It was the third run and was starting to get some good ones in....I was trying out some new rear springs to help with traction, 13.4 on the second run was the best but I believe I would have shaved 2 or 3 tenths off that if I hadnt broke. On the second run I spun hard off the line and was 2 tens slower by the 60' but was already faster by the 330'

All bran--the trans in our cars are quite strong the wheel hop I went through would have broke just about any trans, I have been dragging mine for all most a year now and 100+ passes

 

Sorry for the sort of noob question here, but this is the first FWD car I've owned. How did you end up getting so much wheel hop? Was it a bad launch? I guess I'm just wondering what one can do to keep this from happening (besides not drag racing, which is no fun ).

 

Dead stops are not too good on FWD cars lol. Being at the track with drag radials doesn't help with the wheel hop, they are basically getting just enough traction to not spin the tires, but hop them. Its better to spin than hop :) Steve, can you PM me what mods you have, I am very interested. I trapped nearly the same as you in my hhr when I had taken it out staying in 3rd. Do you shift to 4th?

 

Wow, that's why you guys are breaking transmissions and burning through clutches. Is that launch RPM selectable? 5000RPM seems a bit high. I never launched at 5000RPM with my SRT4. At 5000RPM, if you let the clutch out too quickly, that wheel hop is tough on the drivetrain. And if you do it too slowly or correctly, you're going to burn through your clutch.

Just my 2 cents from past FWD launching frustration...

 

The ECU controls the RPM. I agree, the wheel hop is hell on the drive train.

 

Actually, you can stay wot on launch, holds at 4250rpm. This way along with the nolift shift, you can just stay wot before your launch and stay that way until your done. Ive only ran 3 times but its just easier to have less to do. Granted, i would never have bought an auto, just personal preference.

 

It looked like 5000 from the video. 4250 isn't as bad, but you're still burning the hell out of your clutch on street tires. On street tires you should be launching between about 1800RPM and 2800RPM.

What does the parking brake look like on these cars? Is it a foot pedal or hand brake? You can use the hand brake to preload the drivetrain at the tree as well. Works well if you have AMAZING hands/feet eye coordination. You're literally using both feet and both hands independantly!

 

LOL..no preload on these cars.. the e brake is on the rears..the drive is up front
only way to preload these cars is with a trans brake..( and the best way)

 

I heard there is a company that makes a stronger shafts for the HHR SS and Cobalt SS. Wheel hop is a killer for all vehicles including RWD as well.

 

Thats true... I've lost a few axles and u-joints in my truck because of this