Drag strip temp

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bigjoe1
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Drag strip temp

Post by bigjoe1 »

What is the lowest track temp before the traction will go away ? At this time of year, the air is nice and cold, but the track surface is cold too. What is considered too cold before the traction goes away ?


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Re: Drag strip temp

Post by tresi »

My shopmate is Top fuel racer that really need to get a test session in before the year ended but skipped it because he thought track temps would fall out of the seventies before he got there. He'd like even more temp than that. As for the local tracks with lesser powered machines canceled this weekend and ended the season because we wouldn't have 45 degrees.
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Re: Drag strip temp

Post by woody b »

I think it depends on the car, and the tire. I've ran consistent 5.70's 1/8 mile with track temps in the low 50's. This was with D05 Hoosiers. When the track temps got over 125 or so the D05's lost some on my car. The last couple years I raced I ran Mickey Thompsons (M5 compound) when it was hot, and Hoosiers when it was cooler.
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Re: Drag strip temp

Post by Greenlight »

In general, there is an ideal temperature for the track and the tire. Even if you keep the tire temperature the same (consistent burnout method), as the track temperature gets too cold or too hot the traction will go away.

From discussions that I have had with other racers and my own experience, a tire starting line temperature of about 115 to 125 is about the best. A track temperature of about 90 to 110 is optimum, with a track temperature of 135 being really bad, and a track temperature of 150 or more being unsafe for a high HP car (TF, FC, PS, Comp. Elim, TAFC,.......).

The chart is this link shows that the traction "curve" is practically symmetrical about the ideal point. If that is true than I would think that 35 degrees below the optimum track temperature (100 -35 = 65) would be bad and 50 degrees below optimum (100-50=50) would be unsafe.

http://mccabism.blogspot.com/2012_05_01_archive.html
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Re: Drag strip temp

Post by STK 758 »

Hey Joe! IMO- Bias 50 min. Radials become very unstable at 60 to the point that the actually bang while hook and spin. Last week we ran radials and at 135 deg track and our 60 foot only varied 7 thou from 89 in the morning. Two months prior in Sacramento temps were 138+ and we were wheels up no Problem. Hoosier C06 BTW....Yes I do have data...
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Re: Drag strip temp

Post by miniv8 »

Our second best 60 foot was made on a cold day.

On 28x11.5 ET street at 2880 pounds the sbc powered Volvo cut a 1.301 60' when the air temp was 41°F. not sure of exact track temp, but it was a cloudy day.
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Re: Drag strip temp

Post by ParDeus »

To be honest, I think there is to much variability from track to track, based mostly on surface and prep.

Back at my home track in FL, which in winter testing will see records broken by a 1/10th (unofficially), the best air (~1200ft below sea level) usually correlates with > 70° track temps.

I'm talking big-power, big-tire cars too. Allen Johnson went 6.492 when the record was 6.55, and the mountain motor P/S's would be over .1 faster.

It seems that dense concrete, with a decent spread of rosin and very little VHT is the best when cold, especially on big tires. I've been at San Antonio with those track temps, and the staff kept spraying VHT over and over, and they wondered why nobody could hook up. The VHT seems to seperate, and less dense concrete will encourage greater dew formation that 99% of people don't pick up on.
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