five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Last night at the Friday ET series at Bandimere. Started time trials in late afternoon with healthy tail wind, ended ~10 p.m when calm.

Dial --------- ET ------------ Conditions
TT -------- 14.011 ------- ~15 mph cross-tail wind, DA ~9000'
TT -------- 14.037 ------- slight cross-head breeze, DA ~8800'
14.02 ----- 14.023 ------- slight cross-head breeze, DA ~8400'
14.02 ----- 14.023 ------- pretty much calm, DA ~8200'
*13.97 ---- 14.031 ------- calm, DA ~8000'
14.01 ----- 14.007 ------- calm, DA ~7900'

The first two rounds of eliminations, I lifted at the stripe. 1st round, just barely, took about .5 mph off is all (the other guy was slower off the line and off his dial) - I took .08 stripe, which was probably too much. 2nd round was against a '32 coupe w/huffed 454, wheelie bars, dialed a 11.50 - he was .07 slower off the line and .01 off his dial - I scrubbed off about 3 mph, took .05 stripe.

*Bye run. In the 3rd round, we're laddered based on 2nd round ET closest to dial w/o breaking out. There was an odd number of cars left, so I got the bye. I thought conditions had improved, the car typically picks up the 3rd round of eliminations. But, had I actually had a race that round, I probably wouldn't have dialed under 14.00. Wouldn't you know, had the best R/T of the night on that run.

In the last run, I just about didn't put the "1" on the end - but, I did just before rolling under the tower (once in the tower tunnel, you aren't allowed to change your dial-in unless there has been a delay of at least 15 minutes). Against a faded/primered '70 Mach I, dialing a 14.22. He treed me by .009-sec, was .03 off his dial, I scrubbed 4 mph by lifting, took .04-some stripe (he also went ahead of me in season points on that race - good news is points leader when out that round, too). Based on 1000' time, it was probably a 13.99 run. Guess the 3rd round pick-up was delayed one round.

That's the closest I can remember the car ever running in one day over that many runs. Probably didn't hurt that 60's were all within about .01, either.

AlkyIROC

Managing to keep a 14.0x all night is pretty good.

I'm off to the track tonight for some T&T and bracket race tomorrow. It's going to be a long 2 days as we get to go down the track between rain showers. I'm just hoping they don't cancel. We lost 2 races already so this is really our first race.

I really need some T&T track time to get used to the new delay box. I also want to see how the car reacts with the new gears in the diff and the tranny modifications I did over the winter.

Ended last year with a pair of 10.54's and never did anything to the engine all winter.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Speaking of delay box...

The Street class (what I was running in) last night was won by last year's Super Pro champion. Not Bandimere's Super Pro Champion, the NHRA 2003 Super Pro champion. However, instead of driving his 8-sec 455 Pontiac powered dragster, he was driving his "new" '79 Olds 98 with 403 - he paid $300 for it 3 weeks ago, put new tires on it and changed fluids (it had been driven by a little old lady to the grocery store once a week and to church on Sunday). It runs 19.80's. He took out the guy I lost to and my pit buddy. In the finals, his RT was a .007.

Also speaking of delay box...

Have you thought about whether you're going to do cross-over(assuming they do it at your track)? Here, they implemented the electronic cross-over this year, where both top bulbs come on together unless you put an "N" (for "normal") after your dial. Otherwise, the yellows are shielded from the other lane. No unshielding of the top bulb between box and non-box classes (up until this year, they just didn't do cross-over).

AlkyIROC

Update: Saturday night rained out. I got through tech and was changing something on my car when the clouds opened up for 20 minutes. It would take over an hour to dry the track so we got rained out. Sunday racing is still a possibility so I left the car at the track. Until I got a chance to put my car cover on I can honestly say now that my car is not leak proof. All that Lexan for the windows does not make a leak proof seal with no rubber seals or caulking anywhere Lots of drain holes in the floor though.

The electronics racers were asked by the track if they want crossover or not. The majority don't want it. My delay box doesn't have a crossover feature anyway. I don't care what my opponent is running. I just want to know if I'm leaving first or not. The only advantage to using a crossover is if you're the faster car, you can have 2 hits on the tree. I'd rather just concentrate on my own lights. My delay box is set up so as soon as I see the first indication of a yellow light on my side of the tree, I let the transbrake button go and wait. Just over a second later, the transbrake will release and launch the car. None of this watching the yellows come down, 1, 2, go stuff any more. Of course if I miss that first light, I'll have less than a second to turn off the delay box and try leaving off the bottom bulb.

There's another feature that's part of the crossover lights that we don't want. When the slower car's top bulb lights up, the fast car's top bulb will also light up so that they can see it better. If I don't want crossover, I have no way of launching off my own top bulb. If anyone wants to do crossover racing it should be up to them to see the opponents light even if they're angled away. If they want to do crossover, make them work for it.

When I started racing I beat the previous years season champ and didn't know it at the time. He was driving a Chrysler New Yorker running 18 second 1/4 miles in Sportsman class. The car was very consistant. A couple of years ago an 18 second Tahoe with traction control finished in third place because it ran the same ET every time. The traction control didn't let any wheels spin.

ET bracket racing isn't about speed. That's why it's so popular since any vehicle has an equal chance of winning and you don't need to spend high dollers on a fast car to compete. It's nice to go fast but isn't a requirement. If I wanted to race cheaply, I'd still be racing my 15 second truck.

