Discussion
My TVR ran 12.2 on Toyo R888s in 08.
then down to 11.6 on Mickey T Street Ets this year.
Rules at York in HR next year allow slicks so maybe into the 10's?
So any recommendations please on make etc and where to buy.
I think the max size i can squeeze under the back of my Chimaera will be 26/10/15.
then down to 11.6 on Mickey T Street Ets this year.
Rules at York in HR next year allow slicks so maybe into the 10's?
So any recommendations please on make etc and where to buy.
I think the max size i can squeeze under the back of my Chimaera will be 26/10/15.
This is going to change your car dramatically. You may lose all the start line wheelspin but bog your motor instead. You may only replace wheelspin with clutch slip, my advice is to not jump in here and get the biggest slicks you can fit but consider all the changes (gear ratios etc) you may need to make them work. You wouldn't be the first person to fit drag slicks and go slower.
ribaric said:
This is going to change your car dramatically. You may lose all the start line wheelspin but bog your motor instead. You may only replace wheelspin with clutch slip, my advice is to not jump in here and get the biggest slicks you can fit but consider all the changes (gear ratios etc) you may need to make them work. You wouldn't be the first person to fit drag slicks and go slower.
I think it will be a step forward as ive never been able to launch hard. My car weighs about 1100 kg and has never hooked up properly with best 60 foot times in the high 1.8's.Im hoping new suspension will help but i definately need more grip in the tyre.
I run nitrous and have a nice flat torque curve from low rpm and i can fine tune the nitrous to come in progressively as i like.
Previously i have had to launch at low rpm and feed the power in but i hope i can launch much harder next season.
Be ready to find the weak links in your drivetrain fella..
Clutch, diff, half shafts, prop and gearbox are all at risk with this move.. I'm not saying that they WILL fail, just that there is much more likelihood of it happening..
I've watched an RV8 powered Marlin throw a half shaft on the launch and end up taking a VERY interesting route up the strip..
Clutch, diff, half shafts, prop and gearbox are all at risk with this move.. I'm not saying that they WILL fail, just that there is much more likelihood of it happening..
I've watched an RV8 powered Marlin throw a half shaft on the launch and end up taking a VERY interesting route up the strip..
dbv8 said:
ribaric said:
This is going to change your car dramatically. You may lose all the start line wheelspin but bog your motor instead. You may only replace wheelspin with clutch slip, my advice is to not jump in here and get the biggest slicks you can fit but consider all the changes (gear ratios etc) you may need to make them work. You wouldn't be the first person to fit drag slicks and go slower.
I think it will be a step forward as ive never been able to launch hard. My car weighs about 1100 kg and has never hooked up properly with best 60 foot times in the high 1.8's.Im hoping new suspension will help but i definately need more grip in the tyre.
I run nitrous and have a nice flat torque curve from low rpm and i can fine tune the nitrous to come in progressively as i like.
Previously i have had to launch at low rpm and feed the power in but i hope i can launch much harder next season.
TVR's were never designed to have proper drag slick grip..
Harsh but true, Andy.
To OP, I think Andy wrote this not to discourage you or pee you off.
I am no driver myself but announce a lot a "street car" quartermile events,
some on prepped tracks, and boy have I had to comment drivetrain carnage.
Once you get real good traction and have slicks mounted,
your drivetrain will have to withstand enormous amounts of stress.
Take some spare parts/mechanics (mates) with you if you can.
You also have to keep in mind that you should set up your chassis/suspension
in a totally different way to street/circle track use.
You need more suspension travel, softer damping (rear)/softer rebound (front) to get some weight shifted,
because the TVR wheelbase is short, the heavy engine is up front and the rear axle is light.
AFAIK, both front and rear stabilizer bars/mounting points have to be modified
for better weight shifting/rear axle loading(planting)[wd?].
If you manage to get proper traction after spending cash and lots of work,
there are other things to keep in mind,
maybe the oil sump has to be modified so that the oil pump does not run dry etc etc.
(I know very little about TVRs, maybe yours has a dry sump? That would be good.)
I am sure the guys with real expertise will be around to correct me if I am wrong,
that´s just written out of my experience from the microphone and some pit walks/talks.
