Quarter mile times vs. engine type and power output?

[xb-60]

Sometime ago, I started a thread asking "how much power is enough?". My thinking was ....in a small, light car with like a Cobra, at what power level "threshold" does even more power not matter to acceleration figures?
It is possible that some of the replies were....um, somewhat subjective, so maybe I could ask for replies in a different format....
What are your standing quarter mile times and speeds, and what motor (SBF, BBF etc, and what "accurately" estimated or documented FW/RW HP figures) do you run? Extra info could also included 15" or 17" wheels used for the figures, and also what rear end ratio as well.
Could make good holiday reading.
Cheers,
Glen

[mdross1]

Near impossible question to answer,unless your building a specific purpose car,drag racer,road racer,or cruiser.Then there are the personal preferences,BB,SB,FE,385,new style old style.Then the drive train IRS,solid axle,narrowed or otherwise.Transmission,wheel sizes,tire compounds the list goes on and on.As long as whatever your preference all the parts and pieces are designed to work together and dailed in to do so you will have what you want.
When building my kit knew out of the gate it was to be big block,stick shift,narrowed 9" coilover etc etc.The car is dailed in and the level of satisfaction could not be higher.My car will go around most and those that can go around me are far and few between,best thing is no other car on this blue ball is exactly like mine,and it was hand built by me.
Good Luck in your choices of parts.

[DanEC]

I think this may be interesting. Some of the light FFR cars seem to turn very quick times with small blocks - about as quick or as quick as some of the big block cars.

[RET_COP]

The "how much HP is enough" I believe has a thread somewhere. It's always a tough question. For the street or strip? There is hardly a power limit for the strip, NHRA Pro stock is a light car and they have big HP numbers. So you must be talking about the street. There are too many variables.
For me, I like 500, 600, 700 + HP on the street. Can you use it? NO and well, yes.
Yes meaning I like the feel, the shake, the sound and where and when I can,... the acceleration with an experienced right foot. [ I know it's probably illegal but I'm talking where there is no one around. I can manage it and therefore want and desire it.
I know it doesn't answer your question "how much is enough" see what I mean!!!
I am tired of hearing the phrase "street manners" My 500HP Cobra is no problem on the street. My 780 HP camaro could have easily been street driven by me, someone else- maybe no, maybe yes. Does it really matter. There is a HP # for everyone, and no limit for those that don't want one

[Jerry Clayton]

I'm about to head off to the dyno shop where my son is getting ready to run a new Camaro whose owner wants 1000 rear wheel hp------------been having belt slippage in the upper 800 area and I have just done some mods to the drive system with some extra idlers to get more belt wrap around the crank--------will post back later--hopefully today!!!!!!!!!!

[Roush #1]

xb-60.....
I always enjoy seeing posts from folks with 600+ horsepower but no quarter mile times. I guess there are a lot of engine builders selling horsepower but not many selling actual performance on the track.

The question posed was what are your actual times and what are you running to achieve those times. It seems no one wants to post that information.

The following are the numbers you requested for the Gobra with all the details:

My engine is a 427 cubic inch small block (Roush 427 SR #444) with 525 dyno horsepower and 525 foot pounds of torque on a Roush dyno. The transmission is a Tremec T-56 and my rear end is a 9 inch Ford with 3.89 gears. The drag tires are 17 inch Hoosier Drag radials. The car weighs 2720 pounds with me in it.
Here is my best 1/4 ET of the day recorded at the Shelby Nationals in Tulsa in 2011 with an ambient temperature of 104 degrees F and thousands of witnesses.

60 ft. 1.5 sec.
1/8 mi. 6.86 sec.
1/8 mi. 101.8 mph
1/4 mi. 10.56 sec.
1/4 mi. 129.73 mph

Jody

[saturnkk]

Originally Posted by Roush #1

xb-60.....
I always enjoy seeing posts from folks with 600+ horsepower but no quarter mile times. I guess there are a lot of engine builders selling horsepower but not many selling actual performance on the track.

The question posed was what are your actual times and what are you running to achieve those times. It seems no one wants to post that information.

The following are the numbers you requested for the Gobra with all the details:

My engine is a 427 cubic inch small block (Roush 427 SR #444) with 525 dyno horsepower and 525 foot pounds of torque on a Roush dyno. The transmission is a Tremec T-56 and my rear end is a 9 inch Ford with 3.89 gears. The drag tires are 17 inch Hoosier Drag radials. The car weighs 2720 pounds with me in it.
Here is my best 1/4 ET of the day recorded at the Shelby Nationals in Tulsa in 2011 with an ambient temperature of 104 degrees F and thousands of witnesses.

60 ft. 1.5 sec.
1/8 mi. 6.86 sec.
1/8 mi. 101.8 mph
1/4 mi. 10.56 sec.
1/4 mi. 129.73 mph

Jody

Very nice!

[RET_COP]

Nice run Jody!! what style clutch and what was the flywheel weight? What 1st gear ratio is in the t56?

Jerry can't wait for those dyno numbers!

[Roush #1]

The clutch is a McLeod Street Pro and the flywheel is a 30# steel flywheel from McLeod. First gear ratio is 2.97

[Hotfingrs]

I've posted these before, so I'll do it again. Engine is a 450 inch SBC, outputting around 800 horse and torque. Cars weighs in the 2850 range with me in it. Tranny is a TH350 and rear is a Dana44 with 3.55 gears. M/T 15 inch ET Streets.

