At 4000 rpm in second before she hooks up?

[black mamba1]

When I accelerate hard from a dead stop I spin 70% thru first, then I shift into second..and spin all the way to 4000 rpm. I am actually in second gear only about 2 sec before I redline..then I shift to third. A buddy of mine says something is not right, but I am easily at 100-110 mph or so by the time I hit third gear. I had Tator check my tires about 3 weeks ago, he said they are fine.

Is this normal for a 528 rwhp SRT?

 

[bluestreak]

Is this a complaint? Most guys complain about not enough wheelspin. If your car is spinning the tires like that in 1rst and second, means it's healthy and strong, time for some better tires.

 

[Blainne]

This is pretty normal for any car with a manual tranny and 500+ horsepower. Your first 3 gears are gonna be hard to prevent severe wheel spin and keeping the nose of your car pointing forward under full acceleration.

A day of practice at a local drag strip focusing on your 60ft times may help you find the best launch technique. Mashing your gas pedal to the floor is a bad idea of a launch technique. A gentle feathering of the gas pedal and a proper release of the clutch are the key to keeping your tires within their limit of grip which isn't an easy task on street tires.

 

[black mamba1]

Thanks guys, your info is really helpful. I see youtube videos of guys drag racing and it seems they are in 2nd gear longer than me. But my car seems to be really strong, stronger than after I dynoed it a while back. She never used to spin like this, even when I had run craps, now she spins and pulls really hard.

I dont see how the supercharged and turbo charged guys have any luck keeping an 700 rwhp or 900 rwhp under control. My car is a handful as she is!

 

[Russ M]

I see a retaining wall in your near future unless you learn to modulate the gas pedal considerably better.

Remember just because you can floor it 100% of the time does not mean you should.

 

[black mamba1]

You are probably 100% correct. I cannot get used to "feathering" the power thru first and second, I just stomp it.. I have managed to keep her straight enough to avoid the retaining walls so far, but it has been a challenge.

So what you are telling me is that w/ 528 rwhp I should not keep her floored thru the first two gears?

 

[Blainne]

You are probably 100% correct. I cannot get used to "feathering" the power thru first and second, I just stomp it.. I have managed to keep her straight enough to avoid the retaining walls so far, but it has been a challenge.

So what you are telling me is that w/ 528 rwhp I should not keep her floored thru the first two gears?

Not a good idea. Full Throttle is possible, but only if you ride the clutch. But then you'll have a new clutch in your distant future. Pedal Modulation during wheel spin is best; once you get enough speed that your tires shouldn't break loose.. then you can floor it. I've even known some peaple at the drag strip start off in 2nd gear to lesson wheel spin. or you can slap on some drag slicks, but then you'll have a rear diff in your future...

 

[wallbanger]

You could upgrade the diferential.... the 08 diferential is a major upgrade....Many times i have launched hard from a stop full expecting tire spin BUT the car just launched amazingly hard

 

[MikeR]

I could spin tires thru 3rd gear if I tried when I was at 500 rwhp N/A. And at the drag strip I had to modulate power. Mash the gas and you get 2.2 + 60 fts, modulate and you get 1.8 60 fts no problem. When I leave a light I actually kinda bog it, so that I dont spin and I beat most people out of the hole. Modulate and I dont power shift the 1-2. 2nd gear Ill modulate until above 4k, then I m hammering it thru third gear.
Also, the warmer it is, the better your tires will stick, get some stickier tires, ditch the runflats. Also, check your airpressure. I run 30lbs cold in rear on the street. At drag strip I run 25lbs hot.

 

[softuff]

What kind of tires are you running?
I know the PS2's **** when the temps below 50......We have an 800HP Ford GT and don't have the problems you describe....I did however have the exact same problem with my previous daily driver(Z06),but it was because of the tires....PS2's.

Good luck and be careful

 

[STUGOTS]

kumhos!!!!!!!

 

[MikeR]

What kind of tires are you running?
I know the PS2's **** when the temps below 50......We have an 800HP Ford GT and don't have the problems you describe....I did however have the exact same problem with my previous daily driver(Z06),but it was because of the tires....PS2's.

Good luck and be careful

Almost any tire under 50 degrees, will **** if you have big power. My Paxton Viper is close to 800hp and I use the PS2's. I love them. They stick. I do run a bigger 20" tire, its about .7" taller then stock.

 

[softuff]

Almost any tire under 50 degrees, will **** if you have big power. My Paxton Viper is close to 800hp and I use the PS2's. I love them. They stick. I do run a bigger 20" tire, its about .7" taller then stock.

Don't get me wrong.....the PS2's are great when it's warm,but they do drop off in grip when it's cold more than any other tire I've ever used.

