how to launch

hi, i need a little help im probably goin to the track today for the first time. ive only raced on street off rolls and a cupple of times from a stop, and what i used to do was hold it around 3500 and then release the clutch. (that was on a 323ti bmw) now i have a 2003 mustang gt. what would be the best way to do this?

Is your Mustang standard or auto? Either way, the best way to launch it is to practice. Every car is different, every track is different. Just run it a few times and you'll figure it out!

What about an automatic?

You shouldn't own a mustang if its automatic. It's a disgrace.

I have an auto.........you saying something?

well, it actually matters what year... what year is yur mustang?

i think i said it was a 2003 and its a standard cuz im talkin bout a clutch... i wanted to know at what rpms should i launch at, u know... when will i get the most torque

You shouldn't own a mustang if its automatic. It's a disgrace.

i think thats the most ignorant thing ive ever heard anyone say on this forum. in case you didnt know, alot of the hardcore dragsters are automatics, c6's, powerglides and such. and why in the hell would it matter what year his car was?? what difference does it make? someone started this thread to get some pointers on how to launch, if you wanna preach to people on how they shouldnt own an automatic mustang because its a DISGRACE, do it somewhere else... have a great day

mark

DUDE thats racing automatic for dragsters! Im talking about regular automatic!

I am with avalanche. The only people i know with auto are girls with v-6's. Just sayin that manual just makes the drive experience better.

The only time I've seen a racing automatic mustang is when the mustang had a Stage 4 Turbo in it, which did the 1/4 mile in like 8 seconds or lower at 200 mph.

Automatic V6 mustangs are for girls, because there just regular mustangs (no GT's) All the auto mustangs I've seen ARE driven by girls. Im not trying to be sexist here, but you don't see many guys with a auto v6 mustangs.

nope and i know pleanty of chicks that have gt's and they either have a stick or wish they did.

im saying most, most girls don't race, they want a sexy car. EXCEPT for this one girl i saw, all hail her. This is the story. She had a 04 mustang cobra SVT and drove harder than anyone i've EVER seen before, plus she was hot as hell.

All hail her!

most of the girls i know are like "stick? whats that? i thought there was only one kind?"

lol that was a good one.

LOL

All hail her!

ok... im glad all of u are posting on this thread, but i still havent gotten the kinda answer i was looking for. who knows at what rpms should i release the clutch, and how to release it? should i just pop it out, go half way and then pop it or i dont know...

and yeah lots of people say mustangs (in general) r for girls. and sadly it is true that most of the girls own v6 mustangs, the automatic. and yes theres nothing hotter than a hot chick that can drive a hot car. :D

oh, one other thing has anyone ever tried those... octane boosters, or horsepower in a bottle? i dont remember what theyre called, if so, do they work?

You shouldn't own a mustang if its automatic. It's a disgrace.

How would you know? Have you ever owned a stang with an auto? It is in no way a disgrace. When I had my GT it was slow when it was stock. But once I added 3.73's and a 2800rpm stall converter, it was a totallly different car.

People who talk shit like that are idiots. Seriously dude, get your head out of your ass.

DUDE thats racing automatic for dragsters! Im talking about regular automatic!
LOL.
My GT has a regular auto in it and I was able to pull off 13's with ease. 12's should have been possiable with slicks and a good launch.

My '66 with the stock C3 or whatever it is behind my 200 I6 shifts pretty hard to be 40 years old. But then again Type F has alot to do with that I'm sure.

DUDE thats racing automatic for dragsters! Im talking about regular automatic!

regular huh? would you also like a #2 and a biggie fry w/ that transmission...
how about a compromise....do us all a little favor and dont post in this thread anymore cuz you have no idea what you are talking about.

A V6 auto is what I own. I wish I had a GT everyday but there were a few reasons why I didn't buy one (which I'm not about to go into).
But to call me a "disgrace", what the fuck?
My question was never answered either! How do you launch an auto? Sorry for owning a V6!!

Launch Tips: You have to do some trial and error but here are a few tips:

If your running DR's let some air out of the tires (12-15 PSI). I don't know if this suggested for non DR's (drag radials).

Try launching around 2500 RPM. Don't pop the clutch or you'll spin too much resulting in a crappy 60ft time. Try letting the clutch out in a controlled fashion to limit wheel spin. Once your rolling with enough speed hammer the throttle and enjoy the ride.

You can power shift through the gears (i.e. not letting off the gas between shifts) which will take maybe a 1/10 or 2/10's off your time.

The key is a good 60ft time and which is a result of hooking up off the launch. Good luck at the track.

Auto vs. Manual -- I can't leave this alone. Auto's can kick ass and shift faster with the right setup. It's all about preference. I like the feel of a manual, but if I had a high horse power motor for low quarter mile times I'd run an auto. Saying one is better than the other is just lame.

thank you brent! finally someone answered the actual question and i support ur opinion all the way. (no fighting over witch is better) i defenetlly gotta go try that, i guess ill have to wait till next friday. thank u again! u rule! :p jk but that should show the rest of u how to answer a good question! :p lol

thank you brent! finally someone answered the actual question and i support ur opinion all the way. (no fighting over witch is better) i defenetlly gotta go try that, i guess ill have to wait till next friday. thank u again! u rule! :p jk but that should show the rest of u how to answer a good question! :p lol

Let's us know how you do at the track and what your 60ft time is. Again good luck.

