[Barbell_Cat_717]

First time doing dig racing at the track. I have a stock 2019 A8 717 HP Challenger Hellcat. Only performance related mods to the car are 20x10.5 rep wheels with 305-35-20 Nitto 555R2 drag radials in the rear.

After doing a few runs I have my best time posted here on the slip running at high 11. Been consistently running low 12s which definitely needs better driver improvement on my part. My car is on the right #7170. My custom settings at the track are TRACK transmission, SPORT traction, and STREET suspension.

The track was not prepped and its pretty humid here in South Florida so definitely not expecting good 1/4 times.

I launch around 1500ish rpm and seems to work. Maybe I could try leaving at 1700 rpm next go around and see if that's a bit better.

The tires seem to hold me back quite a bit as when I launch I have to ease into it and then soon decide to floor it then slip and get out of the throttle for a second to then regain traction when I get back on it. Doing second gear 30 and 40 roll race hits at the track and the tires still slip. My tires psi were around 26-28 warm so I could have lowered it in which I will next time at the track this Saturday.

I don't want to discredit the tires too much as I'm more concerned on focusing on me being a better driver here. Since being at the track the most important thing is I'm having a lot of fun and definitely getting out there to practice better. If anyone can share with me some tips I'm all ears and would love to learn more from you all.

 

[Spoolin]

Your 60' is definitely killing you. One thing that could help on the drag radials is to drop the pressure down to about 18 psi to get more sidewall flex. I run my drag radials at 18-20 psi on the street in my turbo S2000 but it is a lot lighter, and at the track around 14 psi. You may be able to get by fairly well at 18 psi in the Challenger at the track and run the street at 22-24 psi..

Have you tried lowering your launch RPM to 1300? Your other settings seem good to me, but you may want to turn traction control off altogether. I believe sport mode still has it functioning some, could be wrong though.

 

[Barbell_Cat_717]

Your 60' is definitely killing you. One thing that could help on the drag radials is to drop the pressure down to about 18 psi to get more sidewall flex. I run my drag radials at 18-20 psi on the street in my turbo S2000 but it is a lot lighter, and at the track around 14 psi. You may be able to get by fairly well at 18 psi in the Challenger at the track and run the street at 22-24 psi..

Have you tried lowering your launch RPM to 1300? Your other settings seem good to me, but you may want to turn traction control off altogether. I believe sport mode still has it functioning some, could be wrong though.

I agree on the 60 as it's the weak link I need to work on. When I get to the track I will lower psi down to 18-20 and see how that plays out. On the street I usually have them around 28 cold and any lower the TPMS will trip on. I've lowered to 25 psi cold on the street and it didn't seem to make much of a difference in traction only marginal at best and so aired them back up to 28 so the TPMS wasn't constantly on.

I can play with RPMs at bit more but getting out of the hole isn't much of an issue for me it's just within seconds after the launch in that 60 foot where I struggle most to try to find the right time to floor it but often slip. I can ease into it more before punching it to see how that goes but only going so light on the throttle will cost me my time as well I'm assuming?

Only time I turn traction off is when doing a burnout then turn it back on when getting ready to go at the light. While doing the burnout I put it in all track mode as I believe with TRACK suspension less weight transfer and a better burnout right? Then I will put it back into custom settings and set it in first gear with the left downshift paddle and go.

I will lower psi and practice more as that seems like it's all I can do at this point. When I get to the track should I go straight to airing them down to 18 or start at 24 and lower slowly from there depending on how the run goes? When you had it at 18 did it affect your trap speed?

Also I'm starting to wonder if SPORT traction hurts my grip and if I should have it set to STREET traction while keeping the trans in TRACK still. I know people say it pulls timing but at the same time spinning a little bit doesn't help.

 

[CPO Super stock]

.1 in the 60 is .2 in the 1/4 so you have about a second and a 1/2 you can shave off with good prep/ air and getting it to hook. I would go down in launch RPM instead of up... all of the above is good advice.

