NHRDA is no more

[Subman]

We only have 1 maybe 2 1/8 mild tracks around here. Everyone runs the 1/4, it's the benchmark of power. I have started to hang around an older crowd of bracket racers and they live and die by the 1/8. They swear it's cheaper and more challenging, I get it, it all in reaction time. To me that takes some fun out of it, I typically loose at the line and walk people down in the back half...

I'm sad NHRDA is gone, my first event was one of theirs at Bucks track, the OBX shootout way back in 10 or 9. That was a great time! I met a lot of guys I'm still in contact with out there, I hope someone fills the empty shoes...

Running 1/8 is definitely cheaper and easier on parts, and there isn't much opportunity to, "run down" someone if you are sleeping at the light. Problem is most street driven trucks are dogs in the 1/8 and really don't start rolling till after 660 feet.

 

[Dozerboy]

Running 1/8 is definitely cheaper and easier on parts, and there isn't much opportunity to, "run down" someone if you are sleeping at the light. Problem is most street driven trucks are dogs in the 1/8 and really don't start rolling till after 660 feet.

Is that because guys are putting a ton of effort into making power and not into there setup/launch or just the nature of a street truck?

 

[onebaddmaxxx]

Is that because guys are putting a ton of effort into making power and not into there setup/launch or just the nature of a street truck?

Thats always been a problem for many people. Relating back to sled pulling its the same thing. People will throw gobs of power at it and never perfect the chassis setup. I had a ecsb lly with a junkyard engine and with a basic engine setup (s366, 60%s and stock cp3) i was cutting 1.59 60fts on all terrain tires with caltracs, adjustable front shocks and relocated rear shocks that were double adjustable behind the rear axle. Not that 1.59 is impressive by any means, MOST trucks you see average in the 1.6x range. Our race truck has the same setup except traction bars and it did a 1.54 60ft this past weekend we are shooting for 1.4s when we get the engine back together

 

[DAVe3283]

Is that because guys are putting a ton of effort into making power and not into there setup/launch or just the nature of a street truck?

I think because there are some trade-offs to get a good launch that can interfere with street manners.

For example, a straight centerlink helps with 4x4 launches, but many people claim it reduces turning radius, which is critical on a daily driver. I have heard various complaints about DD-ing traction bars / caltracs, from "minor" stuff like them rusting from daily use in salt, to noise/harshness complaints. And so on.

All these trade-offs make sense for a truck that gets used for racing and weekend warrior use, but even minor annoyances add up when you drive the truck daily. That's a big part of the reason why I have 660 RWHP but only cut a 1.8x or 1.9x 60'. I need to be able to hook a trailer to my truck one day, throw dirt bikes in the bed the next, tools and equipment the next, then I roll to the track for fun the next morning. If I had to spend more than 30 minutes adjusting my setup, I probably wouldn't bother, knowing I am going to adjust it, get 3 runs in at the track, have to put it back, then back to work.

So I am one of those trucks that is useless until 660' or so. But I enjoy it, even if my times aren't competitive. And I'm sure that's a big part of why I like to race the 1/4 mile. I can run a lot of cars/trucks down that beat me in the 1/8th by the 1/4, and that's pretty fun. I imagine it is a bit baffling for them, watching a work truck with fuel tank + toolbox + lift gate walk past them on the back half :spit:

 

[Chevy1925]

i feel its way more the fact everyone reads the net and there flat out isnt much info out there on how to properly setup a 4wd diesel to launch correctly. its not as simple as "run this, this and this part, turn knobs here and pull 1.5 60 ft all day long", thats much easier to do with HP parts. 1/2 of it is the track as well, TnT nights here, they dont prep the track for shit so you gotta get on the track first to get anything worth a damn.

Then you have the fact that certain parts can make up for lesser parts. IE: a radial or slick can make up for poor suspension setup or part choice, good shocks can make up for weak steering/control arms, and so on. Kind of like putting big turbos, big sticks, and running a stock short block. Yes that sum bitch will haul ass but you wont get the full potential till everything is combined.

i have help ALOT of guys around az setting up suspension because they want to go fast, there is a big lack of knowledge here.

 

[DAVe3283]

i feel its way more the fact everyone reads the net and there flat out isnt much info out there on how to properly setup a 4wd diesel to launch correctly. its not as simple as "run this, this and this part, turn knobs here and pull 1.5 60 ft all day long", thats much easier to do with HP parts. 1/2 of it is the track as well, TnT nights here, they dont prep the track for shit so you gotta get on the track first to get anything worth a damn.

