Getting traction....

[LegendLives]

What are things you can do to provide the traction/bite you need for take-off. I know slicks but besides that are there other things you can do to plant the tires? i.e. bolt on's?
Also if you had no access to any slicks what could you do at the track? lower tire pressure? really heat the radials? I ask because in the spring I would like to make a couple of passes at the strip to see what the old girl will do and also because when Im just cruising around and I want to nail it I hate that it goes right up in smoke...

 

[jjjferro]

I have lower control arms, upper control arm, anti squat brackets, and axle brace.

 

[NastyStang113]

No slicks than drag radials, hands down. Tires are the most important factor in this whole thing. Than a set of LCAs, LCA relocation brackets if you're lowered, etc.

 

[jroc07gt]

remove front swaybar

 

[TonyN]

Like others have said already:

Drag radials (mickeys, M&H, nitto, BFG, ect), lower control arms, adjustable upper control arm, adjustable panhard bar and relocation brackets would be a good start to plant the rear end. It really depends on how serious you want to get. These cars have a hugeeee aftermarket and you can get just about any suspension part possible. Some nice springs and adjustable shocks wouldn't hurt either.

You want the best weight transfer and tire contact patch as possible on launch. Front up and rear down. Removing the front sway bar helps. Relocating the battery to the trunk will put some weight where it is needed. I could go on and on...lol. With street radial tires lowering the tire pressure can help but you don't want to go to low. Trial and error from 18-25 psi, but I wouldn't go any lower than that.

Best thing you can do for yourself is PRACTICE! I feel the "driver mod" is the best and most important mod of all.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[GIG4FUN]

moved your post to the drag section. Should do well here...

 

[LegendLives]

moved your post to the drag section. Should do well here...

Thanks...GIG4FUN

Ok, Thanks for the response's so far and some more info. I am kinda green when it comes to this whole "getting the car to hook up thing" Ive always had a stick before and the A/T is a different animal to me. If I didn't go with drag radials what regular radials do people have that they think perform well? What is a decent Drag radial i.e. price, function, looks, sizes? I have 17's and would like to keep stock height or +1 size. What is a bare necessity suspension upgrade/add-ons? I see I will have to be researching a lot of review type feed back on what people like and whats not so good. I'm not trying to be cheap or take short cuts but I do have to watch the pennies, my pockets aren't as deep as I would like. lol

 

[don_w]

If you have stock gears, go with a short tire. Get a set of 17x8 stock takeoff wheels and put a set of 275/40-17 M/T drag radials on there. Personally, I wouldn't screw with the suspension (or anything else) until you have done that.

 

[dragpac]

you don't need much of a dr on a auto for traction,so I would say maybe the nitto because it will last alot longer.with my 06 gt auto with boltons and 4.30 gears and a 100 shot on a mt dr I could run 30lbs of air and still dead hook.I'd get low 1.6's on spray and low 1.8's on motor.with the stock converter

 

[UMI Sales]

Hello
I noticed that you are having traction issues! And I agree tires are a big advantage when it comes to drag racing. But I suggest hands down that Lower Control Arms and Relocation Brackets are the problem solver either a stock ride or lowered vehicle. Depending on what type of driving you do you will also have a tunable set up allowing you to adjust the lower control arm. When it comes to Drag Racing we have experienced you get the best results. Below is a link to show you what all UMI Performance has to offer!

http://www.umiperformance.com/catal...ducts_id=320&zenid=3btjvvmjjqndmr1bbpk171rom1

If you have any other questions feel free to ask and I will be more than glad to help.
Thanks
Brad

 

[cdutchess78]

brother,i hear.ive driven manual all my life tilll now.i also have an automatic and its much harder to control than manual.yopu have to set rpms just right and cant stomp it or you'll spin all day.i found optimum range to be between 1-2000 rpms.right now,i just switched from stock bf goodrich to goodyear eagle gt(decent price) and they have perfect traction.my tire pressure is set at 38 in front and 22 in back.the only thing i can suggest is finding a backwoods road where no one is and just practice your launches.if you dont slip there,than youare defiantly doing something right.

 

[LegendLives]

My gears are FRPP 3.73 that were just installed last week. Other mods are a C&L Racer CAI w/ a BBR SCT X3 custom tune, FRPP shorty headers and FRPP stinger axle backs. I also have the prothane bullet motor mounts. Before I do any more hp mods I definately want it to start hooking up better. So as I have read here so far I am now looking at tires (DR's) and a good street tire also some of the LCA stuff. I also have never had wheel hop w/ this car (knocks on wood). I am going to have to try the 1-2000 rpm range and not stomp it. Thats my bad habit, just matting it to the floor, I have to break that habit.

 

[don_w]

Thats my bad habit, just matting it to the floor, I have to break that habit.

That's not a bad habit... at least not at the track.

And since you don't have wheel hop, I'd definitely get good rubber before anything else.

 

[LegendLives]

That's not a bad habit... at least not at the track.

And since you don't have wheel hop, I'd definitely get good rubber before anything else.

Thanks, I am researching rubber on web and this site, reading and learning.

 

[TexasBlownV8]

With an automatic and stock torque converter, the 'sweet spots' for me were the M/T drag radials on stock 17x8 rims, running them around 16 psi. it would hook 95% of the time, and with the higher tire pressures, I'd get higher trap speeds. I used to run the dr's at around 19-20, but then did a 'road test' with them one day and found I could hook at higher pressures. It helped.

On street tires, when I was at lower power levels (under 300 hp), again with stock converter and stock gears, I could use street tires, but only if dropping pressure to around 20 psi; anything over 22, they'd spin bad, and fishtail off the line.

But FWIW, get some drag radials and be safe; you don't want to loose it with stock tires off the line and risk wrecking.

Suspension will have a large impact on how the car transfers weight and plants it as well. If possible, get someone to take a video or two of your launches and that'll help you see what the car is doing or is not doing. I solved some major traction issues that way, once I saw the car would squat and then rebound too quickly, causing a loss of traction right off the line.

Tires and suspension, then driver mod is minor with an automatic.

Oh, and with dr's or slicks, a decent burnout is absolutely needed for best traction! Invest in a line lock to help get those burnouts.

 

[don_w]

Oh, and with dr's or slicks, a decent burnout is absolutely needed for best traction!

Much less of a burnout with slicks compared to DRs.