Mile Run Question!


Thugboat

Thugboat

GT Owner
Jan 20, 2009
851
Humble Texas
Guys,

I had one run at the Texas Mile in Oct. before mechanical problems ended my day!:ack For you Mile run addicts, and non addicts as well, I have tried to determine thru the video's the proper sequence for a successful run.
Soroush's video shows him almost stalling the car trying to hook up before he pours the coals to it. I couldn't tell from Mullet, Peaks or Chip's. So, What do ya'll recommend for the best time.

1. How to start (first gear, none spin)
2. What shift points (Stock and modified)
3. What gear to run thru the mile point (I was told 5th)
4. When thru the lights, stopping (This is where I am confused, do you immediately push in clutch and start braking, or let the engine help decelerate you as you brake)
5. At what speed does Peak use the Chute?:eek

Larry

BTW- A feel good story of people! At the mile in Oct. when my car had problems one of my friends , who had driven in from Houston just to watch the Gt's run on Thursday, Lost his very special wedding ring while pushing my car around. We looked for it for a very long time after the car was situated with no success. He left his name and phone number with Shannon, the organizer, with really little hope. Thursday evening this March Mile run, 6 months later as they were finishing setting up, they found it and called and let him know. It was basically in front of the Tee Shirt booth. He was elated, his new wife his 3rd, was even more surprised. Especially when Jessica called and left a message she had his wedding ring. His wifes first words, "Who is Jessica? I thought you lost it at a car race"!!!!:frown
Car people are just good people!!!!:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup:thumbsup

Larry
 
I do an easy start in 1st gear. It is not a 1/4 timed event. Ease off the line and get the clutched engaged. Roll in to the throttle 1st gear to minimize wheel spin. Shift a 6500 rpm every gear. You will get different opinions on braking. I have read some braking tests where the braked the car in gear and with the car in neutral. I pop the car into neutral release the clutch and just concentrate on braking and watching where I am going. This works for me....:biggrin
 
Last edited:
Stormcat Thanks,

Exactly the type info I was interested in. The braking was my biggest issue on the run, After I passed the lights, with the adreniline pumping, I touched the brakes a tiny bit to hard with the car in neutral and felt the car get loose.
That was a major pucker factor!!!! Thought the next time maybe I would leave it in gear, then touch the brakes. Was only doing 178 mph on this run.

Larry
 
As a total novice who ran the mile in October (with the GT forum event), I too was apprehensive about braking. Fortunately, we had some 6+ runs each. I took the first and second run pretty slowly just to feel things out - maybe 120-130mph.

My later runs, all I did for braking was take my foot off the gas, and slowly and evenly brake. Do not hit them too hard, you'll have plenty of time. I did not down shift or put in neutral as I didn't want to break my concentration. Once I slowed down to a comfortable speed, maybe 70mph, I then down shifted out of 5th.

Regarding shifting - I shifted at around 5500-6000 rpm, and was in 5th at the end of the mile. Stormy's advice is probably spot on, as he had amazing times at the mile. He well bested my top of 180mph, and I was running a Whipple.

Before the event, make sure you have fresh brake fluid, good tires, and do a general inspection.
 
Last edited:
As a road racer, I would never consider coasting a car for braking. At Rally 4, I did a normal threshold braking, and heel toed down through the gears. That is just how I am programmed now, right wrong or indifferent for a One Mile application.
 
Specracer said:
As a road racer, I would never consider coasting a car for braking. At Rally 4, I did a normal threshold braking, and heel toed down through the gears. That is just how I am programmed now, right wrong or indifferent for a One Mile application.
Click to expand...

On a road course it is different. This is not road racing... :biggrin Some very reputable car magazines did side by side braking tests at very high speeds ,virtually no difference in total time and distance to stop the car. Not my data but I have tried it in some very extreme conditions and it works for me..


Run your pulley and tune GT up to 206 MPH on a 10 000 ft runway and get it stopped before the end and let me know how many feet you left have when you get to the end of the runway ... :biggrin
 
Running the Mile.

In a car with the stock supercharger/pully/tune....

Don't slip the clutch or it won't last long. 3000 to 4000 rpm and smoothly but quickly release the clutch. Tires will rotate one or two turns before biting and the car will surge forward. Shift the car just between 6500 and 7,000 rpm. Make your shifts as quick as possible. DO NOT SHIFT INTO 5TH GEAR!!!! A GT with the stock supercharger can go about 185 mph in fourth gear before hitting the rev limiter. Shifting into fifth gear will unquestionably slow you down. Unless you're hitting the rev limiter in fourth gear, leave it in fourth gear for your best time. There is no reason to take the car out of gear while braking. Let engine compression assist the back rotors and you can keep both hands on the wheel. Your anti-lock will keep all 4 wheels turning.

