Adam M

Has anyone ever accelerated away from standstill and been suddenly amazed by accidentally doing a perfect start?

Last night on main roundabout of A127 near scooby sport, I was edging forward from the slip round trying to enter the roundabout whilst waiting for a gap. I was slipping the clutch as I edged forwards and had not noticed that I had increased the revs as the engine was loud. When I let go of the clutch the car just rocketed forwards faster than ever before. I actually went wwoooaaahhh . It was cool. Haven't been able to do it since.

Just wanted to let you know that after months of ownership, the straightline (-ish) performance can still scare the out of me.

Just wanted to know if I was alone.

AlexM

Yup - cool isn't it?

Not that I often indulge in traffic light grand prix, but having around 3500-4000 rpm on the tacho, and then quickly feeding in the clutch results in that wonderful no-lag, jet assisted take off feeling. The aim is to keep the engine in its power band while engaging the clutch smoothly, but with minimum slip. Using less revs always results in the engine bogging down for me.

I'm not very happy with the feel of the clutch around town if you are moving off with minimum clutch slip, but the whole feel of the car is transformed when you try a bit harder.

Just make sure you don't accelerate into the back of the car in front when they decide not to pull out onto the roundabout at the last minute!.

Cheers,

Alex

Stef

I managed to get a 0.44 reaction time at Santa Pod last year.
Does that count?

Stef.

AlexM

Not if you stalled after reacting!

Harry

I too have managed a perfect start but held the revs at 5000. Thought I was on SS9.
Tried again a week later and failed, followed by a slight burning odour!

V303 EVR
99 WRX RA Sonic

[This message has been edited by Harry (edited 26-01-2000).]

RoShamBo

iTrader: (1)

Thing is - if you have a SS exhaust & you hold the revs at 5,000 ish waiting at the lights then people just look at you & think "wan@@r"

Ro

AlexM

RoShamBo,

You're dead right. The discreet urban burn-off technique is tricky to master - imagine giving the engine a bit of throttle to blip the revs up as the lights go green, and then simultaneosly engaging the clutch as the revs reach 3500-4000ish, and then feeding the power in as the clutch engages fully.

Using 5000 revs sounds like overkill, and you will probably overheat the clutch very quickly (hence the burning smell). I think you only need to rev to somewhere around the torque peak for best acceleration, although the turbo will pick up more quickly if you are using more revs.

Get it right and you go rocketing forward with minimum fuss, get it wrong (quite likely) and you stall, or the engine bogs down and you will be humiliated by the pensioner in his automatic allegro next to you . It is great when you get it right though..

The clutch seems to have better feel when you are loading it more heavily than when you are moving away normally. I don't know why this should be.

Rgds,

Alex

PaulL

The first time I did this was also by accident... its also the first time I managed wheel spin on dry tarmac

Don't think I've ever grinned so much - for the next few miles it felt like I had a coat hanger in my mouth

Paul L

Paul Frank

All,

Did exactly that this morning . . . couldn't believe these posts!

Firstly I don't normally indulge in the traffic light GP - honest! but sometimes . . . . well you got to hold the Scooby end up haven't you?

So anyway here's the story:
J17/M60, roundabout @ top of the off ramp, peak time lights on (red). Me sat on inside lane going left onto d/carriageway, muppet cruises up behind me in middle lane (Corrado G60 - supercharged thingy) but he stays in my blind spot, creeping forward. Obviously in gear & on clutch. I suss this and as lights change he floors it and trys to jump me round the outside.
HA!
Slip clutch, not too many revs & then right off the clutch & step on the loud pedal (bucketful of STi torque is now ready & waiting, he he) so I'm off into a big lefthand bend and the lurveley Scooby rear-end steer arrives. Scoob is off like it's on rails with a Saturn5 rocket on the back (matches the Thunderbird 2 rear wing I suppose?). Corrado is by now a distant memory

The bloke's face at the next lights was a picture, especially when I graciously waved him in to my lane when he was baulked.

Still grinning
Paul
STi5

Blow Dog

Yeah I have managed that perfect start a couple of times and when get it right, its feels pretty damn cool.
cem

andymac

It's all very good doing a standing start when you want to, but what if (like me last night) you're sat at traffic lights that are at the top of a "bridge" and are going to do a hill start. It's foggy and the road is a bit wet. So the lights go to green, the give it a few revs and let out the clutch, but as the car's quite cold, the clutch judders a bit, so I give it a few more revs and dip the clutch slightly to stop the juddering. At this point, the car hasn't actually moved. Yet. All of a sudden, when the tyres realise that rather than sitting spinning, they all ought to grip, we were launched over the crest of the bridge and down the road at great speed. Must have "wheel spun" for at least a second before it decided to go. Just as well there wasn't anything in front of me !

cheers

Andy

(And I have done the perfect dry start by accident as well. Just once, but I know the coat hanger feeling :::::: ))

MorayMackenzie

Andy,

You could take proper advantage of the slightly less grippy conditions in safe circumstances! Get the "start" right, slip the clutch just enough not to bog down, have it fully engaged asap, lot's of throttle, four wheels spinning, lift the throttle _a little_ and the wheels grip and the car takes off. Bit like your story, only remember to lift off a little for a moment to regain traction rather than just waiting around wasting expensive tyre tread.

andymac

Hi Moray,
I'll give it a go next time I realise I've done it !

cheers

Andy

V697DMO

The 'granny start' is the easiest and almost as much fun as a 'perfect', get it moving with the cluth out then hit the noisy pedal, with a little practice this can be repeated easily and is far less work on the poor clutch (as its engaged by the time you hit the power)

Harry

A quick note in my defence. I never said I was sat at traffic lights, it was night on a VERY quiet road.

p.s. mine's the scooby with baby seat and nagging wife

Adam M

Want three flaming topics. Got it now!

Charlie

My favourite event ever?

When it was exceedingly damp, at the traffic lights leading onto the road out of my local town (Paralimni, if you've been to Cyprus...).

MR2 arrives next to me at the lights, and starts gunning the engine. Looks across at me. I gun the engine a couple of times. Lights change to green. I move off normally (ie briskly, but normal for scooby...). He's sitting on the spot spinning the rear wheels.... <L>

Oh how I chuckled. About a mile down the road, he came barrelling up behind me, so I pulled over to let him through. <L>

He was a non happy chappy.

Anders

Post Scooby Sport downpipe I had to move the seat forward as I was becoming giddy at the acceleration!