Driving tips- ls1/s4

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twister

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First off, thank you so much for all the help this forum has already given me. A little background, I have been riding in the dunes on a bike with a paddle tire for the last 5 decades, got hurt pretty bad, and so I switched to something with a roll cage. The car is a 06 Tatum that I shortened. And I love how it drives, except I have a hard time transitioning on the top of a dune without stalling if I'm not in second gear. I realize this is an ignorant question but here goes-The problem is I prefer duneing in third gear between 2 and 3,000 RPM compared to second gear which is 3 to 4000 RPM. Every now and then even with a firm throw the S4 misses a shift and I'm not sure I should be downshifting every time I come to a transition on the top of a dune. What do you suggest? I could really use the help. Also what gear and RPM do you guys usually go through the dunes, those of you that have an LS1? Or are you shifting constantly? My LS1 has a Whipple blower and about 800 horsepower if that information matters.
 

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With my gearing and HP I run in 2nd gear primarily so I'm the opposite of you. I still think at 2-3k rpm you should be downshifting to 2nd gear at the top of the dune.
 
Not to sound mean but you sound a little dangerous of a driver, hanging out slow near the top makes you unpredictable,
You should not be at a 45degree angel you should sweep towards the top and be parallel the top and roll over the top on the power
Kind of like a lane change

If you are at a 45 degree angle then i am on the power and sail the car in the air into the next bowl landing on the back tire carrying a wheelie through the bowl i transitioned into.

Just like Racing, you have to be comfortable with the car or what you are driving,
Some car are setup for the Stright highway
Some for Large Jumps
Some for the whoops,

You need to set the car up for your driving style,

For Example i like hard jumps, drop offs, and sharp translons from one bowl to the next, I never have all 4 wheels on the ground, to compensate this my car runs 3.5'' bypasses in the rear and 3.0 in the front, heavy valving 3'' rubber bumps on the shafts
and I run s stiff spring in the rear to keep the car flat tracking - 650 orver 750lb, spring,

The Dunes are not for everyone, i know a lot of people that do not bowl well and stay to the highway and the hill,
 
I look forward to trying this, and yeah I am hitting the top at about a 45° angle and it will be fun to try it more parallel to the top. Thank you very much for the input
 
Is your S4 brand new? Or purchased used? If used, it may have the older shift mechanism in it that causes the missed shifts. I would suggest upgrading to the new Gen 3 mechanism next time it needs to be serviced. You might also consider a changing gear ratio's to better suit your driving style.
 
The S4 is freshly rebuilt but I didn't ask for any changes so I assume it has the old shift mechanism. It's good to know that there probably is not something broken in there however
 
twister said:
The S4 is freshly rebuilt but I didn't ask for any changes so I assume it has the old shift mechanism. It's good to know that there probably is not something broken in there however
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just because the tranny was rebuilt doesn't mean the shifter is set up correctly, the stops set right, or the cables are not what they should be

have those checked out before you get another $5k tranny build
 
Will you be out for presidents day weekend? I am happy to go out with you and give some pointers. I have helped many people improve their duning and take it to the next level, as well as have driven a huge selection of sandcars. no more than 20-30 minutes and you shouldnt have an issue anymore -if your open to it.
 
Don't be afraid of the rpm. Mine is typically 3500-5500 on a good run. Also, like other people have said, cross over the peak on the dune like a lane change, very shallow angle.
If you can, follow someone with experience, it will pay off big time. If my junk wasn't broken currently, I would throw that ofder out...
 
Keep up the rpm and carry your speed through the transitions. You want to keep it somewhat consistent, obviously you have more room to haul ass on the straights but if your stalling your car on transitions you are slowing down way too much and cresting over the top. As said above you want a smooth tranistion like a lane change on the freeway.

I agree with above, you need to follow some good duners. After one to two good runs i bet your driving approach is completely different.
 
LS1 with a blower. I never come out of 3rd.
Hit the top faster and less angle.
If u r stalling it u r going way to slow.
 
I don't even slow down when I hit a transition. Like everyone said hit it at a very small angle and keep you momentum up.
 
2nd gear around 4k RPM is my happy place...fast enough, and have the RPM at the range where the power is - so i can blip of lips when needed. I shift into 3rd periodically to give 2nd a brake. I also like wearing headphones or a headset / helmet with music when driving...i think if I didn't, I'd be more in 3rd as I'd be afraid of how hard I was pushing the engine in 2nd, but with the headphones it muffles the sound a bit.
 
wesinls said:
2nd gear around 4k RPM is my happy place...fast enough, and have the RPM at the range where the power is - so i can blip of lips when needed. I shift into 3rd periodically to give 2nd a brake. I also like wearing headphones or a headset / helmet with music when driving...i think if I didn't, I'd be more in 3rd as I'd be afraid of how hard I was pushing the engine in 2nd, but with the headphones it muffles the sound a bit.
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Your gearing sounds just like mine. I still haven't decided if I like it or not. I'm used to duning in 3rd gear and driving more like an automatic.
 
HP.Habits said:
Will you be out for presidents day weekend? I am happy to go out with you and give some pointers. I have helped many people improve their duning and take it to the next level, as well as have driven a huge selection of sandcars. no more than 20-30 minutes and you shouldnt have an issue anymore -if your open to it.
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I am going to try to come out presidents today and I would absolutely love a half hour of pointers. When it gets closer I'll reach out to you and thank you very much
 
Thank you everybody , I'm excited to try cresting the top with less angle and more speed. I really appreciate the advice, your advice is actually the same as I've been riding a motorcycle all these years but I assumed that a big rail would need to be ridden differently. Also- It seems like running at 4,000 RPM would be wearing that motor out needlessly, but for how many hours you actually put on a sand car in a lifetime it probably just doesn't matter?
 
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