How to Launch S2000 Well
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Waikele
What about the using the hand brake to set all the components of the drive train in contact, so there is no "banging". This was brought up a couple of weeks ago, and seems to make sense.
The technique goes something like this:
1) when your position is set, pull the hand brake.
2) apply a little gas and release the clutch a little, not to much to overcome the hand brake. This makes all contacting surfaces of the drive train components touch each other (no gaps between the gear teeths, and so forth).
3) Launch as described above, with an extra step included that releases the hand brake.
This technique seems to make alot of sense. Does anyone have any comments.
The technique goes something like this:
1) when your position is set, pull the hand brake.
2) apply a little gas and release the clutch a little, not to much to overcome the hand brake. This makes all contacting surfaces of the drive train components touch each other (no gaps between the gear teeths, and so forth).
3) Launch as described above, with an extra step included that releases the hand brake.
This technique seems to make alot of sense. Does anyone have any comments.
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Waikele
Just enough force to keep the gears touching. To get rid of the that small "gap" of free play when your in gear.
I tried it a few weeks ago, when is saw the post. When I lauched normally, i notice a slight bang within the drive line, before the power reaches the tire.
When i pulled the hand brake and preloaded the driveline, it was gone. It might have slowed me down, coz it's more complicated to perform.
Is it worth doing? I don't know. Maybe your right, its just unnecessarily burning the clutch.
I tried it a few weeks ago, when is saw the post. When I lauched normally, i notice a slight bang within the drive line, before the power reaches the tire.
When i pulled the hand brake and preloaded the driveline, it was gone. It might have slowed me down, coz it's more complicated to perform.
Is it worth doing? I don't know. Maybe your right, its just unnecessarily burning the clutch.
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 37,305
Likes: 18
RED, if I did post about how to "launch", it must have been in a weak moment. 
In any case, it appears as though you learned well. 
BlitzSRM, your post is exactly what I tried to "preach" some time ago, although some disagreed. By using the handbrake and releasing the clutch every so slightly, you close all those little gaps throughout the drivetrain (tranny gear teeth, diff gear teeth, etc.). This reduces the sudden tremendous shock that gets transmitted to all those little teeth. I would prefer to send all that power and torque through the drivetrain to the tires and shock them into spinning on the ground than to do the "dominoes" effect through all the spaces in between.
Imagine trying to do a karate chop through a bunch of boards. Which is HARDER to break?
1. If the boards are positioned with a small gap (say 1") between themselves?
OR,
2. If all the boards are positioned together, touching each other to form one solid board?
NUMBER 2! The spaces allow each board to SLAM into the next one, helping to break it too. Having the boards together first conveys the force through all the boards while helping to protect those boards in the middle.
Although we are not necessarily breaking teeth all the time, you can see that the transfer of force is conveyed in a specific way in each case. Obviously, in the case of our cars, it becomes more relevant the more traction there may be. You wouldn't really bother with "torque loading" (not to be confused with a "brake stand") when on a lower friction surface.
In any case, it appears as though you learned well. BlitzSRM, your post is exactly what I tried to "preach" some time ago, although some disagreed. By using the handbrake and releasing the clutch every so slightly, you close all those little gaps throughout the drivetrain (tranny gear teeth, diff gear teeth, etc.). This reduces the sudden tremendous shock that gets transmitted to all those little teeth. I would prefer to send all that power and torque through the drivetrain to the tires and shock them into spinning on the ground than to do the "dominoes" effect through all the spaces in between.
Imagine trying to do a karate chop through a bunch of boards. Which is HARDER to break?
1. If the boards are positioned with a small gap (say 1") between themselves?
OR,
2. If all the boards are positioned together, touching each other to form one solid board?
NUMBER 2! The spaces allow each board to SLAM into the next one, helping to break it too. Having the boards together first conveys the force through all the boards while helping to protect those boards in the middle.
Although we are not necessarily breaking teeth all the time, you can see that the transfer of force is conveyed in a specific way in each case. Obviously, in the case of our cars, it becomes more relevant the more traction there may be. You wouldn't really bother with "torque loading" (not to be confused with a "brake stand") when on a lower friction surface.
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 37,305
Likes: 18
I don't think the idea is to hold the ebrake ON the whole time. It is only used to "torque load" the drivetrain without moving the car. This is more important at the dragstrip. In an auto-X, if one chooses to do it, you don't need to use the ebrake. You simply slip the clutch a little to close all those gaps, then push the clutch back to the floor. It is only a momentary thing.
At the dragstrip:
-pull up and trip the final staging light
-pull ebrake while slipping clutch just to the friction point only enough to tighten up the drivetrain and immediately push clutch to floor
-release ebrake ASAP before the tree starts.
At the dragstrip:
-pull up and trip the final staging light
-pull ebrake while slipping clutch just to the friction point only enough to tighten up the drivetrain and immediately push clutch to floor
-release ebrake ASAP before the tree starts.