I figured this would be a great topic to discuss. Now I researched and found to use the e-brake and then let out the clutch till it drags and the car sinks then heres where I am lost, do you keep it where its dragging/slipping and then rev and go or do you go back to clutch pedal down then rev and launch? Do you lose the preloading effect if you return to the pedal pressed state? To me slipping the clutch while not moving sounds like its going to kill it especially revving. Noob question but I want to clarify.

 

preloading kills clutches
not as bad as you'd think but oh well.

anyhow, the idea of preloading is taking all the slack out of you driveline before you launch it. think of it like this:

- stand in front of a wall and punch it as hard as you can
- or stand in front of a wall, fist against the wall and press it as hard as you can

wich is going to hurt most you think?
that's about the difference your driveline/engine feels with or without preloading

if you preload harder then just taking the slack out of the driveline, then your also preloading your suspension/tires. preloading like this also reduces unsettling the car while launching and thus improving traction of the line and save parts.

wearing down your clutch faster is a small price to pay, considering you save a lot of cash on otherwise broken trannies, axles, diff's, etc. not even mentioning the faster ET's

 

do u launch at a higher rpm when pre-loading than launching w/o preloading?

 

I preload by dragging the car in holding the ebrake..and not ride the clutch once set...has worked for quite sometime now.

 

Good Analogy. lol
Proper preloading is key to saving axles/driveline. 1.6's all day on stock axles here.
pre-stage, pull the e-brake up, two step/antilag, pull yourself into staged by starting to let the clutch out. keep slipping the clutch until you see those ambers, car will feel like it is going to lurch forward so don't preload to hard or you will redlight, drop the e-brake and let it ride! take notes J.....

 

How did I know you were going to post in here HAHA

 

Yes, you do. If you disengage the cluth fully (ie: push it back in), you will lose the load that's been put on the drivetrain.

The key is keeping your foot in the friction zone. I used to find the friction zone WHILE the e-brake was up when I'm prestaged, then I would ease the e-brake down until I nudge forward and stage. But then I found that it's much easier on the clutch disc to keep the e-brake DOWN after I prestage, nudge forward until I stage, THEN pull the e-brake, then get on the two step.

Just remember, once you find that friction zone where the car nudges forward, try & keep your clutch foot in that exact same spot for consistent & even pressure, while you're on the e-brake waiting for the ambers to light up.

 

Well looks like I have been doing it correctly then. Stock clutch is rubbish and wont hold, I slip it out and when its time to shift to 2nd it grinds slightly meaning its still slipping. Exedy stage 2 should be here in a day or 2.

 

why not go with a Competition Clutch Stage 5 you got pm

 

im up on the ebrake after the pre stage lights go off. the full stage lights are set by me slipping the clutch and dragging the car up. i do keep it in the friction zone and then just usually flop my foot right off the clutch to the left when its time.

ive never broken an axle at the track doing this, got well over 100 passes at 350-450hp on drag radials and autozone axles

 

 

A line lock hooked up to the 2 step button is what works best for me!

 

I've been doing it for a while with drag radials but my first pass ever on slicks i instantly snapped. preloading slipped out slowly and snap, at like 3 psi according to logs, so not a lot of power.

Im assuming I didnt have it high enough in the rpm range to spin the slicks and the tire pressure was to high.

 

How much pressure was in the slicks? Because if it was in fact too much, they will very well hop if they spin, just like drag radials.

When I first went out on slicks years ago, I had 15 psi in them (not knowing the ideal pressure), and when I launched, it shook the drivetrain so violently, I had to let off. Luckily, I did not snap an axle. I talked to a local that day and he told me to start at 10 psi and work my way down in .5 increments until I found out what the car likes, and when they spun, it was very smooth and progressive. I run 8.5 psi now, varying a little more or less, depending on conditions & prep.

 

does preload improve 60 foots? or just helping in the prevention of axles driveline?

 

free translation = quicker 60fts

 

Thats what's up. This is going to be my first year racing at a 1/4 mile darg strip, I had an idea how to pre-load I just never thought what I was thinking was true. After reading a couple of peoples prespectives on how to pre-load, I am more than ready this year.

Just practice .

 

Good analogy, I have preloaded for a while now and have dropped the transmission a couple times to inspect the clutch. I havnt seen any excess wear and have had great results in regards to my 60' times. (1.56-1.59 compared to 1.8+ with no load). My drivetrain has held up much better compared to some of my oem axles that were smashed in the past when I didn't preload...

 

Lol its funny the op just got done calling drag racing bullshit and he's over here talking bout preloading his type r (also just got done saying drag racing a type r is dumb)

Gotta love honda tech

 

and your point? It is dumb because the car isnt built for that. Does it look like I care? Also nowhere in this thread did it say anything about that. Try again.

 

The point is you reek of bullshit

 

I have to say this is about the best description of how to explain how a shock load will hurt the drive line, mind if i use your senario on our web site ? its great

I remember one year at PRI talking to Paulie from SplitFire in canada, he was telling me how he was running big power on a set of 3.9 axles (allot more that it was designed for) he looks at me and says. Frank "my foot is like tool in my tool box, i know how to just move it so i feel whats going on" saving parts is in how you launch

 

i'd be honoured if you give credit where credit is due
if i can help people understand how to keep their setup together, i'd be glad to help

excactly, how else would you explain some people running 700whp and 24.5" slicks on stock axles (designed to hold 170-200whp) and not break them every run they make...

 

Preload for sure.. This year first pass on drag radials I didnt preload and busted an axle and broke all the oem bolts off the pressure plate. With only 200hp besides.

 

I'll take that as a no :p

Ah well, just put it on there.
I think you guys rock being the #1 sponsor on our little UK outlaw shootout!
Great of you guys to support the sport, even overseas!

I know who I'll be recommending if someone comes for axles