 

[CPO Super stock]

.1 in the 60 is .2 in the 1/4 so you have about a second and a 1/2 you can shave off with good prep/ air and getting it to hook. I would go down in launch RPM instead of up... all of the above is good advice.

OOps looked at the wrong 60.... you have a low 11 to a high 10.

 

[Spoolin]

I agree on the 60 as it's the weak link I need to work on. When I get to the track I will lower psi down to 18-20 and see how that plays out. On the street I usually have them around 28 cold and any lower the TPMS will trip on. I've lowered to 25 psi cold on the street and it didn't seem to make much of a difference in traction only marginal at best and so aired them back up to 28 so the TPMS wasn't constantly on.

I can play with RPMs at bit more but getting out of the hole isn't much of an issue for me it's just within seconds after the launch in that 60 foot where I struggle most to try to find the right time to floor it but often slip. I can ease into it more before punching it to see how that goes but only going so light on the throttle will cost me my time as well I'm assuming?

Only time I turn traction off is when doing a burnout then turn it back on when getting ready to go at the light. While doing the burnout I put it in all track mode as I believe with TRACK suspension less weight transfer and a better burnout right? Then I will put it back into custom settings and set it in first gear with the left downshift paddle and go.

I will lower psi and practice more as that seems like it's all I can do at this point. When I get to the track should I go straight to airing them down to 18 or start at 24 and lower slowly from there depending on how the run goes? When you had it at 18 did it affect your trap speed?

Also I'm starting to wonder if SPORT traction hurts my grip and if I should have it set to STREET traction while keeping the trans in TRACK still. I know people say it pulls timing but at the same time spinning a little bit doesn't help.

18 psi on the rear tires shouldn't hurt your traps any. Definitely keep it in street suspension though, as this will transfer weight to the rear the best.

One point I also forgot to mention....... You can also start out in 2nd gear and that may help some in the 60 ft.

What I don't like about using any traction control, is that the PCM will pull power back i believe in any situation that it deems is losing traction, when it may not actually be losing any. This can really hurt your times, even if you think it is helping. I'd practice with and without and see what you think. I believe you can find a better combo without traction control on.

 

[Barbell_Cat_717]

18 psi on the rear tires shouldn't hurt your traps any. Definitely keep it in street suspension though, as this will transfer weight to the rear the best.

One point I also forgot to mention....... You can also start out in 2nd gear and that may help some in the 60 ft.

What I don't like about using any traction control, is that the PCM will pull power back i believe in any situation that it deems is losing traction, when it may not actually be losing any. This can really hurt your times, even if you think it is helping. I'd practice with and without and see what you think. I believe you can find a better combo without traction control on.

I was also thinking about starting in second but I thought it would leave some useful torque on the table. During 30 and 40 mph roll race hits in 2nd gear it still slips. Either I have to really air down to 18 psi like you mentioned and test that out or consider some MTs as my next set of tires in the rear.

I can try second gear and give it a shot and report back. 1st and 2nd gear on the car seem short and have quite a bit of torque.

As for traction being off I can try that as well just figured having some on would protect the car better but you have a point in regards to pulling timing.

By the way should I air up my front tires for better rolling resistance? My fronts are stock size 275-40-20 Continental ECS tires. There set at 32 cold and 34 warm. Maybe air them up to say 39-40 psi while keeping the rears at 18?

 

[drocKinCO]

Here's my 3 runs from last weekend. Stock redeye with 305/35/20 M/T Street SS @ 22 psi(had a little tire spin in 1st) then 20 psi for the 2 tickets on the right(no tire spin), fronts @ 32psi. no launch control just foot brake to about 1700 rpms. DA was about 9150, 85 degrees. Track Mode except suspension and steering are in Street Mode.

Learn to feather the pedal. I can use 95% of 2nd gear once its hooked at WOT as long as I feather through 1st gear. If you mash the pedal you'll never have traction....

Don't start in 2nd.... learn your car.

For a regular tree, Leave on the 3rd yellow, not the green. If it's a pro tree, when you see the yellow, say the word go, and then go. My r/t is not great and it's what I'm working on now that i've gotten the launch portion down.