The PS2's even have a warning label stating something to that effect.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Another option, but much less fun, is to roll on the throttle.
Snapping on the throttle out of the hole can break loose the tires, and once set spinning, they are hard to stop.

Same thing in second. Let out the clutch just a hair slower, and roll the throttle on. You might be able to get more power down this way.

Oh, yeah, congratulations on having an exceptionally well running Viper.

The reason the Paxton guys don't spin so much is because the power comes on smoothly, no snap.

 

[black mamba1]

Ok, this makes me feel much better since the car is actually performing as expected. But now drag racing just got much harder! I actually have to know what I am doing...no more simply flooring it like I did my Vette in my previous mentally challenged life.

This is going to take quite a bit of practice I see, and explains why really good guys like Jamie Furman and MikeR , IllSmoq, ViperX (just to name a few) get really good times at the drag strip...and why some guys continue to get 12.4 or 12.5 even, even with mods.

So, in first and second do you guys try to prevent wheelspin altogether? Or simply reduce it as much as possible for the best times?

 

[black mamba1]

Another option, but much less fun, is to roll on the throttle.
Snapping on the throttle out of the hole can break loose the tires, and once set spinning, they are hard to stop.

Same thing in second. Let out the clutch just a hair slower, and roll the throttle on. You might be able to get more power down this way.

Oh, yeah, congratulations on having an exceptionally well running Viper.

The reason the Paxton guys don't spin so much is because the power comes on smoothly, no snap.

Thanks!

I am gonna go and try this tactic today.

 

[black mamba1]

What kind of tires are you running?
I know the PS2's **** when the temps below 50......We have an 800HP Ford GT and don't have the problems you describe....I did however have the exact same problem with my previous daily driver(Z06),but it was because of the tires....PS2's.

Good luck and be careful

I run PS2's, I really lov em! You get traction w/ an 800 hp Ford GT? Wow! Does the engine being in the back really help that much?

 

[black mamba1]

I could spin tires thru 3rd gear if I tried when I was at 500 rwhp N/A. And at the drag strip I had to modulate power. Mash the gas and you get 2.2 + 60 fts, modulate and you get 1.8 60 fts no problem. When I leave a light I actually kinda bog it, so that I dont spin and I beat most people out of the hole. Modulate and I dont power shift the 1-2. 2nd gear Ill modulate until above 4k, then I m hammering it thru third gear.
Also, the warmer it is, the better your tires will stick, get some stickier tires, ditch the runflats. Also, check your airpressure. I run 30lbs cold in rear on the street. At drag strip I run 25lbs hot.

Hey Mike, what do you mean when u say you "kinda bog it"?

 

[Paul Hawker]

10-15% slip is the goal. Wild spinning gets you nowhere. No spin = bog.
Just a bit of slip is the best.

 

[Viper X]

Paul and MikeR are both correct,

Slip the clutch a bit, spin the rears just a little bit, kinda bog it and go. Learn to roll on the throttle, not stab it, unless you want to spin big time.

PS2's are OK tires when warm but not very sticky for bigger power in the lower gears. Lousy when cold - traction wise.

Someone said the magic word in this post, "Kumho's". Very hard to beat on the street for traction. Very, very sticky with reasonable wear.

I can get 0 to 60 times around 3.0 seconds in my Paxton car with Kumho's and a good take off procedure in warm weather. Very little spining if I do it right. If I get too excited (and we all do at times), my tires will go up in smoke and my engine hits the rev limiter in about 1 second (it seems like it anyway).

Keep working on it.

Dan

 

[black mamba1]

This is a good discussion, cuz it also helps to keep the car straight. I got my ass kicked from 0-60 by an M3 about a month ago b/c I wasnt really focusing and simply stabbed it, fishtailed, left, fishtailed right, then simply had to get out of it. The M3 was a car and a half in front of me by then.

My revs build up so fast my tach gage cannot keep up when I simply stab it like that, the rev limiter kicks in before the gage is actually at 6000 rpm, which makes it difficult for me to actually know when to shift.. Is this normal?

 

[softuff]

I run PS2's, I really lov em! You get traction w/ an 800 hp Ford GT? Wow! Does the engine being in the back really help that much?

Being a mid engine does indeed help traction somewhat....but the bigger factor is gas pedal modulation....and slipping the clutch.

Just keep practicing.....you'll get it!

 

[black mamba1]

I see why so many guys actually crash these cars....I have had my car for a year and a half but I have not ever received this much advice on how to launch my Viper. This is great! Maybe its purely my fault for not reserching previous threads, but no one has ever flat out TOLD me how to launch this powerful ass car from the dig with skill. My buddies up here either dont know much more than me, or they are keeping their launch skills a closely guarded secret.