General Chat
Q:
Ello, can anyone give useful advice on how to shift/race better? anykind of technique that works any useful advice on how to be a better racer? it would be interesting to read :) thanks
73' 240z: F54 4.2L, OS Giken LY DOHC Crossflow head, 17:3comp.ratio, N33, Tripple SU's, T10 Hybrid Draw-Through TT @ 47pds, Roots&Centrifugal Type supercharger, 3-2-1 headers, Centerforce 4 clutch, 6oz flywheel, R300 differential, Super-Hicas
A:
drag or street?? big difference.
I refuse to tip toe through life, only to arrive safely at death.
A:
street and drag :)
73' 240z: F54 4.2L, OS Giken LY DOHC Crossflow head, 17:3comp.ratio, N33, Tripple SU's, T10 Hybrid Draw-Through TT @ 47pds, Roots&Centrifugal Type supercharger, 3-2-1 headers, Centerforce 4 clutch, 6oz flywheel, R300 differential, Super-Hicas
A:
Be smooth, not jerky, with the inputs.
Apply brakes in a straight line.
Learn to properly apex corners, (google it).
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1982 280zx
A:
First you rev the engine until flames shoot out of the big 5" chrome exhaust tip. Then you dump the clutch so that the back end starts to slide all over the place. Then you redline the motor in first and keep your foot planted on the accelerator as you shift to second so that the back tires break loose a little bit. After revving all the way to redline in second you shift to third just like you did from first to second and hit the NOS-> button on your steering wheel. More flames will shoot out of you exhaust tip and the rear tires will break loose again. Then you shift through three more gears and hit your second stage of NOS-> and then shift through a couple more gears (or maybe just back and forth between 4th and 5th gears so it looks cool). Haven't you seen Fast and the Furious?
1972 240Z always in progress
***WARNING*** MY POSTS MAY CONTAIN SARCASM
Post Edited (Dec 20, 2:52pm)
A:
use the pedal on the right as much as possible
use the pedal on the left as little as possible.
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A:
Bob Sharp once told us "Think of a glass of water on the dash, when you shift you do not want to spill it” Also practice heal & toe technique(google it)
-Pete
1978 Z ATK F54-P79
Drink Sobe No Fear Gold
Tokico Illuminas, Poly bushings,Techno Tuning TC rods. Bad Dog frame rails. Toyota 4 piston calipers & power slot rotors. MSA 2.5” turbo exhaust & K&N cold air intake. H4’s
A:
whats behind you is not important
1975 280Z [STOCK]
the answer lies not within the question but rather within the answer itself!
A:
Sometimes you have to go more slowly in order to go faster.
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1978 280Z - I wish I had this much money in my 401K.
A:
you need to check out David Muramoto of SportZ magazine. he does write-ups on driving techniques and whatnot for the magazine.
and try your hand at autocross.
If all were equal, none would be strong.
Ballistic,Ruler of Interstates
Stage XX+ 1993 Z32 NA
"SoulTaker"
A:
Head to Michigan for Driving School. Nothing like being in the car with a great instructor.
A:
DRIVE IT LIKE YOU HATE IT!!
DON'T BE AFRAID TO BREAK IT...........CUZ YOU WILL EVENTUALLY........and very often if you drag race constantly!!!
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12.804 @ 107.26 mph on crappy street tires with Dual SU Powered 2.9L Stroker!
ZCAR.COM member since Aug 1998
A:
You will never be as fast as you can be until you know exactly what the inputs you give to the car actually do. Nor will you ever be able to mod the car to the highest potential until you do.
19[TT]91
My TT beauty is gone.
2[00]2 Honda 954RR
Suzuki 1200 S; sportscar eater
19[I4]94 Integra GSR Sedan
Long live the Z...
aka SAHTT
A:
Sounds like some of us have been watching too much Initial D.
-Jason
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1990 300ZX Twin Turbo- SOLD!!!!
A:
Go that way...very fast. If something gets in your way......TURN.
Heel/toe in a Z? whats the point? Our trannies downshift just fine without doing the dance. Concentrate on smooth transitions and nailing your appex's.
1970 240zt 326whp 320ft/lbs @ 13 psi,
A:
"...whats behind you is not important..."
