How To Launch At The Track?

T

turbojenni

New Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2003
HOPING TO GET TO THE TRACK SOON WITH MY NEW 89 TTA BUT HOW DO YOU SPOOL UP AND HOLD BOOST WITH THESE AT THE TRACK? WITH MY TURBO T I HAVE 1 FOOT ON THE GAS 1 ON THE BRAKE AND I LAUNCH OFF THE E BRAKE .I USUALLY CAN HOLD ABOUT 10 POUNDS OF BOOST IF I'M LUCKY.AND IF I GET LUCKY THAT CAR LAUNCHES LIKE A ROCKET.THE FIRST TIME I EVER LEFT LIKE THIS WITH SLICKS IF LEFT ME DIZZY AND LIGHT HEADED BUT MAN IT WAS GREAT TO BE REWARDED WITH THOSE LOW 12 SECOND TIME SLIPS. THE 89 TTA HAS A FRESH ENGINE WITH SUPPOSEDLY A 212 CAM STEEL CAPS FORGED PISTONS PORTED HEADS AND INTAKE BIGGER PLENUM AND THROTTLE BODY ALSO A PT54 AND A FRESH TRANNY AND A 3000 STALL CONVERTOR. I WILL BE GEETTING A ALCOHOL KIT FROM JULIO SOON AS I CAN AFFORD IT. BUT HOW CAN I GET A HIGH BOOST LAUNCH WITH DISC BRAKES?? DOES ANYBODY EVER GO BACKWARDS AND PUT DRUMS ON THE BACK? WHAT'S THE MOST BOOST YOU GUYS CAN LEAVE ON WITHOUT A TRANNY BRAKE? ANY SUGGESTIONS? THANKS AGAIN FOR THE HELP
 
i never leave with any boost. With a stock D5 i leave at 2000 rpm. It has rewarded me with 1.72 60 ft I allow the converter to flash.
 
Sounds like you have the basic technique down already. Without a trans brake, you simply use the foot brake and launch with as much boost as possible, and without breaking the tires loose. Some guys here are able to foot brake and use the e-brake for more boost at launch. Unfortunately my car wouldn't allow me to do that. My best 60' using the foot brake technique was a 1.65 with Nitto drag radials. That ain't bad in my book.
 
It all depends on the convertor/turbo/tune/prep on how well it will performiout of the hole.....Put the car in D after burnout ,Pull the e brake ALL THE WAY BACK! Hold foot brake really hard also. Let go all at once at desired boost level or till she starts to push through the lights.BANGO!!!! That has rewarded me with 1.55 60's at 10 psi of boost everytime.
TA49/restalled D5/alky flowing/good-Ok track prep/DOT tires.

This is a lot harder on parts compared to foot braking it, but racing is hard on everything anyway. I suggest locking your convertor after you obtain a healthy time slip for your combo.

HTH
Bo
 
Do a nice burnout and make sure you have good tires to make it hook-
i had 305/40/16 m&h racemasters on my TTA used the ebrake and was able to get 1.60 sixty foots with the stock turbo and stock D5 convertor- always left at about 9-12 psi of boost.

once you do the ebrake launch a few times, it comes natural and its not as tough as you would think.

you dont have to wait for 10psi, once it starts coming up on boost, hammer it and the boost should spike up and shock the tires.
BW
 
I cut many sub 1.65 60 foots on Nitto's leaving at 2-3 PSI boost. Stock turbo/stock converter.

Let the converter work. If it doesnt.. get a looser converter. Easy.

1.525 on ET Streets 100% OEM stock suspension. Actually gotten a handful of sub 1.55 leaving at 3 PSI boost.

All in the converter, track prep, and Posi :rolleyes:

The Ebrake..comes naturally after a while.
 
DOES ANYBODY EVER GO BACKWARDS AND PUT DRUMS ON THE BACK?
Click to expand...

