In my truck, while drag racing, I've only got the stinky hot clutch smell once. That was after about 6 hot laps. (I was frustrated with traction and determined to get a decent pass)
Hogue's truck is an auto. The price is just shy of $300 I think. I posted it earlier in the thread.
This is part of the reason I was never in a hurry to get gauges, because I don't pay attention to them 75% of the time. If I notice something weird, I check gauges, but I don't depend on them.
That's pretty much where I shift at now, when I feel it stop "pulling" I grab a new gear.
oke:I think you have it backwards! We are talking drag racing here not sled pulling right?
Two projects related to this: First one is a shift light & recall diesel tach. We've been testing it on 12V factory sensors (including one test guy with a CR who retrofitted the 12V sensor). Hopefully it will work with the CR's sensor as well, but we haven't tested it with one yet. The shift light will be programmable. We're shipping out Beta test units tomorrow.
After thousands of dragstrip passes (heck, I've got around 300 on my truck alone), I've tried shifting by "feel" a few times, and found that I couldn't be as quick or consistent when going by feel. I have heard of people that can do it, but I'm just not that good!
I know what you mean, especially when I've been racing 1/8-mile then run 1/4 mile! In my gasser I run 5.90's in the 1/8, then to race 1/4-mile (was at a higher elevation track so only running 9.40) it seemed like forever to run the 2nd half of the track. I think there is an optimal level of "comfort" when racing - you want to be familiar enough that things are 2nd nature, but you don't want to become complacent and just "along for the ride".
Remove that auto for a manual, then see if you can honestly stay that still. I'm in 6th right around the 1/8. That's a lot of work to do before you can sit back and relax for a few seconds, And I know I'm going to be running a bit more MPH then you this year, regardless of my ET. I bet my ET will still be 13.5
I don't have an auto, but I can only imagine anything in the 11's or slower with a 4x4, you have no idea what "driving" is really about yet. make some boost, go when green and have a coke and a smile before lifting your right foot..
I realize from some videos that the 4x4 in the 10's and faster guys can have some interesting traction problems to drive though for the first 330' or so. After that, relax and figure out how the heck your going to stop
Every "race car" I had before this truck, had a ratchet action shifter. Even in an auto, my right hand NEEDS to be doing something while I'm going down the track.I think you have it backwards! We are talking drag racing here not sled pulling right?
(I don't know why this one got stuck in the middle....) I have a ceramic/ceramic single.... It get's pretty stinky. And, yes what you're saying is true about having to feeling or hearing causing a slower reaction. But, I approach drag racing in a methodical way, I like to tell people that when they stage, they have to turn into a robot, therefore, my consistency doesn't really suffer because I strive to be as efficient with my actions as I can in every pass. For instance, I leave when the last yellow comes on, I have that much roll out, so I know that if I leave there every time I get a good light. I know that by half track I need to be in 4th gear, and I know that I need to be grabbing 5th as soon as I realize the stripe is up ahead.Confe's don't smell so much.
I'm sure you can be consistant by feel and sound but never "fast". Feel to me is like waiting to "see" the green vs knowing when it will be green (watching the yellows come down). You feel the pull slow down you are behind the curve and wasting time in the gear. If you are racing a very loud gasser, you'll never hear correctly. On the street echos are different.
Ya'll need a 2nd gen beta truck for that tach? LOL
I'll drop you a PM on the beta test.
