For now, im running a 4 speed auto with stock gears and no torque converter. I'm wondering whats a good method for launching, considereing if I power brake at all it spins. Usualy, when the light changes i just give it a lil gas and then slowing push the pedal down till it hits redline and changes to second, then I floor it. Anyone else have any suggestions?

-Seth

Whatever it takes, you have to find a happy medium between the loosing traction and bogging the motor, With my car it needs to get to 2nd ASAP because any heavy right foot in first turns 'em over. I had an LT1 car, but good launches in it were impossible because it had a bad off-idle miss. I've heard they like similar treatment as my LS1 car needs.

Oh yeah, look through some other older Technique threads too, much as been mentioned before, it just doesn't show up on the default forum thread list.

I down shift my auto into 1st. Then stall it up to around 1800 to 2000 rpm, when the tree goes green, I usually go about 1/2 to 3/4 throttle and ease it into full throttle, but it is always full throttle before 1st gear runs out, and stays that way while I manually shift the trans through the gears. Every once in a while I will just tach it up and floor it just for the fun of it, but she usually just smokes the tires down, straight through 1st gear and if I don't let up, she'll keep em turnin most of the way through 2nd as well. I have been on some streets, where she hooked up right off the line. When I was doing my street racing days, those were few and far between, and really depended on the street that I was on. It was really weird that sometimes she would hook up and other times she wouldn't. I toasted a 68 or 69 (I think) Buick GS 455 Stage 1 one night because she decided to hook up, and this Buick GS was built, I don't think I should have ever beat him, but he spun off the line, and I hooked up, and it was over. I beat a 91 Trans Am L98 bored .030, nice big cam, headers still TPI, but had the ported base plate and plenum and after market runners, 52 mm throttle body, Edelborck Aluminum heads, built 700, and 4.56 gears in the back end. We went at it a few times, I smoked his @ss every time too. He had too much gear in the rear, and could not hold 1st on the trans at all, but I hooked up on him a couple of times as well, and really left him then. When she decides to hook up, hold on cause you're in for a ride. She will definitely fully extend the front struts, cause you can hear them when they fully extend, and that nose will shoot up in the air, it is a nice feeling. I've beat a few cars that I had no reason to even be racing because she pulled a fluke and hooked up.

It's no fluke when you hook up buddy I'm sure

Good runs for sure to beat those cars one way or another!

Like I said, there is no feeling like it when she decides to hook up. I think she could hook up if she wants to more then she does, I just think my Baby is a little tempermental. I have raced different cars on the same night in the same place, and she will lose to a car that she should beat, and then blow the doors off of a car that she shouldn't beat. I just think that she has to get psyched up for the race as well. I beat a 93 Z28 one night that had quite a bit of work done to it that I should have never beat, and then the same night I lost to a stock 5.0 Mustang GT, well nearly stock, but I should have never lost to that Mustang. My Baby has a mind of her own, and when she decides that she wants to run, look out, but shen she isn't in the mood, just about anyone could whip her. My wife didn't believe me on how tempermental my Formy is until after we got married and she got to live with her. My Formy did not like my wife when we were dating and would break down just about everytime I started to drive to her house, get her home and she was fine. Would drive all week no problems, then refuse to go see her. My wife tried to drive her once, before we had the talk, and she wouldn't start for her. I went out there and she fired right up for me, left her running the wife sat back down, and she cut off before my wife could get out of our driveway. I had to pull her back in, never did it again, but then again my wife never tried to drive her again. We finally had a talk one night in the garage, and she has been better since then, but she does not like my wife's IROC. You can not let her see you working on the IROC or she will have a fit and start having problems. Unless you just did some work on her, like giving her new toys, then it's ok. That is why I had to do the sub-frame connectors, and finish them up before doing the gas tank on the IROC. Anyone else's bird give them this kind of attitude?

dude, you got some issues.....its a car!!

my car has is good days and its bad days, yeah machines are funny like that sometimes.

Yeah......My formy can have an attitude.

Especially in the cold, she likes to be warmed up, or she's cranky.

I know exactly what you mean. I own two firebirds, my 90 Formula 350, and an 86 v6 bird that i drive in the winter. Well, pretty much as soon as i took the 86 out of the garage and put the formula in it and started the winter upgrade & modification process, the drain ###### on the radiator of the 86 started leaking for no reason. Heck, even when i first bought the formula last year, i think she got jealous of having to share a garage and a driveway with another car that the water pump on the formula just leaked out of nowhere all over my garage floor, kind of like a dog marking it's territory . Cars will be cars.

My car is an angel. She dont mind if I get mad and tromp on her. She lets me drink & drive (no booze however). I change her bodily fluids . She growls at the right times. She dont mind if I look at other cars.She even lets me test drive other cars. My wife would never let me do that. Then if I want ,I can wash her and put her up wet

Well my car seems quite well behaved, alone, with company, and all passengers. Several others have driven her with nothing but compliments afterwards. However I always seem to be able to maintain traction better when by myself because she is soft spoken. You see, I can hear the revs and adjust accordingly when no other car are getting on it, but when racing, all I hear is the other lane. No worries, I got a louder "voice" for her on the way, I hope she appreciates it!!! I know I will

With my cars I agree and I can sum it up in a group of words ( hope no one gets offended ) "Biotch with an attitude".

I think the nicer you are to them, the nicer they'll be to you! You can't call 'em bad names(well sometimes they may like that )! You got to pet them, buy them nice things, feed them right, take them places they've never been, do things with them that you've done with no others, always remember where, when and exactly how you met, and keep 'em looking good, and many other good deeds that are not coming to mind right now...

Cars, people, cars!!!

The wife 73 is SUPER stubborn in the cold, but warm her up a little and she is just as pleasant as can be!! Kinda like most women!!

Back to the topic:

My wifes 73 has an auto, TH400 i believe but not sure, and she has traction bars and big back tires. That car NEVER loses traction no matter how hard you stand on it! She gets the most amazing launches by powerbraking and standing on the throttle while manually shifting the trans.

I used to have a 75 T/A 455HD with TH400 and i would powerbrake to about 2500 and then ease the throttle to WoT, and then maunually shift through the gears. The sound of a 455HD at WoT is AMAZING!!!!

Casey

i did the opti on my bird this summer. it ran fantastically for a couple weeks. i then took her to go test drive a newer TA. BAD idea. the new opti crapped out a few days later out of jealousy. if you'r gonna look at new cars, NEVER bring yours to do it. They get upset.

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dangit, i missed what he said..... lol, it's hella late and I wanna laugh...

~Nick

My formula has a mind of her own too, she hates mustangs. I've been driving with cruise on, a mustang started going by, and she downshifted herself and jumped about 30mph. Little instances like that.

LOL, omg that is funny...and I've had similar experiences except my car does really have a mind of its own.

It happens all the time, even when my gf drives my car. When you have the cruise control on..and another car tries to pass you, I don't know why..but my car actually, honest to god, starts to pick up speed..it's gone up to like 7 mph over the cruise control too. I laugh everytime cause I just like to say my baby has a stubborn attitude and hates being passed =P