Was talking to buddy the other day about specking out a car to drag race this year. List the specs on the internet, start a thread, and let people build their car. When tracks open in your area post what you did. Just thinking out loud let me know what you think. It will be heads up racing with out another car on the track.

 

There are many types of drag racing. It depends what kind of class you want to race in.

I'm a bracket racer. I can do whatever I want to make my car fast. I can go as fast or as slow as my budget allows and I can stay competitive at all speeds.

Others like an all out heads up type of race but there are always limitations as to what you can or can't do to the car depending on the class. Eventually an all out type class becomes a "spend even more money to stay competitive" type of class and makes it financially impossible to keep racing.

Index racing is technically a heads up class but each vehicle in the class must run no quicker than the class index. There are still limitations as to what you can do but this is probably the cheapest form of heads up racing.

What you want to do to the car and what you want other people to do to the car will be 2 different things. You can take a bone stock car and go bracket racing for years with little to no modifications and minimal upgrades. You can spend many thousands of dollars on a car and still not be the fastest car or even be able to qualify in a heads up class.

 

I'm talking about getting a group together here on thirdgen.org that build their cars the same. Then run at their home track and post times on a thread. Just a thought.

 

Why would you want to build a car exactly like someone elses?

 

To race it.

 

i think what basset is talking about is a set of headsup rules....

such as:
350-400cid
23degree heads
3100lb base weight


nitrous add 100lbs, max .082 jet
supercharger add 100lbs, f1 or ysi
turbo add 150lbs, 76mm max

275/60/15 radial or 28x10 slick



and see who could go fastest with that combo. would need to be something common though, such as 275 radial rules. most people build their cars for some kind of class.

 

Don't you know you can't be an individual unless you do what all the cool kids are doing?

 

I will be 43 this month I don't think I'm a kid.I wish I was. I do like building cars and engines. I like to see if what I built runs any better or worse that the next guys.I guess I should have kept my thoughts to myself.

 

I like building cars and engines too, but I like building them with the parts I want, not with what I'm told to use by some arbitrary set of rules. If you use the same parts as the other guy, and you both have some minimum level of skill, then what you build is going to perform similarly enough to his as to be an uninteresting contest.

The only way I could see that being even remotely interesting would be to level the playing field and create a "driver's race". But then doing it over the Internet adds all sorts of other variables like weather and track conditions, so it's not the same race anyway.

 

Identical cars will run much slower in Denver than they do in Florida.

The best "driver's race" was the old IROC series. A field of identical cars except for paint color in a road race. The winner was the best driver, not the best built car.

 

Tell me about it. . .

 

Just getting two people to agree on what the specs should be would be a miracle, more then that would be near impossible!!!!! Then you get into interpretations of what the specs are..... As an old NHRA Super Stock class racer, I'll tell you right up front that every rule has a multitude of interpretations!!!!!! Cheating would become rampant, and as far as posting times, the first liar wouldn't have a chance!!!!!!!

Used to belong to a site that we all posted our dyno hp numbers, both engine and rear wheel numbers... Was a lot of fun till the pretenders got in there, posted all their bogus crap and turned it into a big name calling contest.... Now it's down to a few of us who just email recent dyno runs with info on the car and equipment used..... If you don't know the people posting the numbers or a means of verification, doubt it would work...

 

I see your point. I was thinking most thirdgen owners have their cars already set up close to the same anyway. I got the idea from a post a year or two back where two guys had 305 engines and were going to build them close to the same and see who's car was the fastest.

 

Too many variations even with identical third gens to be an equal race.

Local street racers refuse to bracket race. They all want to do a heads up type race but nobody can agree on exact rules. There are some basic rules set up by another club but they always want to change them to better fit some cars. The biggest complaint is requiring license and insurance. There's a mid 7 second twin turbo street legal mustang that doesn't drive on the street. Dealer plates not allowed so he doesn't race at these events.

 

This is mainly for 100' dash racing but has been used for heads up street class racing as well.

Class Structure

In response to participant request, Classes are now defined by the number of performance adding components found on the vehicle. The list of identified performance adders is as follows:

Performance Adders:

* V-6 engine = 1 performance adder.
* V-8 engine or bigger = 2 performance adders.
* Supercharger
* Turbocharger
* Nitrous oxide
* Alcohol as main fuel
* All-wheel drive
* 4 link or ladder bar suspension(non-oem)
* Soft Compound tires/slicks
o Up to 10.5" tread width(10.5" max on slicks/275 max drag radials) or any tire in stock wheel wells - 1 performance adder
o Over 10.5" tread width(including 10.5W slicks and over 275 drag radials), with wheel well modifications - 2 performance adders
Note : This will include widebody kits and rolled fender lips
Note : Vehicles without wheel wells will be considered to be tubbed if they are equipped with tires wider than 10.5"

Depending on what "performance adders" they use, the cars get put into different heads up classes, all heads up.

NEW STREET
No performance adders allowed (4 cylinder only)
TRUE STREET
1 performance adder allowed
REAL STREET
2 performance adders allowed
QUICK STREET
3 performance adders allowed
SUPER STREET
4 performance adders allowed
PRO STREET
Unlimited performance adders allowed

Being the fastest in your class doesn't mean you'll always win. Many high powered cars break or lose traction and a slower car can still win but not very often.