the science of drag racing

sorry to do this j_swigs but i think if we can do this without bitching at each other, this can be a good topic...so im going to throw some real proof in it.

"And anyone who seriously knows straight line racing knows it all happens in the launch"

Ok i have proof of this and a vid too...so if i need to i can back that up to...i raced a 2004 Ford Lighting (supercharged yada yada yada) in the 1/8 and he beat me off the line by about 2 car lengths. By the end of the race i caught up to him, basically side by side. yes i did loose the race. and yet i had a way higher trap speed...83mph to his 79mph...so apparently i think if we combine everyones opinions...trap speed IS good if you have traction...and Traction is good if you can also get up to a good speed...so anywho...J_Swigs if you want to close this...i just had to add that. :smokin:

Yea thats why Muscle Car/V8s are good 60' times and we have high trap speeds(top end)..its all about low end torque for them...If you could get a car with low end torque and the same trapping abilities of a Import you would be awesome...thats what a funny car is.

actually there are alot of cars that have good hole shots that are imports...only problem is you have to design the car for drag...thats what makes 240's so appealing to alot of people...you might not have the fastest car off the line but...with some decent coilovers, and engine mods, it can be hella fast and handle...which makes 240's corvette and viper killer with the money put in the right places...and as far as im concerned...i think when my car is done...it'll be more attractive then a vette or viper...but thats just me...

the low down (http://sdsefi.com/techpowr.htm)

And E/T is the best measure of how fast a car is.

Wrong. ET is the best measure of how quick a car is. By your theory, my car would have gained like 40-50whp just from getting a good lauch:rolleyes:

Have you ever spun your tires while trying to accelerate? It doesnt accelerate as fast, and it can also bog down slighty when traction is regained. It is surely not the best way to get the fastest time OR a higher MPH.

Actually yea it is. Highest MPH is typically gained on a slow ET run. I wondered about this for a long time looking through my timeslips and then I thought "Well, you do have more time to accelerate," It makes sense scenes how MPH is usually pretty constant.

You also plainly lost the race, even if it wasn't at a dragstrip with all the timing and technical launching, you would still have lost.

Wrong. On the highway or a race from a roll, you lose. 5mph faster means I'm gaining on you. It is clearly a race of weight vs WHP at that point. Plus .5 miles and you all the sudden get passed. Why? A more powerful car.

The idea of doing something like that is kind of dumb when you think about it

Math is dumb? Huh. I uh-gree:rolleyes: Even though I've read those formulas many times in books and guess what? HP is calculated using a formula! Whoa.

Go get on a dyno ricer

Would it offend you if I told you that dyno numbers are pretty much bullshit anymore too? Asphalt dyno>chassis dyno. Too many people don't use proper corrections. Readings vary depending on nothing. WHP can swing +/-5whp from nothing. They are gay too.

MPH in the quarter and weight of the car are still the best way to know how fast a car is. ET in the quarter is still the best way to know how quick a car is.

well if you are racing where whoever crosses the finish line first, then traction will be very important. but if you are racing on the freeway or whatever traction doesnt mean nearly as much. so it all depends. but seriously, if you are racing to see who gets to the finish line first, then you cant ignore traction. duh.

Also no excuses for losing, you plainly got beat

I'd never make excuses about losing.... But I would most definatly challenge them to a highway run.lol I don't care about racing from a stop so clearly I don't focus much on it.

Besides if your only talking about high speed racing and all that shit, you have the wrong type of car.

I disagree here. I've had my car at 145mph and the only gayness I felt was stock suspension. It was floaty. But with some stiffer springs and better shocks, sways, and maybe some strut bars, I think the car would be very stable....

Once again, we come to the point of agreeing to disagree. YOu like drag racing, I like highway. NOt much more to discuss.

*offers gentleman's handshake*

IDK, there really is no way to know all of this unless you do some hard trial and error testing. Besides, we're splitting hairs now anyways.lol

to add fire to the... fire...

Here's my time slip from last weekend... My basically stock LS1 Z28 vs a stock WRX STi

-------STi--------Z28
R/T----.421-----.811
60'----1.971-----2.351
330---6.006-----6.177
1/8---9.300-----9.295
mph---74.98----80.16
1000--12.136---12.037
1/4---14.499----14.257
mph---94.53----102.84

That was my first run ever on a 1/4 mile strip, never had time or a car to run previously. Unfortunately, my reaction time suffered from lack of experiance (duh). The Camaro lost traction going into 2nd which made me let off slightly to regain, and I missed 3rd gear cause the clutch is shot and held the pedal to the floor...

But, once I got in I pulled on the STi.

A good point of view of a car with excellent traction and low end grunt (STi), and a car with little traction and fairly good top end pull (LS1).

That race forced me to buy a new clutch the next day. :lol: No more missing gears!


And these friendly debates are welcomed guys... just as long as we can keep em civil.. things are bitchin'!

Kudos to SR20DETpower and nissanfanatic for not ripping each other's throats out for saying "Nuh uhh.. yer a dumbshit!" and flamin up the boards with poo flingin!:thumbsup:

Same here Redneck. I also raced an STi a couple times ago when I went out. He pulled on me pretty good off the line, but once I hit third, it wasn't long before I could see him in my sideview. I guess you either need a lot of traction or power to win a race.haha

Isnt that what i posted? If you have good 60' times which would hint traction and good top end for Trap Speed youll be good...I said you would get a funny car...but oh well.

i have a funny car. its got dents and shit in several places and im missing a turn signal. and my headlights are yellow and lame. but i cant get good 60' times OR trap speed. whats the deal?