How on earth do you launch these cars?! Sucked on the drag strip yesterday!

[G37Sam]

First time on the drag strip with the Viper. It was hot and humid, Drag Times DA calculator shows: 2225 feet. (Trying to justify my horrible runs haha)

I was told to slip the clutch. But I always end up getting too excited when the christmas tree goes green and just dump the clutch. Others suggested I deflate to 20psi (would that make a difference on my Corsa's?)

First (and best) run, dumped the clutch at around 2,200 rpm. ESC on Track Mode. 3s 60 ft lol (trap speed is in kph in case you're confused)

Ignore the useless music please.

Aborted both second and third runs because I made a fool out of myself doing this haha

So how do you guys launch these cars on street tires? Should I have kept traction control on?

[Jack B]

ESC has to be off.

First time on the drag strip with the Viper. It was hot and humid, Drag Times DA calculator shows: 2225 feet. (Trying to justify my horrible runs haha)

I was told to slip the clutch. But I always end up getting too excited when the christmas tree goes green and just dump the clutch. Others suggested I deflate to 20psi (would that make a difference on my Corsa's?)

First (and best) run, dumped the clutch at around 2,200 rpm. ESC on Track Mode. 3s 60 ft lol (trap speed is in kph in case you're confused)

Ignore the useless music please.

Aborted both second and third runs because I made a fool out of myself doing this haha

So how do you guys launch these cars on street tires? Should I have kept traction control on?

[CarolinaViper]

Try launching at a higher RPM (3500-4000), turn off all traction control, actually ride the clutch more...a lot more. To improve your reaction time, as soon as you see the yellow light flash - go. Thus will not help your 60 foot times or ET times, but it might help you take off faster by not seeing whoever is beside you take off first and then losing your concentration by trying to catch up to fast - like dumping the clutch all at once instead of steady release. worked for me in my younger days.

[FLATOUT]

As already mentioned, big RPM's.

[threesixes]

I think launch control would help you get better 60 ft times than those. I'm not speaking from experience, though. I've haven't got my viper to the track yet. But I've seen some youtube vids of somebody doing OK using it. I don't think it will get you your best launch, but I bet its an improvement on what you've done so far.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJ7Ljqy395o

[LA STIG]

Launch control is a half second slower than a well-executed analog start. Work on your focus and technique as others have properly advised.

[cashcorn]

On the street.. ESC off, feathered slip from 3k. then bang 2nd when the tires start slipping. I prefer rolling from 2nd. good times!

[LmeaViper]

Sounds like you had fun anyway and 2200 DA is going to hurt you. What was the track prep like? When I watched the video the track appeared to have a glossy surface to it?

Also wondering if it was a smoke show all the way to the 60' time? j/k

[Trainerdave]

Wait until it's 40 degrees outside, and do a private rental at MIR, you can have the track prepped beter than an NHRA event, as for Da, it's always good there, it is the track where all hero runs are made.

Or you can just practice on normal track/temps and get more realistic times.

[G37Sam]

Big rpms is the second video, that didn't take me anywhere haha

What do you guys mean by ESC OFF? I only see 3 modes: ESC ON, ESC SPORT and ESC TRACK. I was on ESC Track the whole time.

And what is up with the wheel hop on these cars as well?

[LmeaViper]

I was wondering if you had wheel hop especially on the last run as the camera seemed to bounce around a fair bit. Your car should have adjustable shocks as it is a GTS. What mode were you in..race or the other one?

[Viperawi]

Big rpms is the second video, that didn't take me anywhere haha

What do you guys mean by ESC OFF? I only see 3 modes: ESC ON, ESC SPORT and ESC TRACK. I was on ESC Track the whole time.

There are four modes, the three you mentioned and the ESC OFF. You can get it by pushing the button for 5 seconds.

Basically the ESC sport mode will reduce the traction and reduce the stability, while the Track mode will turn off the traction mode and reduce the stability. The ESC OFF will turn off both traction and stability.

[Jack B]

You cannot use launch control if you are racing someone. That feature is for the magazines. I have a best of 1.68 on a slick cold track with a 10.85 ET.

You should shallow stage and go as the last yellow starts.

[G37Sam]

I held the ESC Button for 5 seconds but it wouldn't go full off. I'll try again later, I did not feel that ESC was intervening however.

My suspension was on race mode the whole time.

[Nine Ball]

More rpm, more clutch slippage. To get the best 60' times, you'll basically have to punish the clutch and make it smoke like crazy. Not really a good clutch for drag strip launches, unfortunately. The better prepped the track surface, the higher rpm you can start with. You basically want to use the highest rpm you can, while slipping the clutch out and avoiding tire spin. Takes a lot of practice to get right. I'd suggest starting at 3500-4500 rpm and trying to hold the rpm steady while you slip out the clutch. If you have good traction doing that, try a higher rpm on the next pass. If you have tire spin on the first try, go with lower rpm.

Traction Control always off. It will fight your throttle input.
If your car has electronic shocks, use Race mode. It will help reduce wheel-hop. My '13 SRT had worse wheel hop than my '14 TA.

Here are some of my videos you can watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUOZ9xDWFX8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4prnJgB3uk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmgRhgJeS3o

[G37Sam]

These are some bullet fast passes!! I have a feeling your drag strips are a lot shorter than ours haha

I definitely need a lot more practice, poor clutch.

[Jack B]

You will see a prompt to hold the ESC button for 5 sec, once you are holding the button.

I held the ESC Button for 5 seconds but it wouldn't go full off. I'll try again later, I did not feel that ESC was intervening however.

My suspension was on race mode the whole time.

[98intrigue]

These are some bullet fast passes!! I have a feeling your drag strips are a lot shorter than ours haha

I definitely need a lot more practice, poor clutch.

I was going to say...your drag strip looks like a 1/2 mile strip.

[ViperDog]

Coaching this guy on how to abuse his Viper, eh?.........

[Stealth78]

Hey bud, I do not have a GenV but a couple things of advice I'm going to give you when you are learning to launch your car. 1. Do not pay attention to the person next to you, try to pretend you are making a solo run. 2. Don't worry about the tree (other than making sure you don't red light). Your reaction time doesn't affect your actual run time, clock doesn't start until you trip the beam. Once you learn how to consistently launch your car then worry about your reaction time. GOOD LUCK!

[ViperDC]

must be nice to have an awesome facility like that to go to