Trevor86TA

Nice work. If you keep up your stellar RTs and continue to run your car on the number you should be able to continue your climb to the top of the standings.

Trevor

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I only won one round the first race of the season of this series, and was tied with another 15 or so for 30th place. After going to the quarterfinals the 2nd race, I was tied for 6th place (which was where we were going into the race this past Friday). They posted the standings on the web yesterday, I'm alone in 3rd now.

There are definately some "if's" in your scenario. One good thing about last Friday is I didn't have any redlights, in TT's or eliminations - seems a rarity for me these days. Of course, "if" I had been .003-sec slower that last race, or "if" I hadn't added that "1", I would be in 2nd place right now.

That's racing...

AlkyIROC

I wish I had more T&T days. Saturday night got rained out. First pass Sunday morning was the first time I've run the car this year. Performance is off again and delay box settings are out the window. I got to keep remembering to launch off the first yellow now. They managed to give us 3 time trial runs and my reaction times sucked. I decided to enter .850 into the delay box and somehow nailed a .011 reaction time. Unfortunately I broke out by a lot even when I was hard on the brakes at the finish. My opponent was asleep at the tree and also broke out but not as much and he won.

It was actually nice to go out in the first round. A big thunderstorm was approaching. I managed to get the car back into the garage before the rain hit. The race never got into the finals anyway because of the rain.

I got a bunch of changes to do before this weekend to see if I can get back the lost performance. The 4.30 gears are coming out and the 4.56 are going back in. Some 4.7x or 4.8x might be the next set I try. I also fixed some fuel system problems. My only worry is that I might have done something wrong in the tranny causing it to drag but the tranny was working fine. I launched at 4500 off the transbrake every time.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Just my .02, but after seeing the #2 &#3 guys in no box switch to box in the fall series and get their ***** handed to them, use the box but go off the bottom bulb, lol. The last race they pulled the box and hmmm they made semis's again.

I bought a box to use in the truck since Top is such a small class nodays and entry/rounds to win ratio were in a bigger favor in Top, we decided to stay in Mod aka no box. Very hard descion since I could enter at $85, make 4 rounds to win $1000 in Top or stay in Mod for $55 go 7-14 rounds for $400-700 depending on car count. Regardless of what people think you still have to hit the tree one way or another and why mess up what 's working. I've trailer more box cars in gamblers than I care to remember this season, dont know why but most of these guys dail in a cushion when racing a no box car and almost always get beat off the line.

In any light, we've had rain at all 3 points races at my home track this year so I feel your pain. Good luck with the new combo, but my money will be on the box sitting on your shelf by late summer. New things are fun to try, but going rounds and winning $$$ is alot funner!! Good luck!!

AlkyIROC

I've gone about the same amount of rounds in Pro and SuperPro just launching with the transbrake. The main reason I went with a delay box is that I got to try the new LED tree last fall and couldn't cut a good light no matter what I tried. At least with a delay box I just wait for that first indication of yellow on the top bulb, remember to let go of the button, then wait for the car to launch.

It's actually pretty cool. I let go of the button then don't even look at the tree any more. Concentrate on gauges and looking down the track before the launch. When I start going red, I'll just add more delay.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

I can't go on the last yellow or I'll red light. I have to give it a "tick" after seeing the last bulb. Timing that "tick" with varying light conditions (even with LED bulbs) and varying levels of adrenalin are a couple of issues with that method. Yes, I've tried larger diameter front tires and lowering air pressure - I went from 14" to 15" last year, and have dropped 10 psi - same problem. A box would "solve" that.

A buddy I pit with who has a high-10-sec '83 Monte uses his 2-step to set his launch RPM below the "optimum" for fastest launch to allow him to leave when he first sees the last yellow. It isn't unusual for him to have .00x lights in both time trials. Also has pretty reliable ET's. I'd like to be able to do the same thing, but I spent my "hobby improvement money" last winter on the front disk brake conversion. Something about being able to stop in a straight line that seemed more important than better RT's.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

How red are you going at a flick of yellow? I'm currently in the same boat with the truck since the new headers required a 2" shorter front tire to turn...just got it all dailed in last season too and then had to throw a wrench in the mix.

I'm having troubles with the wait for yellow give it a split second and launch. Got lucky to make it into the finals last saturday using this technique, but quess why I did'nt win the finals-R/T sucked...and .01 off my dail, R/T's anywhere from a .50?-.54? nothing consistent.

Wanna go back out Fri. for T&T and start letting air out of the rear slicks in 1/4psi increments to slow the vehicles R/T and see if letting the slicks whined up a little more will give me that extra lil bit so I can go on first hint of yellow again.

five7kid

iTrader: (14)

Going as soon as I see yellow will yield about -.03. On that bye run, I let the last yellow just get bright before I let go, it was a .013. Other rounds, I let it get yellower and had .031 - .065 (the .031 was the only one I got treed on - go figure...).

I must be watching more closely, because LED's aren't suppose to "ramp up" like incandesents. Of course, it's been almost 2 years since I ran on incandesents - could be that "memory" thing.

I've tried stalling to different speeds, seems to like 2600 best. Any higher, brakes don't hold, or the converter doesn't flash up as high (I don't have a play-back, just judging by the way it feels & sounds as it leaves). Any lower, it's hard to find the "sweet spot", and the carb isn't as crisp when it leaves (might be able to tune that out, but nothing I've tried so far makes any difference). A 2-step would most likely solve both those issues.