Staging Lights, Rollout, and Reaction Times

[11secAvanti]

Trying to improve my reaction times and staging techniques and understand the tree better for foot brake racing. Some times I can nail a good light and other times it is longer for no apparent reason (other than myself). My current technique is to just turn on the last light and leave on the third light.

What is the distance on the ground between the two staging lights in inches? How does front tire size affect staging and leaving.

Is the count down always exactly .500 seconds apart and security locked?

How long does the light stay on at each sequence yellow light event? Is the time in milliseconds or microseconds. Is there a standard?

Does the time the yellow light is actually on, is that time part of the .500 sec gap sequence or when the yellow goes out?

When I use ET Drag Analyst, the print out gives the roll out time in milliseconds for my set up to break the beams. How does that time correlate to the time slip reaction time or does it? Is that time part of the et?

Is a red light triggered by breaking the second stage bulb only or both?

What triggers the et clock start? The green light or the second stage light being broke?

On the other end, what portion of the tire height stops the clock and which marker? And can some clocks be stopped by the nose of low front end race cars and dragsters? And where are they putting the marker mph gaps. Before or after the finish line? Is there a standard? Thanks

[jmarkaudio]

Not sure what the distance between the beams is supposed to be, but would only affect you if you deep stage. For normal bracket racing, there is .500 between the lights. Pro tree classes changes to .400 except Super Street. Not sure on time each light is on however the lights are more consistent since they changed to LED bulbs. The pre stage light has no effect on triggering the clocks. Your reaction time is the time between the green light and your car leaving the stage beam (either before or after the green). Your ET starts when you leave the stage beam. This is why you can run your exact dial-in and still lose. It is very common for a nose to trigger the ET timer at the end, and some cars will run faster by hitting the brakes a few feet before the end if the front is normally above the beam. MPH is started before the finish line. Best way to improve your RT's is to get a practice tree. The idea for foot breaking is to get the reaction consistent near perfect and adjust the cars reaction by changing thing like front tire hight and air pressure, starting line stage RPM and sometimes bumping in.

Mark Whitener

[hotrod]

This might answer some of your questions:

http://www.nhra.com/dragster/1999/issue ... _Line.html

Larry

[Alan Roehrich]

Taller tire = MORE roll out, slower reaction.
Shorter tire = LESS roll out, quicker reaction

In looking for the reason for variation in your reaction time, look at your 60' times. If your 60' time varies much, and it is greater when your reaction time is greater, it is likely the car. If the 60' times are consistent, but your reaction time varies, it is you, not the car.

Try "blocking". Cut some cardboard, paint it black, and hang it from the sun visor, setting it so you cannot see the first and second bulb, and you can see the last yellow bulb. You'll only react to the last yellow, unless you anticipate, which should make you go red. Then you can tune the car to react the way you need it to (a book can be written on that, easily). You'll need a piece of cardboard for each lane. Also be aware that you will get the halo from the second yellow bulb at night if you block.

Get a practice tree. That will make YOU consistent, provided you practice properly and often. A good tree like a Biondo tree can be adjusted so it matches the way your car reacts with roll out and other factors.