Drag Racing Discussions > Front Engine Dragsters

calming the car down on the starting line

<< < (9/14) > >>

BK:

--- Quote from: crider on September 16, 2018, 10:14:39 AM ---Well I had a little free time, and with the rainy weather today, it was time to get out in the garage and do a little checking on the dragster. I got it up on stands and stripped the wheels and tin off of it so I could pull a string on the centerline and check where the wheelie bars where hitting. Looks like I was about 1/2 off from center. Any thoughts to if that would be enough to drive the car hard in one direction or another? Also found some slop in one of the upper mounting tabs. It seems the whole had wallowed out, I'm thinking that could have been a part of my problem, letting the bars move. So I drilled it out and welded a hardened insert in the hole. I also checked my tire diameter, they are less than 1/8 different, so shouldn't be any problems there. Anything else I should check while I have the car stripped down? Hoping to take it over to elk creek nostalgia event at the and of the month.

--- End quote ---
When I had two wheels on my bars I would raise the right side about an inch and it would steer the car to the left. When I switched to a single wheel I would but the wheel about in inch to the left and it would steer it left.
So yes having the wheel off center will steer it by shifting weight. Wheel to left weight goes to the right steers left, Wheel to right weight goes left steers right.

crider:
Well, I took the car to the nostalgia event at Elk Creek Dragway last weekend. After getting the wheelie bar adjusted to dead center and lowering it back down to 1 3/4" off the ground, the car is at least predictable. The problem is it is turning right about 30 Ft out. I've tried adding air to the right tire and seemed to just make it worse. Can't figure out what is going on with this car. It used to go straight as a string, this summer I have only managed to make one pass that I didn't have to get out of it to keep it in the lane

masracingtd1167:
Sounds like you are making more power with the timing change ! If you could change the rear gear to a 3.89 I think this would help ! You need wheel speed at the hit so I would say less air pressure start at about 5.5 ! Put some weight in the front like 40 lbs ! You can allways take a little out later ! If you can get the car to go from a to b you can make small changes at a time ! One last thing how is the track it self ? And do you have some one to help you back up in the groove ? A lot of people think that they have to be in there tire tracks from there burn out but is more important to be in the groove on the track ! I hope this will help you !

crider:
Still fighting right turns. Would adjusting the wheelie bar slightly to the left possibly help? I've tried just about every other thing I can come up with, with air pressure and launch rpm and nothing seems to be helping.

Curly1:
Thirty feet out it turns to the Right?  Are the front wheels in the air when it does it?
If they are not then I would think chassis is not square and or rear end not straight in car. It does not take much at all.

If they are in the air when it does it then that would tell me left rear tire is planting and hitting harder or wheelie bar steering it. Or as someone said one tire larger diameter than the other.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page

Go to full version