The 'Dumb Question' Thread

[psfracer]

clutchless auto with paddle shifters......

 

[irishpwr46]

 

[06vistabluegt]

This article used to have a video along with it but I can't find the video. It's still a great article describing the starting line and what affects what.

http://www.summitracing.com/expertadvice/storydetail/howtos/How-to-Stage-Your-Drag-Car/

Another cool article

http://www.summitracing.com/expertadvice/storydetail/howtos/How-to-Bracket-Race/

 

[psfracer]

this article used to have a video along with it but i can't find the video. It's still a great article describing the starting line and what affects what.

http://www.summitracing.com/expertadvice/storydetail/howtos/how-to-stage-your-drag-car/

another cool article

http://www.summitracing.com/expertadvice/storydetail/howtos/how-to-bracket-race/

good links^^^^

 

[JerryC]

reaction time should really be prediction time. If you react to the green lght you are toast, you are actually trying to predict when the green comes on in relation to when your tires unblock the beam.

Stagger of the front axles also effects rollout.

Some tracks don't allow you to drive around the water box, in that case at least try to do a burnout far enough to get the water off the track.

My rhetorical questions,
"what does in the groove mean?"
"what is burning down the other guy?"

 

[SRTthis]

reaction time should really be prediction time. If you react to the green lght you are toast, you are actually trying to predict when the green comes on in relation to when your tires unblock the beam.

Stagger of the front axles also effects rollout.

Some tracks don't allow you to drive around the water box, in that case at least try to do a burnout far enough to get the water off the track.

My rhetorical questions,
"what does in the groove mean?"
"what is burning down the other guy?"

i should refer this question to a friend of mine...Don "burndown" Burton

anyway its a stand off between both drivers after prestaging to force the other one to stage...
for those who dont know Don burndown burton got his nickname for the longest burn down known to man. somewhere over 7 minutes...

easyest way to spot the groove is to stand behind a car and look down track. the "dull" sections are the groove. the shiney stuff is not the groove... the groove is where most of the rubber is layed down.

 

[06vistabluegt]

As someone who runs gas, not alcohol, burn downs suck. lol.

An alcohol burning car won't get hot on the line like a gas powered car will so a lot of times a racer whose car is running alcohol will take their time getting staged in the hopes that your car will get hot which affects its performance.

Another term people may not know is courtesy staging. Courtesy staging is when one car turns on the pre-staged bulb and waits for the other to turn on their pre-staged bulb before turning on their staged bulb. At some tracks, the starter will back you out if you "double-bulb" the other racer and tell you to wait until the other guy is pre-staged. It is considered rude to turn your pre-staged an staged bulbs on before the other guy even gets his pre-staged bulb on. I personally don't care, I've got a routine and I stick to it no matter what UNLESS someone is trying to burn me down at which point i have no problem double-bulbing them.

 

[JerryC]

I dont stage quickly to be rude, my preference is to get my hot tires right on the spot I will launch from.

OTOH, I don't/didnt bracket race to be competitive. Eliminations was just another time trial for me. I havent bracket raced in ~25 years. My old track didnt have test and tune days.

 

[psfracer]

Another term people may not know is courtesy staging. Courtesy staging is when one car turns on the pre-staged bulb and waits for the other to turn on their pre-staged bulb before turning on their staged bulb. At some tracks, the starter will back you out if you "double-bulb" the other racer and tell you to wait until the other guy is pre-staged. It is considered rude to turn your pre-staged an staged bulbs on before the other guy even gets his pre-staged bulb on.

Yep, in some races they enforce courtesy staging by DQing you if you double bulb.

 

[JerryC]

Yep, in some races they enforce courtesy staging by DQing you if you double bulb.

My dumb question, what is the negative for one guy sitting staged while the other takes his time to stage, why DQ the guy that is staged and waiting?

 

[06vistabluegt]

My dumb question, what is the negative for one guy sitting staged while the other takes his time to stage, why DQ the guy that is staged and waiting?

Not a dumb question. For me, I could care less. I have a routine and stick with it no matter if you double-bulb me or not. Once both cars are pre-staged and then one of the cars gets staged, the other car has 7 seconds or somewhere around that to get staged or they will be DQ'd. Some people are bothered by double-bulbers because they lost that time that it takes for the other person to stage. so instead of 10-15 seconds to get staged, they now have 7 seconds. If you race at the same track a lot, you'll learn who doesn't like double-bulbers and you can use that to your advantage. If I'm against someone who I know hates double-bulbers, I'll get pre-staged then bump in a few more times to the point where my staged bulb is almost coming on. As soon as the other person pre-stages, I'll bump again to turn on the staged bulb. Racing is sometimes more mental than anything else.

 

[GoFaster06]

Paul, I've actually been doing exactly that the last few times out. Works great for cooling down the blower. I get lots of funny looks when people see the big Ziplock bag on top of the motor but that's ok.

Do u put it on top of the S/C case or on the CAI connecting tube?

 

[skwerl]

On top of the blower itself. My motor doesn't get that hot, and the coolant reservoirs from the radiator and intercooler are both lukewarm at best but the blower itself gets hot. I can melt two quart size ice blocks in an hour and it will still be warm to the touch.

 

[GoFaster06]

On top of the blower itself. My motor doesn't get that hot, and the coolant reservoirs from the radiator and intercooler are both lukewarm at best but the blower itself gets hot. I can melt two quart size ice blocks in an hour and it will still be warm to the touch.

My Whipple is the same way with heat. Do u think the ice helps your ET's. I usually just wait 45 minutes between runs with the hood open & in the shade.

 

[skwerl]

I think it does, but that's a subjective opinion and I can't back it up with proof.

 

[GoFaster06]

I think it does, but that's a subjective opinion and I can't back it up with proof.

Thanks for the response. Can anybody confirm it helps ET's?

 

[JEWC_Motorsports]

I agree with everything you said with the exception of 11.5". It isn't always 11.5". A 26" tall tire is going to have less rollout than a 28" tall tire. Air pressure also causes a variation in rollout. This is why you typically see people adjusting the air pressure in their front tires in the staging lanes, not just the back tires. They want their car to have the same rollout every round.
Summit Motorsports Park did a cool video describing rollout, I'll have to see if I can find it.

I didnt write that, i read it.

 

[Lupo222]

Another thing I hate about quick staging is it doesn't give me anytime to "get in the zone". If he's already staged, I get on the line and instantaneously it seems we're off! I've messed up quite a few launches because of this. I'm far from a pro and I know this won't mess with them in that way but it does me.

As far as icing the SC, IMO, yes it works. It helps cool the SC quickly and as long as you're not running the car while waiting for your turn, it'll help. That's why I like to be one of the first at the track and get some runs in before all the ricers show up and while the hardcore guys are still prepping and unloading their cars. Not much waiting and heating up the car.

 

[brett2008]

Gee ive gotta thought.....I always here about dumb ????s/look it up/search the threads....well if all ??? are answered whats the sense in having the website...Might just as well stop talking too each other.. and hava beer....brett

 

[Mike K]

How much weight is required to loose to loose a tenth in the quarter?