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[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Following the remap by Viezu the Tata set a best of 12.1/120.....A pretty high terminal taken from a pretty slow time. If it had 4WD and some form of launch control to dump all 570 BHP against I reckon it would get into the high elevens.

Initial traction is the main problem.

Launch control would probably have helped; I doubt 4WD would. A good launch with a powerful car is to just overpower the tyres, while keeping the engine spinning. 4WD tends to just bog the engine, assuming that the transmission stays together.


My Capri would do 17.1/77mph all day. I didn't matter if the clutch was slipped in at 2500rpm, or sidestepped. Then rev to 7000rpm in the first three gears, selecting fourth as you cross the line.

If the car has little power and torque then I tend to agree.....not to mention the additional weight. However, my car seems to have a surfeit of power and torque over traction. Despite the extra weight I reckon a good 4WD system would shave up to half a second from the 60 foot time, an advantage that would be carried all the way to 1320 feet.

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

1/4 mile runs are just a pissing contest, much like 0-60 or 0-150.

The true test OF A ROAD CAR is from 30-50, or 50-70.

Basically, real world need for speed. Overtaking a Honda Jazz on a NSL road as an example.

Corrected that for you.


1/4 mile times are a much more useful comparison than 0-60 times, as the start is even more critical to get a good time and terminal speed in a short distance. The speed is the easy part - plenty of power is the key - as Opti's times show. But a less powerful  car optimised to launch well will run faster times at lower speeds, which is the interesting part. Let's not forget; we're talking about drag racing, which like all sports is a largely pointless activity.

Pointless? Yes. But most pointless things tend to be fun. Which is why we do it. Drag racing is also quite technical with a seemingly endless amount of ways to improve times. I've yet to take 10 or 15 PSI from the rear tyres as has been suggested for better traction.

[Nick W]

Pointless? Yes. But most pointless things tend to be fun. Which is why we do it. Drag racing is also quite technical with a seemingly endless amount of ways to improve times. I've yet to take 10 or 15 PSI from the rear tyres as has been suggested for better traction.

Both of those are high up the list as why we spent a lot of time doing it. Other reasons were it was dirt cheap, meant we could use our road cars, which brings the cost down even further , there was no need to join clubs or have a lot(any ) expensive paperwork, etc etc.


There's the fun of proving stuff for yourself; we were repeatedly told that a burnout was pointless on road tyres(barely legal 205/60 13s run at about half the normal pressure) at out our power level, but although it wasn't worth much time it was really good for consistency. Getting a shitty looking, stock 2.0l Capri to spin both back wheels is good for psyching out the bloke in the other lane


This was back in the early nineties, when a busy RWYB cost £20 and you could expect well over a dozen runs in a day. Twenty wasn't unusual. The last one I went to, 4 runs was considered good

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Pointless? Yes. But most pointless things tend to be fun. Which is why we do it. Drag racing is also quite technical with a seemingly endless amount of ways to improve times. I've yet to take 10 or 15 PSI from the rear tyres as has been suggested for better traction.

Both of those are high up the list as why we spent a lot of time doing it. Other reasons were it was dirt cheap, meant we could use our road cars, which brings the cost down even further , there was no need to join clubs or have a lot(any ) expensive paperwork, etc etc.


There's the fun of proving stuff for yourself; we were repeatedly told that a burnout was pointless on road tyres(barely legal 205/60 13s run at about half the normal pressure) at out our power level, but although it wasn't worth much time it was really good for consistency. Getting a shitty looking, stock 2.0l Capri to spin both back wheels is good for psyching out the bloke in the other lane


This was back in the early nineties, when a busy RWYB cost £20 and you could expect well over a dozen runs in a day. Twenty wasn't unusual. The last one I went to, 4 runs was considered good ???

Yes. The endless waiting in a queue is frustrating and getting worse. Last Time we went I managed just one run in almost 8 hours. Frustrating.

These days I tend to use a 'private road' and a Racelogic datalogger.