I'm running my car on the dyno tomorrow, and heading off to the track. Any tips, i'll be running very ****ty street tires. Car is stock, with shifter. I'll try to slip the clutch, but its starting to go, i'll try a few different things to bring down my 60.
Don't start in reverse! (One of my friends did it ) Other than that just try and get a lot of runs in to hone your launching skills and such. From my experience it's nothing like launching on the street (our tracks are like ice).
If the tune is good as well as the air, your car should be capable of 14.8's at 93mph or so with a high 2.1, to low 2.2 60'. Make sure to run it as cold as possible (make sure its below the N at a minimum if you can), my car can vary by as much as 2mph and 2 tenths just by the temps at which I run it. Our cars HATE to be hot as they pull out a lot of timing. Is your air silencer removed? If not, yank it. Air the back tires down to around 25-28lbs, and make sure the front are pumped up. Try to drive as straight as possible and minimize all inetrior movements. I prop my left arm on the arm rest of the door and hold the steering wheel at around the 9 o'clock position, and I keep my left hand on the shift through the entire run. In doing so I drive a pretty straight line down the track.... the shortest distance between two points is a straight line! I wouldn't try to launch any higher than around 1800 to 2000 MAX, unless you are just a natural at knowing how to slip the clutch or the tires are hooking well. I tell EVERY person that asks me what to do on their first trip to the track to launch just as you would leaving a stop light, especially on your 1st pass. You want to get one "getting acquainted" pass out of the way first. If you don't do this and run some horrible number you will continue to try too hard to beat the clock and end up spinning and such. Try to nail your shifts as fast as possible, but I see no need to powershift. When you come up to the starting line try make sure your facing it completely straight on and not angled, and try and line up in the "groove" which will appear as two black lines running the length of the track. The only time I deviate from the groove is if I am behind a front wheel drive car, in that situation I try to get as close as I can to the groove while not driving over where the FWD car's tires were. I do this because they normally leave water behind right where you are trying to lay down all your power and I'll spin. When you stage, light up the pre-stage bulb first, then SLOWLY pull up just far enough to light the stage bulb. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO ASK WHERE THE STARTING LINE IS! I see SO many people on their first time out not know where its at and end up driving right past the starting line. Normally its marked with a cone off to the side or there is some sort of line on the track. Trust me no one will laugh at you for asking where to line up, but if you screw it up and go too far they all will!
Most importantly.... HAVE FUN! The track is also a good place to see what others guys are running and such so you can see what works, and what doesn't.