drag race wheelbase

prochamp · Post by **prochamp** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 11:03 pm

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?

phoenix · Post by **phoenix** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 9:11 am

I would like to hear this myself.

TSTOM · Post by **TSTOM** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:48 am

The 108" car would be alot less likley to have the back end pass the front end at speed(always a bad thing) A lot of the pro mod stuff now is 110 to 115 I'm not sure I can give you the physics of it but I know you don't see many 100" really fast racecars
Tom

speedtalk · Post by **speedtalk** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:56 am

I'd want to see the front to rear weight before I decided, but as Tom said and you learn early on in the midwest, short wheelbase vehicles do better doughnuts

prochamp · Post by **prochamp** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 10:43 pm

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.

TSTOM · Post by **TSTOM** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:16 pm

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

speedtalk · Post by **speedtalk** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 11:34 pm

You'll want to invest in a Bump Steer Gauge

prochamp · Post by **prochamp** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 1:24 am

yea i knew this was going to be an adventure.the more i look into it the worse it sounds.he thought the hard part was already done and i told him i thought it had only begun.funny thing is he bought it off a guy we both knew and he tried to talk him out of buying it but my buddy wouldn't let it go.

Speedy Goomba · Post by **Speedy Goomba** » Fri Dec 09, 2005 5:01 pm

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.

BillyShope · Post by **BillyShope** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 1:17 pm

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.)

beth · Post by **beth** » Sat Feb 25, 2006 2:40 pm

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.