1st time down the strip!

[KRRZ350]

And I couldn't be more happy, well maybe a little better consistency since I did have a few botched runs that were .2 slower.

Anyways, it was in the Rental M35X, I've learned alot and read alot so I had a heads up of how everything was going to go down pulling into the lane and staging and everything. My goal was to stage very very shallow and leave on the green to try to get the highest ET I could. On the 1st run I left a hair late, I wasn't expecting the pro-tree, but by the 2nd run I'd say I got it figured out...........

Staging shallow on a pro-tree I got a .400 R/T!!

Here's the specs on that pass:

r/t: .400

60': 2.143

1/4: 14.640

mph: 95.71


I did somehow make a better pass at one point, e/t wise, but I almost wonder if it was a glitch in the electronics because I was still behind time wise at the 1000' mark and the mph was slower than on the above pass also, yet the e/t was a 14.639? Not that thousandths matter, I just found that odd.

Anyways, quick wrap up of the passes in order:

14.823

14.640

14.687

14.765

14.656

14.639

14.646


Not bad I'd say, but if I had a stickshift 2wd car I think I would have looked like an idiot.

I'll tell you also, I was SOOOOO impressed with Aaron, I didn't get to watch any of his races but I could recognize his car through the fence and bleachers a little and I kept checking the board everytime he ran, I didn't see any pass higher or lower than a 12.80 to 12.88, he was just so damn consistent in such a fast car.

[t6378tp]

aw man when I seen the title I was thinking sc'd 4gen, what happened

[KRRZ350]

The possibility of breaking down scared me, + my car looks/sounds like a beater right now, and mainly I didn't want to end up having to turn a single bolt.

[t6378tp]

Originally Posted by KRRZ350

The possibility of breaking down scared me, + my car looks/sounds like a beater right now, and mainly I didn't want to end up having to turn a single bolt.

I know what you mean, should have done a nitrous pass on the rental,

congrats on the ra times

[HondaV6]

nice run with the rental! I take it its only had 87 octane its whole life too! Probobly knock a tenth or two off with premium!

[Aaron92SE]

Thanks Kevin. At MAXUS 09, I ran from 12.76 to 12.85.

On the .400 pro tree, a perfect R/T would have been .000. If you cut a .400 light, that means, you left 4 tenths after the green light. It's not that bad of a R/T, but you can do a lot better if you launch as SOON as you see the full ambers. Do not wait for the green light. My R/Ts ranged from .287 to .376 all day. It's tough to get better than .287 while foot braking without a faster car, deep staging, or anticipating the ambers, which you never want to do. That's how you redlight.

On the 5 tenths bracket (aka sportsman) tree, I launch right at the 3rd amber without anticipating it. Every car and every driver is different. But, I am able to average between .040 - .070 RT on a normal bracket tree. But I've been out of practice for a while since I haven't been bracket racing recently. I'd like to get back in the game now that I have my car back together.

I've got a few more things I can do to squeeze out some more HP and reduce weight by this winter before I start spraying nitrous. So I'll probably just be doing some normal TnT sessions for right now.

[KRRZ350]

Originally Posted by Aaron92SE

Thanks Kevin. At MAXUS 09, I ran from 12.76 to 12.85.

On the .400 pro tree, a perfect R/T would have been .000. If you cut a .400 light, that means, you left 4 tenths after the green light. It's not that bad of a R/T, but you can do a lot better if you launch as SOON as you see the full ambers. Do not wait for the green light. My R/Ts ranged from .287 to .376 all day. It's tough to get better than .287 while foot braking without a faster car, deep staging, or anticipating the ambers, which you never want to do. That's how you redlight.

On the 5 tenths bracket (aka sportsman) tree, I launch right at the 3rd amber without anticipating it. Every car and every driver is different. But, I am able to average between .040 - .070 RT on a normal bracket tree. But I've been out of practice for a while since I haven't been bracket racing recently. I'd like to get back in the game now that I have my car back together.

I've got a few more things I can do to squeeze out some more HP and reduce weight by this winter before I start spraying nitrous. So I'll probably just be doing some normal TnT sessions for right now.

I think I threw you off with my wording above, I didn't mean I got a perfect reaction time, I meant I got a perfect light, which is what I was going for the whole time, hence the staging deep- I was trying to have a roll going before I left the line and the green came on, that produces higher e/t's right? That's what I've always thought, and from looking at my slips it looks to be the case.

As we said earlier, a Full Tree counts down at half-second intervals. The cycle goes: Amber on, delay, amber off and next bulb on. Here's the important part. The reaction timer starts when the third amber comes on. Since there is a half-second (or .500 seconds) delay until the green light comes on, a .500 reaction time is perfect. (In the same way, the four tenths delay of the Pro Tree makes a .400 a perfect light on that one) Now, the reaction timer stops when the car leaves the starting line. To understand this better, we must examine the starting line, and how it relates to the Tree.

