How to Hook Up a Drag S10

Drag-racing cars are set up to put as much power down as possible.

Getting a drag-racing vehicle to "hook up," or gain traction for the quickest possible hole shot, is never easy, but an S-10, with its light weight, will have enormous problems getting traction. This is why drag-racing vehicles are set up as they are, with wide, fat tires that have sidewalls that buckle slightly under launch. The idea is to get as much traction on the ground as possible.

Instructions

1. Drive to the starting line for the drag race. Before you actually get to the starting line, you will notice wet spots in the staging area. Pull through these wet spots. These are only necessary if you are running drag-slick tires on the truck. If you are running street tires, they do no good.

2. Stop the truck at the starting line. Here you will have the opportunity to warm up your drag slicks if your truck is so equipped. Do not perform this if you have street tires on the truck. This process is called brake-torquing the vehicle. Hold the brake pedal with your left foot and press the gas pedal with your right. This will cause the rear tires to break free, and a cloud of smoke will form. Hold this for five to seven seconds, feathering the rpms for the engine at approximately 5,000 to 7,000, but do not allow the truck's engine to reach redline. This is for an S-10 with an automatic transmission.

3. Back the truck up to the starting line. The tires, now warmed up, are ready for the race. Wait for the starting light, and then hit the gas.

4. Pull to the starting light if your truck is not fitted with drag slicks without wetting the tires. You will have to simply feather the gas pedal at the green light at the proper level to prevent the tires from breaking free. A 4.3L V-6 S-10 typically breaks traction under hard acceleration at 5,000 rpm, so when you punch the gas, bring the rpms this high, but no higher until the truck has begun rolling. Once moving, you can depress the gas all the way to the floor, and the S-10 will hook up.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are running drag slicks, install traction bars to prevent wheel hop under hard acceleration.

• You may have to add weight to the bed of the truck if the engine has too much power. Add weight with sandbags if additional weight is necessary.

• Drag racing can cause severe damage to stock vehicles. Not only can the engine be permanently damaged, but the transmission and rear end can be destroyed by drag racing.

References

• "Bracket Racing"; Tony Sakkis; 1997
• "Drag Racing 101: From Building Your First Race Car to Securing Sponsors"; Ike Heckler, Jr; 2010
• "How to Drag Race"; Kevin McKenna; 2008