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nothing's going to happen...it doesn't matter.........let's start a "wheelies are wasted motion thread"...this one's done.....![]()
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Due to popular requests ....
Why are wheelies wasted motion..or not?
:beers:
The "wheelie's are wasted motion" thread
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Due to popular requests ....
Why are wheelies wasted motion..or not?
:beers:
I'll bite....I don't care either way. I am all about the crowd also. Wheelies are crowd pleasers and I am all about the adrenaline rush. I would rather have the rush of a wheelie and run 9.8 then no wheelie and run 9.7. Whether they slow you down or not. :thumbsup:
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Our cars ALWAYS 60' better when weight is transferred to the back wheels via wheelstands.
Vinny
Vinny
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How far does the car have to carry the wheels to constitute a wheelie ?
When you say "our cars" actually yours or the A-body's? Seems all the faster chevelles on the site that are naturally aspirated anyways run wheels up. Maybe we should make a list in order of times and have a list of the cars that don't run wheels up and the ones who do. Would be interesting. I firmly believe that if I can work on the suspension to get my wheels up for my particular vehicle that I will run a way better 60ft. I need to come up about another foot or two. :yes:
Awesome car by the way. :thumbsup:
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Just add to the discussion I have had my best ET so far with carrying the front right about to the 60'
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Works best here also...just right...just enough...the sweet spot. :thumbsup:
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And that would prove...
I don't know....let me see...maybe a "trend."
I think what Vinny meant by saying "our cars" was his Camaro and his son's Chevelle.
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i'm sure the much faster and super consistent Pro Stock guys would have a few things to say about all that wasted motion.i guess someone should tell NHRA stock eliminator and superstock guys that wheelies slow them down....
A/SA running a 10.06, man if he got that front down he would set a national record LOL
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The much faster and super consistent Pro Stock guys can hook the power with the latest race chassis development without needing to transfer all the weight with a wheelie like a stock chassis and suspension 40 year old Chevelle needs to.
John is correct here^...Pro Stock should NOT even enter into this conversation. The Pro Stock cars are a whole different animal all together. There's no comparison between 10 second Stock Eliminator cars and Pro Stock. Everyone knows that there's nothing "Stock" about the Pro Stock cars. NOT even close. :noway:
Furthermore, I believe we would do well to keep in mind just how much more power the Pro Stock cars are making in light of what drag car chassis expert Dave Morgan teaches: "Thirty three percent of the hit on the rear tires (the downforce) on a drag car at the starting launch comes from weight transfer from the front to the rear, BUT sixty six percent of the hit comes from axle torque." This is precisely why the cars with much higher power levels like the Pro Stock cars have, do not need an instant center that is even nearly as short as a car in the 600-800 HP range does. If you were to use an I.C. as short as what is needed for a 9 or a 10 second car on a 5, 6, or 7 second car, it would not even hook up off the line at all because the hit on the rear tires (the downforce on them) would be so hard and abrupt that the rear suspension would rebound way too quick and too hard back up into the car, which would result ina wheel spin smoke show.
The point being is that with the tremendous amount of axle torque from a Pro Stock car engine being so overwhelmingly greater than that of a car with the power level of a Stock Eliminator car, that the Pro Stock cars do not need to rely nearly as much on weight transfer to obtain enough downforce on the rear tires to keep them planted on the track as the Stock Eliminator cars do, or any drag car at a similar power level as the Stock Eliminator cars are at.
Let me add that the reason that I bring up Dave Morgan and his theories in this discussion is that the guy is an expert on drag car suspension and chassis set-up.Not only has he written the book "Door Slammers: The Chassis Book", but he has been paid in a number of different countries including the USA to speak at seminars for drag racers, and he holds workshops for racers which includes him meeting with them at the track to watch their cars run and give them tips and advice on suspension tuning.
I've been at one of his seminars, and watched racers describe to him what their cars have in detail, and I've heard Dave stand there and tell them exactly what their car is doing at the starting line as well as at the big end of the track after hearing their description, and without even ever seeing their car run nor having viewed any of their timeslips either. And the racers look at him with amazement and nod their head and say.."Yes, that's exactly correct!".
Mine works best setting them down at the tree and occasionally tripping with the back tires. The big wheelie from KCIR (in signature) might be a little wasted motion still ran a 10.07 carrying them 150' or so vs 9.99 just tripping with the back tires. The bigger wheelie doesnt hurt as much as you think. You gotta have it when running small tires n/a :yes:
still ran a 10.07 carrying them 150' or so vs 9.99 just tripping with the back tires. The bigger wheelie doesnt hurt as much as you think. You gotta have it when running small tires n/a :yes:
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Anytime you pull the front wheels can technically be called a wheelie but I would say an effective wheelie will not just pop up and drop down but will carry the wheelie at least to the 60' marker.Our best 60' to date broke the 60' beam with the rear tires at 1.452
Vinny
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:thumbsup::thumbsup:...and who can argue with Bob's success with his Chevelle? Bob, what about the longer wheel base of Chevelles vs. Camaros? Do you think that the extra length of the wheelbase of our cars might make them atleast slightly more dependent on a greater amount of weight transfer to obtain good traction off the line due to different chassis and suspension leverages? I'm not suggesting that 9 and 10 second skinny tire Camaros don't benefit from wheels up launches too, but just wondering what you think about the wheelbase being a possible variable in the equation.
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