performance since sonoma (1 Viewer)

[mick]

on last nite's show from reading there was mention of swept back headers producing thrust that
is part of what is contributing to quicker acceleration to 60', 330' and 660' which translates to
quicker et in first half of track and the 1000' low et's and high mph's produced in the last 7 events.
obviously it didn't take long for other teams to catch on as witnessed at the brainerd event and even
force with a 4.93 (i think?) at seattle.....can't remember what race but even force said to cameras
he needed money to build parts. worsham said recently they left brainerd feeling down on power,
but obviously have now caught up. chad head with losing 3.903 yesterday.
we also hear that 5 & 6 disc are both utilized and both successfully.

headers? clutch? less spoiler? other?......it's almost as if the fuel classes have reinvented themselves.
it sure would be interesting to know exactly what one thing? or combination of things? are happening
rite now that are producing this performance gain.

 

[Nunz]

Mike, while this is a very interesting topic and I'm looking forward to the next telecast where they will discuss these improvements, we're still busy with several other threads trying to figure out why there were singles, parked cars, and no cancelation of the race. Seriously though, I'm really curious about all this stuff, as these guys (and girls) are flying.

 

[Usual password less 1]

Headers, the new -5 clutch disc which is very aggressive, Leahy clutch regulator, different injectors for better rt's, less downforce (better aero). Anybody notice how common .050-.060 lights are now in FC?? Crazy

 

[Dave]

different injectors for better rt's, less downforce (better aero). Anybody notice how common .050-.060 lights are now in FC?? Crazy

Not only the improved Funny Car lights, but did you see Antron's lights yesterday? .034 .067 .038 .035! So round 2 was the worst of the day, but consisted .030 lights and one of the quickest cars on track is why he's your 2015 World Champ!

 

[Huge]

Headers, the new -5 clutch disc which is very aggressive, Leahy clutch regulator, different injectors for better rt's, less downforce (better aero). Anybody notice how common .050-.060 lights are now in FC?? Crazy

Are you sure Jeff, i thought maybe they just shortened the track a few more feet and didn't tell anyone. We miss you out here dude.

 

[Muddy]

I would suspect the improved reaction times are a function of improvments in clutch managment. How the clutch reacts in a fuel car controls a large portion of the reaction time assuming the driver isn't reading a book when the lights start.

 

[Just Paul]

I would suspect the improved reaction times are a function of improvments in clutch managment. How the clutch reacts in a fuel car controls a large portion of the reaction time assuming the driver isn't reading a book when the lights start.

Most of it more recently is in the injector. Trying to perfect linkage geometry for one. Also, if you look at today's injectors you will notice how the bottom edge is damn near flush with the butterflies, and the top side has more of the air catcher on it, where before there was kind of an air inlet all the way around. The blower creates suction/vacuum pulling against the back side of the blades sitting there running at idle with the blades shut. The quicker it can release that vacuum when the blades start to open, the better. That's one reason the Medlen injector went away I believe. Quick examples now vs before:

 

[Muddy]

Very good information. Thanks

 

[Rajunz]

I also found it interesting that Del said last night how hard it is to get 2 injectors to react just alike. His new one revs a lot quicker.

 

[mick]

and so it begs questions......did beckman's team have these new pieces at the winters in their DNQ effort ?(seems unreal now),
and did j. prock have a plan in place that started last year about now?...when they won in denver, who knew what was
rite around the corner. i think a lot of us, including myself, thought FC & TF were so unchanged in so many years
that all the players had 'caught' up and really, how much was left in 1000' racing?
some of these new parts had to have been available to other teams too? just trying to figure out the combination?
the second half of this year has been nothing short of amazing.....i really don't care who wins the championships; when these races
are going on and if the weather is halfway conducive, i find myself watching every run and if it's clean i can't wait to see what
the time is.....i could easily appreciate a less prepped track that puts more driver back into it with slower
et's, but rite now today with rules and track prep as they are, who can argue that what we're witnessing is a really big deal

 

[yoda]

I noticed a few races ago how Jack's car didn't take a "set" at the hit of the throttle; it launched out, as opposed to squat down and launch... Seems that took place about the same time that the headers were reportedly swept back... Makes sense- the thrust at the hit is absolute proof of Newtons Law- and the more the pipes are vertical, the harder the car will punch downward at the step.

