FE Power Forums
FE Power Forums => Non-FE Discussion Forum => Topic started by: cjshaker on April 29, 2019, 02:00:13 PM
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I have zero experience with 1/8 mile numbers, so I was trying to get an idea of what my car did at the FE R&R. According to a couple guys I talked to at the reunion, my 7.55-7.60 times equate to 13 second et's. I was kinda bummed to hear that, but it didn't make sense to me because my 60' times were .3-.45 better than I had ever done previously, and I had run a 12.2 then, and the car just felt much better on the launches and all the way through 1st gear.
I checked some on-line calculators and they pretty much all agree that those times equate to 11.7-11.8 second ET's. My usual 1/8 mile speeds were in the 96-97 range, but at the Reunion I was more like 92-93, which is understandable considering the headwinds. Again, on-line calculators say that those 92-93 1/8 mile speeds convert to 115 mph trap speeds, which is exactly what my car previously ran, and very consistently.
I know some experienced racers here are good at knowing 1/8 mile times, so I'm just wondering, what would my 7.55-7.60 times have worked out to in the 1/4? I was really hoping to hit the 11's this year, so I was a little bummed about the 1/8 mile limit, but I understood why they were.
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You're right, around the 11.70-11.80 mark.
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Look up Wallace calculator Doug. You can play around on that thing for a while.
11.86. Awesome Doug and it will be even faster without headwind
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I dunno how you can really equate one to the other.
If you built the car for the 1/8 wouldn't it be geared for such?
I might be showing my racing ignorance here.....
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Drew, most guys that run 1/4 mile are pretty good at knowing what that would show in the 1/8. Yes, a car built specifically for 1/8 would be geared differently, or just use 3 gears instead of 4, but experienced racers can tell you what an 1/8 mile run would be in the 1/4, or at least very close. Most experienced racers can also tell you what ET you should be running just based on trap speed...if the car was set up properly.
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Doug, you are definitely well into the 11s at 7.55 in the eighth mile. Just for a point of reference, when I got my Mach 1 to the track back in 2005 for the first time, it ran 7.05 in the eighth on a Friday night, and the next day ran 10.90 in the quarter at a different track, but basically the same weather conditions. I think you have an 11.50 car there with some tuning and further launch technique.
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Thanks for the responses. I had a hard time believing I could have knocked that much time off my 60' and went slower than I had at Drag Week , even given the headwind and uphill track. I'm just glad to be making progress.
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I agree with the high 11s number
My car ran 6.98 at 101 on its best pass
Last year it ran ....6.98 at 101, and a 10.94 at 126 (if I recall correctly)
Even though my 60 foot was improved (still not good, but better) the car did not pick up anything - I attribute that to the headwind. On one of the three time shots I took you could feel the car move to the side pretty well and I fumbled the 2-3 shift while correcting.
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Don't bother with calculators, this chart is close enough. 7.55 is about 11.78, same as my Falcon with the 351C. Dragster clocks 5.8~5.40 @ 125, thats good enough for Super Comp, 5.40 is about 8.49, over 150 MPH.
http://cochise.uia.net/pkelley2/eight-to-quarter.htm
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My Comet ran 7.75's in the 1/8th and 12.15 to 12.25 in the quarter. Definately 11's. Jim
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My 67 ran 7.65 1/8, and 12.01 1/4
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It's nice to know I definitely made some major improvements. My 60' times were killing me before. After I watched my in-car videos, I still made quite a few mistakes, so I've still got a lot to learn and improve on.
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I typically run in the 96-97 mph in the 1/8. That is going 11.0 at 119-120 mph in the 1/4. On good days, 10.90's at 122 mph.
A slow 60ft will kill ET(especially 1/8 mile), but the MPH will tell the HP tale. Even my black car will blaze the tires to a 15.0 1/4 mile, but go 111 mph. That equates to 12.0 ET if I put tires on it.
As you work on chassis/clutch the ET will start to drop drastically.
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Battlestar has it. ET is affected by 60', phase of the moon, your foot, that guy in the diesel truck tracking water to the line, some girl winking at you in the staging lanes, etc. MPH is a measure of HP. It takes X power to move the mass of the car to some MPH. I ran a half pass to test the dragster, lifted a little after the 330' block, 5.88 @ 97 MPH LOL. A better example - footbraking the dragster at about 1800 RPM got the best of 1.35 60', 5.57 @125.5 MPH. Put it flat on the floor loading the converter on the 2 step at 3100 - 1.20 60', 5.40 @ 125.5. That's also an example of what the right converter can do for a package. And flip it over, the wrong converter for the combination can kill the hell out of your performance.
