I'm at the track!

[thrawnis]

Hey everyone! I just made two runs in my car at the Auto Club Dragway in Fontana, CA. The times were very dissappointing so far. The temperature is about 75F (sunny but slightly overcast). The spare tire, trunk mats and floor mats along with all other loose items have been removed. Only the mods listed in my sig are on the car. Gas tank is practically empty.

Final times:
Run 1: 15.107 @ 93.39 (tire air pressure 34psi cold)
Run 2: 15.111 @ 93.73 (tire air pressure 34psi cold)
Run 3: 15.200 @ 93.45 (tire air pressure 32psi cold)
Run 4: 15.324 @ 92.57 (tire air pressure 32psi cold)
Run 5: 15.196 @ 92.83 (tire air pressure 30psi cold, with some power braking and really bad wheel hop)

I at least expected sub 15 times... Any tips or advice?

[TitaniumSE]

Did you use the sport shift?

[thrawnis]

Originally Posted by PhantomGrey

Did you use the sport shift?

Nope, I let the car do the work.

[TRD VVTi]

I didn't do anything to my car and had a full tank of gas on a record high temperature day.

You can try airing up the rear tires, the fronts too if you have good grip off the line. Foot brake it at the start and bring the RPM's up. Experiment with different RPM's that give you the best launch with little to no wheel spin. I didn't have a wheel spin problem with my I4.

After you get out of the gate, just keep it to the floor.

[_Charles_]

I'm not sure what the problem is...I mean, you did take out the floormats, so you shuold be good for some low 14's!

[BlackCamSe]

use secuental shift, and power break it. Launch at about 3k. OR what ever gives u the best launch.

[Gorky_Park]

Granny shifting, not double clutching...every real racer knows...

LOLZ

[2k4CamThrilla]

I cosign with some of the members. Definitely experiment.

[JACK_FROST]

Originally Posted by Camralon2343

use secuental shift, and power break it. Launch at about 3k. OR what ever gives u the best launch.

[TRD VVTi]

Originally Posted by Camralon2343

use secuental shift, and power break it. Launch at about 3k. OR what ever gives u the best launch.

Actually, the best times are probably going to be had by letting the computer shift the transmission at redline by itself.

I'm sure that the Camry would blow the tires off by launching at 3,000 RPM's. After all, it's FWD.

Have you ever drag raced?

[thrawnis]

Thanks for the advice guys. I made a couple quick new notes on the original post. It was just too warm after the fifth run to keep trying for better.

For the last run I tried power breaking to about 2k and just released the brakes. The car had horrible wheel hop, though my time was just slightly better than the two runs before it. I guess I will have to go back at the end of the year when it is a little cooler and try a few more runs.

By the way, I never used the manual-shifting mode unless I am driving down hill (engine braking). Does anyone know if this is truly better/faster than the full auto mode? Also, does the tranny on the Gen6 V6s shift any differently in full auto mode versus the manual-shift mode set to 6th gear or whatever (meaning, are the shift points adjusted or does it shift any faster)?

[Venom_5]

if youre wheel hopping, then you need to launch a bit easier ... you cant really do much about that without full suspension unfortunately

also remember that WOT off the line (even if you dont hop or spin) is not always the fastest in an automatic or semi-automatic ... try experimenting with 3/4 throttle or try to get a feel for the best way to reach your powerband

[ylen13]

The manual-shifting mode on Camry is a joke. It should really be called gear limiter, as that is how it really works. The car will decide, in to what gear it should run. So basically when you put it in gear 3, car can chose between gear 1,2, or 3. It will not be forced to jump in to gear 3 once you put it in to gear 3.

[TRAV1]

Originally Posted by thrawnis

Does anyone know if this is truly better/faster than the full auto mode? Also, does the tranny on the Gen6 V6s shift any differently in full auto mode versus the manual-shift mode set to 6th gear or whatever (meaning, are the shift points adjusted or does it shift any faster)?

In my opinion, for acceleration, yes the manual mode is better. You can rev the engine to higher rpm's than auto, which will usually kick off somewhere around 5000rpm. Keep in the mind the wonderful system (drive by wire) the Camry has in place to "learn" your driving habits... the manual mode will defeat this.

[Netforcer]

if you want to improve your time... remove the rear seats and get some lighter rims... stock 17's are just too heavy