60 ft. 1.3xx sec.
1/8 mi. 6.0xx sec.
1/8 mi. 115-118 mph depending on tire spin off the line
1/4 mi. 9.1xxx sec with 9.14 being best ET so far
1/4 mi. 136-138 mph

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Roush #1

xb-60.....
I always enjoy seeing posts from folks with 600+ horsepower but no quarter mile times. I guess there are a lot of engine builders selling horsepower but not many selling actual performance on the track.

The question posed was what are your actual times and what are you running to achieve those times. It seems no one wants to post that information.

The following are the numbers you requested for the Gobra with all the details:

My engine is a 427 cubic inch small block (Roush 427 SR #444) with 525 dyno horsepower and 525 foot pounds of torque on a Roush dyno. The transmission is a Tremec T-56 and my rear end is a 9 inch Ford with 3.89 gears. The drag tires are 17 inch Hoosier Drag radials. The car weighs 2720 pounds with me in it.
Here is my best 1/4 ET of the day recorded at the Shelby Nationals in Tulsa in 2011 with an ambient temperature of 104 degrees F and thousands of witnesses.

60 ft. 1.5 sec.
1/8 mi. 6.86 sec.
1/8 mi. 101.8 mph
1/4 mi. 10.56 sec.
1/4 mi. 129.73 mph

Jody

Thanks Jody. This is the sort of information that actually means something. It takes some of the subjectivity out of the 'argument'.
If we can elicit enough information from enough owners, maybe we can see if there is a point of diminishing returns in the power/size vs. times.
Incidentally, I'm talking more about regularly driven (or regularly driveable) cars, not cars purpose built for dragging.
Cheers,
Glen

[Hotfingrs]

Originally Posted by xb-60

Incidentally, I'm talking more about regularly driven (or regularly driveable) cars, not cars purpose built for dragging.
Cheers,
Glen

If you're talking about my car, it was not purpose built for dragging. It gets about 2000 street miles a year and goes to the track once a year. Take out the engine and you have a car like everyone else's here, I just happened to find the right combination that works well. This can be attested to by the many people that see it at the LCS and Woodward Dream Cruise every year.

[xb-60]

Originally Posted by Hotfingrs

....It gets about 2000 street miles a year...

That qualifies as "regularly driven"

[RET_COP]

Jack, the drag strip allows you to run almost 140mph with no cage!?

[Roush #1]

I have many pictures posted on my FB account....Jody Orsag.....check the following out:

The Gobra has over 28,000 miles on it in 5 years. It has traveled to California from San Francisco to San Diego down Hwy 1, and spent a week in So. Dakota touring the Black Hills and Sturgis areas. We have a trip planned from Salt Lake City, Utah to Santa Fe, New Mexico in the fall of next year. When we are not on road trips, we make the road course circuit, with a trip scheduled to COTA in February next year. The Gobra ran 167 mph on the transponder at Texas World Speedway the first time out in 2008. We have run and finished the 118 mile long Big Bend Open Road Race the past two years (with a a fourth place finish in our class in 2012) and plan to be back next year.

BTW, the valve covers have never been removed from the car.

So....the Gobra is not a drag car. We were at the drag strip on 4 occasions last year. It is well mannered, multi-talented, gets 15 mpg on the highway, runs on pump gas, does not buck and snort at 1,000 rpm in 6th gear, and is regularly driven by my wife.


Jody

[olddog]

Hotfingrs has an automatic transmission, which makes a difference. It is quite street-able, but I would say the engine is radical.

You may want to ask what type of tires are used at the track. How much power you can hook to the ground has to do with tires, and weight transfer (suspension setup is a huge factor). The average IRS is not going to hook up as much power as a ladder bar straight axle, for instance.

[snakebittexan]

I have had the pleasure of accompanying Jody and our gang on these trips he mentions and his car is not only fast but one of the more reliable in the group.

[Hotfingrs]

Originally Posted by RET_COP

Jack, the drag strip allows you to run almost 140mph with no cage!?

I go to Norwalk now known as Summit Raceway. On Wednesday they let you run what you brung. That's the only way I can race. On Fridays they have a Test and Tune session, but it's strictly NHRA rules, because they run NHRA program on Saturday and a lot of the racers come on Friday for practice.

[Hotfingrs]

Originally Posted by olddog

Hotfingrs has an automatic transmission, which makes a difference. It is quite street-able, but I would say the engine is radical.

You may want to ask what type of tires are used at the track. How much power you can hook to the ground has to do with tires, and weight transfer (suspension setup is a huge factor). The average IRS is not going to hook up as much power as a ladder bar straight axle, for instance.

Right you are. TH350 auto with a 4000 stall speed and tranny brake.

The average IRS is not going to hook up as much power as a ladder bar straight axle, for instance.......

That's the reason I feel I could be in the 8's with a solid rear end. I run a C4 Corvette set up now and am limited by half shaft breakage.

[twin turbo]

Twin turbo 331 that idles at 650 rpm, built AOD, 2.73 rearend gears, 27k miles on car.

At 10 lbs boost (approx 500 rwhp) at PIR (good track but I was banned after 1 pass) with Nitto NT05R tires:
60 ft: 1.6
1/4 ET: 10.501 at 133 mph

At 16 lbs boost (approx 600+ rwhp) at Medford track (horrible non prepped track):
1st pass
60 ft: 1.84
1/4 ET: 10.456 at 144.6 mph
3rd pass
60 ft: 1.705
1/4 ET: 10.03 at 143.69 mph

Video of my Medford passes are at the bottom of my post.
As you can tell by my 60 ft times I'm not set up for drag racing, the 2.73 rearend gearing doesn't help either, lol. Cheers.