Getting the proper traction in a FWD car, with street tires while launching has more to it than I previoiusly knew. I always figured for all automatics it's whoever stomps on it harder, faster, and has more power will win. But are there launching techniques for a FWD automatic? Say, hold the brake and accelerator down to a certain RPM, then release? I'm not running a boosted setup, just stock N/A for now, and I'm not looking to do this often, I just want to know how to get the best results from a dig.

 

Id say hold it to 1500-2000rpm

 

It can actually be really challenging to launch FWD cars. You will have to play with the car a little bit, but from my own experience the best launches come from holding the brake and revving the engine to about 2k rpm, then release the brake and gradually push the gas pedal down. Even this is a challenge because you have to find the perfect spot where there isn't any tire spin, but you're getting the maximum performance.

 

First thing is getting your weight properly

If you are doing this at a track, you need to take the stuff out of your trunk, spare tire, jack, etc. You need to get as much weight to your front wheels as possible. Keep your rear tires to like 33-35 psi. And lower your fronts to say... mid to high 20s? (obviously not the best for the tires but it's good for traction)

Now you need to take your passenger seat (assuming you don't have a passenger) and push it ALL the way forward, that will help bring some of your weight towards the front 2 tires. Now you have to bring YOUR seat as forward as you can so you can drive comfortably while still bringing weight forward.

Turn off your Traction Control.

Put it in D (this is where the custom tune helps because it can change your shift points etc and you can actually race without shifting an auto)

Hold your brake with your left foot, and your gas with your right (obviously) Rev to about 1800 rpms, then ease into the throttle as you release the brake, don't go straight to the WOT, give it a second. That should do it.

 

im not a professional driver or anything,
im just a guy that loves to go fast
but i usually do the simple hold the brake with my left foot
and gas with my right til about 2k. also i sorta "learned"
that the MC can actually hit the 140mph on the dash
once i hit round 110 my engine sorta feels like its not guna go any faster
then i pump the gas twice and my MC unleashes the beast within
ive actually got to around 137mph. got some videos too.
i know its not safe so im not really recommending you to try
unless your on a track or your a stunt driver. haha

 

That's a helpful tip on reaching that high speed, but I remember reading somewhere that 137MPH is actually the top speed on a N/A stock 3800 engine, think that was on a RWD setup.

 

i have a FWD & i just stopped at around 137mph
i was afraid i wouldnt have been able to stop
before the car ahead of me in the freeway.

maybe il try it again next time i feel its safe to do

driving from Los Angeles to San Diego with my gf
il post up the videos when i get the camera from my chick
& you can actually see when my RPMs lower wen it hits 110
& then you can see them go back up after i double pump the gas

 

My SS needs to be gradually brought up to about 15 MPH and then go WOT or else I'd sit there and spin for a few moments. I also keep traction control on.

 

I don't know if it's the same for your car or not, but in the 3.8 if you keep traction control on with the stock tune you risk a lot of KR, like dangerous amounts as the car tries to retard the timing. There is like 8 ways that Traction Control works, it's not just to keep a wheel from spinning. Plus it's bad for the transmission to launch with trac on.

 

Well then, I'll be turning off from now on. Thanks for the tip.