first time racing...tips?

[robcarync]

hey guys, as some of you may know, i am preparing for a grand old drag race at the strip between me and my friend down the street. the cars are:

Me: 1995, M42 318ti, Auto
Him: 1996, M44 318i, Auto

As you can tell, this will be virtually the same car as they are both pretty much stock. I am looking for every advantage i can possibly get over him on the 1/8 mile track we will be racing on, because face it guys, i cant let myself suffer the indignity of losing to this clown.

so, i have a fogged airbox for my intake. id remove my foglight cover to make it a fogged ram air tube airbox possibly...as it might increase airflow as im traveling?

Right now im thinking of a few quick things i can do for any advantage.

first off, K&N filter...i know some people like them, and the fogged airbox man hates them...anyone have opinions on these guys? (i was thinking about getting one before we were even planning on racing, as it probably wont have a huge difference on the race outcome)

i guess the best way now is to get rid of some dead weight.

so far i am going to remove:

subs
spare tire/tool kit
maybe rear seats?

so this would be my first time racing on a drag strip...anyone have any tips for a sucessful evening?

[myblueTI]

You should have no problem beating him. If you have a light hatch and he has a big sedan there should be no question that you should lose. I have a 98 m44 engine and i can keep up from light to light with my friends 2002 325Ci with the sport package. We both have autos but he has the steptronic so his is even a little better. But for a little better performance i guess put it into 3rd gear and not drive and take off the traction control if you have it. You do those thing and i garuntee you will win

[Tyler]

Also make sure ur gas tank is on empty or even ur low gas light comes on that should be perfect. thats like 1 1/2 gallons which is what 10lbs compared to a full or half tank of gas. Spare tire assembly weighs about 25lbs. The spare is like 10-15 and then you got the metal bracket underneath which is like 8lbs then the jack and stuff.

[robcarync]

well the drag racing strip is about 20 miles away...so i gotta make sure i have enough gas to get home ;}

and yes, i forgot to mention id have it in 3rd instead of D...

i figure that weight is on my side compared to the sedan, but i dont only want to beat him...i want a commanding victory!

one person suggested holding brake and gas at the same time to get the revs up at the start...it makes sense, so i guess id do that too

still thinking about K&N...i know fogged airbox man hates them, but some of their testimonials on their site make them sound great...and i do know other people who love K&N as well and swear by them...

i guess thats about all really...hopefully i can drag this clown to the track around wednesday or so...

[cali-ti]

rear seats (bottom, backs) and bolsters are pretty easy to pull out if you desire to do so. seat bottom and bolsters are pretty light, the seat backs are heavier.

[AlaskaBlue]

The seat backs are fairly heavy. I think it is total about 40 pounds for the seat backs. They are really easy to take out and put back in too. Just fold them down and unscrew the torx head screw in between the two seats. Then pull off the clip that is at the outer edge of the seats. After that just wiggle them out.

I have a K&N filter with a fogged air box. I like it.

[schussey]

drain your windsheild wiper fluid, and remove the whole system. Also, take out your tool kit, and spare tire.

AlaskaBlue- - how do you like your KW Varient 3's? My old man is about to put these on his 944T, and I'm about to order them as well.

-chris

[lkwd318ti]

Don't forget the rear hatch cover (the shelf that covers the trunk from the rear seats) and the floor mat for the trunk. It might be a small thing but still, I think that will be another few pounds (5-7??)
If you can, learn how to drive your car in manual mode. (A/M switch next to your shifter...You can shift the gears yourself) Start from 1, get to redline, go to 2, redline it, go to 3 all the way then D if needed.
I think it's better because i think that the automatic mode hesitates and stays in a certain RPM before shifting, but thats just what i think.
I drive it in manual mode and i think its better
Test it out and see which one is better...
One more thing...dont' shift from 3 to 2 (same with 2 to 1)unless your RPMs are GOING DOWN from 1.5K, because your car will jerk and you'll heard a metal clanking sound. Sound is kinda bad, but I don't know if it will actually do any damage to the car.
(From my experience, I think that the manual mode is better, but I've never really raced before. Just try it out and see which one you think is better)
Good luck man.

-Randy

[schussey]

5-7lbs solely from the rear shelf and trunk cover? Eh, I think it's a bit less than that.

-chris

[Woofy318i]

loose some weight,
drive naked
take the front passanger seat out

[robcarync]

i already know how to drive it in manual mode...it gives me many options...which is why i was debating 3rd in auto mode or just use manual mode!

i know all about shifting down and thant clanky sound...its an ugly sound eh?

but yeah, i can drive it in manual mode quite dandy...

that was some good insight guys...thanks tons...i guess im gonna go to auto zone now to pcik up a k&n air filter for my car...got paid last friday....i got the money!

