Heavy Smoke on the Drag Strip

[stock600]

There are several local tracks here that are fed up with the big diesel meets as well on thier track, they have all talked to me and said they had no issue with me due to slicks; its 95% a track prep issue with them [street tired trucks ruining the preped racing surface] and the other is the way they conduct them selves in the pits and staging lanes ie. hollering, beer cans, tracking mud, donuts, just the stupid things that kids in a group do to show out and try and look cool.

 

[MBusse]

If you're so against diesel trucks smoking then why don't you build a gas truck?

 

[Charles]

I was was noticing on all the really high powered engines that didn't smoke much if at all, they were all running really flexible injection lines to each cylinder instead of the normal steel hard lines. That and they were all running rotary pumps oriented vertically.

The ones in this picture are blue with white lettering.

 

[2Tone12V]

Whats up with this thread?? Subman is having a smooth conversation with everyone and me and Dennis agree. I'm out of here for the day. This site must have a virus or something.LOL

 

[2Tone12V]

I was was noticing on all the really high powered engines that didn't smoke much if at all, they were all running really flexible injection lines to each cylinder instead of the normal steel hard lines.

The ones in this picture are blue with white lettering.

Weak a$$ gasser!LOL

 

[cyclone]

boys all will burn clean as soon as nos is allowed in sled pulling IMHO!

 

[morkable]

If you're so against diesel trucks smoking then why don't you build a gas truck?

I dont think that it is that he is totally against smoke,, just the consequences that are starting to appear. He is just trying to get a conversation going, not saying that he is going to try to change it all overnight.

 

[RonA]

I was was noticing on all the really high powered engines that didn't smoke much if at all, they were all running really flexible injection lines to each cylinder instead of the normal steel hard lines. That and they were all running rotary pumps oriented vertically.

The ones in this picture are blue with white lettering.

Actually, that's Kats new car. She discovered that she couldn't always out run those smokey trucks so she got a new ride with air cooled high intensity headlights to cut through the smoke.

 

[Timbeaux]

See we are starting to have a little fun and that's cool, lets try and not let it degenerate totally into that. Had a friend riding a pretty quick bike hit a patch of coolant the track officials missed and dropped his bike at 140mph. Bike hit the wall, he didn't thank god and he slid for about 300feet and rolled another 200 or so. Got a little scrapped up but not bad. Who dropped the coolant? They didn't know, but had it been a smoking diesel truck in front of him we all know who would have been blamed. Scapegoat, yes I think smoke could well be a scapegoat. It's an easy thing for the track to regulate and as I said, diesel events outside of maybe a couple of outlaw events are not big crowd draws. If the track don't make money on them then why have them if they tear up the track and no one comes to watch them? People like noise and big ass white smoke burn outs, not quiet diesels with some turbo whine where many 4x4 drive around the water box. I don't know of anyone who enjoys watching a bunch of slow diesels plod down the track except the folks who are racing them and their friends.The biggest draw for these are the Friday night street legals when they are racing the imports.

You are right.... Folks dont much care for diesel ET racing....of course they dont care for gasser ET stuff much either.

I agree that mixing classes is dangerous. That pass with the bike that Max'd Out made was an elimination in the pro brackets during the Halloween Classic.

I don't agree that the smoke is always gone by the time the vehicles leave the track, sure most of the time, but that wasn't the case in Bowling Green in a few instants this last month during the Eastern Regional Finals of NHRDA.

I have been in the tower for more races than just about anyone, at many different sized events and different facilities. I promise you that any delay that may be caused by smoke clearing is negligible

Do I have an answer or plan, nope that why I started this tread to get some of your people's input. Obviously we all know one solution which isn't acceptable to any of us. I for one would not like to see the mechanical injection diesels banned. I want to compete against them to measure where we are and what we have to do to get better. We raced a lot this last summer without any real competition, that's is no fun. Main reason we are planning to make some of the events east of the Mississippi this next season, is to race some of the fast trucks in that part of the country.

Good deal! I always like to talk up east coast v. west coast stuff! Stuckey has owned CA since 08.

 

[Saber123316]

I do know that my home town drag racing association is thinking about banning diesel trucks. They had 2 oil downs this year, and they both happened to be diesel trucks (mine being one of them) I am arguing with them over this decision.. but they are whinning about the smoke and everything else... I am not 100% sure I will win this one... and I have been racing with that association for allmost 30 years now. And my truck dosent smoke too bad, just a little off the line and then none.

