ET with and without wheelie.

[Stan Weiss]

Originally Posted by Frank Castros

IMHO the sixty foot ET and trap MPH are the measure of your race car.

That does depend. Over 10 years ago I was doing a simulation of a PSB with some help from George Bryce. I was able to get everything almost dead on. I ask George about the fact that I ran out of RPM before the finish line. He said he did too, but he gave up some MPH because it ran a lower ET.


Stan

[Mike Pearson]

In a low HP combo the wheelie is similar to wheel speed. It helps get the engine to its max power quicker. The higher HP and bigger Cu Inch combos might be quicker by keeping the front end down. The car will be more consistent with the wheels up and no spin/wheel speed. Stock and super stock cars are set up to dead hook. Most are on radials.

[Hacksaw]

Originally Posted by GUMP

My perspective is that you need to get all the weight on the rear tire. Since we run performance based classes, we are trying to use ALL the power. On marginal tracks, you can have a hard time if the front end is tied down too much without some kind of power management.

From experience, moderate wheelies don't slow you down at all. I feel that is because aero is not a factor. A monster wheelie will absolutely burn a bunch of ET...

My theory is: Race cars that have quicker ets doing monster wheelies is because, when the car begins to come down it essentially "throws" the car forward. This applies to cars with high ground clearance that pitch and rotate and relatively moderate power.

[1320racer]

Your theory is malarkey

[Billy Nees]

Originally Posted by Dan Bennett

In short, the people who are saying different vehicles need different things have helped me get a grip and I thank every one of them.

Ya know Dan, it's a funny thing that you put it that way. In a Stocker that can use a Powerglide or a 3-speed, with the 'glide the 60' times are almost irrelevant. They're almost a residual number. The car needs to be set-up to run it's best E.T. and whatever the 60' time is, it is. One of the "funniest" things ever said to me about "tuning" a car was by the late Jim Beattie; "Nees, is there somebody standing on the 60' clock handing out $100 bills? Then don't worry about it".
Now a 3-speed Stocker is a totally different animal. From my experience, what ever you can do to get a 3-speed car to the 330' clock faster will translate to better E.T.s all the way down the track.

[BobbyH]

Great thread! Do these theories/opinions/physics also apply the same to a STICK car?

[1320racer]

Originally Posted by Billy Nees

From my experience, what ever you can do to get the car to the 330' clock faster will translate to better E.T.s all the way down the track.

again, it all starts and ends with 60 foot and yes, I have run both a powerglide and a turbo400 in the same car!

[Adger Smith]

We have had a lot of good info passed around in this thread...
This thread brought back an old memory from when Lee Shepherd was racing the Shepherd/Morrison Modified Production Chevy 11 wagon at my track in Whitehouse Texas. This is back before reaction times and we only had 60' and 1/4 mile times. I ask him if the 60' was the most important part of the race track. His answer was NO...
He then said "The First Inch" is most important
Think about it!

[1320racer]

He was wrong!

[L.Fite]

How dare you blaspheme Lee Shepherd...
Them there is fightin' words!...