I am running Super Chevy in one week. I usually run my car on slicks and it hooks pretty well. However, I am always hit or miss on the drag radial. My car is a heavy car at 3680lbs with me in it. The suspension works well though. I have done some pretty big and long wheelies with it on the big block and also with the current set up but on slicks. I will only get one TNT before next weekend and wanted to at least get close to have a chance to get it correct.

I have Moroso springs on front and rear. Koni Classic shocks up front that I will soon change out to strange single adjustables. I have art morrison relocation upper brackets, and AFCO double adjustables on the rear.

My current set up that I have gotten the closest to hooking with is with the shocks set on full stiff on compression and 6 clicks from full stiff on extension. The art morrison's set on the bottom hole which is about 2" taller than a stock position. I was running my front end very loose but have recently tightened it down some but the front is all stock.

Thanks. Again, this is trying to get a drag radial to hook. The slicks I use are biased slicks if that matters.

 

I personally have not had mine to the track yet but a guy here local, was playing with a 295 radial and was killing them off the line, a slick same set up would dead hook, he played with suspension with very lil change, he kept backing the power down off the line with no luck.

On the last attempt he upped the initial hit (nos) dont know how much but the car hooked, he shock the hell out of the tires when he let go of the brake.

Dont know if this will work for you but he told me once i get my car to the track throw sum ridicules hp to them right at the hit
(His car goes 9.7 motor and so far has went 8.80 on spray)

 

Separation, separation and separation. If your car is squatting, you will have a hell of a time hooking a drag radial because you're actually picking the tire up off of the track. When a car separates, the tire is planted into the track by the body pushing upwards which exerts a downward force on the tire. Remember that every action has an opposite and equal reaction. You really need a double adjustable up front as well. I would set the compression very close to where you have it now, 2 off full tight in the rear, leave the extension in the rear alone. Keep the front end tight and don't be afraid to put a lot of power to it early. The tighter the extension on the shock setting you have it, the more power you need initially. Don't pay a lot of attention to your 60' times. 330' is the key here.

I always had best luck with the compression nearly full tight as you have yours now, with a middle of the road to slightly tighter than middle of the road extension in the rear, with full tight on the compression setting in the front and middle of the road extension setting. I have Mark Menscer double adjustable afco shocks all the way around on my ride.

How many different adjustment positions do you have in the rear? Does the car currently separate? Basically the perfect launch IMO is when the rear end of the car pushes upwards, tire plants down into the track and a split second after the rear end of the car pushes upwards, the front end pops up just enough to level the car out. Anything more than that is wasted energy. Depending on exactly how much power your car makes will determine how much separation you need along with pitch rotation of the front end(travel and extension comprise how much and how quickly the front end "rotates" or "pitches").

Here are some videos to show what I mean for example. Every car in this video does what I speak of with the rear end popping up just slightly and then a split second later the front end follows just enough to level the car out.

 

Pretty much whats said above. A squat will pretty much never hood a DR. Thats why people run slicks as a band aid.
The suspension has to push the tires into the ground on launch. Really don't know how your suspension reacts and what changes to make though. F-body's are pretty easy to setup with the torque arm.

 

check with eric

http://midwestchassis.com/

 

I had the best luck with the rear shocks all the way stiff with a stock rear spring and anti-roll bar. Front I set a few clicks from all the way soft. That seemed to work for me on drag radials.

 

You never said what the car 60 ft and runs now, share some more info. What size DR's, what brand?

I'll assume 325 or 275 M/T's for conversation sake and you 60 1.35 right now on a slick.

How do you control boost also?

Generally like to run the rears with some compression, some give, more for a sloppy track, and less for a great one. For 325's I've started at 20 and gone down to 16 but I like to run more as opposed to less air. In an ideal world you want to run as much air and the least amount of compression. Less air, more compression are done to help the car hook. If you are not scared of the car, I'd run the fronts a few clicks off full loose/soft, and work from there.

But your boost settings also play a role (as do your ARB, torque arm, travel limiters, 2 step...etc lol).

Think about what 60 ft you want and tell us.

 

Subscribed. I will be going through this shortly (I. Hope)!

 

Power management is something people skip on so much.

 

We have been 1.13 on a 275 radial. Don't even waste your time with single adjustable shocks. Get double adj afcos for the rear and a set of Alston Varishocks or Strange dbls for the front. In the rear set them one click off of full tight for compression and one click off of full loose for extension. You will want to start out with a weight bias of approx 53% front and 47% rear. If you have the coin to drop and do it once and be done with it call Mark Menser as he builds the best shocks for a drag radial there is.
A radial needs to be hit as hard as you can out of the gate and keep it planted. Be prepared to tie down the front end also as a radial will wheelie like no slick ever.....

 

This.....
Jason's car is a great example of a Gbody and between him and Kevin Neal that car flat out works. Great friends also.

 

U can see what my car has done in the pic in my signature. Its just hit or miss though. Here are the answers to ur questions and thanks for helping.
1-Weight bias 52perc front, 48 rear
2-315/60 MT ET street radial
3-20lbs cold for air pressure
4-Afco double adjustable in rears. 90/10s front. Rear is set on full stiff compression and 6-9 clicks from full stiff on extension.
5- Car separates really well. No squat. Usually spins too hard initially or hooks and unloads. Ie, hit or miss.
6- Nothing to control boost. I do have a 2 step set for 380" and I build a couple lbs on footbrake, bump in and set Tbrake and leave on light.
7-Best 60ft has been 1.35 on car and suspension with big block and only 1.40 with turbos and LS.
-HRparts anti roll bar also
I think I covered all questions. Also my DR are run on the street all the time because its my daily driver but its not down to cords.

Thanks for help. Oh and Im not afraid of the car. Hopefully thats obvious from my last youtube video.lol

 

Most likely your tires are shot and you really need dbl adj's in the front.

 

I am just wanting to be in the low 1.30's and have my wheelies back. I am only 3 hundreths from being in the 5's. That is all my goal is because not only is this a street car its a daily driver. I put about 300 miles a week on it. I will look into strange double adjustables for the front and some new tires. Settings was the main thing I was looking for. I will loosen up the extension as was mentioned and I can loosen the front end some also.

 

Can you post pics of your car and how it sits at ride height and any pics of how it leaves?
Any around the 60' mark?

 

Yes. Im driving for a few more hours. Ill post when I get to hotel and can use my computer.

 

Thanks, that will give us more to go on. How old are your 315's?

 

4 months but About 1000 street miles.

 

Are you dead set on running the 315's at the track?
A set of the 275 Pro's would work well on there for the track.

 

The street driving kills them. Heat cycle's. ET pros are good.