ben_r1 wrote:
Excuse me for being stupid but this has me baffled.
Im relatively new to the drag racing scene, dont get me wrong im no competition goer, just a man with a hot hatch trying to beat his own time lol.
Im confused though, how is it that i can run a 14.8 with a terminal speed of 91mph, but a 15.3 with a terminal speed of 97mph? Surely the higher the speed the better the time.
How does one or the other tell you which area of the run was successful/poor etc? I assume a good time is the result of a successful launch but a good terminal speed that of a fast run through the gears?
Drag day was one measured where the time starts once you cross the start line, so reaction time does not count
Lets keep it simple Ben!!
Its all down to traction assuming the engine is behaving itself and is consistent on each run.
And dont forget that the tyres can slip on the track mid run??
You also need to consider gear shifts. You might just miss a shift by 300rpm either side of ideal and lose some speed or time because you are upshifting outside your peak torque zone.
There are a good few variables on the drag strip that give you the best ET and speed.
Last weekend I was running on a concrete runway on an airfield. On one pass I ran 11.0 at 126.5 mph. But i also ran 11.0 at 121 mph.
Once you have done a seasons testing you will start to get the hang of things on the drag strip