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I knew my 60' was killing me. Larry's speeds are very close to what I run, typically 96-97 in the 1/8, very consistent 114-115 in the 1/4. Of course he's trapping faster because he has more horsepower, but I could never get my 60' under 2 seconds. Not even close really. This time I got it down in the low 1.8 range. Still lots of room for improvement. Larry's times, compared to mine, show what a properly set up car does.
My stock 3.78 stroke means I have to wind it a bit more off the line; I just don't have the torque that stroker engines have. That's where the 3.19 first really came into play...and helped a bunch! I'll be changing to a Sof-Lok clutch this year or next, so that will help also, after getting it sorted out of course.
This stuff is all very interesting to me as I learn more and get more experience in. Having some knowledge about it really helps show me where I need to make improvements. You guys are a big help, and I really appreciate that.
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As your 60ft drops, your MPH will drop a touch also since you are not getting a running(spinning) start. That .2 improvement is likely where your 2 mph loss from last year went in the 1/8 mile. That along with the better first gear.
Until you get things sorted out, I would not hang on those ET Numbers. Focus on the MPH and make changes til the expected ET comes into view.
You'll be happy as you make some changes/improvements and watch the numbers get better.
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Multiply your 1/8th mile time by 1.56 and you will always be close.
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Multiply your 1/8th mile time by 1.56 and you will always be close.
Calculators are fine but I've yet to find one that actually matches for HP, ET predictions or even the 1/8th vs 1/4. Some come close but there's too many variables IMO. Some cars pull hard (big blocks with 4 speeds) past 1/2 track while a small block with a Glide generally doesn't have much left. Exceptions to everything of course. Turbo's tend to MPH higher even with a lest than stellar 60'.
I had what I consider the "perfect" pass this weekend and using the 1.56 ratio I should have run a 9.77 based off my 6.26 1/8th mile but actually ran a 9.88 at 135.03. NHRA uses a 1.60 ratio which is even more optimistic. I suppose if ones combination was totally science out the numbers may align better.
Bottom line is.. you are making improvements, I agree with the others that feel you are easily in the 11's and knocking that 60' down will put a smile on your face. Congrats on the win btw.... I couldn't win against myself on a single this past weekend :-\ :-\
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Calculators are fine but I've yet to find one that actually matches for HP, ET predictions or even the 1/8th vs 1/4. Some come close but there's too many variables IMO. Some cars pull hard (big blocks with 4 speeds) past 1/2 track while a small block with a Glide generally doesn't have much left. Exceptions to everything of course. Turbo's tend to MPH higher even with a lest than stellar 60'.
I had what I consider the "perfect" pass this weekend and using the 1.56 ratio I should have run a 9.77 based off my 6.26 1/8th mile but actually ran a 9.88 at 135.03. NHRA uses a 1.60 ratio which is even more optimistic. I suppose if ones combination was totally science out the numbers may align better.
Bottom line is.. you are making improvements, I agree with the others that feel you are easily in the 11's and knocking that 60' down will put a smile on your face. Congrats on the win btw.... I couldn't win against myself on a single this past weekend :-\ :-\
Thanks for chiming in. I'm certainly not focused on an exact time, just that I'm finally making some real improvements (minus all the mistakes I still made ::)) Getting the car in the 11's was a big goal, and I knew I had to get my 60' down to do that. So whether it would have been a 11.7+ or a 11.99 really doesn't matter to me, because either way it would have been a big gain.
One stupid mistake I made was on my 2nd time trial. I think it was against Shady (?), when I staged to the second light before he had staged to the first. I know that's not good racer "etiquette", but got too focused on my own thing while staging. I realized right away what I did and felt bad about that. I didn't make that mistake again.
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Not to worry Doug, I saw plenty of "double bulbing" going on. Sometimes it just happens, even to the most seasoned racer. Some just make it their routine to give themselves more time to "get ready". In my very early years it would frazzle me, but now I just ignore everything and do my own thing if I get double bulbed. Just don't get in a hurry to find the top bulb. Make sure to look down on the track to see where the lights are at and use that to give you an idea where you need to stop before getting there.
At a regular weekend bracket race, double bulbing will get you sitting, waiting as your opponent will take that as an opportunity and since it takes 3 bulbs to turn on the timer, they will just really make you sit and wait before they turn their top bulb on. All in hopes to screw with your head and get you to mess up.
