How to Do a Burnout With a Manual Transmission

The origin of the burnout can be traced back to the early days of drag racing. The goal of a drag racer is to reach the finish line in as little time as possible. Drag races are often won or lost at the starting line. The engine's ability to propel the vehicle depends in part on how well the tires grip the surface. When the tires spin at the starting line, momentum is lost and power is wasted. To combat this problem, drag racers do a burnout just before the race to heat the rubber on the tires. This makes the tires sticky and greatly enhances the their ability to grip the road surface and, therefore, leave the starting line faster.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Depress the clutch pedal while the vehicle is stopped on a level surface.

2. Depress the accelerator pedal to increase the RPMs of the engine.

3. Quickly release the clutch pedal and depress the brake pedal with your left foot.

4. Depress the accelerator pedal with your right foot while simultaneously depressing the brake pedal with your left foot to initiate the burnout.

5. Keep the accelerator pedal depressed until you feel the tires spin. The longer you keep both the brake and accelerator pedals depressed, the longer the the burnout will be. The tires should spin for only 3 to 5 seconds to sufficiently warm them.