Running a slower index?

[Redrider2911]

I was wondering what those with P pumps are doing to dial back their truck to run a slower index? I am looking at running Sportsman class at a different track vs the more lenient Street Legal class at my local track. I can consistently run an 11.8 at my track but probably an 11.7 easy at Pacific Raceways because of the elevation. Sportsman cut off is 11.99 and I don't think I would want to run my truck in Pro...

Any help for a guy just learning would be appreciated.
Kris

[DDually]

Slide the plate back?

[56cummins]

I'm sure you know how Will at PDD does it. He runs the 10.90 and 11.90 class.

[jasonc]

Originally Posted by 56cummins

I'm sure you know how Will at PDD does it. He runs the 10.90 and 11.90 class.

Buy a regulator and splice it in to your afc line.

[Redrider2911]

I feel like a complete idiot. I didn't even think of putting the plate back in... lol is a bit of a bummer that I have to pull the housing to fine tune it.

Yea. I thought about AFC live, it's a great product; I just can't justify the cost right now.

Hmm. Maybe I'll rig up an adjustable pressure regulator...

[Redrider2911]

Haha. Jason just barely beat me to it.

[Redrider2911]

My mind must have been just really taking its "Monday". I feel like I was trying to make this more complicated than it needed to be. I was thinkin of adjusting the throttle linkage rod and such... idiot.

[paulb]

Run in the pro class. You'll only become as good as the people you race against.

[Redrider2911]

And I thought about that... but won't I be at a huge disadvantage being slower than most of the field? I know the payout in pro is more too and I get what you're saying about practicing with better racers; but I would probably be lucky to make it past the 2nd round. lol wouldn't I be better off lasting a couple more rounds in Sportsman and getting more runs under my belt?

[paulb]

Generally it's considered an advantage to overtake your component rather than having them overtake you. This only matters if you are wheel racing at the end. If the overtake speed is to great than that advantage fades. So... If you are close to the same speed, then being the quicker car is better. If not then the overtake speed makes it very hard to hit the brakes.

No matter which class you run, what wins a bracket race is the person with the best package (combination of E.T. from dial and reaction time). Concentrate on running consistent, and cutting good lights.

I race in the Pro E.T. class all the time. I usually make about 350 passes a year.These trucks run the 1/4 mile differently then a car running the same speed. We generally 60' much slower and for the same E.T. we will run a higher mph. It screws them up, being overtaken by a diesel pickup. Granted I'm running 10.7's at 128, but I've won as many races running a second slower. 10.7's is just more fun...

The pro class will push you to run .030 packages, while an .070 package is pretty competitive in sportsman.

Either choice is good. There are very good racers in either class. Pacific raceways is one of my favorite tracks to race at. Are you going to the bracket finals at Woodburn this year?

[Cummins12Club]

On my buddies 12v, it will run 7.40s all out. To run 7.70 all we do is launch very soft, say 10psi and dont use over drive. runs very consistent 7.7Xs

[Redrider2911]

Originally Posted by paulb

The pro class will push you to run .030 packages, while an .070 package is pretty competitive in sportsman.

Either choice is good. There are very good racers in either class. Pacific raceways is one of my favorite tracks to race at. Are you going to the bracket finals at Woodburn this year?

This is my major concern here. I have been working this season trying to get my truck dialed in more than anything. Now that it runs pretty consistent, I need to start working on my reaction times. While concentrating on tuning the truck and shift points, I would rarely get under .1xx reaction time. I realized a couple weeks ago that one of the things I've been doing horribly wrong was spooling up after lighting the second stage light. This leads to me racing to finish spooling up as the lights start to come down. Now I have to practice a completely different staging process and hope that my brakes have enough control to bump into the second lights at 20psi...

This weekend will be my first time at another track besides Renegade. I hear that Woodburn's track is really nice. Been trying to start saving up money to make it to different tracks. When are the bracket finals? Is that the race that each track team sends their best drivers?

[jlbayes]

The best way I learned is to be at 10psi when I rolled into the first bulb. Light the 2nd when I hit my launch pressure. There is no reason you shouldn't be able to hold you truck back at 20psi.

[Redrider2911]

I'm not worried about holding it back, I'm worried about lifting the brakes and then getting back on quick enough. lol I'll practice.