From 180 mph, lifting the throttle and waiting for just a second allows wind resistance to slow the car a bit before you start smoothly breaking. This technique will stop you in plenty of time. From over 210 mph (with turbos), I used the same technique on my first run and as the end of the runway approached I thought race officials would need a backhoe to dig me out of the woods off the end of the runway! :eek I had a very high blood pressure moment and almost slid off the end. I started braking sooner and harder on subsequent runs and had no problems after that.

With the twin turbochargers....

I launched the car the same way. A cutout switch keeps the waste gates open in first gear so I shifted into second at 6000 rpm. From then on I tried to hit shifts at between 7100 and 7200 RPM. A shift into fifth gear is necessary at about 188 mph. The tachometer is in the red approaching 7000 RPMs as I passed the mile marker at just over 220 mph. Breaking is immediate and firm all the way to the end of the runway at that speed, followed by picking up time slip from race official, and then celebrating with good friends! :cheers

Chip
 
Last edited:
No disagreement, again, it is natural at this point, do not even think about it. I heel toe EVERYTHING on the street, including my pick up truck......

STORMCAT said:
On a road course it is different. This is not road racing... :biggrin Some very reputable car magazines did side by side braking tests at very high speeds ,virtually no difference in total time and distance to stop the car.
Click to expand...
 
Hey Larry,

I try to get out as quickly as possible with out spining the tires in first and second, it really depends on the car and the set up, the quicker you can get out the better off you will be down the mile, I usually shift at 7000 rpm and I cross the line in 5th gear, I usually know what mph im running just by watching the rpms in 5th gear as I cross the finish line, when I hit 6800 rpms as I cross will be a good day. so far I could only manage 6300rpms.
 
Specracer said:
As a road racer, I would never consider coasting a car for braking. At Rally 4, I did a normal threshold braking, and heel toed down through the gears. That is just how I am programmed now, right wrong or indifferent for a One Mile application.
Click to expand...

:agree:

As a fellow roadracer, it's how we are programed from day one, just the same as having both hands on the steering wheel, except when shifting.

Should that "something" happen, you can use steering, throttle, brakes or the clutch to react to the situation of the moment. 4 out of 4 options. By having the Clutch "In" reduces your reaction options by 25%.

Just my thoughts.
 
1. How to start (first gear, none spin)
2. What shift points (Stock and modified)
3. What gear to run thru the mile point (I was told 5th)
4. When thru the lights, stopping (This is where I am confused, do you immediately push in clutch and start braking, or let the engine help decelerate you as you brake)
5. At what speed does Peak use the Chute?:eek

Hi Tugboat,
From my experience and from conversations with others, the best start is an aggressive one with as hard of acceleration as possible with minimal wheel spin. Unless you have experience, traction control, or several runs that help you it is safer to roll on in first and probably second untill hammering it. Spinning is not good. This is especially true if you have bigger power. Sticky tires help, but there is little chance to heat them up before you run.
Most of the guys were shifting at around 7k and times seemed to pick up substantially when doing so. Smooth efficient shifts are a must as delays in shifts mean many mph at the end. I was shifting between 6 and 6200.

I think 5th is a given for most of the bigger power cars but I seem to remember Black Ice having good success with 4th. It makes sense that 4th may work better for a stock car as long as it did not over rev. One less shift means more time under full throttle.
There are probably several opinions on braking and one of the racing instructors may be better suited to answer, but this is how I prefer to do it. ( I did this on the longer mile runs and the shorter Texas track.) I let off after going through the trap and let the car settle while still in gear. You will be amazed at how much the car slows down by just letting off the throttle. The key is to not be abrupt when at top speed. I smoothly apply light brake pressure and increase the pressure then release to make sure the car is settled, I do it a second time the same way only a little more firm, The third time I do the same but get firm enough to slow the car down to comfortable speed to be certain of end of track. By the third braking I also start using down shifts as I am at freeway speeds or slower. The car has plenty of stopping power but to me control and feel is very important.
I do not think the Peak car needed the chute for their runs, I think they had bigger brakes and they seemed to pull that rocket down nicely.
Hope this helps.:thumbsup
 
I think the mile is like one big drag race with the exception of reaction time, everything else is about adding speed. Honestly, my experience at The Mile was somewhat less than most. I thought the run down the mile was anti-climatic and uneventful. The GT acted like it always does, a well engineered rocket. I simply put on my space suit and flipped a couple of switches like a good monkey.

The braking was the fun bit for me. I have never really faded the brakes on my GT and I was fully expecting too at the mile. After I crossed the line, I eased off the gas and let the wall of air in front of me change the balance of the car. Once the nose fell, I eased on the brake until the front suspension was fully loaded... then I stood on the brakes. They did not fade. After I peeled my face off the windshield, I giggled like a little girl and cruised around to get my speeding ticket.