I also do not know what the answer is, but there has to be something we can do.... I hear more and more where tracks are turning away diesel trucks, for various reasons

Thats to bad .... a oil down can happen anytime from anyone just cause its a diesels should not make it any different.

The smoke in a commonrail motor is fairly easy to manage but when it comes to mechanical injection motors its fairly tough as its not variable but with nitrous and properly sized turbos you should burn fairly clean.

I agree smoke should be controlled and having smoke to the point you are blacking out the next lane that is not right and I fail to see the performance benefit from it without the airflow.

 

[Subman631]

If you're so against diesel trucks smoking then why don't you build a gas truck?

If you are referring to me, ours doesn't smoke after spool up, at least not more than a slight haze. It does smoke like a banshi if the TC goes bad or we get a big boost leak.

It was great seeing Team Green in Bakersfield in early 2008 at the first NADM event. Couldn't keep a innercooler boot on the first two or three runs. Then I find out they are running 1/8 mile so didn't even get to see it do it's thing. But that a whole other thread, 1/8 v/s 1/4 mile racing.

 

[trentnell]

Us dodge guys are all to familiar with this saying:

"if you can't beat them, ban them!"

That is the truth:rockwoot:

Are you guys serious ? :blahblah1:

Back to topic



I dont expect any truck to run smoke free , my truck smokes a tiny bit even with the twins and a good bit out of the hole , but blacking out the sun or other lan AKA a rediculious amount WILL have consequences one day mark my words . I think Subman is being mis - unbderstood To ban smoke all together is not my want or his (I think) , but to make it a reasonable amount or dont run . Any smoke is unburnt fuel IMOP and wasted power (i dont want to argue but its my opinion) but i think people could still go plenty fast in COMMON RAILS with a reasonable amount .
__________________

 

[nofeelings]

Well said Trent!

 

[hummin cummins]

So is someone going to do a cash for smokers deal! Or do several of us just scrap hundreds of thousands of dollars, or do you expect mechanical pumped racers to de-tune and slow down. Or we could always run bigger chargers and run clean and go even faster. That would be even more dangerous having a 5 or 6k lb truck in the low 8,s.

Why don't we all just run alcohol?

 

[IdahoRob]

I just want to race period. First and fore most behind the wheel of a diesel, if that goes south, I'll race what ever is available.

I have a stake in seeing that this sport of diesel performance competition continues and grows.

I don't see anything wrong with being proactive and looking forward in time to what may, or may not, hurt the sport.

I feel there will always be lines drawn in the sand, but hopefully bringing the current issues (what ever they may be) up on this website where the biggest and the best competitors hangout, is a good thing.

 

[Saber123316]

I still don't understand why some mechanical injection guys run clean and others don't.

 

[SHughes]

I still don't understand why some mechanical injection guys run clean and others don't.

some, like me just have it set up wrong, tons of power but still slow as molassas, but it takes track tuning to get it right. it's gonna smoke till it gets set up correctly.

 

[Saber123316]

some, like me just have it set up wrong, tons of power but still slow as molassas, but it takes track tuning to get it right. it's gonna smoke till it gets set up correctly.

and I will be the first to admit I don't push a lot of power and well there isnt that many 12 valves at my local track so time will tell. :rockwoot:

but I don't think smoke should be banned... controlled is more what i am looking for.

 

[SHughes]

As much as the individual can control it and still make power, yes, I agree.

Not controled by the track or any organization.

 

[JoshH]

To those who say the only way smoke can drift into your lane is if you are going too slow, have you ever heard of bracket racing? I have seen 17 second trucks cover the track in smoke. Usually it's 12v 5 speeds with the pumps turned way up and stock turbos. Say a 13 second truck lines up next to it. If the weather conditions aren't just right, the 13 second truck's lane could easily be obscured by smoke. Also, at a race a year or so ago, there was a common rail Cummins there that was having some problems getting his turbos lit and was covering the track in smoke for about the first 300'-1/8 mile. The track officials actually told him he couldn't line back up until he went down to the empty lower pit area and showed them he could spool it up without excessive smoke.