Burnout Technique

Burnout Technique

Burnouts are traditionally used to warm up a car’s tires before a drag race. Warming up the tires makes the rubber softer increasing traction and also cleans the tires of road debris like gravel – further increasing traction. Slicks or drag radials are needed for a burnout to have noticeable results on the track, as burnouts using street tires do little more than make smoke and destroy rubber.
Burnouts occur when engine power overcomes the tires’ ability to maintain traction with the ground and use of the brakes keep the car from moving forward. Friction between the tires and road surface melts the rubber causing smoke. Drag race tracks typically have a “burnout box” in the staging area where water is sprayed on the ground to help facilitate burnouts. This is the only place on the track where water is permitted and drivers are instructed to first drive around the puddle and then reverse until only the rear wheels meet the water. Keeping the track dry is a major safety concern. Although a burnout is more of an art than science, there is a technology that can make burnouts easier in rear wheel drive cars - a line lock.
A burnout in a car without limited slip differential is known as a “one tire fire” as only one tire spins. When doing a burnout in a FF car, apply the e-brake since it only affects the rear brakes and will help keep the car stationary. If your car has traction control, turn it off before doing a burnout. Oil or bleach can be used on tires to enhance a burnout or allow an underpowered vehicle to perform a burnout.

Burnout Warnings:

• Never rev the engine and “pop” an automatic transmission into gear, as this can destroy your gearbox. Revving the engine in neutral and jamming it into gear will damage your transmission. Instead, leave the car in Drive, hold the brake (left foot) and rev the engine (right foot) at the same time, then let the brake go.
• You can break an axle doing a burnout.
• You can destroy a clutch doing a burnout incorrectly.
• You can destroy an engine by redlining.

How to do a burnout in FF car:

Manual Transmission Front Wheel Drive Cars

1. Apply e-brake.
2. Put the car in first gear.
3. Rev engine around 4,000 RPM.
4. Dump the clutch.
5. Wheels spin.
6. Manage RPMs and watch out for redline! If you need to shift, do it! It’s called “grabbing gears” and you’ll need to know how to do this to pull off successful donuts.
7. To stop burnout release e-brake and ease off gas.

Automatic Transmission Front Wheel Drive Cars

1. Apply e-brake.
2. Put car in Drive.
3. Heavy on brake pedal (left foot) and Rev engine around 4,000 RPM (right foot).
4. Release brake pedal.
5. Wheels spin.
6. Manage RPMs.
7. To stop burnout release e-brake and ease off gas.

How to do a burnout in FR car:

Manual Transmission Rear Wheel Drive Cars

1. Put the car in first gear.
2. Rev engine around 4,000 RPM.
3. In one quick motion, “dump” the clutch and press the brake pedal (left foot) while flooring the gas (right foot).
4. Wheels spin.
5. Manage RPMs and brake pressure. The idea is to keep the car still with the brake pedal (left foot) and apply enough horsepower (right foot) to break traction in the rear wheels. Perhaps this aspect of performing a burnout is the hardest – adjusting brake pressure to keep the car motionless while allowing the rear wheels to spin is known as “feathering” or pumping the brakes.
6. To stop burnout ease off gas.

Automatic Transmission Rear Wheel Drive Cars

1. Apply brake pedal (left foot).
2. Put the car in Drive.
3. Keep holding the brakes (left foot) and floor the gas (right foot).
4. Manage RPMs and brake pressure. Again the idea is to apply enough brake pressure (left foot) to keep the car motionless and enough gas (right foot) to keep the tires spinning.
5. To stop burnout ease off gas.

Rollbacks:

A rollback is a burnout performed on an incline. This gives an underpowered car a chance to smoke the tires – thanks gravity!
Manual Transmission Rollback

1. Find a hill.
2. Put the car in first gear.
3. Clutch.
4. Let car roll backwards down the hill.
5. Rev engine.
6. Pop the clutch.
7. Wheels spin.
8. Manage RPMs.
9. To stop burnout ease off gas.