drag race wheelbase
Moderator: Team
drag race wheelbase
would like some opinions on this.if you had two cars that both hooked good and shared the same engine/trans/gearing,one w.b.was108"the other was 100" same weight,would there be any performance advantage one way or the other?
the main reason i ask this is because a friend of mine whom i do all his motor/trans/driveline/chassis work decided to sell his Demon (rolling)and bought a 87 Lebaron which has been converted to rearwheel drive.it is a conversion not a chassis car.the factory weight is 3320#.he thought it was going to be alot lighter car,i think he leaped before he thought.it has a full cage and backhalfed backbraced 83/4.he plans on finishing the frontend with most of the factory frt suspension for now ($ limited)it does have a 4-link but it has to be nose heavy unless he adds rear weight.i will help him but i feel he took a few steps backwards.i know a front end kit would help but i'm sure that will have to wait.the Demon ran high tens w/w2 smallblock,all steel with glass hood.i wanted to lighten it but it is what it is.i appreciate you guys input.
I'd be VERY careful about this.... the guys that use these suspensions in SS/GT cars do a lot of work on them before they are safe mainly the caster is all wrong for high speed add that to the fact it was never designed for that application I repeat BE CAREFUL possibly contact someone who does GT cars and they can help
Tom
Tom
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- Location: Hamilton NJ
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It would be wise to have a Chassis builder "front-half" the car, and put in a "late model" style front end, round tube with struts or A-arms/coil overs, rack and pinion, ect.
11.15
117.42MPH
1.46 60 foot(footbrake)
7.03 @ 94.65
3215 lb. '67 Camaro
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/
117.42MPH
1.46 60 foot(footbrake)
7.03 @ 94.65
3215 lb. '67 Camaro
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/
- BillyShope
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- Location: Orlando, FL
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Haven't any of you guys ever been to a parade where the Shriners had one of their short wheelbase clown cars?
Weight transfer is determined when you divide the product of the car weight, acceleration, and CG height by the wheelbase. So, you increase the weight transfer, for a given car weight and acceleration, by increasing the CG height and/or shortening the wheelbase. (And, yes, I realize the Shriners car also had almost all of the static weight on the rear, so it didn't take much in the way of weight transfer to pull a wheelie.)
Weight transfer is determined when you divide the product of the car weight, acceleration, and CG height by the wheelbase. So, you increase the weight transfer, for a given car weight and acceleration, by increasing the CG height and/or shortening the wheelbase. (And, yes, I realize the Shriners car also had almost all of the static weight on the rear, so it didn't take much in the way of weight transfer to pull a wheelie.)
The tires, torque and gearing of a drag car make weight transfer and wheelstands easy. Think about what a long wheelbase does once the front wheels are mostly unloaded or off the ground. A long wheel base makes the car more stable at high speeds. There once was a 4 door prostock built to take advantage of these 2 things.