I've found that the launch control doesn't really work, for me at least.

 

[Spoolin]

I was also thinking about starting in second but I thought it would leave some useful torque on the table. During 30 and 40 mph roll race hits in 2nd gear it still slips. Either I have to really air down to 18 psi like you mentioned and test that out or consider some MTs as my next set of tires in the rear.

I can try second gear and give it a shot and report back. 1st and 2nd gear on the car seem short and have quite a bit of torque.

As for traction being off I can try that as well just figured having some on would protect the car better but you have a point in regards to pulling timing.

By the way should I air up my front tires for better rolling resistance? My fronts are stock size 275-40-20 Continental ECS tires. There set at 32 cold and 34 warm. Maybe air them up to say 39-40 psi while keeping the rears at 18?

Airing your front tires up to 40 psi is a good idea. That could help with a bit of rolling resistance I'm sure.

 

[Barbell_Cat_717]

Here's my 3 runs from last weekend. Stock redeye with 305/35/20 M/T Street SS @ 22 psi(had a little tire spin in 1st) then 20 psi for the 2 tickets on the right(no tire spin), fronts @ 32psi. no launch control just foot brake to about 1700 rpms. DA was about 9150, 85 degrees. Track Mode except suspension and steering are in Street Mode.

Learn to feather the pedal. I can use 95% of 2nd gear once its hooked at WOT as long as I feather through 1st gear. If you mash the pedal you'll never have traction....

Don't start in 2nd.... learn your car.

For a regular tree, Leave on the 3rd yellow, not the green. If it's a pro tree, when you see the yellow, say the word go, and then go. My r/t is not great and it's what I'm working on now that i've gotten the launch portion down.

I've found that the launch control doesn't really work, for me at least.

View attachment 575385

Nice and yea we have a regular tree which makes things easier for beginners like me. Agree on learning to feather the pedal, controlling the throttle better is definitely key.

When you said the tires are at 20 and 22 psi in the rear is this cold or warm? When you drive to the track obviously our tires are heated up from driving around so I'm curious to know if you set those tires at 20-22 psi cold or when you drove to the track when they are warm then you air them down that low?

 

[drocKinCO]

Once I got to the track and it was my turn to race, an hour or so after I arrived, I aired down in the first run to 22. 2nd and 3rd runs were at 20. I drive around at 32 psi normally.

 

[Barbell_Cat_717]

Also wanted to mention. I've been to the track with a full tank of gas and went as little as 1/4 and noticed my times were no different. I think I'll stick with a full tank as I may have realized I had slightly better traction due to the weight. Appreciate the helpful responses so far folks.

 

[Spoolin]

Also wanted to mention. I've been to the track with a full tank of gas and went as little as 1/4 and noticed my times were no different. I think I'll stick with a full tank as I may have realized I had slightly better traction due to the weight. Appreciate the helpful responses so far folks.

Anytime bud.

 

[moparjim]

From reading the first post a few times to get what is going on. Judging by the mph the air is 💩 I'm guessing.
So the HP part won't help as much as say up here.

I would leave between 1000/1200 rpm.
No need to ever leave at 1500 or more imo.
Only exception would be when it is freezing cold out. You could leave at say 1500 but let the car settle before even thinking of getting on the gas.

For your situation I would leave at the 1000/1200 rpm and steadily roll into the throttle slowly. Enough to say be on the floor just after the 1-2 shift.
This is something you could try on occasion on a test spot.
If the track is not prepped I would set the traction to Sport. This way if shit happens down track the stability system will help slow down the drama so you could have more time to gather it up.
Suspension would be set to Street.
Trans I would probably try Sport so that the
1-2 shift will be less likely to spin the tires.

Try this it has worked for me. This is exactly how I started. I find it easier to get more aggressive when the time comes than to keep trying to go easier.
Fwiw in the heat using these methods my car in the heat will run 11.2x pretty steady.
In the cold it has run 10.9x on stock tires front and rear.
With 305/20 555r's on repro wheel s in the rear.
It has run 10.7x/10.8x regularly and in the late fall early winter it runs 10.70/10.72 regularly.
The track I run at is prepped well. The cold weather helps those times due to added power by mother nature.

