ever launch on your e-brake??

[twizz]

for a short while, I listened to what everybody told me: take those radials off, and put a slick under your car. I could never bring myself to spend 300 on a set of tires that I was just going to burn up, so I didn't. Then came along a deal for a set of 26x10.5 et streets. Used, but still had some life, for $50. Some of the best money I had ever spent.

Anyway, a friend who now has a 9 sec sbc camaro (street car) told me how he used to set the emergency brake on his typhoon and launch at high boost. So I decided to try it.

Took a few trys to find the perfect launch, but here's what i did:

Set both tires to 12.5 psi, and heat em up. I would set the e-brake, bring boost to about 4 psi (stock convertor is 5 psi), and yank the handle and floor it. Aside from the loud 'bang' of the ebrake letting loose, it felt great. Car had never hooked better in its life. Any more boost, and it would blow the tires away.

One night during the summer, I was out with 3 friends cruising around with the t-tops out, all adult males like myself, so the GN was pretty well loaded. I wondered if all the additional weight would help the car hook. So I decided to find out:

At a local traffic light, I stopped on red (that is when we're supposed to stop, right?), did a small burnout, and set the ebrake. I watch the opposing lights turn yellow, then red, and I held the boost at 3psi. As my light was about to turn green, I floored the car, and as I saw the needle on the boost gauge pass 10 psi, I pulled the ebrake release. Not a peep out of the tires, and the only noise aside from the ebrake letting loose, was the bang of the front shocks becoming fully extended. Never felt anything like it in my life.

just wondering if anyone else has tried this (i heard it leads to twisted backing plates in the rear), and if anyone has ever heard their front shocks 'top out' from a violent launch. My car is far from fast, but I have yet to find anyone with similar experience.

 

[KEVINS]

Yep, except I just use the brake pedal.. If you think a 5 psi launch is fun you should try slicks and a 15psi launch!!! You would reconsider slicks if you felt THAT launch

Sticky tires and HP is soooo fun..hehee

 

[d0n_3d]

yeah just press on the regular brake pedal as hard as you can and launch with 10-12 lbs of boost...the front end of the car raises up and you shoot out of the hole like nothing...

 

[twizz]

I was on slicks for the 10psi launch, and it was very fun.

My car has a stock convertor, anything over 5 psi while I'm on the footbrake = burnout. I normally launch my car off the foot, but I can NEVER build more than 4-5psi without burning out, and sometimes, if I managed to heat up my back brakes enough, I can't hold any boost. Guess its time for line locks.

The other thing about it was that when you launch on the footbrake, the car will torque up. On the emergency brake, when you're bringing up boost, the car does not move AT ALL. Then, when you release it, its all that power all at once, and shocks the suspension. Its the closest thing to a trans brake i've ever felt.

 

[J-Rod]

I would do my burnout, pull to the line, set the E-Brake, and then clamp down on the footbrake as hard as I could.

I would start to build boost once the tree lit up. With both the E-Brake on, and the footbrake, I could build as much boost as I liked. When I left, I simply released the foot brake and the e-Brake at the same time. Making 15PSI was no problem on good tires.... Until I twisted off the input shaft in my transmission. But thats all good now...

 

[twizz]

why would you be on the footbrake as well??

only asking out of curiousity?? for me, the e-brake alone worked just fine.

 

[Slo86GN]

I do the same thing as J-rod. Here's what I do when at the track. Drive through the water.....stop with rears at other side of water....quick spin to wet them....roll up about 2-3 ft.....set line-lock.....pull shifter into 2nd....bring up revs and hold about 4000-4500 in 2nd for 3-4 seconds or til I get a good haze from the tires...release line lock and let it roll forward while rears still spinning...when they grab a little, ease off the gas...shift back into D....light the beams, stand on the E-brake then the brake pedal....bring it up to about 8-12# depending on the track....lights come down...Bang..off the ebrake and pedal....hang on for dear life...

Using the front brakes as well as the rear helps hold the car from creeping when boost comes up. Once I get the S-10 wheel cyls in, then shouldn't need to e-brake it anymore..I hope..lol.