 

[yoda]

Newton's Second Law of Motion:

II. The relationship between an object's mass m, its acceleration a, and the applied force F is F = ma. Acceleration and force are vectors (as indicated by their symbols being displayed in slant bold font); in this law the direction of the force vector is the same as the direction of the acceleration vector.

 

[flapjack]

Newton's Second Law of Motion:

II. The relationship between an object's mass m, its acceleration a, and the applied force F is F = ma. Acceleration and force are vectors (as indicated by their symbols being displayed in slant bold font); in this law the direction of the force vector is the same as the direction of the acceleration vector.

Smart ass reply is that force is actually the derivative of momentum. Seriously, this makes sense as momentum changes as mass changes. Think of a rocket consumes it's propellent. Its mass changes and consequently the velocity increases - less mass to propel. So acceleration increases

 

[vegasnitro]

Smart ass reply is that force is actually the derivative of momentum. Seriously, this makes sense as momentum changes as mass changes. Think of a rocket consumes it's propellent. Its mass changes and consequently the velocity increases - less mass to propel. So acceleration increases

It is also why F1 tires do not grain at the end of the races after the last round of pit stops, they have burnt off most of the fuel and the cars are 200 pounds lighter. Doesn't sound like much ... but that is 15-20% of the cars total mass.

The "auto flow" clutch control system is also a big development for clutch control and management. The numbers they are making down low are pretty stout this year compared to last. That is why it either smokes at the hit ... or hauls the mail IMO.

 

[my friends call me Zappy]

Headers, the new -5 clutch disc which is very aggressive, Leahy clutch regulator, different injectors for better rt's, less downforce (better aero). Anybody notice how common .050-.060 lights are now in FC?? Crazy

Yes I have noticed. Used to be a 0.80 or 0.90 was fine in both fuel classes. With todays super close competition there is even more pressure for drivers to cut great
lights. Also the "young guns" fresh up from sportsman classes are used to killin the tree, so ya gotta leave on time.

 

[mick]

Nunzio Valerie Jr. posted in a recent thread.....Why aren't there umpteen threads about how fast the cars are going? About FCs going 330, about technology, about swept back headers and clutch setups, etc.? It seems that this forum is more political than anything, the threads that get the most longevity are ones that find fault or problems within the sport, or NHRA in particular. I noticed awhile ago that the Nitrous Pro Mod cars were using FC style zoomies instead of collectors, I was going to start a thread to learn why, and generally get a little bench racing going, but I knew it wouldn't be interesting enough for the Mater......well nunz, started this one monday which you were the 2nd to post in and it quickly died; i'd rather talk about recent performance gains too, although i do not mind learning about and commenting on elimination brackets

when faced with track conditions as existed in the 1 Q session last saturday and most of sunday, will these teams
revert back to older parts and setups for conditions like this?, or are the new parts and setups just the way it is now and they have to
find a way to make these agressive setups tip-toe every once in a while. they talk about a 'fine line' when conditions are less than favorable.
do you try to find that 'fine line' for 4 rounds of eliminations? or tune for a 'wider line' that won't be the fastest but you'll go down the track,
and maybe even win?

 

[Usual password less 1]

Are you sure Jeff, i thought maybe they just shortened the track a few more feet and didn't tell anyone. We miss you out here dude.

Well I will see you in Vegas for sure!

 

[mick]

since sonoma......9 finals per class / 18 spots

TF: 11 different drivers have been to finals: antron with 4 winning all: connolly with 3 losing all: crampton 2 wins: todd splits 2
7 drivers with 1 final each, lucas and kalitta with wins.....torrence, force, langdon, larry and tony all losing
dsr:5 bvr:4 kalitta:3 lucas:3 torrence:1 jfr:1 ajr:1

FC: 6 different drivers have been to finals: TJ with 5 winning 1: beckman with 4 winning 3: worsham with 4 winning 3:
hight with 3 winning 2: hagan and head with 1 each losing both
dsr:10 kalitta:4 jfr:3 head:1

PS: 9 different drivers have been to finals: erica with 6 winning 5: mcgaha with 3 winning all: skillman with 2 winning 1:
j. gray with 2 losing both: anderson, line, butner, nobile and coughlin with 1 each all losing
elite:10 mcgaha:3 kbr:4 (nobile @ charlotte) gray:2

 

[.]

It might be just my imagination, but this year I have noticed more damage to the carbon fiber injector hats.

Before, if there was an explosion, maybe they would fracture around the square base lip area. But lately, it seems like they are being blown to smithereens completely.