–Gumball Rally
"...Go that way...very fast. If something gets in your way......TURN..."
–Better Off Dead
Thanks for making me smile, guys. Two of my favorite quotes.
By the way, I use the "Go that way.." all the time when walking course at an autocross.
A:
"and then shift through a couple more gears (or maybe just back and forth between 4th and 5th gears so it looks cool). Haven't you seen Fast and the Furious?"....plus, don't forget that those '1/4 mile' races they do seem to last for 30-45 seconds.
Don't laugh, but has anyone ever read the Gran Turismo (yes, the video game) manuals? Not only do they teach you how to drive in the game, but you can actually apply some of the information in those to real life driving. They break down the behavioral characteristics of all the different engine/drive type (fron layouts and how to control them.
God must love stupid people, he made SOOOOO many of them!
A:
Better yet, has any one used the Logitech Steering Wheel / Foot Pedal set up for the Gran Turismo game. It does not have a clutch pedal, but it does have everything else, including 900 degree turn radius and an incredibly accurate force feedback wheel. You really do learn about the characteristics of the different cars when you use this device. Any true driving enthusiast is doing themselves and injustice by not picking it up. I was fortunate enough to get it from my girlfriend last year for my birthday....best gift I have ever received from anyone in my life. It truly takes the game to the level it was meant to be...once you experience it, you will see why GT4 blows all other racing games away...especially that god awful joke of a program they call Need for Speed. Don't get me started on Midnight Club or Project Gotham....I scoff at them as I lay rubber in my Motul Pitworks 350 Z. Forget the dubs, the damn neon lights, and the distracting girls in bikini's. Give me the Mulsanne Straight with the notorious two chicanes in a Nissan R390 at 215 MPH, or Infineon Raceway in a Ford GT40 Race Car.... I know I will never be a true race car driver, but this is pretty damn close.
Previously owned: 2005 Z Enthusiast, Super Black, 6 spd.
Currently lease: 2006 Pathfinder S, Silver, Auto
"She is (and always will be) my little deuce coupe, you don't know what I got!"
A:
"It amazes me how many people think brakes are for slowing down" - Mario Andretti.
That quote helped me more than anything. Rolling on the throttle at the right times at the right pressure is not the problem for me, nor is apexing a corner, it's slowing down properly for the next corner IN ORDER to set up the apex and throttle application. Practice different braking techniques and examine what works and what doesn't, and why.
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Pete1978z: "It's not that I think stupidity should be punishable by death, I just think we should take the warning labels off of everything and let the problem take care of itself."
A:
Hand placement on the wheel and not being "jerky" are also important. But as Z1 stated, braking technique is sooooo importtant. In regards to GT4, I have Xbox and Forza Motorsports is awesome. The feel of the cars is incredible and the line of the track is right on.
1990 N/A 300ZX
1957 Porsche 356
1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue ( daily driver)
A:
Both Forza and Gran Tourismo, while good simulations, are not all that accurate with regards to any particular car. Simply driving the 350z or the 300zx TT in the game (when you know how the real thing behaves) is an easy way to spot the problems. The power curve on the 300zx, for example, is completely wrong. In the game it seems linear, when in fact it is a very non-linear thing, which leads to problems obtaining top speeds which are easy in the real car.
The handling on the 350z isn't very accurate either. The 350 is pretty tight, but Forza (maybe to keep the car in a particular class?) makes it too easy to wander and the rear can slop out easily all the time.
But to be fair, it's just a game... they do the best they can with the budget they have, and the games are still enjoyable. Keep in mind that they have to tweak the cars up or down to make them comparable in a race. If the 350z was competing with Porsches in the upper car classes, it wouldn't be very fun, even if reality is much more this way.