Good times. :cheers
 
In a nut shell. There is no wrong or right way. Every car is different and many here have different power levels and rev limiter set points . I did not raise my rev limiter so I shift at 6500 rpm. I just ran 194.96 MPH with my pulley in tune car. You need to get into 5th gear for that. I am sure you are more confused now than before you asked !! :biggrin Do what you feel comfortable doing. Just don't do anything abruptly and you will be fine..
 
IMO, it is important to hit your desired shift points and shift quickly and crisply in the higher gears. You can drop 2 mph or more during a shift at 175. I compared some of Soroush's runs to mine. Soroush took a total of about 1.1 seconds to shift and dropped 1.7 mph during his shifts. I took 2.5 seconds to shift and dropped 5.5 mph!

Of course one has to be very careful not to mis-shift! A shift from 5 to 3rd for example would probably lock the back wheels and send you into a spin at over 200 mph! Trashing the engine would be the least of your concerns.

BTW, I have the 3.9 gears and at 6500 RPM in 5th I am only going 178 and have to shift to 6th.
 
Last edited:
Stormcat,

My first thought from the replies was what you alluded to, I thought the stock rev-limiter was set at 6500. So that would make those shifting above that have had some type of mods. I have a Gen 2 whipple so was very interested in the 4th or 5th gear discussion. Seems like everyone thinks around 180-185 you must shift to 5th so that is determined by Horsepower=Speed. Brakes are also an interesting difference. Seems like as Chip said, we are all OK untill you get around the 200+ then that exercise becomes much more important!!:rofl
Next event for me is the Big Bend Open Road Race, Looks like time to go practice Heel / Toe Braking.:banana:banana

Good Answers Guys,

Thanks

Larry
 
Here is a sample run during the TX rally. When you shift into the next gear you want the acceleration Gs to be the same as where you left off in the lower gear. Shift too soon and the Gs will be less, shift to late and the Gs will be more. That said if you are near the finish line and you may decide not to shift because the loss of speed during the shift will be more than the slower acceleration in the lower gear.
 

Attachments

  • tx mile driftbox.jpg
    tx mile driftbox.jpg
    129.9 KB · Views: 88
If you want max speed launch the car like a 1/4 mike run. Run the rpm up until 100-200 below your redline so the car never cuts fuel. Run first gear pretty hard and if it spins then immediately shift into second. Depending on your power level and tires you might have to shift into third when you get spin before the redline in second.

When I did the mile with a pulley and tune I was shifting into 5th and running 187-188. When the wind turned to a tailwind I ran the 195.5 numerous times.

When I did the 226.2 mph I was still in 5th gear and did not hit the redline of 6700 or 6800 (can't remember what my fuel cutoff is set at). I know I was very close to the redline because when I did the 219 a few weeks ago I was at 6400 ish rpm.
 
You have to get comfortable with what works for you. Realize that the rev limiter is your friend :thumbsup and the closer you are willing to go to it the better your times will be. With a Whipple I would think you would definitely reach 5th. You also have to consider the other factors like the type of tires you are running, are you using a race gas tune and what the weather is like play a big part on your time as well.

The best thing I learned through my three runs was have faith in the car and concentrate on you. The car is going to do its thing which is be awesome. You need to do your thing which is smooth shifting and getting the tires to hook. It is a fun game. I can't wait to step into the ring again and give it another go........hopefully with more HP than I have now. :lol :cheers
 
I have a turbo car on Hoosiers so my techniques will probably be different than a s/c car on regular tires.

1. I leave from idle. I've tried leaving upto 4000rpm but the tires are sticky and I'm not making any boost at idle so the car bogs really bad back down to idle before accelerating. You could try leaving harder like a drag strip launch but I think that helps ET more than trap speed.

2. I shift as close to redline as possible. Being a turbo car, my hp curve is still climbing at redline. Also, it is a peaky curve so I wanna be at as high of an RPM as possible in the next gear after the shift. My rev limiter was set at 7000rpm.

3. I shift to 5th right before the 1/2 mile mark around 190mph. With my redline set at 7000rpm, 5th gear is good for a little over 230mph I think if you count the tire sidewall increasing at those speeds. 4th gear should be good for 185ish I think.

4. I get on the brakes pretty hard right after the Mile mark. There isn't a lot of shutdown area at the Texas event. Although I stop in plenty of time, the one I tried just modulating the brake pedal, it took me til the end of the runway to stop.
 
I wonder what would happen if you went from 1st to third? I mean the car would be at a high rpm at the top of 1st and it has enough torque to pull third pretty hard, you might end up saving time and momentum on the shift.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Top Bottom