[KRRZ350]

Oh ****, ok, nevermind, after some more reading I messed up with more terminology, I meant staging SHALLOW, I staged shallow, edging forward VERY carefully and as soon as the stage light came on I stayed put with the pre-stage still lit

[KRRZ350]

Wait I am still soooo confused though, what's the benefit of cutting a low r/t if you can end up with a faster e/t by not having a low r/t? Is it for bracket racing that you would want to shoot for a low rt instead of trying to get a faster roll going?

[Aaron92SE]

You've gone cross eyed from all your terminology! lol

A .000 is a perfect light. NHRA and IHRA stopped using the old way to determine RT. A .400 is no longer a perfect light. That is why my .287 isn't a redlight. A couple years ago, they changed the way they calculated a RT. I am only talking about a .400 pro tree. I am not talking about a .500 sportsman tree.

And yes, you meant shallow staging. I always do that when I bracket race in order to get the lowest ET possible. Staging a tad deeper will allow you to get a jump start on your opponent. In theory, you'll have a slower ET. But keep in mind that it isn't the ET that wins the race. In heads up racing, it's who cross that finish line first. So if I shallow stage and you stage several inches deeper without tripping the first staging light off, then you will have several inches of a head start on me before the race begins. This is legal in heads up racing as long as the first staging light doesn't go out, which is the true meaning of "Deep" staging.

When I try to set a new ET record, I stage as shallow as possible. I always like to see the second staging bulb flicker on. That way, I know I'm getting as much roll out as possible. I also do the same exact thing when I bracket race on a 5 tenths sportsman tree. I do that so I know I'm staged at the EXACT same spot every single time in order to get consistent RTs. If I stage several inches deep every time, I won't know for sure where I am in the staging area. I stage shallow so I can stage at the same spot every single time so I can learn from my RTs.

But in bracket racing, some races will allow you to mark "DEEP" on your windshield and they will allow you an extra second to deep stage to the point that the 1st staging bulb goes out. People may do this in order to make their opponent a little confused or to get a quicker RT according to their launching method. But, in bracket racing, it's about consistency and getting a quick RT that wins a race. For me on a 5 tenths sportsman tree, I am able to cut much better RTs and stay a lot more consistent with my car if I stage as shallow as possible everytime. But on a pro tree, I need to stage as deep as I legally can to reduce my RT as much as possible since I'm not driving a 6000hp dragster. My car, my brain, and my foot reacts a lot slower than an NHRA drag racer. That is why I was only doing high 200 and low 300 RTs on the 4 hundreds pro tree.

Jime, for instance, has a much better setup. He is able to launch his car by releasing a button with his hand. That gives him the ability to cut a much better RT and stay MUCH more consistent while bracket racing. Whenever you have to push the pedal with your foot, your RTs will get more inconsistent. I'm not sure if he had his line lock switch connected during our races, but it's a great thing for anybody to do to improve their RTs.

I may have just explained myself cross eyed as well.

[Aaron92SE]

The articles you seem to be reading are the old way to calculate a RT.

When I first starting bracket racing, a .500 light was always perfect. In fact, I still have to calculate my new RTs up in my head. Right now, if I am racing on a 5 tenths full tree, if I cut a .030 light, I have to figure it up in my head before I understand it. lol I actually cut a .530 light. I'm just stuck in my ways since I first learned that a .500 is a perfect light. But now, they calculate it from the GREEN light, not the last amber. So now, a .000 is a perfect light. I'll get use to the new way if I keep racing.

[wyche89]

You guys are spending too much time worrying about your reaction times.. lol. Don't worry about your r/t. The clock starts once the car starts moving, so you could sit there for 2 seconds after the light turns green, launch when you're ready and it wouldn't have any effect on your time.

As a matter of fact, I recommend not going on green, just so you can take your time and get your launching strategy together without feeling rushed by the countdown to the green light.

Unless of course you just want a good r/t as a separate goal from a good 1/4 mile time.

[Aaron92SE]

We are talking about heads up drag racing, which does have a lot to do with RTs. I know when the RT starts and stops and when the ET clock starts. Kevin was just confused how the RT is calculated with a .400 pro tree.

Without a good RT, the chances of you getting the win light against your opponent is reduced. But if you are making a bye run, then RT is meaningless as you mentioned since you probably would only be focused on making a low ET 1/4 mile pass.

A good reaction time isn't just a goal, it's a necessity for winning any type of race.

[VQrebuild96]

Originally Posted by Aaron92SE

"A good reaction time isn't just a goal, it's a necessity for winning any type of race."

Easy to say when your an auto-magic LoL, i think its harder to run low consistent reaction times with a manual.

[Juiced SE-R]

Man now I'm cross eyed lol...

[Aaron92SE]

Originally Posted by VQrebuild96

Easy to say when your an auto-magic LoL, i think its harder to run low consistent reaction times with a manual.

Most definitely. It's much easier to cut consistently low RTs with a foot brake automatic. But I have seen some skilled racers with the ability to be competitive on the tree with a manual. It's just harder.

[figueroa1357]

good job

[maxima92se]

I wanted to see what that maxima could pull out the hat now you would have had some serious fun. I might be coming down on Wednesday. I will give a call 2mrw though. Nice times BTW.