It depends on the reaction time of both drivers. If Lane#2's R/T is .003 or slower compared to lane #1, then lane #1 wins. Lane #1 "covered" number #2 (a 'package' of both r/t and how close to the dial-in wins the race) I saw a 1979 Cadillac running 12 second 1/8th mile times win more trophies and jack-pot bracket races going up against cars who's e.t.'s were half his. He just knew how to cut a light and knew how to dial in his car.
like rick said it's also who gets to the finish line first without breaking out. if i dial in at 12 and you dial in at 14 then you get a 2 second head start. if we are both perfect, theoretically we get to the finish line at the same time. if my reaction time is .040 and your is .020 then you will win by .020. that's why it is so hard. if i'm a car length ahead of you am i winning or am i going to break out?
thats true.. forgot about the head start part. and how do you know when to hit the brakes... and for how much... do you actually "feel" the car is going too fast? or do you take your reaction time versus thiers and just slow a little bit ? i need to learn.. you seem as good a teacher as they come.. you and dennis can both teach me a lot i am sure..
Don could give a clinic on drag-racing for sure, but for me, I could usually tell if I cut a good light or not (and so can most racers with a considerable amount of experience). It's one of those times when I'd look at the end of the track to see if the other lane's Win light is on because I wasn't sure if I red lit or not. If his win light isn't on, I know I've cut a pretty good light. I know we say to totally ignore the other driver at the start, but.....if it is a (much) slower car, and I could actually see the flash of their green (before the LED lights anyway) and see that they left after the green came on, then I know they cut a bad light. That information allows a racer to make a decision at the end of the track. If I was confortably ahead of that car near the end, I knew that I cut a better light than he did so I would 'fender race' the guy (just keeping a fender in front of him). On the other hand, if I noticed he cut a bad light and there was no way I was going to get ahead of him, I'd pat the gas once or twice at the end of the track - just enough to ensure that I wasn't going to breakout (run faster than my dial-in). Usually, if that car (that had the bad light) is that far in front, he is going to break out and lose. Now, assuming that I felt that the car got a good light (he clearly left before the green came on and the glare of the red light is not visible), then I know I've got a race on my hands. I would go balls/wall all the way down the track..... EXCEPT (whew! another exception) if he was so far out in front of me at the end. Again, he's probably on a break-out run so I'll do another pat or two on the throttle to ensure that I don't breakout (at least as bad as the other guy). My adrenaline is pumping. I gotta end this post.
only problem here rick is that we run a shaded tree. we can't see the other guys lights. some times that's good as we don't have the other lights for a distraction. if you have a big difference in the dial ins you'd better know what the other guys is or the tree will be coming down and you won't be ready, or you might be on the convertor. also we usually have auto start.
on the convertor? i am guessing that means that your launching RPMS is not higher than that of your stall convertor, and therefore you are wasting the power.. i have a 2500 stall, so i am guessing that i should launch at 2550 RPMS at least?> correct?? might as well learn the tricks.. i got my gears yesterday from Ford MotorSports.. WOOT. this sat i am going to break open the 8" in the backyard and start prepping it.. christmas break my goal is to get the drums, brake hardware, wheel cylinders, brake shoes and get all the parts put on it and paint the rear end and try and get it hung ... then with the money from the web page i am building for a friend, buy 2 15X8 rims and 2356015 or 2456015 tires
re: shaded tree Yup ... and the LED lights re:"better know the other guys dial-in" The tracks here display both car's dial-ins on the board (at the traps) - to ensure the tower has your correct dial in. I got burned one time by NOT paying attention to my OWN numbers! I learned (later) that they had me dialed in 1.00 second slower. Half track I couldn't see the other car (I was in left lane) so I assumed he was in my blind spot so I kept the pedal to the metal. When I noticed that he was WAY back there, I coasted through the traps. He goes through the traps at 50 mph or so cruising back to the pits and gets the WIN light!!!! I had broken out by a tenth or so. Worst of all, that was in the Finals against a rival! I didn't even complain to the officials. I should've made sure they had my dial-in correct. It's the driver's responsibility to make sure the Tower has your correct dial-in in the computer. But still,
depending on your setup, your car & reaction might be best leaving at 1800 rpm to give the car a harder hit. many of us adjust our reaction by adjusting the leave rpm. generally, the more you load the engine ogainst the brake, the quicker the car will react but it may run a tad slower depending. the higher you are "on the converter", the less slack in the suspension, the quicker the car moves, but if your car needs more chassis movement and tire hit, it might run a tad slower. got to experiment with your car. some cars et best leaving at almost an idle. gives the motor a running hit against the stall of the converter. this is why sometimes a car can actually run slower on the transbrake than when footbraked. also, the longer & higher you sit in the lights really loaded up on the converter, the higher you push the trans temp which will affect consistency.