A:
practise--the object of a perfect start is to leave off the line with as much power as is possible without breaking traction-- black marks and tire noise may seem cool but they will slow you down. get your take off perfected than use a stop watch and work on exactly how many rpms you want out of each gear without breaking traction on the shift. practise your shifts until your eye hand and foot cordination are perfect for take off and each gear. practise on a deserted or very lonely piece of road take a cell phone incase you break down. and above all dont go getting into any races until you have done all of the above-- because there is nothing morehumiliating than thinking you know how fast you are and racing some old guy in a not so nice looking car and getting your ass beat bad. there are a lot of sleepers out there and they thrive on taking someone down.
i have a 67 yr old uncle with a 74 chevy pickup that at first glance looks pretty plain until he hits the hydrulic switch that uncorks his headers to the 427 nitrous poered engine stuck under the hood he turns high 9s in a damn pickup- but to his credit he has been drag racing since the late 50s and even tho i dont race anymore he taught how to racein my 70 challenger back in the day i had over 450 drag races without loosing once.
and i raced every shelby cobra, corvette ,gto and judges, trans ams, camaro, chevelle everything that came up against me and beat them.
sorry for the long post and dont flame me im not bragging its all true.
the best advice on racing technics is practise and know your car
one more thing to remember is;- if you hurt your car to win the race and have to be towed home than you really didnt win== no race is worth breaking your car i never met anyone who wanted to be towed home in their boyfreinds or husbands car ....
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1980 280ZX coupe
2001 maxima
1994 F150 4x4 van works custom truck
170000 and never needed mech repairs
1996 ford explorer -they cant all be good
A:
practise--the object of a perfect start is to leave off the line with as much power as is possible without breaking traction-- black marks and tire noise may seem cool but they will slow you down. get your take off perfected than use a stop watch and work on exactly how many rpms you want out of each gear without breaking traction on the shift. practise your shifts until your eye hand and foot cordination are perfect for take off and each gear. practise on a deserted or very lonely piece of road take a cell phone incase you break down. and above all dont go getting into any races until you have done all of the above-- because there is nothing morehumiliating than thinking you know how fast you are and racing some old guy in a not so nice looking car and getting your ass beat bad. there are a lot of sleepers out there and they thrive on taking someone down.
i have a 67 yr old uncle with a 74 chevy pickup that at first glance looks pretty plain until he hits the hydrulic switch that uncorks his headers to the 427 nitrous poered engine stuck under the hood he turns high 9s in a damn pickup- but to his credit he has been drag racing since the late 50s and even tho i dont race anymore he taught how to racein my 70 challenger back in the day i had over 450 drag races without loosing once.
and i raced every shelby cobra, corvette ,gto and judges, trans ams, camaro, chevelle everything that came up against me and beat them.
sorry for the long post and dont flame me im not bragging its all true.
the best advice on racing technics is practise and know your car
one more thing to remember is;- if you hurt your car to win the race and have to be towed home than you really didnt win== no race is worth breaking your car i never met anyone who wanted to be towed home in their boyfreinds or husbands car ....
____________________________________
1980 280ZX coupe
2001 maxima
1994 F150 4x4 van works custom truck
170000 and never needed mech repairs
1996 ford explorer -they cant all be good
A:
sorry guys i hit the post too fast please forgive me for wasting space with a double post i truly am sorry im not as computer savy as i need to be .
____________________________________
1980 280ZX coupe
2001 maxima
1994 F150 4x4 van works custom truck
170000 and never needed mech repairs
1996 ford explorer -they cant all be good
A:
"black marks and tire noise may seem cool but they will slow you down."
Tell that to F1 and just about any other racing series with a standing start!
Black Marks and Tire Noise are the sights and sounds of a drive keeping his clutch intact!
Different forms of racing need different techniques!
People Are Idiots, Just look around here and you will see!
Tony D: "Knowledgeable but Caustic"... rationull
My brother from another mother calls himself "Willie D"
A:
good information......
73' 240z: F54 4.2L, OS Giken LY DOHC Crossflow head, 17:3comp.ratio, N33, Tripple SU's, T10 Hybrid Draw-Through TT @ 47pds, Roots&Centrifugal Type supercharger, 3-2-1 headers, Centerforce 4 clutch, 6oz flywheel, R300 differential, Super-Hicas
A:
zxtoy knows what iam taking bout thx
73' 240z: F54 4.2L, OS Giken LY DOHC Crossflow head, 17:3comp.ratio, N33, Tripple SU's, T10 Hybrid Draw-Through TT @ 47pds, Roots&Centrifugal Type supercharger, 3-2-1 headers, Centerforce 4 clutch, 6oz flywheel, R300 differential, Super-Hicas