Let’s keep it short and quick – just like your quarter-mile drag run.
When it comes to drag racing, you will want to max out BHP and torque while also making sure the tyres remain planted to convert maximum engine power to speed.
Certainly, the first thing you need to maintain is the engine block.

Use Synthetic Oil Instead of Regular

Smokin’ burnouts and red-line revving can raise your engine’s temperature to the extreme. Regular engine oil cannot withstand that much heat and thus loses its viscosity at high revs. This means your pistons don’t get adequate lubrication to sustain the insane friction inside cylinders.

On the other hand, racing-grade synthetic engine oils, preferably 10w-30, do not lose their viscosity at high RPMs and peak temperatures. Spending a little extra on an ultra-high performance engine oil can help you go fast and far.

Fuel Injectors

What happens when your fuel injectors don’t function correctly? You could lose the race by at least fifty metres, if you are lucky. Don’t embarrass yourself. Get your fuel injectors tested, cleaned and serviced before every race. The kind of abuse that a race car takes during a quarter-mile run can mean devastating for fuel injectors. However, regular fuel injection service is a must, whether your car is on or off track.

Brakes

You don’t want to drive straight to heaven after finishing the race in style. Use high-performance Brembo brake pads and consider upgrading to larger discs if you haven’t done it yet. Larger discs and quality brake pads can mean the difference between life and death at higher speeds.

Tyres

Tyres play an important role in giving you the perfect start. Make sure you don’t take your regular tyres to the drag strip, even if they are brand new. And whenever you change to wide racing tyres, go for a quick wheel alignment check. Poor wheel alignment can cause your tyres to wear out prematurely and give you handling troubles on the drag strip.

Air Filter

It’s one of the little components that is almost always overlooked. A clogged up air filter can reduce your car’s performance drastically. Before every race, consider putting in a new air filter, or if you are using a performance filter (which you must), clean it properly to avoid throttle lags during the race.

Throttle Body

The throttle body regulates the amount of air required by the engine as you press and release the gas pedal. A dirty throttle body can cause RPM fluctuation, which means the RPM can go up or down unexpectedly when the engine is idling. Cleaning the throttle body does not take more than 30 minutes, which also includes taking it off the engine and putting it back after the clean-up.

Always wear your safety gear on track, and if there’s an issue that you can’t fix on your car, consider taking help from your mechanic. It’s always cheaper to commission a mechanic than fixing a DIY mistake.