Will a gear change help a redlighting problem in my bracket car?

[Mark Yacavone]

Originally Posted by novanicks

I think you are probably pretty close with your -.018 red light. My car has similar 60' times and that's about where I would be given your tire/gear combination.

I think on the pro tree you likely went slow because you're not used to that set up. I notice when racers block the tree their r/ts get slower because the tree shocks them a little.

I'll give you that one. Sometimes ,when changing to a pro tree, a driver will be so tense in anticipation, they will actually react slower.
Still , about what I thought we'd see. I still think the whole situation is controllable by RPM.

[Everett Vassar]

Originally Posted by Mark Yacavone

I'll give you that one. Sometimes ,when changing to a pro tree, a driver will be so tense in anticipation, they will actually react slower.
Still , about what I thought we'd see. I still think the whole situation is controllable by RPM.

O.K. Mark Tommorow we will try leaving at 1K or 1200

[FLEMING]

I had the same problem as you.. I raced really really slow cars for so long my "spot" on the tree is a little quicker than most.. I pretty much meet the third yellow on.. So when I got my car faster the more reds I got.. I have ran my tires down as low as 18lbs (in the 1/8). I would bet if you went down to 24 or so you will be in the good but still close to red..

I actually do better on a scrambled tree because I dont "rythym" the tree when it comes down..

Try looking at the bottom of the last yellow... that helps some too.. I have found some sunglasses actually slow me up .015 or so as well..

Turn your timing down some.. You'd be suprised how much this helps.. I know a guy who used to keep his timing light in his car, sure it slows you down some but cant win if your in the negative..LOL

I have been able to slow my spot down some, I just changed my rollout a little quicker and retrained my brain over several months to not meet the bulb on...

I have had some tracks (like memphis) where the tree was very tight to me and I had to leave at almost an idle but my car is on alcohol so i didnt have to worry about a stumble or hesitation..

[rustbucket79]

Given the car's 60' times and et's my opinion is you're anticipating the last amber. Your R/T with the 5/10 pro tree somewhat confirms this. (With a higher staging RPM and a few shots at the pro tree you will improve that time somewhat)

I went from racing the full tree for many years to blocking the tree. The benefit was zero red lights unless I caught the flash from the second amber, such as night racing. The negative was now I needed to bump in to catch a light. I footbrake with a 2 step on the brake pedal. First year with the blinder, 5500 on the playback tach on the launch, 3800 staging RPM, 4.10 gears, low 1.5 60's, small bump in after lighting the stage bulb, block the top 2 ambers, I was pretty consistant with teens to low .030 lights. Obviously the variable here is the "bump in". Car ran 10.9's. 60's were a little inconsistant for my tastes, partly due to the bumping in, partly due to a fair amount of driveline preload on the 2 step.

Last year racing with the car, 4.56 gears to get the trap RPM to match the shift point (6800) as well as lowering the stage RPM to allow maximum suspension effectiveness. The Pro's? 60' times always 1.44x (good fun) and the car would ET within a hundredth discounting environmental variables. The con(s)? I lost my ability at the tree. R/T's with the blinder were in the .070 to .080 range, forcing me into a big "bump in" position and basically rendering me uncompetitive other than the car would repeat. That was 2 years ago. I tried shorter front tires, no luck there but then again the car pulled the front wheels pretty good. This issue and money made me decide to quit racing until I can make the required changes.

For me to hit a blocked (pro .500) tree I need staging RPM. That means one thing, I need a trans brake. Then I can stage at 4500 to 5000 and hammer the tree, plus have 2 step adjustability from there to "tune" my R/T.

I was given the opportunity to race a much quicker/faster car a few weeks back. After a shakedown pass, I tried the blinder and fell in love with the car/combo. My worst light was a .039, and in competition I handed out a .001 light first round of the gamblers, got the bye for second round, and hit a .005 light. I am far from what could be called an expert, but I will say that the car and my R/T matched up pretty nicely.

You just need to figure out a way to adjust the car to suit you. Dark sunglasses was what I used to use (not much help with LED's) and you can try a very shallow stage. Although it would be expensive to try, a higher stall torque converter can help slow the car's R/T with your very low staging RPM.

Keep at it and best of luck to you.

[Everett Vassar]

Well,It wont leave at 1200 2nd TT I go back to 1500-1600 make sure I see the bulb Im .047 O.K. O.K. I got some thing to work with.Was also wearing my old open face helmet.Call me nuts but I actually think the open face slows down R/T a little!!!??? 1st rnd I get the BYE RUN! WHOOOPEEE Was .050 O.K. I think I know what to do. 2nd rnd I make a stupid mistake.I draw a guy in a really old slow car who has been known for, well you know, A couple yrs ago he spray painted his car So im NOT going red on this guy. Im .087 Had to cut him loose at the stripe. He was .016 dead on with a 7 out the back door, never looking back .Spanked that ***! A little later I go over to shake his hand.He says--"Oh--Was that YOU in the car?
This week im going to put my new converter in and its back to T&T