At our stick races, it is common for if someone messes up, the opponent is to not stage, but wait for the other racer to back out and start over. This is not typically allowed at normal races. "Back up and pack up" was the saying. Our races are run by our own rules.
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Several things I learned this go-round; one being to creep up just shy of the first light, then wait till the other guy is ready to stage. I quickly learned to not even worry about what the other person is doing, other than staging at the correct time. Another is to look at what the other persons dial-in is, so I get an idea of who goes first, and when, so I'm not waiting for 8+ seconds while holding the engine at launch RPM...ugh. At least I didn't drag the front tires this time, by forgetting to let go of the line-lok. Darn uphill track..lol
Drag Week is a whole different thing, because reaction time means nothing. Now that I'm getting a bit more comfortable with the staging process, it's time to work on reaction. I need to try and hit a few T&T nights at Norwalk.
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Several things I learned this go-round; one being to creep up just shy of the first light, then wait till the other guy is ready to stage. I quickly learned to not even worry about what the other person is doing, other than staging at the correct time. Another is to look at what the other persons dial-in is, so I get an idea of who goes first, and when, so I'm not waiting for 8+ seconds while holding the engine at launch RPM...ugh. At least I didn't drag the front tires this time, by forgetting to let go of the line-lok. Darn uphill track..lol
Drag Week is a whole different thing, because reaction time means nothing. Now that I'm getting a bit more comfortable with the staging process, it's time to work on reaction. I need to try and hit a few T&T nights at Norwalk.
Yes, paying attention to dial in's is important and won't be a surprise on when your tree will come down(who leaves first).
Paying attention to how the other person stages is good. The more formal the race event you will notice other drivers will follow along with their opponent for the most part. "Courtesy" staging and all. Unless my opponent is really screwing around, I hold back on my burnout and getting into the beams so we are together. It keeps my mental "timing" the same. Keeps me from just sitting in the middle of my routine.
Remember, if you set the front brakes really light(just enough to keep the car from rolling), it won't drag the tires if you are slow on letting off the button.
Come on up to DW42 on May 11th. We have a stick race and you could run with us. Lots of stick guys to talk to and learn from. Likely get more runs then a TnT at Norwalk!!
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Calculators are fine but I've yet to find one that actually matches for HP, ET predictions or even the 1/8th vs 1/4. Some come close but there's too many variables IMO. Some cars pull hard (big blocks with 4 speeds) past 1/2 track while a small block with a Glide generally doesn't have much left. Exceptions to everything of course. Turbo's tend to MPH higher even with a lest than stellar 60'.
I had what I consider the "perfect" pass this weekend and using the 1.56 ratio I should have run a 9.77 based off my 6.26 1/8th mile but actually ran a 9.88 at 135.03. NHRA uses a 1.60 ratio which is even more optimistic. I suppose if ones combination was totally science out the numbers may align better.
Bottom line is.. you are making improvements, I agree with the others that feel you are easily in the 11's and knocking that 60' down will put a smile on your face. Congrats on the win btw.... I couldn't win against myself on a single this past weekend :-\ :-\
Thanks for chiming in. I'm certainly not focused on an exact time, just that I'm finally making some real improvements (minus all the mistakes I still made ::)) Getting the car in the 11's was a big goal, and I knew I had to get my 60' down to do that. So whether it would have been a 11.7+ or a 11.99 really doesn't matter to me, because either way it would have been a big gain.
One stupid mistake I made was on my 2nd time trial. I think it was against Shady (?), when I staged to the second light before he had staged to the first. I know that's not good racer "etiquette", but got too focused on my own thing while staging. I realized right away what I did and felt bad about that. I didn't make that mistake again.
That was in the second round of cool fe eliminations. IT worked. I was then in a hurry to get staged and went in a little too deep & did a -.008 red. NO biggie, also a learning curve for me. Glad you took home the win. No hard feelings.
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That was in the second round of cool fe eliminations. IT worked. I was then in a hurry to get staged and went in a little too deep & did a -.008 red. NO biggie, also a learning curve for me. Glad you took home the win. No hard feelings.
Shady, I can assure you it was not a tactic, just a rookie mistake..lol The whole day moved so fast, I apparently got my rounds mixed up, thinking it was in time trials.
Larry, I just may have to try and make it up there, if the weather will break. Calling for more rain the whole 2nd half of next week, and I still can't even get the mower in the yard yet. As it is, I can only see my cats tails sticking up when walking through the grass..lol Never been to DW42, so that will be a new experience. Sending you a PM with a couple of questions...