the prob with my car... i cannot power brake it.. i spin the tires in staging.. so i have to leave with no pedal/. and then when i hit the pedal i spin all day long.. thats why i have 2.3 60' times. the best my car ran was a 14.5 at 95 2 days after i got the tranny rebuild .. that was december 3rd 2004. ( i think)... since then i have gone to the track 3 times... each time i have managed an average of 3 passes due to all the damned import cars filling up the staging area... i have all the info on an excel spread sheet at home... this is what i need. i need someone who knows something about dilaing in a car.. like don, dennis or anyone else that has some free time.. and have that person go over my current setup so i can get it tuned. i have the timing set at 38* at 3000 and it runs ok there... when i change the timing a little, the ET changes big time.. nothing gets better from me changing my timing and i am not even sure my valves are set right.. there are so many questions i have.. and i am so frustrated. i know my car is a 14 second car.. but now i cant get out of the 15.1 range. i know temps make a diff but COME ON..! with the 3.45 gears i just got yesterday, i know it will be faster, but at the same time more torque to rigth rear wheel means more wheel spin..but.... i wont be putting those gears in until i get the new tires and all that stuff.. around christmas
stmanser - i forget your setup. until you get traction & eliminate spin you will be extremely inconsistent. either a spool or a serious locker type device coupled with sticky tires is whats required. my son's car has a mini spool and 8 inch dot drag radials. he puts the tires on at the track. street use just chews them up. right now this setup is marginal running 1.90 60' times. am looking at trying to fit the 10" wide ones under the car. the trick to dialing the car is to eliminate as many variables as possible. traction is a major one. then get the timing where you want it and the car seems consistent and leave it alone. get the jetting where you need it and leave it alone. pick your shift points and leave it alone. get your starting rpm where you want it and leave it alone. get your burnout set and leave it alone. you may notice a common idea here. making changes and guessing at the dial dont cut it. guys who change things just before first round tend to go home right after 1st round. if you must make changes, do it before your last time shot so you have an idea what you are dialing off of. make the car predictable and it will end up changing .01 for each degree change and about .01 for each 5% humidity change. if you have a large barometer change, the track is probably very wet anyway. i used to go a long ways with a $10 set of weather gauges from kmart before i went hi tech. feel free to ask questions if you want., any time. i am not perfect, tho, and may disagree with some of the other guys on here.
I agree 100% with Igo1090. It's been re-emphasized, reiterated, re-recommended, preached, etc., many times: You HAVE to be able to keep your tire(s) from spinning. There are no substitutes or cheap/quick fixes. If anyone wants to be consistant AND get the best e.t. out of their ride, THEY MUST BE ABLE TO LAUNCH WITHOUT SPINNING THE TIRES. Your car is very well a 14 second car - but only if you have traction. Good luck,
i appreciate ALL the help and i will absorb it all... thanks yes.. tire spin is evil... i know this.. especially when the light goes green and i hear tires spinning for 60 feet.. at least... loll.. i cant wait to get the gears in and good tires...
You got it Simon, just get the right tires and your set. I'll meet up with you other Arizona guys one of these days. I met David recently (Pepilapugh).
lets setup a Arzona fun meet.. in tucson... so i can go.. lol... i bet my maverick would make it to phx... but it would be a long haul... but we need to get something setup for us
That sounds good to me, hopefully I will have something ready to bring. It will either be the 77 Mustang or the 61 Falcon, maybe both.