[lkwd318ti]

Originally Posted by schussey

5-7lbs solely from the rear shelf and trunk cover? Eh, I think it's a bit less than that.

-chris

...I was just guessing hehe. It might have seemed heavy to me maybe because of its bulky size.

Hey Rob,
Not related to your racing thing...but for the metal clanking sound when you downshift from 3rd to 2nd....
You should keep your foot on the accelerator like....1/4 throttle....
Your RPMS will go VROOM, I usually just let go when i wanna slow down....pretty good engine braking lol.

If your really good, you might be able to remove your door panels?
good luck once again

-Randy

[robcarync]

yeah...i love it when the RPMS shoot up like that probably not too good for the car though

but guys, i seem to be a moron. i got the bright idea to tell my mom i was going racing against my childhood friend down the street. im 18, so i figured she wouldnt care...but the words 'racing' and 'mom' do NOT go together. she freaked out and said i couldnt go. part of it was because my nieghbor was over there when i told my mom, and she got it confused with illegal street racing and how cops are cracking down on it. that didnt help at all needless to say.

my pops is in CA right now on business, and my mom emailed him and told him to email me saying NO RACING. my mom is just stressed because recently, my sister totalled her car running a redlight, and a water pipe burst in our wall upstairs in my bathroom, causing 10k dolalrs of damage to our house. shes just stressed and doesnt feel like dealing with it, and wont even listen to me, even though im not getting angry, yelling, or being rude!

i sent my pops a return email to his email that simply said 'no drag racing...'

Why can't I go race once?

When I first mentioned it to Mom, Tammy Stringer was
there. She started talking about she saw how the
Police are cracking down on drag racing in Johnston
County and how they were getting in trouble. She had
this confused with ILLEGAL street racing, which I am
not doing. Now Mom is all nervous and gets angry
whenever I try to talk to her about it. (Not even
yelling or getting upset at/with her. She can't even
have a rational conversation. She said mothers and
women don't need to be rational.)

I don't understand her concern. She says I will wreck
the car. The track is 1/8 of a mile on a straight
track in a controlled environment. The race would
last about 10 seconds, and top speed would be around
65. If you guys trust me to drive 65 on I-40 in
traffic and reading road signs without wrecking a car,
I don't understand why it would be different to drive
65 in a straight line in a fenced in, controlled, race
track.

Caroline pointed out that she totalled her car only
going 50. I also pointed out that on a drag strip,
there are no intersections and no red lights to run.

Honestly, the odds of me wrecking the car are greater
on the Cary Parkway than on Dunn-Benson Drag Strip.

So far, I have not heard a logical reason why I
shouldn't go. You probably think it is a waste of $5,
but as I have a job working 7 days a week, I have the
money to spend on something I'd like to try.

It's just one race between me and Robert Andrews. It
is the battle between the neighborhood Bimmers. It's
better it occurs in a controlled situation than on a
public road.

It seems like I'm being punished for trying to be a
good kid and be safe compared to other teenagers that
go racing down the Cary Parkway. It seems like I'm
being punished for being a good kid and telling you
what my plans are.

Mom says I can't go because it's in Johnston County.
I'm sorry, but that isn't a good enough reason for me.

Enlighten me please sir.

-Rob

in which, less than 30 seconds later, i got the response

Right... I want to go with you, for the adult
supervision..

guess ill have to wait for my pops to get back from CA...and that passenger seat will be staying in it looks....

[slacker]

ROTF LMAO....Way too funny!!! Ah to be young again!

Hey Rob, Pops can ride to the strip with you and then they'll make him watch like everyone else... Just a tip on the auto..

Start in "A" on the rocker in "2" and let the RPMs rise to 2000 with the brakes hard on and watch the tree for the bottom yellow before floring it and dumping the brakes. Shift at the redline to "3" and again at the redline to "D". The car will start in 1st and shift auto to 2nd and hold untill you shift or hit the limiter for 3rd...so watch the tach. Using "M" from 1st is a waste.

Have fun and post your times Dude.

Gary

[robcarync]

ahhh yeah....i should have never even mentioned it to my mom at all.....if i had known she would have freaked out i would have just told her i was going to watch and not told her i went to race.

oh well im not too concerned...but it looks like my race will be postpones til next thursday....

and thanks for the Auto tip...sounds good!