Yep, I went to a ford 9" with the 11" Ford drum brakes. I did not get any where near the 20 psi launches I was hoping for. I would stand on the foot brake with both feet and could get to about 8 lbs. I gradually roll into the gas and bring up the boost, right when you hit the point to where they feel like there going to break loose you let off the brake and nail it. I could get 1.59 to 1.61 at 3 psi launch and in the 1.4's with 8 psi.

Edelbrock makes a nice tubular torque arm that you can get through summit for around $150. Its no where near as fancy as a adjustable Spoon T-arm but its much cheaper and seams effective. The Edelbrock T-arm and a passenger side air bag seam to be a nice combo, especially for the money.

Unbolting the front sway bar tends to help some guys launch harder and moving the battery to the spare tire well may help and doesn't cost much to do. I've had good luck with the stuff mentioned, my car will 60' hard, and I was yanking the front wheels with out a T-brake on a stock long block TTA. Now I got to see if I can hook up 800 to 900 hp with my cheapo suspension.

HTH: Jason
 
Sorry, I meant that I stand on the brake with both feet to get the brakes clamped down and then switch to the left foot only for holding it down. This was worth a couple more pounds of boost than just pushing down with one foot to get them clamped.

Jason
 
Postal..bla bla bla...

Put on a set of HG's and bring it down to BG in May.. that Stage motor is a years away..










yes im instigating :D

Where's the finger Doctor :eek:
 
Postal..bla bla bla...

Put on a set of HG's and bring it down to BG in May.. that Stage motor is a years away..
Click to expand...

I was almost in the same boat you got into:

Ran pretty stout with a stock long block, Go to ported heads, intake, and cam, and then you realize that if you start leaning on her she's going to drive over her own crankshaft. Every penny I would have put into my stock motor would have put me a penny farther away from my true goal. This may sound stupid coming from a guy building a stage motor, but I just don't have many pennies! :)

I have raced my car three out of the last four years at the nationals. My car is Kentucky cursed but I try to take it there anyway. This year I'm going to kick back, drink some beer, visit with the turbo buick buddies I've made over the years, and just have fun. I think some of these other guys need to step up and make a showing this year. I'll be racing there next year and should make a nice showing for the TTA guys. This is what we need for next year:
1. stock long block pump gas rep.. maybe Bo
2. Modified long block pump gas rep...maybe Razor
3. stock long block race fuel rep....
4. Modified long block race fuel rep...
5. stage motor race fuel rep.... Rob C.
6. stage motor pump gas rep.... Postal

Every other active member in the TTA forum should mail Razor $5 to be split up evenly to the TTA guys who shell out the $$'s and do all the work that it takes to show up and race at the nats.

Jason
 
I almost forgot. Two years ago there was a TTA at the Nats that yanked the drivers front wheel on some back to back passes with a bone stock 100k mile long block. That should buy me atleast one free pass that I could cash in this year, shouldn't it?

Jason
 
My take is the car sits and really turns into a turd from not driving it. Tires get flat spots, fluids go south, things get sour...

I would of understood if you DOTC.. then it would have been a no brainer to wait. But for a set of 30 dollar a piece head gaskets.. some bolts..hell reuse the old ones.. and a little labor.. the car would have been back on the road. Plus it would have given you more time to figure out the tuning issues.

I would rather drop a new motor in a car that has all the bugs worked out.. than blow your new motor up trying to fix things you should of handled previously.

Personally I like these junk 109 blocks.. theyre a dime a dozen, down time is less than a few months when stuff happens. The stage stuff.. you go down, its years...

You have aspirations... thats great.. while your aspiring.. i'll be racing ;) This is how I stay motivated.. Very easy not to do... really hard to stay committed when your not behind a wheel.
 
I'm picking up another stage block. I will have 3 on center blocks, 2 sets of rods, and 2 cranks. I'm a set of pistons and a cam away from a spare short block. The spare short block will be a 252 incher. The one going in the car this summer will be a 275 incher.

Jason
 
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