Raconteur
Nitro Member
During Monday's Las Vegas test sessions Cruz Pedregon tested another new fuel engine combination for NHRAl
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Cruz tests new NHRA Tech Dept Combo
- Thread starter Raconteur
- Start date
my friends call me Zappy
Nitro Member
4.37 @ 286 heck yeah, nothin wrong with that, + doesn't make parts inventory obsolete. One question...how did it sound???
I understand why they are doing what they are doing but as a guy who dreams of oneday racing a nitro funny car , this cant help but sadden me , what happened to innovation and being smart and coming up with new ideas to go faster and quicker and beat the next guy where being a great tuner like dale armstrong and austin coil and all those other guys over the years matered . No more ET records no more MPH records . No more innovating nothing . The chrysler hemis they are running are just being restricted to hell . There is so much more things they could do to them and before someone ses they arent chrysler because they dont use factory parts well the same can be said for alot of ford and chev engines racing out there in competition and people still call them fords and chevs .
My dream is to oneday race and own and tune a nitro funny car but I dread to see what a funny car will be when I get to accomplish that dream . It just makes me sad . Very sad .
My dream is to oneday race and own and tune a nitro funny car but I dread to see what a funny car will be when I get to accomplish that dream . It just makes me sad . Very sad .
yoda
Nitro Member
William- you sound like a prime candidate for the dry lakes/ salt flats scene... All the speed and innovation you can generate, and all without the headaches and hassle of "Corporate Big Brother" getting in the way of your need for speed (which I sense has an old soul locked inside your youthful exuberance)...
Your dreams are not to be dashed by the Association's business plan- seek out your speed in other arenas, young man.
Raconteur
Nitro Member
Lotsa loud!
William, don't be sad. Drag racing has been around over 50 years, and like every other form of racing, it just can't be unlimited anymore. We just can't have fuel cars running 350 mph on 5mil budgets, for many reasons. If you watch a nostagia FC run in the 5s at 250+, you will have that same passion to get involved. I am all for the NHRA coming up with a combo that ratchets down costs, allows us to back to 1/4 mile racing, and allows more teams to be created. Someone posted earlier, Indy and NASCAR cars went faster years ago than they do today and ever will again, but they obviously have grown over the years. Another way to look at it, if left to be unrestricted, and allowed to continue to be faster and more expensive each year, we will continue to see the number of teams shrink, and your dream will become increasingly hard to achieve.
mick
Nitro Member
have been advocate of returning to 1320', but if you take about another
1/2 sec. off this combo we'll have e.t.'s similar to where we left off with
1320' racing.
or? keep this combo the same and add 100' of racing.
revised distance @ 1100'..........mite produce same 'old' e.t.'s in high 4's.
where is it chiseled in stone that 1000' must be the new distance
for the remainder of time?
older tracks with limited shut-down area now have safe barriers - cars have
kill switchs + auto parachute releases...........can these tracks now afford
to give back 100' to length?
1/2 sec. off this combo we'll have e.t.'s similar to where we left off with
1320' racing.
or? keep this combo the same and add 100' of racing.
revised distance @ 1100'..........mite produce same 'old' e.t.'s in high 4's.
where is it chiseled in stone that 1000' must be the new distance
for the remainder of time?
older tracks with limited shut-down area now have safe barriers - cars have
kill switchs + auto parachute releases...........can these tracks now afford
to give back 100' to length?
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Huge
Nitro Member
It sounded good on the starting line it had a lot of pop like the nostalgia cars do. It did not have the vibration at the hit that the present combos have. I am not sure what percent they were running but I am sure they had a lot of mag in it.
Nitrohelper
Nitro Member
That's the good part of this tune-up. Once they get the pump size & fuel curve worked out, and then the clutch.
NHRA can easily reduce the blower speed to slow them to just over 300 mph in the 1320.
No new parts to buy , plus more spare mags ... Easier on the cranks , less clutch parts.
The "Classic" guys have hit 250 mph with 21 gals , and a 6:71 @ 18% over.
The Big Show old guys have data for 50+ gals ,and a 14:71 at 50% over. Get the 112 C/L cams off the shelf.
Take the blower back to 33% over ,and give them Geezer tuners 95% Nitro ... stand back ...
, and another plus is that it will sound great too.
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That's the good part of this tune-up. Once they get the pump size & fuel curve worked out, and then the clutch.
NHRA can easily reduce the blower speed to slow them to just over 300 mph in the 1320.
No new parts to buy , plus more spare mags ... Easier on the cranks , less clutch parts.
The "Classic" guys have hit 250 mph with 21 gals , and a 6:71 @ 18% over.
The Big Show old guys have data for 50+ gals ,and a 14:71 at 50% over. Get the 112 C/L cams off the shelf.
Take the blower back to 33% over ,and give them Geezer tuners 95% Nitro ... stand back ...
, and another plus is that it will sound great too.
Now I wouldn't mind this combo if NHRA allowed them to tip the can!
NitroRichFire
Nitro Member
OK guys and gals, help me understand this. They, the NHRA, are trying to slow the fuel cars down, correct. Now wouldn't changing the gearing in the rear ends of these monsters slow these cars down? If you were to put a lower gear ratio in them, like maybe a 238 Vs a 411, wouldn't that lower gearing put more drag on the motor, making it slower off the line and causing the RPMs of the motor to rise slower, so by the time the car got to the finish line the RPMs would still be down, since there is more drag on the motor do to the lower gearing?? Or am I way off on this??? 
Yes Richard you are right.
I believe early 90's the made a rear end change that slowed them down for several years. They could do the same again. The down side is that everyone has to toss their current parts then.
As long as 300 still happens then it can work. The local guy who shows up cuz the race is in town is there to see those big numbers. After what I witnessed at Martin this year, I am a firm believer that dropping below 300 would be a serious blow.
Added points if they bring more of the cackle and pop back too
I believe early 90's the made a rear end change that slowed them down for several years. They could do the same again. The down side is that everyone has to toss their current parts then.
As long as 300 still happens then it can work. The local guy who shows up cuz the race is in town is there to see those big numbers. After what I witnessed at Martin this year, I am a firm believer that dropping below 300 would be a serious blow.
Added points if they bring more of the cackle and pop back too
Just Paul
Nitro Member
Kalitta ran the first 290 in 1989, and for 1990 they changed the gear. By early 1992 they had gained 10 MPH with KB going 301. Like PJ said, the best thing to do is get it so they can use as many parts as they have already.
I agree 300 MPH is the magic number no matter what they do.
I agree 300 MPH is the magic number no matter what they do.
Nitrohelper
Nitro Member
My experience would be NO to a taller gear (2.70). More clutch hanging on the rear main...
They would easily go faster ... look at a A/FD with a 2.90 gear goes 282 mph on 95% with no blower.
Don't change to New (different) parts. They have to buy spares too. Then can't sell obsolete parts...
Use the same gear and reduce horsepower by having to burn less volume with only one plug...
One Mag will help the same now strong parts to last longer...
Also they won't smoke the tires as easy on a hot track.
........a Nitro geezer.........
rollingthunder
Nitro Member
Why is Cruz testing it and not asking JFR ????? thats partiality to the ped brothers !!! Why isn't anyone whining about that !!!
Z28LT1
Nitro Member
Very well said!
