While testing my PS:Calc Pro software I discovered one of my cars had gearing that would allow it to reach the 1/8 mile finish line at the top of second gear. Since we have a local 1/8 mile strip and I wanted to verify my new conversion formula, I decided to go race.
The following table is the numbers for the near stock Chevrolet Monza 350. It had
no real race prepping other than regular maintenance stuff, emptying out the car
interior, and removing the hubcaps. (I did have to scrub 20+ years of gunk off
of the rallye wheels!) So with puny P195/70 tires, and factory single exhaust,
let's go Friday night racing!
React is the reaction time in seconds (the time from when the go light comes on until your tire clears the starting light);
60 ft. is the time in seconds to get to the 60 foot mark;
E.T. is the Elapsed Time;
M.P.H. is the speed at the end of the run.
Track Condition: At 7 PM temperature was 90+ degrees F, 80% humidity,
uncorrected for altitude (650 ft.)
| # | Run Time | React | 60 ft. | E.T. | M.P.H. | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6:56pm | .671 | 2.528 | 10.23 | 72.09 | 1st run... happened too fast |
| 2 | 7:09pm | .851 | 2.579 | 10.28 | 72.38 | Saw the green before reacting |
| 3 | 7:13pm | .280 | 2.602 | 10.33 | 72.61 | Need some cool-down time |
| 4 | 7:43pm | .654 | 2.387 | 10.02 | 72.71 | Still can't react to light |
| 5 | 7:49pm | .730 | 2.50 | 10.19 | 70.66 | 1st win, against Olds Cutlass |
| 6 | 8:32pm | -.614 | 2.63 | 10.19 | 71.39 | Red-lighted against built Camaro |
| 7 | 8:39pm | .036* | 2.415 | 10.03 | 71.19 | 2nd win, 1st good reaction time |
| 8 | 9:42pm | .423 | 2.274* | 9.78* | 71.86 | 3rd win, against XR4Ti Turbo |
| 9 | 9:51pm | .414 | 2.40 | 9.95 | 73.32* | Lost, but quicker than 5.0 Mustang |
| 10 | 10:17pm | .307 | 2.36 | 9.91 | 73.27 | Lost, but quicker than 32v Lincoln |
| Avg | ------ | .375 | 2.47 | 10.11 | 72.15 | * = Best |
I knew before going it needed more tire, but didn't expect to have such slow driver responses. An experienced racer hung with us all night, and offered advice on leaving technique. After he informed me that the listed reaction times already had the .50 second light removed, I started leaving sooner. That's when I left a lot sooner and red-lighted... the next run was my only decent reaction time.
After realizing how important reaction time is, and how badly I needed to practice against a light, I decided to write a program to do this. A graphic of the "Christmas Tree", as it's called, that allows you to stage, and then counts down to the green light would be perfect. You might be interested in the result which I call Quick-Tree™. It has improved my reaction time and my understanding of how a car accelerates from a stop (rollout).
So how close did PS:Calc software come to predicting the Elapsed Time's? With near perfect traction, and driving ability, it should run a 9.52 ET. I allowed two tenths for the traction and came real close with a 9.78 ET! I also found it needed more airflow by the improvement in the cool night air. So that little 9 inch air filter needs to go!