For the drag racers. How many of you have run C4/C6/etc (3 speed) and switched to a powerglide? What were your results? How many of you currently have a glide? Do you think a 3 speed might work better? please post your power level (approximate is close enough for me) and you car weight. I don't want to hear that one is better than the other no theory or opinions, all I want to see is real world results. I've run both and I'll leave my results to myself at this time.
physics never lie.. they just get misinterpreted and often twisted around to justify someones need for proof that they spent their money wisely. The guys with the most money or those able to spend on others big budget teams just end up with whatever makes the car faster from point A to point B. Good to keep in mind that the very best purpose built N/A drag racing engines have VERY narrow powerbands and more gears can better take advantage of that peaky output. Another way. If glides were always better?.. (within the rules)everyone would always run them to go faster. Same with 3, 4, and 5 speed setups.. manual or otherwise. Much of it has to do with economics(cash and parts availability to meet a certain durability requirement) and matching the gear multiplication to the usable powerband of the engine. Not all setups are created equal and it's the cumulative matching of components that optimizes any particular combo of parts. Purely rhetorical.. but does a short stroke low-torque motor run faster with a 5 speed or a 2 speed? And does an extra long stroke "gobs-o-torque" tall-deck block.. "need".. a 6 speed?
For me,it is about reliability so I`m going to go with a c6.When I get to the track I don`t want to worry about breaking parts so I`m willing to give up 2 tnths for a trans that holds up that is much cheaper to build than a c4.Go to CK Performance & get the c6 package,what ever stall you want,a TransGo reverse manual vb with a shift kit & for about $2000 you will have a set up that will last for YEARS.Now obviously if you are trying to squeeze every last ounce of power out of your particular set up this is not the way to go.When I get to the track I want to ride,not work on my car that much other than tuning,unless you are going to spend HUGE dollars on c4s & glides,they break.Now I know I`ll probably have to chop my trans tunnel even more than I already have but that is OK.And don`t listen to the garbage that a c6 is 100lbs heavier than a c4,it is about 40lbs,our cars are already light so it won`t hurt that much.The CK set up robs about 35 HP,so if your mtr. makes around 550,which is`nt hard to do with a 410W,you would have a car that you could beat the crap out of all day & drive it on the trailer as long as the oil is in the pan when you go home.
So I guess I'm the only one who has run both, and can share experiences? Thus far, the rest are exactly what groberts said: "Justify someone's need for proof that they spent their money wisely" And...Is one better because that's what that poster uses?
Like has already been stated A Glide in the right Car will perform well ! One good example of a glide not making a Car Run better was My Brother built a maverick with a Cleveland High RPM engine. The Car ran a best of 10.8 with a Richmond 5 speed ! He switched to a glide and a 6000 stall with a brake and the car ran a best of 11.2 ! a glide works good in a car with a broad power band!
I have not used a c6 or any manual transmissions but I did run c4 and now run a power glide. I run 10.50 in an 2850lbs comet . The c4 I use was a pa super comp and I never broke it but about every 100 passes it needed high gear clutches. the power glide that I have in the car now has over 200 passes on it now and is still going. it is a stock case unit with a brake and a pa bell housing. as for the performance I am using all the same data as the c4 to dial the car. If I was going to build a new car I would start with the glide
I switched to a glide a couple of years ago. I only run a 3.89 gear in my car, and 26 x 9 Hoosier slicks, so I was expecting to have to change the rear gear to something deeper. I left the gears alone, with the intention of just comparing the trans and converter combo. The C4 I was running originally had a reverse pattern valve body and had been rebuilt several times by local builders. The converter was an FTI built for my combination. With the C4 and converter setup, my car launched like my avatar, and pulled a best '60 of 1.39. Best mph with the car in the 1/8th was 103. Weight is around 3100 (I think your Dad took the battery out of your race car, and we put it in the car to get it on the trailer Todd ) I got a stock case PG, added an ultra bell, and called FTI again for another converter for the glide. First night at the track I think 60's were 1.42 from the former best of 1.39. I also picked up nearly 2 mph, and the thing leaves a lot less violent. I say it leaves the line like a Buick Roadmaster now lol. It pulls the wheels about 8" now, and is VERY predictable. The only things I changed were the glide, the converter, and the driveshaft. Used the same JW Wheel flexplate. Needless to say, I left the rear gears alone, and have since added 1.80 straight cut gears to the glide...but just did that for longevity. Built a new engine combo last year, and the car now had a best of 1.34 60' @ 107. Guesstimate on HP is maybe 650 or so... Just my . I won't be changing back to a 3 speed anytime soon, and wish I would have made the change sooner.
