Maybe I'm retarded but the question is killing me. I've driven and raced a lot of moderately fast cars auto and manual. I have never raced on slicks or drag radials (mainly due to budget constraints).
I thought that if I put M/T ET streets (255/50-16) along with BMR adj torque arm, SFCs, LCAs, relo brackets, tranny mount T/A mount, -3 pinion angle on a lightweight B4C with no back seat, carpet, abs, or front swaybar that it would dead hook at the track with stock power on a vigilante 3600 converter.
It actually lit them up pretty good if I went WOT off the line.
I cut a best of 1.74 tonight in bad air to a previous best of 1.79 on street tires and stock suspension in good air. I went down to 20 psi.did moderate/light burnouts and once tried a John Force burnout, nothing worked.
Very inconsistant, 1.95s to 1.74. before I ran 1.85s all night long.

Did I expect too much? I sure as hell didn't think so. I thought my stocker with just headers and a converter would dead hook at full throttle. I'm so pissed. just venting, really. Maybe the track was *** tonight, my mph was off by 4, too.

Nobody was hooking tonight, but I guess I assumed this thing would hook in wet grass with this setup and no power. I didn't think I'd have to work at it until I had some motor.

 

Sounds like a combo of bad track conditions and you could lower those down from 20 to 12 or so. I ran 12 lb last time on my et streets w/no tubes. Better luck next time.

 

ya , lots of things coulda played into consideration, tire pressure, burn out track and weather. plus instead of launching at 1200 your launching at 2800. BIG differance! but you should be able to get your combo dialed in for "dead hooking"

 

I had my best launch on DR's with 14 lbs in them. I couldn't go WOT either. The tire swill hook better once you get them broken in. They are the stickiest when the 'tread' is gone.

 

Of course, but ET Streets are practically slicks anyway... Troopercar has ET Street Radials.

 

well i dont want to be "that" guy but i have only had sucess with the radials at 20-22 psi (no that is not a typo) and they hammer when brand new. the key is a light light burnout (just barely see smoke) and run higher tire pressure in them. if you cant hook on a a small gear vig3600, something is wrong with the track (if you do what i said above). -3 is agressive on pinion angle but really it wont matter that much at this point. i would expect 1.65-1.70 60' easily.

btw, try leaving from idle (just flooring it). it should be easier to hook.

 

I kinda believe it was the track since no one hooked, but there was no one there I knew to be consistant so I had no standard to compare to other than my last time out which was feb and pretty good.

The tires I bought used but look and feel to be in pretty decent shape. Almost worn to the bars. I started at 30psi very light burnout, just hazed them 2-4 seconds. Spun off the line 4-5 ft then grabbed.

went to 26psi, next run 24, etc to 20psi warm.
psi was up by 5 before/after each run so I know they were heated, they weren't greasy at all even after I said **** it and burned them like a pro stocker. My finger gauge said they were heated evenly all the way across.

I always go to 1300rpm against the footbrake just to load the rear and tranny a little then wot. I was spinning the tires almost as bad as the street tires on a good night. I did however, make 2 personal best 60ft times. Maybe that was kickass considering the track and weather.

My goal is to dead hook at full tilt outta the hole before I add power, make the most of what I got 1st ya know. Dial the car in before adding horsepower.

 

Also, I spoke to Tracy Lewis (RevXtreme)this morning, he said the track has been **** lately at BMP test-n-tune. We'll figure it out, battery goes to the spare tire hole now.

 

new tires will help IMO. tracy knows drag racing for sure.

 

troopercar, i agree with Gator, I think new tires would help. another thing if you can, try to be the the very first or one of the first guys that goes down the track, you are sure to get some good prep then.

 

I went from 1.9 60 ft to 1.6.
From Nittos to MT Drag radials. 275-40-17, full weight car. So something is wrong with your track.

 

I was second in line as they opened the track right behind a big tired car. He blew his tranny apart very 1st run of the night and coasted down the track. They cleaned it for almost 45 mins then I was up. Life sucked from then on.

 

I dont think I have read anything that I can agree with in this thread, other then the fact that the track prep at BMP is not that good on TNT anymore.

 

With as quick as you run, add your 2 cents worth.....the more info the better when helping out a fellow racer.

 

So you don't agree that my car spun the tires pretty hard out of the hole on et streets?

It's my 1st and only time running on race tires and they didn't hook like I thought considering my low power level. I just want to find out if it's my car or just a bad night at the track. I know the fast guys have this problem all the time, I'm not that fast.

I'll try again on a sat or sun and see if it goes any better. The car is slow in hot weather.

 

Well this will make a long post but.
I have run many different size MT Radials, with the smaller 16"/17" X 26" radials you dont want to run low tire pressure because of the short sidewall, they need between 18psi and 22psi. The larger 315/60X 15, 295/65X15, 325/50X15 tires work much better with less pressure between 13psi and 16psi. You'll never see anyone that runs in big Dragradial events running 7sec at 185mph and running 11psi or 22psi in their MT dragradials, high pressures and real low pressures dont work for the big radials.
Dont confuse 50 gallons of VHT on the track your running and 100 big slick tired cars in front of you with your tires working great because of what you did (tire pressure wise or small itty bitty bunout wise)!! The idea of small burnouts does not work(unless you have 50 gallons of VHT on track), the compound that MT uses for the dragradials needs a 6sec to 9sec burnout with a good amount of smoke.
If you dont know how to do a burnout(and many people dont). Drive around the waterbox with street front tires(through the water w/skinneys) put the back tires at the edge of where the ground is wet. Start your brunout in 1st gear bring it up to the rev limiter, shift to second hold it for 4 to 6 secs until you see good tire smoke then let off the brake and keep the rear tires spinning out away from the burnout (about 10 to 15 feet out)but let off the throttle slowly as you drive out of it. This will usually result in a good launch unless there is bad track prep (Bradenton, Orlando, Lakeland, Gainsville "Bad" on TnT nights) or if there are very few slick tire cars and lots of imports. When I run at Orlando I allways make sure I am behind 4 or 5 slick tire cars and the track has noticeably more traction then if behind all street tired cars.

 

^^Thank you.^^
I think I was in the ballpark with pressures and burnouts. Musta been a slick track. I think I overestimated the MT's ability to grip even a slippery track. I shoud have put my street tires back on for a run for reference.

That's my biggest problem, I had nothing to compare to.

 

Good advice Caveman!

I talked to a few others that were out Thur night & they agreed the prep sucked big time. Wish Wade was still prepping it....or even Ben. We can't even get good prep on competiton nights anymore!

 

quite honestly, i've had the 255/50/16 from bfgs and MTs, i personally like the 245/50/16 from nitto their drs seem to last longer of course and get as good of traction if not better. for bang for the buck.. i'll be buying nittos 555r for now on