I guess we all like new(-ish) fast cars on the quartermile,
but this being PH no one likes a broken-down TVR towed back to the pits.
To OP, I think Andy wrote this not to discourage you or pee you off.
I am no driver myself but announce a lot a "street car" quartermile events,
some on prepped tracks, and boy have I had to comment drivetrain carnage.
Once you get real good traction and have slicks mounted,
your drivetrain will have to withstand enormous amounts of stress.
Take some spare parts/mechanics (mates) with you if you can.
You also have to keep in mind that you should set up your chassis/suspension
in a totally different way to street/circle track use.
You need more suspension travel, softer damping (rear)/softer rebound (front) to get some weight shifted,
because the TVR wheelbase is short, the heavy engine is up front and the rear axle is light.
AFAIK, both front and rear stabilizer bars/mounting points have to be modified
for better weight shifting/rear axle loading(planting)[wd?].
If you manage to get proper traction after spending cash and lots of work,
there are other things to keep in mind,
maybe the oil sump has to be modified so that the oil pump does not run dry etc etc.
(I know very little about TVRs, maybe yours has a dry sump? That would be good.)
I am sure the guys with real expertise will be around to correct me if I am wrong,
that´s just written out of my experience from the microphone and some pit walks/talks.
I guess we all like new(-ish) fast cars on the quartermile,
but this being PH no one likes a broken-down TVR towed back to the pits.
There's a lot of sense being spoken on this thread DBV8, it all follows the well-trodden path.... If you have a 'normal - ish' street car then there are limits to what you can achieve. By the time you've replaced all the parts you'll need to go significantly quicker you'll find you have a drag race car. Painful but probably true, don't spend too much on the TVR, if you want a seriously quick drag car - get one.
Thanks for all the warnings and advice guys.
It will all be taken on board and considered carefully.
I dont want to end up with a specific drag car as i also want to do track days as well as TVR runs and events. I would like to optimise the traction and launch with what i have however.
The car is undergoing a full chassis refurb at the moment and will be rebuilt with all new bushes etc. A pair of 'Raceproved' heavy duty driveshafts will be fitted and i have a full set of Nitron suspension with 3 way rears to tune for the strip.
I will be happy to cut my poor previous 60 foot times of high 1.8s to mid 1.7s
Im hoping this improvement will see me into the low 11's (previous best of 11.63 @ 125)
I will stick with my MT street ETs for now and see the difference the decent suspension makes at the first meeting in Easter
It will all be taken on board and considered carefully.
I dont want to end up with a specific drag car as i also want to do track days as well as TVR runs and events. I would like to optimise the traction and launch with what i have however.
The car is undergoing a full chassis refurb at the moment and will be rebuilt with all new bushes etc. A pair of 'Raceproved' heavy duty driveshafts will be fitted and i have a full set of Nitron suspension with 3 way rears to tune for the strip.
I will be happy to cut my poor previous 60 foot times of high 1.8s to mid 1.7s
Im hoping this improvement will see me into the low 11's (previous best of 11.63 @ 125)
I will stick with my MT street ETs for now and see the difference the decent suspension makes at the first meeting in Easter
Slinky said:
You're doing the half shafts, what about the diff etc..?
Each time you raise the level of "competence" (for want of a better word) of a part you expose the weaknesses of the other parts in that line..
The driveshafts are known to be the weaker point on the higher powered tuned TVRs but there is not much evidence of diff failures.Each time you raise the level of "competence" (for want of a better word) of a part you expose the weaknesses of the other parts in that line..
I suppose i could be the first maybe
I would expect the T5 gearbox to be the next weakest as its only rated at 300lb/ft but in reality can take quite a bit more in the lower gears. 5th is the weak gear but i dont use it on track.
The next spend for me will be a CTS gearset and new forks from the 'gearbox' man, but as this amounts to over £1700 just for the parts then i think i will risk the box till i need to or have the money ready.
dbv8 said:
Slinky said:
You're doing the half shafts, what about the diff etc..?
Each time you raise the level of "competence" (for want of a better word) of a part you expose the weaknesses of the other parts in that line..
The driveshafts are known to be the weaker point on the higher powered tuned TVRs but there is not much evidence of diff failures.Each time you raise the level of "competence" (for want of a better word) of a part you expose the weaknesses of the other parts in that line..
