Guest Anonymous Posted March 19, 2003 Share Posted March 19, 2003 I just buried this one under another guy's topic and decided to bring it up front for all to pick at ..... Here, have some fun with this (Claimed accurate within 5 percent). You can plan your "Build" around the data. http://www.prestage.com/carmath/ Ya, my mom once quipped to me as I was going out the door "You're just building that car for your own amazement" .....LOL. And ya' know, no truer words were ever spoken. Anyway, I was raised on standard tranny's and they are the most fun to have because they meld you with the engine and are the original "man stuff". Later the women came in and complained so, the auto was born. Now many men are lazy but don't know it and were raised on the auto. However the auto has been made to serve it's purpose with modified cars and sure saves the trans gears (unlike speed shifting a manual). The bottom line is that at the strip you race a clock and your time has no if's, and's or buts about it. On the street you can let your mind wander over all the possibilities as to why you won or lost. Street racing is a very loose situation and full of variables for the novice ..... in essence therefore , it is big time fun. To me, the strip is a cut and dried situation originally generated by city fathers to "Get those kids and their cars off the streets". Well, you can't legislate human nature so it has not done the job but only partially. Understand that the strip is now big business and is run like a business by businessmen. If you want to run with that sort of mindset then you belong there. If you want to remain a free spirit you will stay with the street as a primary release for your adrenalin. As for me, I don't want anybody pulling a string on me about my car .... just get lined up here beside me and we see just what you got! ..... I wouldn't have it any other way and originally and basically that's what it's all about in the first place and always has been and always will be! And don't start wimping and bleeding all over the place about the words Dangerous and Reckless. Men are Men and will act like men no matter what. If a man determines to do this or that with his car, just get out of the way so he can do it because he is thrilling to the game of life and that's what it's all about! Anyway, about transmissions: Standard tranny's for the street? Take your pick. 3,4,5,6 speed, the're all there and serve different purposes according to the car build and power available at the rear wheels. We are going to use what WE think is good, (and what we think is good IS good) right?) But ..... if you want to get to the nitty gritty about the trans and what a proper selection can really do in your case then it becomes another matter entirely! The first rule is to get a trans that has the ratios best suited for the distance or distances you want to shine in. Use the URL above to sort things out. Decide on a top speed and fit all else in between that figure. I feel that it takes about 200 milliseconds (200ms) to make the fastest/safe speed shift possible. It's easy to see that the more shifts the more time is lost overall. Therefore, rule 3, figure in as few gear changes as possible to reach max speed while at the same time maintaining maximum accelleration according to the power/torque band of the engine (which is mostly dictated by the cam you have chosen). Now, this begins to get complicated and I am not writing a book here so ..... we switch to the auto trans where we compare the time lost in total shifts between the standard way and the auto way. I figure the auto shifts in about 100-150ms and never misses, while the standard does 200ms with danger. The conclusion is that the auto will put you ahead of the game every time by at least 150ms overall (3 shifts x 50ms lost/shift with a 4 speed). But the converter weighs around 40lbs and sucks power and accelleration forces so what to do about that? Well, the thinkers are going Powerglide (cake and eat it too). One quickest/safe shift and minimum reciprocating mass loss! And so briefly, there is your answer about the current transmission thing. A generalization to be sure, but the idea here was to show your mind the general setup of thinking involved. The transmission is extreemly important if you want to get the max out of your combination, and wisely set up will put your bumper ahead of the other guy in many cases where otherwise you would have lost! The beauty of the whole thing is that you actually know what you are doing in that area and if you have lost then the reason is much more clear to you as to which part of the car needs improving. Driver aside, the engine, trans, rearend and tires are all equally tied together and none exceeds the other in importance! I repeat, NONE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest loco280zx Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 Dude that is really deep. You have given lots of thought and have helped my setup. Thanks for the info.....and the poetry in motion at 130mph. 8) Keep up the good tech break down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted March 20, 2003 Share Posted March 20, 2003 Thanks LOCO. I am glad for you that you understand. And a news bonus for you.....If you yourself pick the distance for competitive street runs you make (if any) and the other guy dosen't "Know his gears" and accepts, then it's like having an extra 50hp. In other words, you will beat guys with bigger engines and leave them scratching their heads and in some cases calling you a liar if you happen to discuss cui. after you spank em' .....LOL! Also some will say, "I was gaining on you but we ran out of room"! Hmmm.....Who won did you say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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