Currently racing a 2008 P71. Going to run the strip with it for awhlie. Howevr, Wondering what car would be a better replacement. Here's the layout:
1. Vechile must be under 10k.
2. Must follow local "Footbrake" class rules.
3. Must be driven to and form the track.
4. Automatic a must.
5. RWD preferred but FWD and AWD is cool.
6. No Turbos or Supers
7. Four door's ok.
8. Must be able to tune the ECM.
What say you all?
What does footbrake class entail? What type of racing, autocross, drag, HPDE, wheel to wheel?
I used to go to the drag strip alot and every single week there was a guy who won the bracket class with a bone stock 200k mile XJ Cherokee. He had the stage and launch down perfect to where it was guaranteed his timeslip would be dead nuts. No one beat him in like 3 years straight until someone changed the rules on him.
If the P71 is easy to get a repeatable time then stick with it. It would be up to the other person to judge where you are and to not break out by going too fast.
What are the rules?
My insinct would be something with ls/auto like a gto or a transmarobird.
Since it is bracket you don't really need much. Just put too much tire on it and dial.
Seems to me with bracket racing, repeatable performance > everything else. So more power is almost a bad thing as wheelspin/traction are more likely to vary.
Didn't C&D take a stock ~18 second H2 bracket racing and win with it?
Low torque, consistent grip, and a not-over-worked while stout trans seem like a good combo for bracket drag racing. Some dead nut simplicity and reliability would be good too.
How about Jeep XJ w/ 2.5L 4cyl, fuel injected w/ 4wd capability?
Slow as hell but probably the same slow all the time.
EDIT: seem that the XJ and 4cyl was only offered in awd w/ a manual trans. To get auto and 4wd you had to take the 4.0L...still a good choice.
Olds Bravada. Wasn't there something about the early Bravada where it got the advanced Cyclone trans/tansfer (which should be strong) but only mounted to a simple, stout 4.3L V6?
I had a 93 Cherokee Country with a transfer case that had an AWD option. Even in the rain, it would launch at full throttle without wheel spin. That was one of the most fun things about owning it.
Should have bracket raced it, apparently. I was living in Bradenton, only about 10 miles from a strip.
Fbody and Foxbody come to mind as the easy button despite being a bit boring.
Just reading the thread title my mind went straight to Panther. Why not stick with the panther?
There are many schools of thought. The recipe for dead nuts consistency seemed to be under stressed but not slow. Slow means more shifts, more time in the wind, and more time on the track. When I was paying attention, the deal was a four link (better and more consistent hook) dragster (better aero, less susceptible to wind speed) big block on alcohol (less susceptible to temperature changes) with a powerglide (one shift) running somewhere in the eights with a throttle stop engaging a short time after the hit and coming back on around halftrack to maximize mph. You want that mph to play the other end, that way nobody can catch you, since you're likely trapping 20 mph faster than the other guy.
You can't street drive that.
You can totally build a stout four link door slammer with an LS for that. You want it to hook every time, you want mph to play the other end, and you want a nonspecial engine you can just carry around a spare for. Bonus, smaller cars are harder to see, and that matters if you do end up running a throttle stop and coming out of nowhere with all that mph.
Before all that, you can just get the P71 working better. A shift kit, locking differential, good tires, and keep every temperature exactly the same every run.
In reply to pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) :
Footbrake is the bracket racing class which no aides are use to launch the car at the starting line.
In reply to Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) :
I run the Street class which is more stockish.
Can't run faster than 7 seconds on the 1/8th mile.
Vehicle must be tagged and Insured. Current NC Inspection.
Wipers must work.
Must be driven to the track.
Seat belts must be in good shape.
No leaks.
D.O.T tires only.
84FSP said:Fbody and Foxbody come to mind as the easy button despite being a bit boring.
Agree. LS f-body seems about perfect for this, if you are willing to spend up to 10k, but don’t want to do much modification. Foxbody (or SN95) if you want to mess with it a lot.
In my limited bracket racing experience, consistency may be key, but failing that, having the faster car, and being able to chase down the other car is a nice advantage.
In reply to buzzboy :
I am for awhile. Not above modifying it for Footbrake though.
In reply to John Welsh :
SUVs do very well in the street class. Guess it has to due to the height and weight transfer.
chada75 said:In reply to Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) :
I run the Street class which is more stockish.
Can't run faster than 7 seconds on the 1/8th mile.
Vehicle must be tagged and Insured. Current NC Inspection.
Wipers must work.
Must be driven to the track.
Seat belts must be in good shape.
No leaks.
D.O.T tires only.
DOT legal drag radials, 1500-2000rpm stall, limited slip with 4.11s, get your suspension setup for proper weight transfer, work your tire pressures to get it right. Know the car back to front and forward to back in all temperature conditions.
I ran a 1977 Dodge Diplomat, for a while as a teen. Mild 318 and 4v, with a limited slip and 3.91s, 787 was stock except a mildly uprated stall on the TC (I want to think 1800?). With DOT drag radials I couldn't break it loose in anything outside the burnout box. 14.70 was my 1/4 dial-in with a foot brake launch. I never broke out and rarely saw the plus side of 14.75.
An LS F-Body would be great. But consistency is the key. You just have to know the car. Back in those days there was a middle-aged woman who ran a Anniversary Firebird, 6-speed, at the track. 12.47 was her dial-in and she never missed.
I remember 12.47 because it was damned impressive driving to never miss a beat. Plus all of us who were 16-21 had "Mrs. Robinson" fantasies of the attractive older woman who could drive like that.
Wouldn't AWD make this easier? The one time I took my wagon to the strip it was consistent and dull (not sure why anyone would get excited about bracket racing) but other than timing my response at the light, there was nothing to do but hold my foot on the floor and wait for 14.9 seconds.
B6 Passat VR6 4Motion. It'll do the exact same thing day after day after day. And you can do it on any tires, 4Motion mean you don't need to do more than make sure they aren't flat.
AWD can be easy but only if you can consistently bog the launch the exact same way, even with an Audi it's hard to do that as it will quattro a bit before it gets going. Likely easier with a haldex car that won't react as much.
For a car that needs to run on a DOT see what the other guys are using for tires, usually a cheater DOT slick like M&H will be easier than a drag radial. If there is no size limit, it makes it easier to over tire the car, which you want.
I don't think I change my recommendation that you want an easy to tune chassis (f body, fox mustang, etc) with an easy to tune engine (LS, small block).
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