I forgot to ask, do you run a C4 or a 'Glide? Gear selection will be based on your trap RPM, not your 60' times. If you're spinning now, you'll be smokin' em with a deeper gear most likely.
i was gonna suggest maybe 4.86 gears. if i remember you run alcohol. sometimes going lower numerically helps calm down an alky car. whatever fuel, lower number might help. i went from 4.86 to 4.56 with no change in 60", but still had to soften the suspension. i was hitting the tire too hard. would flatten the slick then rebound & get up on the tire, but slip once in a while. ever thought about a taller slick, like 15x33? or 33.5? it can help make up for some track problems. if you're at a good track, just put more air in and take a little out of the delay box. gives you more options.
Dave running 1/8th mile a lower gear may hurt my overall ET? I was thinkin maybe lowering my launch RPM a little...I'm at 4200 right now. I'm not running alky...YET, but seriously considering it, if I can get this 60 ft. consistent the need to run alky may not be necessary, other than to just lower my ET's. I'm getting better at anticipating what the car will do with changing temps and humidity.
i thought you sometimes ran 1/4. if the lower gear or taller slick calms the car and eliminates wheelspin, you might lose nothing in et. even if you do, the real goal is predictability and repeatability. the reason i went to alky wasnt to be faster. main reason was temp control. some people around here like to jerk around staging and try to over heatr their opponents. alky stops that. or if you get shut off in the water for a short problem, no problem with heat. 2nd reason was for less et change with the weather change. in other words, predictability. just be aware that it primarily affects bottom end. how much depends on your combo. i gained .2 in the 1st 1/8, mostly in the 60". about .06 in the 2nd 1/8 and about 1 1/2 mph. your results may vary.
Not saying I won't go to alky, I just want to get the most out of what I have first, I'm gonna go again friday night, lower my tire pressure and white stripe the tires and shoot some more video. I think some spin is to be expected and if I could limit to the first couple of feet then I could have consistent 60's. I've talked with 2 chassis builders here local and they concur with Todd...if playing with the tire pressure doesn't help...adjustments to the 4 link are in order. I don't care if it spins for 2 feet or 5 feet as long as it does the same thing every time. Quite a learning process for sure.
And I would have answered if I knew..the car was built 15 years ago and retains all it's original chassis build parts...for 13 of those years it sat in a garage on jackstands on the frame...the rear coil overs could probably stand a rebuild, what the springs are rated at I have no clue...as I stated in another thread the car is equally weighted on all 4 tires at 567 lbs each...if the springs are rated to match the weight then thats the rate. Wish I could be more specific
did you go buy the "chassis Bible" yet? http://www.swracecars.com/shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=15&cat=Books+%26+Videos Call and ask for Don or Kevin Scholl. Great guys to deal with. I think you can even bypass them and order online...but...I usually call just to get to say howdy to either one of the two.
Not yet, now that I know which "bible" I will...with the video tape. I get more from pics too. Unless tire pressure adjustments cure the problem...it goes to the shop for some 4-link adjusting Saturday morning.
I agree, Dave Morgan's stuff would be a great investment.....I learned (still learning) alot from it and only after I took the advice of that book did I start to figure out my leaf springs. Well worth the money!
Appears to me that the springs and shocks are dead. Fifteen years will do that. Once the car hits the bars it unloads the tires. The wheelie bars look to be overpowering the rear springs/shocks. Dave's advice from his seminar we attended was: stiff shocks & soft springs. Steer clear of QA-1 shocks. Koni, Afco, Strange were his choices in that order. We've had great success with our Afco shocks. Once you get Dave's book go directly to the spring rate calculation page. You know what the car scales so you can easily calculate the spring rate needed for your application. If your calculation falls between two existing spring rates then go for the softer spring. Ex: your calculation is 117# spring and the available springs are 110# and then 120# you should choose the 110# springs. Always go softer on springs.
How does he substantiate that statement? What is 'wrong' with the QA-1 shocks compared to the others mentioned? Signed, A guy who uses QA-1 shocks
He probably had a bad experience with them....that happens to everyone ocassionally. I know plenty of guys that are running them and having great success!!
