18psi

iTrader: (76)

I just find it ironic cause he basically has the SAME basic speech for everything: He gave it over and over almost word for word when justifying a miata drift car. Its always the same old speech: "you guys are all haters and old farts cause you don't do weird things in the name of BEING DIFFERENT" and "you should waste tons of money and time doing things no one does just for the sake of doing them"

..Its as if using more appropriate cars for specific sports or specific types of driving is a stupid or terrible idea.

But hey, if you got wads of cash to burn trying "new things" all the power to ya dude. I'll gladly follow the build thread.

concealer404

iTrader: (3)

OP, it sounds like you're really just trying to convince yourself, and subjecting the rest of us to this weird inner monologue.

We get it, you think the Miata can be a good drag car. Nobody is stopping you, so go for it. Nobody else is going to prove your point for you.

BoostedSmurf

iTrader: (1)

Also, there are a couple 8second Miatas out there already. Its not like its been done. So do it do it do it.

I know I won't be building my car as a drag car, doesn't mean I won't still go out with some friends and see what kind of times I can run.

18psi

iTrader: (76)

A lot of us drag race our cars for fun.

I know I did and do and will keep doing it. But I'm not about to go bastardize it and make it near useless for all the other awesome things it does in the process just to run a 10 second vs 12 second quarter mile time.

concealer404

iTrader: (3)

You haven't lived until you've gotten groceries in a back-halved car.


That said, i do get groceries in the fastest car i own pretty regularly. The trunk is much more usable than the tiny puzzle box that is a Miata trunk.

miata2fast

iTrader: (2)

And you really don't have to. Just make sure you are wearing the right shoes for the job. Eight lugs for most people, or Sixteen lugs for those a little more serious.

BoostedSmurf

iTrader: (1)

That's my plan. The car won't be built for drag racing but I'll have a set of either drag radials or slicks and skinnies for the few events i can go to a year.

RyanRaduechel

iTrader: (10)

I think I have asked you before, but I can't remember or find the message, what size slicks are you running? I want to order a set and take mine back to the strip and see what it does with launch control and good tires.

This may be a dumb question, but how are slicks better on drivetrain than street tires? I would think if they dead hook it would break more stuff rather than having a little bit of wheel spin.

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

I have a hard time launching miatas without getting wheel hop. Wheel hop breaks axles. True drag slicks are so squishy they act like dampers for the drivetrain and lessen severe impacts. So the average forces seen by the parts will be higher with the slicks the forces will be lower than a wheel hopping street tire or drag radial.

BoostedSmurf

iTrader: (1)

The problem Miata's have is wheel hop which blows up your drivetrain. Slicks will help get rid of the wheel hop since it'll just be grip rather than on off grip and spin.

But I was wondering about how bad a dead hook might be on the drivetrain as well.

Edit: ^beat me to it

Wheel hop is pretty bad, I only managed to get 1 run in out of 16 where i didn't get any wheel hop. That also happened to be my fastest run since I was able to actually fully rev out 1st rather than letting off or shifting early into second. I'm sure with more practice it could get better.

njn63

iTrader: (4)

If I had as much in my car as a prototype and ran 15 seconds a lap slower at Sebring I'd be pretty pissed.
I have seriously never seen this and I've been to more drag strips than I can count. Time/no time or slicks/no slicks lanes? Yes. Never an import/domestic lane.
Those guys are not at test and tunes generally.

Do what you want, I'm just telling you there is a far easier/cheaper way to go about this and you'll save yourself A LOT of headaches. Here are some examples of what is available:
Mustang Coupe Roller Setup for BBC/Glide Race For Sale
1987 MUSTANG ROLLER LS MOTOR SETUP For Sale
'90 Mustang Roller, Beautiful, add drivetrain For Sale
93 Mustang RS 275/Stock Suspension Roller For Sale

Leafy

iTrader: (1)

How much torque are we talking about for this dead hook? Drag slicks are so mushy that when you dead hook its not an abrupt shock load (which is what allows DS's to dead hook in the first place). If you were to dead hook with a tire that had the carcase of a BFG Rival it would be more likely to break things in the drivetrain than a DS because it would result in a higher peak load.

I was actually planning to take my car to the car show and race as the drag strip 20 minutes from my house this coming sunday... but the sway bar from my car ended up on my dad's miata and he decided he was racing it that weekend. Lol. I was excited to run in the tripled digits trap with a 15 second quarter and 3 second 60 ft because the ******* RS3 would certainly not hook up in late october new england temps.

concealer404

iTrader: (3)

I pulled a 14.2 @ 110mph down in Florida last year at the GRM Challenge. (Low boost, huge exhaust leak, slipping clutch) I was proud that i had pulled off such a ******* stupid time/trap. 2.8 second 60'.

miata2fast

iTrader: (2)

I am running Mickey Thompson 22"x8"x15" on the back. You may consider running 24" tall. You have to do the math to make sure your gearing is correct.

A lot of people think that slicks dead hook, but even a Pro-Mod will bog if they dead hook. Slicks usually spin one or two revolutions before the car really starts to move forward quickly. Taller slicks also wrinkle acting like a shock absorber. The short slicks I have do not wrinkle like a taller tire would, but I am not making tons of power either.

I agree that wheel hop is what can lead to broken parts, but I have broke a few axles on the slicks I am using. I think it was mostly due to ride height issues I had. When I start putting serious power to the ground, I suspect that the taller tire will be softer on drivetrain components. I will not know what the limits are until I push them.

RyanRaduechel

iTrader: (10)

Okay, so smaller wheel size and taller tire would equal a larger sidewall causing more wrinkle action and more shock absorbing? Do you soften the rear springs to get it to transfer the weight a little better?

18psi

iTrader: (76)

you probably want a little positive camber so that its at 0 when squatting too

miata2fast

iTrader: (2)

Yes. If you need a short tire to maintain gearing, a 13" wheel would be better.

I am not sure yet. I think a stiffer spring would be better to keep the car from squatting too much, but I will not know until I or someone else tries it. As the car is squatting, the car is not moving forward, and the clock is ticking during that time.

ctdrftna

iTrader: (1)

From what i have read, you dont want the rear to squat. You do want the weight to transfer to the rear in a non abrupt movement. This is all controlled by the front dampening. I think shock valving plays a bigger role than the spring rates.

you want the suspension to be free moving and not all bound up and tight, removing the front sway bar helps to remove resistance from the front, triggering better weight transfer.

miata2fast

iTrader: (2)

I have driven fast fox body cars with no front sway and it was perfectly safe. I tried the Miata without one, and I thought it was too dangerous.

wannafbody

iTrader: (1)

Fastest Miata