[jlbayes]

Easy peasy, do not let all the way off. Drag the brake till it comes on. Go on a test and tune night. Ignore the other driver. I know I am probably sounding like a broken record but practice practice practice lol

[paulb]

Racing in the pro class I would not recommend pre staging with any boost. The person in the other lane will wait to pre-stage and burn you down. What I do (and to each their own), is to prestage at an idle, until the person in the other lane turns on their top bulb (pre-stage). I then build my launch boost (usually 17psi), and then stage. In the pro class it's pretty much a given that the track will have "auto-start" on and courtesy staging will be enforced. Which means that both racers must have their pre-stage bulbs on, before either one fully stages. Once one racer has fully staged the other one has 10 seconds to stage (different classes have different time limits).

So the two basic scenarios are:
1. You are both pre-staged, you build boost and stage. The most you would have to wait on boost is 10 seconds before the tree comes down.
2. You are both pre-staged, and the car in the other lane immediately stages. You have 10 seconds to build boost and stage.

Practice building boost before you go to the track. Make sure you can build your launch boost and stage in 10 seconds. Adjust how you have your truck setup, or how you are building boost so you can do this in your sleep.

Being the slower truck is an advantage with how long you will wait on boost, because you will get to leave first. If you are much faster than the other guy, you will be sitting holding boost longer.

As Jacob said, don't bump into the stage light, ease into it. Don't hold the brake any harder then you have to while building boost. Again practice.

Just a personal preference don't use ceramic brake pads. They take heat to make them work. Not much heat while building boost...

The division 7 bracket finals at Woodburn are at the end of August. While I don't like everything about the track, they are well organized, and the track is well prepped. It's been a quite a few years since I have raced at Renegade. I had lots of fun. Do they still have a lot of goatheads in the pits? :-) I think I have raced at every track in division 7...

I hope this helps...
Paul

[Redrider2911]

Well I have always been in the bad habit of letting the other guy stage after I prestage. This leaves the tree coming down about a second later after I stage and start building boost and I can leave at 20psi (so I know I can build boost quick enough, figure about 2.5-3 seconds). But as I'm sure you'd expect, I never leave consistently at the same exact PSI and sometimes probably "under" the turbo.

I know the effects of heat in the transmission from working the torque converter, but what about the EGTs being built? In theory, wouldn't the egts starting out a little high help with hitting max boost quicker down the track? Is holding boost there longer and building egts worth the payoff of maybe heat soaking the intercooler a little? Just stupid questions I ask my self. lol

Havent had any issues with goatheads at Renegade. Derek is really trying to clean the track up lately. Concessions are still lackluster, not many spectators, and the benches still have bad boards and such. But its super close to me and cheap. Apparently they had a record turnout for Memorial Day weekend (which I missed). But the diesel drags they only hold once a year were KILLER! All the wannabes came out and backed there truck up to the track to watch the action. Place was packed.

[paulb]

There are times when you would wait until you are fully staged before building boost, but this is the rarity not the norm. If I am racing a much slower car, then I will wait to build boost until I stage.

Heat in the transmission is the main issue with holding boost to long. If you build to much heat you will weld the forward clutches.

Holding at boost a little longer can decrease the E.T.'s some, but remember in bracket racing consistency is the key. Whatever you do, make sure that you can do the same thing over and over again.

Paul

[Big Blue24]

One problem I've had trying to leave "soft" in a slower index class is it's difficult to make the truck react fast enough to cut a good light. Soft launches take forever to break the beams!

I understand AFC LIVE is expensive and a simple regulator will work for drag racing indexes where you don't come on and off the throttle multiple times. My truck dialed all the way down will run mid 14's, turned to about 600 HP it will run 11.90's, and about 800 HP it runs 10.90's. One big advantage to AFC LIVE is the full power mode switch, if you leave soft or spin a little and know you are running too slow, you can flip the full power mode, run down your opponent, and then fender race them to the strip. With a regulator, you can crank the knob up mid-pass if you are behind but you lose your "tune" that you spent the last few runs dialing in so if you win the round, you are back to square one on the next pass guessing at the tuneup.

The very best thing you can do for index racing is lots of practice runs so you know your truck inside and out, know what it will run, and having confidence on the ET it will run so you can focus on the starting line and winning the reaction time game.

[jlbayes]

Thank you Paul. I missed the part about letting them light the prestage first lol.