Info: How to Build a 10 Second Dmax:

LTS Max

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Apr 4, 2008
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So are large rear slicks and 2wd runs out of the equation? Is running in 4wd mandatory? I'm not sure what the exact driveline HP loss is with running power to the front wheels but obviously you are giving up some power there. Has anyone tried 2wd with decent sized slicks? Can you get a decent 60' from these heavy trucks in 2wd?

Great thread by the way. Love to hear how to push the envelope with these trucks!!!
 

McRat

Diesel Hotrodder
Aug 2, 2006
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So are large rear slicks and 2wd runs out of the equation? Is running in 4wd mandatory? I'm not sure what the exact driveline HP loss is with running power to the front wheels but obviously you are giving up some power there. Has anyone tried 2wd with decent sized slicks? Can you get a decent 60' from these heavy trucks in 2wd?

Great thread by the way. Love to hear how to push the envelope with these trucks!!!

Yes, the weight bias in a 3/4 ton Dmax would make it difficult to get it rolling, but I think it could be done. You might have to add weight behind the axle, and strip the front as much as you can. You might have to up the grip of the rear brakes as well to allow spooling. 2nd or 3rd gear launching would be the key. Good news is you could use bigger diameter slicks on the back since they would not have to "match" the fronts.

Most the 2wd diesel drag trucks are lightweight tubbed trucks with monster slicks and shortened axles, and they still have trouble getting as good a 60' as the 4x4's.
 

2wd_Sled_Puller

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Feb 19, 2008
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Yes, the weight bias in a 3/4 ton Dmax would make it difficult to get it rolling, but I think it could be done. You might have to add weight behind the axle, and strip the front as much as you can. You might have to up the grip of the rear brakes as well to allow spooling. 2nd or 3rd gear launching would be the key. Good news is you could use bigger diameter slicks on the back since they would not have to "match" the fronts.

Most the 2wd diesel drag trucks are lightweight tubbed trucks with monster slicks and shortened axles, and they still have trouble getting as good a 60' as the 4x4's.

This is true i have a hard time cutting nasty 60' i think the best i have done was 1.7 sec but that was on a well prep track and only spooling to about 1800 rpm on that night. on a regular night I cant spool any higher then 1400rpm or my tires will blow off on the line. If i could come out around 2,000 rpm at the track like a can on the street i beilve that i could probley cut 1.6 - 1.7 consitent.
 

TheBac

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Well, I'm only 1.41 seconds away.... :rofl:
Yep...with a lot of luck, a good day, a well prepped track and about $50,000 in mods I could be there.:rofl:


Thanks for the write up Pat.
 

McRat

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Pat can you give a ball park price with all this. say your roll bar helmet rods pistions race slicks and all.

It's one of those "if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it" things.

I could take a RC 4x4, and get it into the 10's for about $20,000 all told. The more you weigh, the higher the price is going to be. Not cheap.
 

Subman

Old Geezer
Jun 27, 2008
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Thanks for the info Pat, see you are back into drag race mode.:D Will be running both an Allison setup and a Duraflite set up so will be interesting to see how they perform. Hoping we don't break too much before we get it figured out.
 
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Stingpuller

The Pusher Man
Jan 11, 2007
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10's

I hope to be there myself at some of the events this year. The motor is done and running fine, just need to do some chassis work this winter. Pat back in drag mode that's a good sign. Jeff
 

Kat

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Aug 2, 2006
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Thanks for the info Pat, see you are back into drag race mode.:D Will be running both an Allison setup and a Duraflite set up so will be interesting to see you they perform. Hoping we don't break too much before we get it figured out.

I hope to be there myself at some of the events this year. The motor is done and running fine, just need to do some chassis work this winter. Pat back in drag mode that's a good sign. Jeff

Drag Mode makes for a happy Wife :hug:
 

TheBac

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It's one of those "if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it" things.

I could take a RC 4x4, and get it into the 10's for about $20,000 all told. The more you weigh, the higher the price is going to be. Not cheap.

1/2 ton RC/SB 2wd with 2500 drivetrain/rear axle. ;) Build it along the same lines as a typical drag car. Based on Pat's HP figures, my truck's driveline right now would get pretty close. Hmmm...ideas ideas ideas.
 
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slowlmm

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Mar 2, 2008
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It's one of those "if you have to ask the price, you probably can't afford it" things.

I could take a RC 4x4, and get it into the 10's for about $20,000 all told. The more you weigh, the higher the price is going to be. Not cheap.


Aint tht the truth thts why im going back to the gym LOL
 

J Spruill

bringer of truth
Mar 30, 2008
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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:

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	471

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.
a good read and most points i agree however,a properly tuned stock charger and nos combination is an excellent set up.that exact combo has ran more 10 second passes than prolly any 3 other dmax trucks 10 second passes added total. also do you think the wicked diesel cp3 pump will do a 10 by itself,how abought IIs 85percent pump?i have no idea but think it may be close but i have never tried.the dodge tranny has not been proven in running 10s,how about low 10s.seems more than 1 truck has had an issue with longevity when ets drop below 10.5.as far as the dodge tranny haveing problems,do you have any speifics the duraflite has been flawless once the intial bugs were worked out.25-30 9 second 1/4s and untold street floggings.and as far as programming i know you guys all like efi however will add the TTS extreme is a good option.
 

LBZrcks

.........
Jun 2, 2007
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a good read and most points i agree however,a properly tuned stock charger and nos combination is an excellent set up.that exact combo has ran more 10 second passes than prolly any 3 other dmax trucks 10 second passes added total. also do you think the wicked diesel cp3 pump will do a 10 by itself,how abought IIs 85percent pump?i have no idea but think it may be close but i have never tried.the dodge tranny has not been proven in running 10s,how about low 10s.seems more than 1 truck has had an issue with longevity when ets drop below 10.5.as far as the dodge tranny haveing problems,do you have any speifics the duraflite has been flawless once the intial bugs were worked out.25-30 9 second 1/4s and untold street floggings.and as far as programming i know you guys all like efi however will add the TTS extreme is a good option.

:rofl:

You can't be serious.:rolleyes:
 
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McRat

Diesel Hotrodder
Aug 2, 2006
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We took a look inside Casper's Allison today, and it's cherry. And it clicks off the shifts. Mike wanted to try some new design parts, so let's see. Whether a Dodge trans would work better is debatable, but we will find out shortly. Casper is returning to drag trim, but 400lb heavier than Texas due to the LSR equipment added to it. Current raceweight is 6700lb. If an Allison can handle it, why change?

Yes, nitrous is certainly capable of getting the power needed cheaper than turbocharger changes, but my experience is that it will eat through the pistons at high RPM.

As far as TTS tuning goes? There are better and cheaper options on the market that work excellent with big chargers. Seems the TTS tuning can't spool the big stuff based on personal observations. The advantages of custom tuning at the track make canned tuning obsolete.

Time will tell though.