Vegas Top Alky (1 Viewer)

[Cliff]

Considering Vegas is an "altitude" track, some good numbers posted in both classes. T/AD Shawn Cowie #1 at 5.196 - 277.94, #2 Duane Shields A/FD 5.203 276.58 (can't remember him running quicker), Joey Severance #3, 5.245 275.06. Chris Demke is #5. Any of these guys can win.

TA/FC. #1 is John Lombardo Jr @ 5.439 269.46. The first 5 cars are in the 5.40's. The car that made a big impression to me is Jirka Kaplan, #6 at 5.500 264.39 and I'm pretty sure this is an auto trans car. If I'm right, that is the quickest ever for an auto trans TA/FC. Will be keeping an eye on both classes. Should be a good race.

 

[mike]

Considering Vegas is an "altitude" track, some good numbers posted in both classes. T/AD Shawn Cowie #1 at 5.196 - 277.94, #2 Duane Shields A/FD 5.203 276.58 (can't remember him running quicker), Joey Severance #3, 5.245 275.06. Chris Demke is #5. Any of these guys can win.

TA/FC. #1 is John Lombardo Jr @ 5.439 269.46. The first 5 cars are in the 5.40's. The car that made a big impression to me is Jirka Kaplan, #6 at 5.500 264.39 and I'm pretty sure this is an auto trans car. If I'm right, that is the quickest ever for an auto trans TA/FC. Will be keeping an eye on both classes. Should be a good race.

I believe a converter car from Canada went into the 40s at the max

 

[NITRO JUNKIE]

I believe a converter car from Canada went into the 40s at the max

Hey I think I saw you at the grove we’re you pitted behind the Kalitta team and warming up at a billzillion rmp?

 

[vegasnitro]

Wait til next weekend, when there will be just as many cars for an 8 car field!

 

[Randy]

I think he means torque converter instead of a clutch, not auto trans.

 

[Cliff]

Yep, yer right Randy. Torque converter. I know so many of the Pro Mod cars run torque converters, but the alky cars don't seem to wanna change to that. I know that the Pro Xtreme Pro Mods ran a screw blower & they ran I think 5.42 (Frankie Taylor), so basically the same engine. Does a clutch have an advantage over a torque converter?

 

[Randy]

Yep, yer right Randy. Torque converter. I know so many of the Pro Mod cars run torque converters, but the alky cars don't seem to wanna change to that. I know that the Pro Xtreme Pro Mods ran a screw blower & they ran I think 5.42 (Frankie Taylor), so basically the same engine. Does a clutch have an advantage over a torque converter?

Similar engine but not the similar engine rules or supercharger. TA/FC is limited to a "D" rotor blower which is 18% smaller than the "C" allowed in PX. In TA/FC the overdrive limit on the smaller PSI "D" is 92% over, while the PX cars can run the larger "C" rotor blower up to 128% over. PX can also run nitrous where TA/FC can not. I'm not sure, but I think they can run oxygenated alcohol for fuel as well. A PSI "D" at 92% makes about 44 pounds of boost at 9,900 RPM where the PSI "C" at 128% over makes over 70 pounds of boost. Someone may correct me on that. Big power difference.

To get all that power to the track in a pro mod car you take a lot of power away early by pulling timing, etc., then ramping everything you've got back in it down track. In my experience, after providing the engine tune up and power to Dan Nickelson's Jerry Haas pro mod Viper 5 years ago which ran a clutch/Lenco and then was switched to a Bruno/Torque Converter/Lenco set up, it was easier to manage the power through the torque converter mainly because his clutch maintenance program was pretty inconsistent. But also because the torque converter absolutely repeats every run where a clutch is a little less consistent.

 

[Cliff]

Wow... Thanks for the info Randy. I'd forgotten the C and D blowers, so that would make a big difference. I didn't know oxygenated alky existed, thought it was all the same. Is there an additive that is used with the alky to add oyxgen? I was told that alky does have a certain amount of oxygen normally, nothing like nitro. Also interesting to me about the Bruno/Torque Converter. I knew about that, but from what you say, seems to me to be the best way to get the power to the ground. Most of the NHRA legal Pro Mod cars run that type of set up & they have a Roots type blower. Oh, I know that there are Roots blowers that are as big as 18:1, but how close would they come to a screw blower? It would be interesting to speculate on how fast alky cars could run "without restrictions".