Drag racing 101
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 3
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ET improvement
I have a 06 Magnum SRT8, and I do like to drop by the drag strip from time to time. Also, I am 68, and old school. Like adjusting the weight springs in a distributor to control timing advance, gas mixing, things like that for fine tuning. But now, ever thing is controlled by a bloody computer, of which I know from nothing. So now I just show up and stomp on the laud lever. After reading your intro to the drag, I have a few questions that I am to embarrassed to ask at the track. 1st, I have found that my ET's are better with the traction control on, rather than off. Is that normal? Would changing from the OEM V rated tire to a Y rated tire drop my ET any? I have been told that there are computer chips that can increase HP and even I know that more is better. What are the pros and cons of chipping the car? I have heard stories the rear end can not take a lot more power than is supplied by a stock 6.1. How much power and traction too much?
Record Breaker
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,040
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From:
this old man went to his first drag race 1955 Greatbend KS NHRA s FIRST national drags. in the late 60s i went to the worlds points finals in Tulsa OK. Little Red Wagon, Hurst Hemi Under Glass, Hurst Harry Oldsmobile. got to talk to Ronnie Sox, standing beside the first Hemi Cuda 1968. with my dad, many fond memories with my dad. RIP
Record Breaker
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,040
Likes: 1
From:
to: BadStratRT i started going o drag races in 1955 greatbend KS the FIRST national drag races, NHRA. from 1966 to 1968 i went to tulsa ok for the world points finals, NHRA. and some drag raced my self. BadStratRT did a top notch job of telling us what drag racing is all about. thanks pal.
Amateur
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
From: Florida
I don't post much but do pop in once in a while to see what's going on. I have a friend who hasn't raced as long as me, but he is very knowledgable and detailed. He has some detailed info on his website which may answer many more questions about drag racing.
It is great fun and there are some great people to meet, but it can be addicting.....really! So one has to be careful to put resonable limits on how much one should spend modifying his/her vehicle and going to the track.
His website write-up: http://www.staginglight.com/guide/index.html
Staging light height: I forgot the exact distance off the ground, but rules stipulate that no port of the car can be lower than 3", so the tire breaks the beam, not a part of the body.
Tires vs elapsed time: I don't know how "Speed Rated" tires are constructed, but usually a softer tire will have better traction at the drag strip and a shorter tire can "artificially" provide a higher numerically gear ratio for faster accelleration. There are DOT legal drag tires that can be driven on the street but have a softer, less aggressive tread pattern to put more rubber on the track, more like a smooth racing slick. But they wear out faster and will likely not hold as well in the rain.
Traction control: I'm not into all the computer stuff either, but I believe that traction control actually varies engine output when sensors detect spinning tires. It may reduce timing kind of like "knock sensors" do when the quality of gas isn't up to par. When a car spins, it's not really accellerating forward. So by reducing the spin with less horsepower, one can actually accellerat faster. One "trick" I did when bracket racing years ago was to add almost 150 lbs at the back of my race car (Needs to be done legally/securely.) Overall the weight slowed the car down a bit, but under marginal track conditions, it was actually faster, and more importantly, more consistent and predictable. So I won more races.
Computer chips: They are a popular and easy modification, but no sense in going too far with it because it can start hurting other parts. Vehicles are built with an extra margin of durability for warranty reasons. They actually over-build the engine and drivetrain, then de-tune it. A "chip" can void the warranty, but the vehicle should be able to handle some modifications. However, there is no easy way to tell what the limit is because even with a "stock" vehicle, run it hard long enough and it will wear out sooner. More HP compounds the problem because it's "fun" and you want to run it harder more often! Stock or modified, one can extend the vehicle life with proper maintenance and better oils. I've had very good results with Amsoil synthetics in everything I drive, including the race car. If you do add enough HP through chips or hardware, then traction could be an issue again and you do need to upgrade other related parts for durability and traction. One just has to think things through and be disiplined enough to not exceed their goal and finances.
Have fun!
It is great fun and there are some great people to meet, but it can be addicting.....really! So one has to be careful to put resonable limits on how much one should spend modifying his/her vehicle and going to the track.
His website write-up: http://www.staginglight.com/guide/index.html
Staging light height: I forgot the exact distance off the ground, but rules stipulate that no port of the car can be lower than 3", so the tire breaks the beam, not a part of the body.
Tires vs elapsed time: I don't know how "Speed Rated" tires are constructed, but usually a softer tire will have better traction at the drag strip and a shorter tire can "artificially" provide a higher numerically gear ratio for faster accelleration. There are DOT legal drag tires that can be driven on the street but have a softer, less aggressive tread pattern to put more rubber on the track, more like a smooth racing slick. But they wear out faster and will likely not hold as well in the rain.
Traction control: I'm not into all the computer stuff either, but I believe that traction control actually varies engine output when sensors detect spinning tires. It may reduce timing kind of like "knock sensors" do when the quality of gas isn't up to par. When a car spins, it's not really accellerating forward. So by reducing the spin with less horsepower, one can actually accellerat faster. One "trick" I did when bracket racing years ago was to add almost 150 lbs at the back of my race car (Needs to be done legally/securely.) Overall the weight slowed the car down a bit, but under marginal track conditions, it was actually faster, and more importantly, more consistent and predictable. So I won more races.
Computer chips: They are a popular and easy modification, but no sense in going too far with it because it can start hurting other parts. Vehicles are built with an extra margin of durability for warranty reasons. They actually over-build the engine and drivetrain, then de-tune it. A "chip" can void the warranty, but the vehicle should be able to handle some modifications. However, there is no easy way to tell what the limit is because even with a "stock" vehicle, run it hard long enough and it will wear out sooner. More HP compounds the problem because it's "fun" and you want to run it harder more often! Stock or modified, one can extend the vehicle life with proper maintenance and better oils. I've had very good results with Amsoil synthetics in everything I drive, including the race car. If you do add enough HP through chips or hardware, then traction could be an issue again and you do need to upgrade other related parts for durability and traction. One just has to think things through and be disiplined enough to not exceed their goal and finances.
Have fun!
