Topic: average speed

[Ty]

with a 8 on the  motor , 5 on tranny pulley, and 12 on tranny to a 44 to 48 on axle.about how fast would that setup be,in terms of m.p.h.trying to get general idea.

[Squidd]

On an oval track, don't think in terms of MPH....

Think in terms of RPM...

You want to gear to run the motor in powerband of the engine without over-revving at the end of the straight and still have good pull out of the corner...

With that gearing you'll hit top MPH at about 300' ...just about the time the motor blows....

Fortunatly most tracks are set up with 200'straights...

Gear to be "topping out" your rpm at the 3/4 to 7/8 mark, just before you shut down to enter the corner...Set up your entry and then nail 'er to throttle steer thru the corner...

MPH only counts on Drag strips and Salt Flats...

"Going Fast" is from gearing to run in a useable powerband AND having a chassis that allows you to stay on the throttle most all the way round the track...

[George Herrin]

Unless you have a real MOTOR between your legs like a Big Thunder Twin, Tecumseh twin, With that gearing a 46 to be exact on a 200 foot straight oval its nothing to see 42 to 47 mph at the end of the straight depending on track and conditions. And as Squidd said you need a chassis that will allow you to stay in the throttle but you can't do it all the way around with a thunder twin. You would simply have a heck of a hay bath. :twisted:

[Red Horse Racing]

Uh, don't wanna burst your bubble there Squidd, but ETs are all that matters in drag racing.  I've beat a LOT of cars to the finish line with my Kaw 900, (yeah, I"m old now) running bracket races, only to have them blow past me 100' down the line going a solid 10mph more.   Motorcycles will generally blow a car, we're talking street legal here, out of the hole, but at the other end, given nearly identical ETs, cars are going faster.  Too bad they lost while going faster.   LOL

Now before anyone jumps on this, no ETs are NOT all that matters.  Reaction times plays a huge role in a close race.  I have a cousin who won practically all his races with is car in the street stock class, and he almost always had the slower ET, but he could cut the lights like no other, and got there first.

Just a tad off topic, but racing is racing, right?

Dale

[Squidd]

Nahh, my bubble burst a long time ago...'Bout the time I cashed my first Paycheck...and realized there was going to be more "week" than money....

You are right on the ET/Dragstrip thing...at least as far as "bracket racing"goes...on the street, fastest guy (MPH) to the end wins don't matter how long it takes...but, it didn't quite make my point which is why I threw in the Salt Flats as well...

However... racing IS racing, and the ETs can be linked back to "Lap Times"...which in oval racing you want as low as possible...and..

Reaction time and consistency also play an important role...

If your reaction time is off and you don't "brake, turn,stab" in the corner at the right time, or right place ..or if you can't do it consistently, or your mowchine won't let you do it consistently, Lap times go up and you lose..

Seen it many times where the #2 or 3 finisher clocked a "fastest" lap time (or MPH) but couldn't hold it together 10 or 20 times to win...

[Red Horse Racing]

So basically, the first guy across the finish lines wins?

NOT always, in slow tractor races it's the LAST guy across that wins.

Consistancy is the name of the game.  I consistantly beat the cars out of the hole.  Larry consistantly cut the lights closer. The slow tractors consistantly fire every once in a while......

My paycheck is consistantly gone before the week is out.  Uh, duh on that one, I'm not working, I'm not drawing a paycheck, so, heck, it's gone before the week begins!!!    LOL

Dale, Low, VERY LOW, budget racing right now.