maybe I ran too far in the wrong direction from the original question?.. but some should keep in mind that not all drag racing happens in controlled track environments. And most people I know and talk to, some are pro-racers, agree that regardless of what converter you stuff in there.. powerglides are not nearly as fun to drive on the street. And yes I've been in many very powerful cars running them(900+ without the bottle turned on). Torque multiplication factor is most definitely down compared to having more gears and doesn't hit the tire as hard during shifts. No more uncontrollable second gear tire chirps or rear end stepping out around corners under light throttle or longer 2nd/3rd gear scratches under full power. Blah humbug! If reducing torque spikes at the rear tires settles your cars chassis down enough for you to run faster at the strip.. that's great!. it's all about safety and numbers at the track. But nowadays there are many more available options rather than having to snuff out some torque at the rear tires. Heck.. even today's processor controlled aftermarket ignition box's have traction control and per gear timing map capabilities built into them these days. Plenty of other ways to snuff out torque peaks at the tires rather than killing some gear multiplication to arrive at the same number. Engine builders can even design/build motors with different power curves to help the tire out. 2 speeds are just another type of crutch to be leveraged is all.
My results were....glide about .15 quicker and 2.5mph faster. But the biggest improvement was consistency and longevity. C4's needed freshening every 150 passes or so; thus far the glide has well over 1000 and as of the last time out, still prints timeslips predictably. The C4 is a good transmission; do not get me wrong. And works well in street cars, and street/strip cars. The glide came in street cars too, with a LOT less HP that most of us are putting into them, and people did-and still do-drive on the streets with them. But I personally don't like them for a street car. I'd do it for limited street cruising, but I'd just as soon drive a stick shift and race the 'glide, at least at my power level (650-ish). One thing is for certain. Between (1) backhalfing, (2), going to alcohol and (3) going to a powerglide, those 3 were the best investments made in my program. Unfortunately I don't race as often as I used to but I still go when I can; and as long as I do MY part, the car is 100% predictable-which is a lot more than I can say compared to 9" tires on leaf springs, C4, and running gasoline. Being that I don't get as much seat time, my RT's are usually off enough for the competition to take advantage; and that's fine...it's all for fun now. It was predictable then too, as long as I could predict a tenth between weather and track temp changes. Now it's just a few thousandths. Last race day went 5.80 for 4 rounds and then parked at the finish line with a 5.86, next round 5.80 all out, and quarter final went red and let off at the high gear shift and went 6.21 at 57mph. There is still room for improvement. And I should probably pull the trans and freshen it sooner or later. No more than I race anymore, I don't see a need in doing a lot to it other than fixing stuff here and there. Went once last season. Would have gone more but I was in the process of a simple cam swap and found the dowel pin broken. I don't know how it ran? Ordered new cam, got it, chain had problems. Wait for next paycheck, order chain set. Then next paycheck gaskets and fluids. By time I got it back together it was nearly autumn, so I cleaned the car up and met dad over at the Ford dealer, where we were asked to park our cars (his '72 Sprint and my drag car) for attention "grabbers", to get people in for a veteran's day deal. Went to the track the one time, and then it got cold. I did unload the car about a month ago, and took the trailer to pick up a '93 Mustang LX, with a hotrod 2.3 (all of 112 hp), just because I needed something to do that wasn't going to be real expensive-and it hasn't been so far. Just fixing stuff here & there, radio, remove seat upholstery for cleaning, rack & pinion, now a water pump, etc. It'll be my DD when my '04 V6 dies, with based on the miles (330,000) it probably won't be long. I'd love to be driving a Maverick 2 door for a street car but I can't find any locally that are worth looking at; that and I already have a big project to mess with. The original plan was a Maverick with a Modular; and I had one rounded up, and picked up a 32v engine to go in it, but the deal on the car fell through and the engine needed more than I was willing to put into it..so I sold both and focused on the '92 GT with the little pushrod engine. Found a '76 locally but not sure I can pay what he's wanting for it. Probably could but that puts a dent in our vacation fund for the year. The joys of having no money
That is why it will be next year before I race,money,I buy the best parts that I can afford because if you buy cheap stuff you will just break & spend even more.