Have fun and be safe.

 

[Barbell_Cat_717]

Sound advice here thanks for sharing. Yea it’s pretty humid and hot here in SFL so that’s not really helping of course. Definitely not the best time to track.

I will try leaving at 1000 to 1200 RPMs and see how it plays out. 1500 just seemed to take off nicely and feel the car squatting down around 1500-1700 putting tension on the drive line but I will go a little less to try and ease into the throttle better and play with rpms

You brought up a good point about trying SPORT transmission as that might be worth a try. As much as I love the aggressiveness of TRACK transmission and using it to downshift when slowing down on the big run it does seem to overpower the rear tires a bit. Even after the 1-2 shift. Second gear 30, 40, 45 mph rolls don’t seem to grab too well especially the 30 and 40 rolls hits. With the 40 roll hits I may surprisingly hook if I’m lucky and it’s rare. Around 50ish mph is where it will hook. I think the key for me is how far I can ease into it without slipping and be on the floor by around 50 mph since that’s where I can usually hook.

I went out for a couple of hits today on a back road near me using my custom settings (TRACK transmission-Street suspension- Sport traction). I lowered the psi to around 22-24 when the tires were warm after driving for an hour and tried a 40 roll hit and a launch and it still seemed to not grab better as I was hoping even when the rear tires felt softer. I can try lowering the psi when I get to the track to see what happens but gunna start small and lower little by little from there to see how the car does first. I’ll go as low as 18 psi as well and report back with better times I hope but I will definitely take into consideration on better throttle control too.

 

[moparjim]

When I ran with my p-zero's I had my pressures at 24 psi.
On a non prepped track my times are all over the place but between 11.3x and 11.8x.
The fluctuations are caused by kids in shit boxes doing big burnouts in the water box and dripping on the starting line.
I don't go there any more.
It was a good place to practice throttle control though. LOL

 

[Barbell_Cat_717]

Just to revisit here, I'm still working on improving my 1/4 time. It was my first time at a Test and tune event yesterday and with a sticky track prep it makes a world of difference. Such a great feeling being able to hook down low and feel the power of the Cat.

I'm still stock power and intend to stay that way to master my car in stock form. I only have 20x10.5 replica wheels with 305-35-20 Nitto 555R2 drag radials. I admire those who can get in the 10s stock and it's a goal of mine getting there with a Stock Cat.

I did a good few second burnout and launched from 1500-1700 rpm. I was on a full tank of gas and rear tires were around 22-24 psi. Here is the time I ran and I will definitely continue to try to improve.

I could probably get a better ET time and 60' if I floored it sooner but I wasn't able to get another run to try that as it just so happened to rain which was a bummer.

I believe the DA was 2100, hot and humid in South Florida right now. If anyone would like to share anything regarding my performance on the time slip, feel free to and would love any additional tips. I'm on the left # 1322.

 

[Spoolin]

Getting better it seems for sure. I still think that if you drop your cold tire pressure to 18 psi and launch a little lower in RPM, it'll improve your 60ft.

 

[Barbell_Cat_717]

Getting better it seems for sure. I still think that if you drop your cold tire pressure to 18 psi and launch a little lower in RPM, it'll improve your 60ft.

Sound advice, I'll try that next time. I was concerned to lower psi more as I thought it would affect my trap speed as I felt mine looked kinda low or possibly normal for a stock Cat? Being that it's hot and humid with around 2100 DA doesn't help of course.

My buddy was on the right with his WB stock power Cat as well. Simply curious why recommend launching at lower rpm if 1500-1700 rpm launched well? I figure I maybe try slightly higher after I see how I do once I leave and floor it sooner with my current rpm launch then move up from there depending on the results.

Just wondering is all, as I'm open to rying different methods you guys share with me. Thanks

 

[CPO Super stock]

Drag racing is all about 60 Ft.. If you have less time to accelerate and go slower.... its a win ;-)