[Mike Beck]

For you guys that are running hard like Mike Thompson and Qikluv: Do you guys dead-hook your cars off the line or turn the tire a little?

I am asking because I am used to dead-hooking the car (I bracket race most of the time). The last few passes I made using nitrous the car would start into a wheelstand, pull the front tires about a foot off the ground, then start to turn the rears a little. I can feel it, my wife and buddies could see it, but the car kept going nicely. In fact, they were some of the best 60ft times I have done.

It's been a fine line between making a good pass and NOT having the front tires 4ft off the ground (or more!).

I'm putting new slicks on it next week, these babies have over 250 passes on them but are still going pretty darn good!

I don't feel like messing with the ladder bars when running nitrous. I wouldn't mind playing with the rear shocks. Fronts are not adjustable. If someone ever made something I would do it though! I am putting wheelie bars on it but would rather not rely on them.

 

[Mike Thompson]

My car dead hooks or spins hard. Thats how a radial works. Most slicks work well with a slight controlled spin. I never have dead hooked a slick.

I have a hard time hooking a slick. But I never had one bigger than 28-10.5-15.

Check this out. Same day comparison. Leaving softer on the radial.

 

[Mike Thompson]

Here is a video from when I used a plate at 3600lbs. The car worked back then with a bunch of transfer but without the bars it would stand up. The slicks are spinning but its digging hard. My car worked the best this way. It would not hook on a radial like this.

If you have 250 passes on your slicks they have to be spent. I could only get 25 out of mine before it had traction issues. Some combinations will have longer tire life.

 

[Mike Beck]

That second video is exactly what my car used to look like about 20 passes ago. Sometimes it carried the wheels nice, sometimes it would keep climbing up and I would have to kill the nitrous 'till it came back down (no wheelie bars yet!).

Now that the tires are close to the end of their life it looks more like you first video. I pull the tires 6" to 1' off the ground, rear tire starts to spin some, sets down nice and just takes off.

60ft times are about the same either way I have left the line, 1.30 to 1.33. Have been 1.28 a few times but that was when the tires were fresher and I had more timing in the motor.

I leave off idle (actualy 1500rpm). The nitrous comes-on with a full throttle switch, no delay. Big Shot plate running dry (EFI) with a .063N jet.

The big wheel stands came from a .072 or .082 jet but the 60ft's were the same.

Car typically goes mid 9.3's @ 144. I have been just as quick with the .063 jet as the .072 and .082 now that I have a better handle on tuning the nitrous.

 

[WardRacing408]

Mike Thompson, did you change your suspension settings at all in the second video, or were they the same as the first?

 

[8TREEZ]

My car dead hooks or spins hard. Thats how a radial works. Most slicks work well with a slight controlled spin. I never have dead hooked a slick.

I have a hard time hooking a slick. But I never had one bigger than 28-10.5-15.

Check this out. Same day comparison. Leaving softer on the radial.

How much delay did you have in the N2O on the radials?

 

[n20mstr]

Mike do you have a multi step retard?? I ask this because you can just use a timed realy to pull 3-6 degrees more for one or 1.5 sec when your nitrous is activated, kind of a poor mans 7531 LOL
It may help with the wheelstand problem......but then again why not just put wheelie bars on the car????

 

[Mike Thompson]

How much delay did you have in the N2O on the radials?

.3 delay and pulling a extra 15 degrees for .5 when the spray hit. Only way it would hook with the 3 speed. If I used that launch tune with slicks it would be slower.

The suspension is the same other than double adjustables on the car now and its 100lbs lighter.

Notice how it sits lower when it was hooking on the slicks and going low 9s. The car sits high now with the weight out.

I use a 7531 combined with delay timers for the timing.

 

[Mike Beck]

Nope, no multi-step timing retard yet. When I bought my Digital 7 I bought the base unit, my bad, didn't know any better at that time.

Wheelie bars are about done. Had to move the fuel cell over in the back since the top bar will go through the trunk area a little bit.

I was just suprised to see that some of my best 60ft times came from NOT dead-hooking the tire. We'll see what happens when I put the new tires on.

Amazing that I got 250 passes from these tires and they are still prefect (off the bottle!). Gotta love that 'Glide and no power!

 

[Mike Thompson]

Mike Thompson, did you change your suspension settings at all in the second video, or were they the same as the first?

Now the car has less front travel and stiffer springs in the front. More aggressive rear settings with the shocks set loose and bars in the upper holes.

The second video is the older of the 2. I had more travel and faster front springs. Less hit from the cal tracs in the rear but shocks still loose. Bars were in lower hole.

The plate hit the car hard back then. The fogger is softer changing how the car works.

I still can't hook a radial on a shit track so I'm no expert at this stuff. On a good day at Cecil I can throw everything I got at it. Almost to easy.......

 

[Eric David Bru]

I was just suprised to see that some of my best 60ft times came from NOT dead-hooking the tire. We'll see what happens when I put the new tires on.

Mike, I believe you want to see a touch of spin and NO dead hook...

Looking forward to your slips when the new tires are on.

EDB

 

[Mike Beck]

Hah, so am I!

I got into the final round today and me and one of my buddies decided to split the money so I put all the gear on and turned on the bottle.

After going 10.4's all day long I dialed-in a 9.35 so I could run it out the back door. Well, that sucker BLEW the tires off the starting line BIG TIME! I was headed at the wall, got it back in the groove, and stood on it. Went 10.000 @ 143 trying to catch him. Looked like John Force driving that car around the track. Still managed to turn the win light on.

New tires will on there for Friday! 260 passes on these babies, they are done!

 

[slowstang]

damn thats alot of passes on a set of tires ,sidewalls have to be in bad shape

 

[Mike Beck]

You would think so, but on motor my 60fts varied .008 from best to worst all day, lane to lane.

Car is great, just needs a better driver! Made some good packages though yesterday, had a .018 (.009 light and .009 on the top end) so once in awhile I can do it!