed in ;-)) whilst putting on the revs and getting the to biting point.

Change gear at about 6200rpm, don't go for the full 7000rpm limiter as the power dies at top end.

And the most important thing is to enjoy yourself!

 

[RobinA3]

here's a piccy from last time i was there

 

[Defratos]

Nice pics Robin, you gonna be at the Inters tomorrow? and do u know if you can book a run on the strip when I go over? cause I never booked it with the stand?

 

[Defratos]

P.S. Do they put down any oil or grease at the start line ?

 

[Caesium]

P.S. Do they put down any oil or grease at the start line ?

No, just lots of rubber. Auto's are always faster off the line, rev em up and hold with the brakes then off you go!

 

[RobinA3]

Nice pics Robin, you gonna be at the Inters tomorrow? and do u know if you can book a run on the strip when I go over? cause I never booked it with the stand?

Nope, me and the missus are going to give inters a miss, been every year since 2000 but we giving it a miss as its going to be a mud bath and also we are saving our pennies for E38 show instead.

As for inters, i went on the strip last year in my old G40.

You don't have to book but you do get it cheaper if you do so but you judge what the weather is going to be like if you book in advanced and they don't run cars when its wet.

Also at inters as its not a proper drag strip there is VERY little grip out there, i got wheel spin in 4th gear in the Polo, i think my time there was 14.9secs and when i went to the pod i got 14.7secs.

As for grease or oil on the start line, at the pod they do spray water down onto the ground about 15metres before the start line so that you can do a burn out to warm the tyres up but this only really works for FWD/RWD cars as 4WD cars don't really suffer from lack of grip.

 

[RobinA3]

in the pic above you can just about see the water on the ground in front of my car.

 

[Defratos]

nice, thanks for the helpful feedback, pretty much answered most questions. Just to confirm, if it rains tomorrow would they not run the strip?

 

[RobinA3]

Yeah they do not run if it is wet, also your reaction time is not included in the 1/4mile time.