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BrandonB

Just waitin
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May 10, 2009
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i went out to the drag strip yesterday with an friend and the first run we ran was in 4wd then after that they got all mad cause we were in 4wd, anyone know why? it makes we mad because we lost like a half a second, im confused will someone explain this?
 
BrandonB said:
i went out to the drag strip yesterday with an friend and the first run we ran was in 4wd then after that they got all mad cause we were in 4wd, anyone know why? it makes we mad because we lost like a half a second, im confused will someone explain this?
Click to expand...

Not sure I'm following you here - who is it that got mad? Did your truck run slower in 4x4 than in 2WD?

Almost any modified diesel needs to be in 4x4 for a decent launch. Even my lowly 251 RWHP F350 2WD will spin the tires if I try a boosted launch.

There are some racers who will shift into 2WD after the launch, but that seems like too much work for me. When I've raced borrowed or rented 4x4 pickups, I just take it out of 4x4 as I get onto the return road after a pass, and make dang sure I remember to re-engage 4x4 before I stage for the next pass.

Regards,
Michael Pliska
 
It really strikes people as odd to see a truck go down the entire strip in 4x4 the first few times... Just kindly explain to the track people that you're not guaranteeing breakage by doing so and it's common amongst the Diesel community.
 
no they got mad because we were in 4wd, and my truck is like 450 hp so i have to have 4wd to boost launch and we ran slower in 2wd than 4wd. and begle ill talk to them next time
 
At the race this weekend they had cones out to make you launch out of the groove because the trucks would tear up the track. Could be the reason.
 
Thats my guess too, they think 4 spinning street tires are gonna tear up more than 2. Even though 4 hook and 2 don't!
 
Cars with trans brakes don't run treaded tires.
Most 4wd trucks have at least a semi-agressive tread pattern that wreaks havoc on the starting line.
When you spin a tire across the rubber on the line it generally doesn't tear up much. A 4wd that dead hooks will destroy a good starting line in short order. It tears the rubber up off the track surface if track temps are real high.

It can be patched with rosin and VHT but it still removes the rubber.
 
I ran 4wd all day on Saturday at the track, but did pull left of the groove on every pass. Nothing was ever said to me.

Dix
 
It all makes sence now I was wondering why I had to run over the cone every time...?
 
I may be wrong, but I'd bet that under most conditions more damage is done to the line from a truck running in 2WD and spinning than in 4WD. I've heard track officials complain about it both ways, some say that the street tires tear up the existing rubber, while others say that they put down too much rubber which then tears off in chunks (taking the good layer with it). Either way, some decent starting line prep (including scraping when the rubber gets too thick) should maintain traction.

Ever look at the surface of the slicks on a hard-launching trans-brake car after a few good hits? It starts to tear the surface rubber off the tire in little "waves".

Regards,
Michael Pliska
 
I'm with Michael, sounds like the track you go to doesn't get many 4x4 diesel trucks running there. Street tires do tear up the track some.
 
i remember jeff prince told my dad at an all dodge show years back ( way before i had a liscence ) that the track officials at baytown asked him not to leave so hard or take the mud grips off cuz he was tearing up the track!



brandonb, what track were you at?
 
Palm Beach Dragway told me no 4x4 so I talked with tech to find out why. I guess a chevy tagged the wall when his front wheels toed in. After explaining to tech about my set up, I was given one practice run alone to see how it ran.

They thanked me for the education.
 
Another thing EVERYONE needs to remember, and I see it almost every race. If you are spinning 2wd or 4wd when you launch, pedal it. Don't pretend that you are John Force going for the 300' burnout. The white smoke means you have no traction and need to set the truck down and get it going again.
 
School bus, we were at the local track in Abilene it's tr Abilene drag strip
 
Twisted Shifter said:
Another thing EVERYONE needs to remember, and I see it almost every race. If you are spinning 2wd or 4wd when you launch, pedal it. Don't pretend that you are John Force going for the 300' burnout. The white smoke means you have no traction and need to set the truck down and get it going again.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Chris has a good point. While it may be fun to stay in it a bit too long, you really need to be pedalling it. I've noticed that diesels are a lot harder to pedal than a gasser (my theory is that you build a ton of boost with the high-rpm and moderate-load when spinning), but it can be done.

A few years ago at the NHRDA race at Woodburn, a gasser tried to stay in it while spinning at half track. Here is the result:

IMGP1089.jpg


IMGP1092.jpg


Regards,
Michael Pliska
 
What the hell did that yota have under the hood that it was spinning to half track? :D
 
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