Some folk feel a need to spank anything with a license plate attached with their Dmaxes. A 10.999 will pretty much do just that 99% of of the time. So here's some thoughts on how to do just that.
First let's talk about the engine:
You will need a power to weight ratio of about 8.5lb/rwhp or better.
That is:
So how much motor you need is dictated by your weight. At about 650rwhp+ you will probably bend the rods, so if your raceweight is over 5500lb, it means you will need a race motor. I'm going to assume a raceweight of over 6000lb for the rest of this thread.
The minimum requirement I'd suggest is Crower rods and "delipped" pistons. While you are there, you need to key the cam and crankshaft. Adding headstuds, coated pistons, high speed valvetrain, ported heads, stroker kit, etc, can all add lifespan to the engine and help you go to the next step, but is not absolutely necessary based on experience.
To extract the HP, you will need to up both the air and the fuel. A single GT4202R or other 3.0 inducer charger would be the minimum to do it without drugs, or with the right amount of nitrous, you could do it on the stock charger, although it won't survive long. For "fuel only", the minimum fuel adder would be dual CP3's. Pretty much twin-compounded chargers would be a shoe-in. Lift pump manditory no matter what. You will get fuel starvation from the g-force.
EFILive would be the #1 choice for tuning a 10 second or faster truck, as you can change the tuning to suit track conditions and part changes, and get data from your runs.
Next you will need a transmission. Best solution is still the Allison, and when built right, can survive quite awhile in the 10's. Running a Dodge trans has not proven necessary in the 10 second range, nor is the Dodge trans without problems. Your converter will be determined by how you get your power. But a looser converter tends to be easier to work with. Mike L has tested about 8 different converters on our trucks, he would be the best source for converter selection. You should not need a CoPilot for most trucks, depending on the tuning, but it can give you more options. The trans build itself? You will need to spend your money. Do not skimp. Do not fall for "guaranteed to 1000HP" sales campaigns. Go with the best, which in my experience is Mike L. Use a transfer case brace if 4x4.
Gearing. You can't get any decent race tires bigger than 30", and most are 28". This will cause MPH limit problems as you go faster than 120. A 10 will take about 124mph or faster. I'd suggest 3.42's from Yukon. We are not sure yet whether a 6-sp Allison could be used, so far the testing has been negative.
Tires. The 28" dia M&H 275/60-16's on PYO's are my favorite. They are light, affordable, and can cut 1.5's on a moderately prepped track. 30PSI should be the right balance between traction and rolling resistance.
Front axle for 4x4's. You will need a Super Diesel (or copy) straight centerlink and sleeves. Period. Cognitos ain't going to hang nor will the factory centerlink. Drop your Tbars down to the lowest level.
Rear suspension. Soften it up, and increase the shock dampening. Traction bars should be used. Wheelhop will break your truck, and you can't run the number with a busted-ass truck. I pulled all but the long leaf and overload leaf, then added CalTracs and stiffer shocks.
Safety equipment. You will need a SNELL Helmet, SFI Firejacket, 5-pt SFI harness, and a rollbar to 10.00. The rollbar specs are in the $10 NHRA rulebook. Go with the ChromeMoly (4130) version to save weight.
I'll add stuff as I remember.
First let's talk about the engine:
You will need a power to weight ratio of about 8.5lb/rwhp or better.
That is:
Code:
Weight RWHP
7000 824
6750 794
6500 765
6250 735
6000 706
5750 676
5500 647
5250 618
5000 588
4750 559
4500 529
4250 500
4000 471So how much motor you need is dictated by your weight. At about 650rwhp+ you will probably bend the rods, so if your raceweight is over 5500lb, it means you will need a race motor. I'm going to assume a raceweight of over 6000lb for the rest of this thread.
The minimum requirement I'd suggest is Crower rods and "delipped" pistons. While you are there, you need to key the cam and crankshaft. Adding headstuds, coated pistons, high speed valvetrain, ported heads, stroker kit, etc, can all add lifespan to the engine and help you go to the next step, but is not absolutely necessary based on experience.
To extract the HP, you will need to up both the air and the fuel. A single GT4202R or other 3.0 inducer charger would be the minimum to do it without drugs, or with the right amount of nitrous, you could do it on the stock charger, although it won't survive long. For "fuel only", the minimum fuel adder would be dual CP3's. Pretty much twin-compounded chargers would be a shoe-in. Lift pump manditory no matter what. You will get fuel starvation from the g-force.
EFILive would be the #1 choice for tuning a 10 second or faster truck, as you can change the tuning to suit track conditions and part changes, and get data from your runs.
Next you will need a transmission. Best solution is still the Allison, and when built right, can survive quite awhile in the 10's. Running a Dodge trans has not proven necessary in the 10 second range, nor is the Dodge trans without problems. Your converter will be determined by how you get your power. But a looser converter tends to be easier to work with. Mike L has tested about 8 different converters on our trucks, he would be the best source for converter selection. You should not need a CoPilot for most trucks, depending on the tuning, but it can give you more options. The trans build itself? You will need to spend your money. Do not skimp. Do not fall for "guaranteed to 1000HP" sales campaigns. Go with the best, which in my experience is Mike L. Use a transfer case brace if 4x4.
Gearing. You can't get any decent race tires bigger than 30", and most are 28". This will cause MPH limit problems as you go faster than 120. A 10 will take about 124mph or faster. I'd suggest 3.42's from Yukon. We are not sure yet whether a 6-sp Allison could be used, so far the testing has been negative.
Tires. The 28" dia M&H 275/60-16's on PYO's are my favorite. They are light, affordable, and can cut 1.5's on a moderately prepped track. 30PSI should be the right balance between traction and rolling resistance.
Front axle for 4x4's. You will need a Super Diesel (or copy) straight centerlink and sleeves. Period. Cognitos ain't going to hang nor will the factory centerlink. Drop your Tbars down to the lowest level.
Rear suspension. Soften it up, and increase the shock dampening. Traction bars should be used. Wheelhop will break your truck, and you can't run the number with a busted-ass truck. I pulled all but the long leaf and overload leaf, then added CalTracs and stiffer shocks.
Safety equipment. You will need a SNELL Helmet, SFI Firejacket, 5-pt SFI harness, and a rollbar to 10.00. The rollbar specs are in the $10 NHRA rulebook. Go with the ChromeMoly (4130) version to save weight.
I'll add stuff as I remember.
