Hey guys,

We're in the processing of building a 4cyl AWD drag car (totally different platform, Audi TT) and was hoping I could pick your brains on a few driveline/motor things..... Do you guys answer questions about your 8 sec car at all or is it pretty much hush-hush?

Thanks!

 

There aren't too many things about the drag car that are hush-hush. Any questions you have feel free to ask and I'll try to help out as much as I can.

 

Awesome!

1. Do you run any sort of clutch delay valve to ease the shockload on the driveline? What else have you guys done to hold it together, and typically how long does it last? We have a funky FWD + transfer case + clutch packed rear diff setup, so its not the same but I am sure there is some knowledge that can be carried over.
2. What do you guys run for tires? I can run 16" rims, what would you suggest as a drag tire? How wide did you have to go on all four to actually hook up?
3. One of the first videos of the car shows it torque steering all over the place - was this due to lack of traction, LSD, alignment issues?
4. How many passes do you get out of a motor? What do you spin it to? Any specific pointers on holding the motors together? What fails most commonly? We're running Crower rods, Wiseco pistons, a custom crank girdle, billet cams, solid lifters, blah blah, a special re-inforced/webbed block from a diesel model and the equivalent of a GT4202.....

I really appreciate any insight you can afford. Thanks so much!

andrew
a/r design

 

buller?

 

bump

 

I'm not an AMS guy but I can answer your first 2 questions.

As for "easing the shockload on the drivetrain" use a hydraulic staging brake. Check out www.cncbrakes.com, I just bought one for my EVO, they cost $140. When you launch the car, bring up your revs to whatever you bring it up to with the clutch in, pull the staging brake handle up a little bit, then let out the clutch until you feel the drivetrain "tighten up" or slightly move forward, then pull the ebrake a little more if necessary. Once thats done, you have pre-loaded your drivetrain. Then let her rip!

How wide are the 16inch wheels you are using? As for tire size on a 16inch wheel, I had the same problem looking for a good tire that was the size I needed for the EVO. I know Mickey Thompson ET Drag's (26x8.5)are the best candidate for a slick which I believe AMS uses, but thats on a 15inch wheel. As for the M/T ET Drags for a 16inch wheel, unless you can fit a 16.5inch wide tire you're out of luck
Its hard to say what you can get away with on tires without knowing width but if you have a 7-8inch wide wheel you could get away with the Hoosier Quick Time Pros (26x9.5x15) The tire compound is slightly harder than that of the M/T ET Drags, however you do not have much of a choice. This is why I was pretty much was forced to go to a 15inch wheel. Here is a link to the tires:

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/store...10002_44840_-1

Hope that helps.

-Nick-

 

As Nick stated, the staging brake has done wonders for 60' times and less carnage. DON'T leave home without it. We do not currently have any type of clutch delay on the car.

We have been shearing off ring and pinions on the tcase here lately. As we've gotten our tires, suspension, and launch dialed in, the car is hooking harder and harder and the tcase just can't handle it. It gets very expensive very fast.

We are running 15x8s and 26x8.5 MT ET drags. I highly suggest tubes in the tires, and going with the suggested rim width per tire manufacture. The wider the better.

That infamous video was at St. Louis on a street car night. BAD track, BAD tires, etc. Its not typical of how the car normally hooks, but damn it sure looks freakin cool on video!

 

Are you tearing up stock or built tcases?

 

Hey gsnt, which 15x8 wheels are you guys using and what is the offset?

 

They are "built" stock tcases. As of right now, there are no aftermarket ring and pinions and we are running a helical mitsubishi front diff.

We are using Rota slips. I think the set we got were the last set Rota had in that size. I dont remember the offset to be honest, we had to run some spacer to clear the brakes and rear a-arms with the tire screws.

 

RS front diff? Wow!

Sean