Ight what i have done is luanch around 3 thousand bring the clutch almost all the way out, so its sliping abit this helps me get off the line pretty well and with little wheel spin. now the expert tech. is to learn how to feather the clutch which is pushing or releasing the clutch thus controling the slipage so keep the tires from break put puting as much power down as possable(clutchs go by by quick but u get amazing luanchs.) I read a article about a 03 corba modded pretty heavy 660 hp they luanched that baby from 7000 rpms (they changed the blower to centifurge) and feathered the clutch of the line and got the best time all day 10 something or mybe 11.

It takes alot of practice put practice makes perfect. Good luck man and as brent said lets us know how it turns out mate.

When you take traction control off, don't you get a better launch if you do it right?

Yes.

LOL.
My GT has a regular auto in it and I was able to pull off 13's with ease. 12's should have been possiable with slicks and a good launch.
Is your GT Stock?

yeah my sister was the one who got me to drive and love stick

i think i said it was a 2003 and its a standard cuz im talkin bout a clutch... i wanted to know at what rpms should i launch at, u know... when will i get the most torque
with mustangs atleast stock GT's from 2000 - 2003 you don't really need to launch at a high rpm like you do with f-bodies my buddy launched at about 2,100 - 2,400 rpm and just feathered the clutch on his 02 Mustang GT all he had was o/r x-pipe & dual chamber flow masters and ran a 14.0 on the 1/4 mile

well i think it all depends on weather and alt. to so you cant really tell some one how to launch a there car over the net i drove a 03 GT convert and the best launch was to thorw alot of cluch at it at about 3000. and it did not spin much at all so my advise it to just go out and pratice.

man im so pissed off! ive been tryin to go to the track ever since last weekend and the weather just hasnt helped. today was wednesday trophy night and just after school when i was gettin ready to go it started drizzlin. all i can do is hope it gets cleared up by friday. by the way... tlakin bout rain and wet tracks, they told me the track still runs if its drizzlin, how r u suppose to launch in those conditions?

ok well its cool that this thread has gotten this long! and thanx for all the opinions. (exepct for the bs over v6's bein pussy cars and all that ;p)

if it is wet, good luck, your gonna need it.

Similar principles work for wet conditions, you just have to be more exaggerated with them.

Shifting can get a little hairy too. Nothing is more freaky than pitching your car sideways on the drag strip at 80 mph when you power shift from 2nd to 3rd. Makes you appreciate the skill it takes those top fuel guys to keep those things pointed straight down the 1/4.

lol holy shit... i wouldnt wanna try goin down the 1/4 mile sideways at 80mph, specially not with another car doin the same right next to me! although im not that bad at driftin :p

changing the topic for this thread a little, whats the best short throw shifter i can get for the 03 gt that still has the bent stick (u know so it sticks back closer towords the driver) and how much does it reduce the distance? is it hard to install? cuz i went to a shop and told me it would cost me 50 bucks for them to install it, so maybe i can save that up for my next mod. :D

there is a place running a group buy promo on a Steeda Tri-Ax.


send an email to [email protected] to get an autorespond on the details. Steeda wont allow public posting of the price so you have to send an email to get the info.

yeah i was at the track the other day with my friends and there was this bad ass corevette that pull up to the line( the car looked really sweet) but any ways he is next to this stock 4dr nesson of some sort of family car and the light goes green and the corvette started spinning and kept spinning and i could hear it shift through the gears he get almost to the 1/8 mile and the car kicks sideways and spins a 360 acrost the track and stoped less then a foot away from the wall. yeah the 4dr was like 3 cars ahead of him by now. but yeah me and my friend were laffing our a$$es off and i went and checked the car out it was a matrixs corvette s/c the car had every thing done suspension, breaks everything. you would think he would ahve been able to respect the power alittle better.

Some people are just idiots and try to save a 13 second run in their 11 second car.

hey people! i just got back from the 1/4 mile track and it was awsome! too bad my short throw didnt get here on time for it to be installed but in a way its good cuz now im gonna see how much it helps. i dont remember who asked me to tell them what were my times.... but ok im gonna tell u my best run
R/T: .484
60': 2.191
330: 6.122
1/8: 9.352 @ 76.60 mph
1000: 12.122
1/4: 14.451 @ 96.63 mph

the rest of my runs were around 14.7 but it was warmer, 14.4 was my last run when it was cooler, and i took my spare tire and my backpack full of books out. at first my launches sucked, but i did get better and better at it. i raced an 83 5.0 and his reaction time was .050!!! :o

notchback: i saw something kinda like that happen too, it was an old corvette but it was souped up for shure. well the guy pulled off the line well, but then when he shifted into second he just started spinning, he did like 2 turns and ended up looking back at the line haha he stood there for like 5 seconds in shock before he turned the car back on it was kinda funny :D

i do not know what rpms to be at when you have slick but if you are tring street tires i have alway had good luck with 2800 to 3200 rpms depending on tire brand and size

whats the best short throw shifter i can get for the 03 gt

I've heard a lot of good things about the Pro-5.0 shifters

I've seen really fast stick cars and really slow stick cars; I've seen really fast autos and really slow autos. I've seen fast cars switch to autos and go faster, and auto cars switch to sticks and go faster. You can argue standard vs. auto all day long. At the end of the day, I'd rather have a 5-speed (which mine is) but I'm not gonna sit on my shifter and tell everyone how pathetic an auto is, because it's not.

As for launching...a 2.19 60' is not terrible, but it does need work. What did you decide to launch at? What kind of tires/pressure are you running? Remember, there is no magic RPM you can launch at, it's all trial-and-error with practice.

Oh and another thing, I could take offense to the "girls drive V6 autos" comment, if I didn't have an M5 GT and could bang the hell outta the gears :wink:

hey! nice kinda long thread that is being brought back from last year! great (y)