Then you have the fact that certain parts can make up for lesser parts. IE: a radial or slick can make up for poor suspension setup or part choice, good shocks can make up for weak steering/control arms, and so on. Kind of like putting big turbos, big sticks, and running a stock short block. Yes that sum bitch will haul ass but you wont get the full potential till everything is combined.

i have help ALOT of guys around az setting up suspension because they want to go fast, there is a big lack of knowledge here.

That's part of it for sure. Maybe you can start a thread to share some of what you know? I am sure a lot of it is specific to the individual truck, but maybe some tips?

Reading your Tracker build was quite interesting for me with how you built the shocks. I am sure I could launch my truck better and not give up off-road abilities with the right shock setup, but I don't know how to do that like you do. So I set it up for off-road / street comfort, since that is 98% of the time I drive, not track use. Plus I can just buy off the shelf shocks :baby:

 

[Chevy1925]

That's part of it for sure. Maybe you can start a thread to share some of what you know? I am sure a lot of it is specific to the individual truck, but maybe some tips?

Reading your Tracker build was quite interesting for me with how you built the shocks. I am sure I could launch my truck better and not give up off-road abilities with the right shock setup, but I don't know how to do that like you do. So I set it up for off-road / street comfort, since that is 98% of the time I drive, not track use. Plus I can just buy off the shelf shocks :baby:

i may do that. But my way is not the "right way". ive studied alot of drag racing trucks and how they launch and their 60 ft. Mainly trucks running 8's and 9's in 4wd. its interesting the thought process. there is no "book" on them because a diesel 4wd is going to launch different than a gas 4wd or car awd. Same goes for the 2wd diesels. i had a lengthy discussion with a Dennis at Strictly diesel. he has a rc/sb 2wd ford 7.3 that runs 11's on a not so big tire. he dropped 1000lbs off the old girl and now it wont hook. he tried all kinds of things from the books on getting a gas car to launch. he was right in what the book stated but i believe his application of it was off. I think if he trys what i was telling him, it will finally get out of the hole. this 7.3 has been around for YEARS! id love to see him get it in the 10's with no more power than it already makes. Thats his goal.

So what im getting at there is no defined way because you may think your way is the only way to go to get traction but yet the guy next to you completely blows out of the water on launch and his truck looks completely different in how it launches. at the end of the day though, the cheap setups leave alot left on the table and a dedicated drag setup will always work best.

btw, my rear shock setup on the tracker is FAR from ideal but it works. there is a "falling rate" to it but its not terrible. when i say falling rate, i mean that as the suspension compresses from full droop, the piston speed in the shocks slows assuming the suspension is compressed at a constant rate. Since shock valving is velocity sensitive, this is not ideal to keep the suspension performing at its peak. generally you want the shock to work the other way round that as the suspension compresses, the piston speed in the shock increases. Since mine is linked, im able to take into account the rotation of the axle as it twists (think of pinion angle change through the suspension cycle). my links are setup to keep the pinion in line with the drive shaft to utilize a DC style drive shaft, that means mucho pinion angle change or axle rotation. So even though the shock is mounted less than ideal, the rotation of the axle is amplified at the lower shock mount and it rotates the mount up into the shock as it compresses, helping keep piston speed from falling off. i have no data to say how much it changes this or how good its doing but bases on the fact my wheel travel matches my shock length (15" because i pulled the 1" internal shock spacers out) and my valving works awesome without needing to go super heavy, it seems my idea worked.

falling rate and so on can also be applied to drag racing shock setup. hence why so many guys make sure shocks are setup straight up and down, not at angles like stock trucks use in the ass end, makes valving changes much more effective

 

[sneaky98gt]

I'm sad NHRDA is gone, my first event was one of theirs at Bucks track, the OBX shootout way back in 10 or 9. That was a great time! I met a lot of guys I'm still in contact with out there, I hope someone fills the empty shoes...

Were those events NHRDA?

Those were my first events also. I know the first one I went to was in '07, or maybe '06, as my uncle drove us, and he passed in early '08.

And I remember the events the following couple of years as well, when they added the pulling track. I know I've got some pictures and videos stored away somewhere from those events.

About the time the OBX events stopped is when Aaron started doing his event, first at his shop, and then out at Piedmont. Can't remember exactly when it became official with ODSS. Those events are still a lot of fun, but it's a completely different atmosphere.

I really miss the events of that era (~10 years ago). It was a time when the diesel industry wasn't really an "industry", and a time when it took a little knowledge to go fast, or even semi-fast, and not just a big checkbook. I didn't even have a diesel back then, but those were the most fun of any racing events I ever went to. Heck, they're most of the reason why I have a diesel now.