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Launching a FWD

754 Views 39 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  chansigril
Alright, I have a 95 base 3kGT with some mods in it. I was wondering how I could successfully launch my car without too much tire spin. My friend said to start in second gear, rev it up to 4k RPM and drop the clutch in 2nd.....would this work effectivley? Or would I have a better chance in starting in 1st gear and not drop the clutch at all, just go?
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I would think that launching in second would cause you to bog severely and be just plain ineffective. Depending on the condition of your tires I would say that a 3k drop would produce little spin and aloow you to hook up well, thats what my friend in his 94SL does and he runs low 15s.
Taking off in 2nd will get you NOWHERE. Tell your friend he's an idiot.

If you know you're going to be racing, drop your tire pressure to 29psi and do a full clutch drop at 2500-3000rpm, depending on road conditions. If you are caught in a race with full tire pressure, rev to 2000rpm and drop it.

Always stay on the conservative side, because it's better to bog it than to spin. I can run mid 14's all day bogging it with 2000rpm launches, but if I launch at 4K and spin, I run mid 15's.
I have heard that with the FWD cars, you should not let the clutch all the way out in first and floor it. Of course I haven't subjected my baby to such abuse. Is there any truth to this?
Yea, wouldn't it be better to rev the car to 4k and then slowly slip the clutch out? I know this will kill your flywheel (if it's stock), but it's worth it.
From my experiance with my sl , dont start off in second , start in first and try to take off a 3000 rpms or so , second i just to high a would drag you down . I launch at 3000 rpms take off then my tires break lose at 5500 rpms before i go into second , that somthing iam still working out ;) , i think my struts are gone
Well for launching my auto I usually do the brake launch up to 2K...hehe.

But:

When I drove my friends 97 5-speed Base....I got to launch it..I revved it up to about 3000 RPM's and slows let it go and as soon as I felt the clutch grap I stepped on the gas. BTW...when the clutch grapped it was at about a litttle over 2000 RPM's. But I dont have a manual so I've only done it a couple of times.;)
Yeah guys, you're right. You shouldn't dump the clutch, you should slip it. I just don't know how to drive.
lol @drew

I do the same thing you do. I do a full dump between 2k and 2500. And i got 14s with just an aftermarket clutch like you did. Thanks for all the help and how in the heck do you get your car so light?
No Joe, seriously, slipping the clutch is better! :rolleyes:

Our cars must be twins, except mine's anorexic. My trick is filling the tires with helium. ;)
hehehe, how do i slip the clutch? should i just start reving it high and then slowly release it until rolling and then punch it. This is my first manual car and also my first fwd. Hook me up with some ideas. Thanks,
wickeddrew,

Are you being serious when you say that slipping the clutch is the way to go?? I've seen a lot of answers but i see that you run mid 14's in your n/a so i would like to have your opinion
Sorry Joe and FirestormTT, I was just being sarcastic because these guys ignored my advice. I stuck in the rolleyes smiley, but I apologize nonetheless.

If you'll read my first post in this thread, it tells all you need to know about launching. My launches stick so hard that the windshield wipers come on (no joke!). If you have drag radials, which I'm itching for badly, you can launch higher, but 3K is the highest I've been able to launch with 29psi in the Khumos. What's crazy is the more these tires wear the better they grip.

Shift at 7200-7300 rpms. DO NOT hit the rev limiter because it takes your fuel injection a split second to recoup from the fuel cut, and you lose a few horses (I learned this from a Super Street dyno of a Focus where they lost HP when they hit the rev limiter).
I knew you were playing Drew. I was just egging them on more by feeding into it. And my wipers come one too when I dump the clutch. :) But I have my Goodyears dropped to 26psi.


"I can't condone what you are doing, but good luck and be safe" ~the cop that pulled me over for racing last week. :)
Well, another problem I have is if I manage to not get my tires to break loose on the launch, when I gun first gear hard, they'll break loose at like 20mph and just bark like, 5 times in a row.
I only have 160hp stock and am also stuck with fwd, but I can usually get 2.5k to 3k on the launch before I get spin
I'm pushing about 260 now, yet it's not enough ;p

Anyone have any ideas for some quick horsepower gains?
esc said:
I'm pushing about 260 now, yet it's not enough ;p

Unless you have more mods than listed in your sig, it's closer to 235HP.

Anyone have any ideas for some quick horsepower
Nitrous
Powelsound said:



Unless you have more mods than listed in your sig, it's closer to 235HP.



Nitrous
DITTO;)
yeah 260 seems just a bit much, hey guys how much horsepower do you think i am running with my mods?? Just wondering
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