I suppose i could be the first maybe
I would expect the T5 gearbox to be the next weakest as its only rated at 300lb/ft but in reality can take quite a bit more in the lower gears. 5th is the weak gear but i dont use it on track.
The next spend for me will be a CTS gearset and new forks from the 'gearbox' man, but as this amounts to over £1700 just for the parts then i think i will risk the box till i need to or have the money ready.
Take a look at the manual trans drag euro and jap cars.They spend more time on a jack than off it.
I'd suggest going to a less grippier tyre and work on your suspension to get the best from your launch without "dead hooking" the car.
If you don't you'll be so sick of breaking stuff that you'll want to set fire to the car just to get rid of it..
Tet said:
redvictor said:
Seriously,you have no idea what "drag strip grip on slicks" will do to eveything in your drivline.
See, now you've got me worrying about my plans for next year. Either that, or you're angling to rebuild my gearbox when I break it :-)Listen to the advice...drag slicks hooking up WILL hit your driveline very hard.
Ive only ran them for this year on my street/strip car so still learning but these are my tips.
1. Take into account tire growth, allow up to 3/4" overall and allow front/rear and inner fender clearence. Early doors keep a check on rubbing untill satisfied you have no issues.
2. Run a high pressure in them to allow wheelspin (as Red victor said no dead hooking) The higher the pressure will also keep them more stable mid track and top end.
3. Get used to how the car reacts/handles on them. Too low and it will be unstable
4. some people experience "slick dance" backing off quickly at the topend so be aware..mines been fine.
5. Slicks will kill something in your driveline if its not upgraded well..best defence is aim for slippage/wheelspin with tire psi.
6. Mines got loose on 1 pass and got to feel the "slick dance" people told me about...not nice.
7. I went from 245 d/radials and a 3k feathered launch to 10.5 slicks 5.6k dump which still pulls the motor down unless on spray.
8. Not only driveline but suspension mounting points will be hit hard.
I have been real lucky/prepared so no real issues this year with breakages. How are your axles retained.
Mines a stick but a stock T5 is borderline.
Ive only ran them for this year on my street/strip car so still learning but these are my tips.
1. Take into account tire growth, allow up to 3/4" overall and allow front/rear and inner fender clearence. Early doors keep a check on rubbing untill satisfied you have no issues.
2. Run a high pressure in them to allow wheelspin (as Red victor said no dead hooking) The higher the pressure will also keep them more stable mid track and top end.
3. Get used to how the car reacts/handles on them. Too low and it will be unstable
4. some people experience "slick dance" backing off quickly at the topend so be aware..mines been fine.
5. Slicks will kill something in your driveline if its not upgraded well..best defence is aim for slippage/wheelspin with tire psi.
6. Mines got loose on 1 pass and got to feel the "slick dance" people told me about...not nice.
7. I went from 245 d/radials and a 3k feathered launch to 10.5 slicks 5.6k dump which still pulls the motor down unless on spray.
8. Not only driveline but suspension mounting points will be hit hard.
I have been real lucky/prepared so no real issues this year with breakages. How are your axles retained.
Mines a stick but a stock T5 is borderline.
Edited by Mustanglimey on Monday 7th December 23:06
All good stuff guys and lots of food for thought.
Please read my post from 16:14 yesterday... i gave up on the slick idea then
A few sensible (within my budget) modifications to my drivetrain, new fully adjustable suspension to play with and im sure it will come together and run consistant low 11's on the 255 Mickey T's.
It would be fantastic to hit a 10 but i will take it a step at a time.
Please read my post from 16:14 yesterday... i gave up on the slick idea then
A few sensible (within my budget) modifications to my drivetrain, new fully adjustable suspension to play with and im sure it will come together and run consistant low 11's on the 255 Mickey T's.
It would be fantastic to hit a 10 but i will take it a step at a time.
Read through this and there seems to be too much about 60 foot times. Remember that there is another 1260 feet of track after that. Fitting slicks will tear the motor to pieces and you say you will keep the tyres your running now which is wise. Spend your money in better places, get the car leaving the line better and the times will tumble.
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