I finally went to the strip today.

Run# Reaction Time 1/4 mile:

1 1.4 15.3
3 .838 15.754
4 .495 15.520
5 .475 15.597
6 .453 15.462
7 .257 15.575

All E/T mph were 91.XX
All 60' time were betweem 2.5 and 2.6

I wish my last reaction time was my first reaction time.
They went down the beginning of the track with water for burn outs.
On runs 3 and 4 I spun tires all the way through 1st gear and
on run 4 I spun tires all the way through 2nd gear.
Is the fact that I have stock RSX tires and the wet track killing me?
I'm guessing that's what it is but I'm not that experienced.
Someone out there please give me some input on what I can
do to improve my E/T.
I'm gonna keep working on my R/T.

 

usually tracks dont count ET time into your run. it just counts from when u start. whether it be a 15 second RT or a .0000000001 second RT.

 

Then why are they telling me R/T? Just for *****-and-giggles?

 

R/T has nothing to do with ET. You could have a reaction time of 5 seconds and still run a 15 sec ET. All it is is the time from tree lighting green to when you trip the light rolling through. Start worrying about your 60 ft times...

 

Reaction time does matter, but only when you're racing someone. More on that in a sec...

What are you doing with the clutch off the line? Are you just dumping it, or are you feathering it a bit? You'll want to keep the engine revs up high enough for good power, but you don't want to send so much power to the wheels that you just spin off the line.

Feather the clutch on your launch, letting it out just short of wheelspin until the tires begin to hook up.

Also, if you haven't done it yet, lower your front tire pressures. Try somewhere between 20 and 24 psi. Leave the rears as they are normally.

Do this stuff, and with practice you'll get 60' times in the 2.2-2.3 range.

About reaction time and whether it matters --

In a bracket race, not only do you want to get closest to your dial-in time, but you also want to get to the finish first. If both you and the other driver are headed to finish 0.01 of your dial-in, the driver with the better r/t will cross the line first and win the race.

For me, improving my r/t meant anticipating the light, of course. It worked best for me when I visualized rolling the wheels off of an imaginary pressure switch at the start line. I'd imagine that the pressure switch turns on the green light when the wheels roll off, so I try to time it that way. It usually works for me.