Differences in picking parts for a Drag Car, Road Car, and Street Car
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Differences in picking parts for a Drag Car, Road Car, and Street Car
So what is the ideal car? To most, it is going to be something smooth and comfortable driving; maybe even with AC that blows cold. It would launch so hard that it could do a wheelie. Of course it would have to be able to take corners fast and pull massive lateral G forces. So how do you do that? You buy three different cars. That is just how it is; the laws of physics are not in your favor. Can you do two of these things? With enough money maybe. Can you do one of these things? Absolutely!
It can be difficult to figure out what direction one would like to take their vehicle. This is something that all enthusiasts have to grapple with as most of us have a desire to do more than just one thing with our car. Because of this, most of us will make compromises and never see the true potential of our vehicle in any one type of racing. Unfortunately we are not able to take a corner with large lateral G forces then drive to the drag strip and cut a 1.20 60 ft time.
Focusing on one specific type of motorsport generally requires more changes than most would expect. It is not just the suspension that you change. Much more can be specifically tailored to your chosen style of racing. The type of boost may change, suspension geometry may change, the AR housing or turbo itself can change, the compression ratio you choose may change, the type of fuel you use may change, and many more. Two of the exact same model cars making the same peak power will perform, drive, and prosper in completely different places. A road race car it's going to want a very broad RPM range so that it still has power out of the corner when it's lower in the RPM range then on the back straight where it will be much higher up. A drag car with a high stall converter will focus on peak power in the much more narrow RPM range that the vehicle will be seeing.
MaXpeedingRods offers many turbos for all sorts of applications. While searching their catalog, one might find that there are multiple turbos that seem to be very similar in specs. These differences are key to specing out one's car to their given application. For instance, MXR offers the GT2860 and GT2871 turbochargers. Both turbochargers have the same exhaust side while the GT2871 has a compressor side that is 11 mm larger on the exducer. A road course racer or even a street prowler may greatly benefit from the GT2860 as the reduced rotational mass and smaller impeller characteristics will net a quicker spool. This is so important for those who need to be in boost in the corner, throughout, and out of the corner as well for those who are stoplight to stoplight and need to make all of the boost as quick as possible. On the contrary, a heavily drag race focused vehicle cares less about how quickly the turbo spools as they are able to stage the car in the beams and spool the turbo there. They are more focused on making sure they have as much power available with the coolest intake air temps as possible. This is better suited for the GT2871.
Suspension is another major component that differs greatly based on the user's application. A street-driven road car is going to want something soft in order to absorb bumps and transfer as little energy into the chassis as possible. Conversely, a road course car will have a very stiff suspension in order to absorb the harsh lateral forces observed in the corners. The stiffer suspension also works to keep the car as flat as possible while keeping as much force down on all four tires to make the contact patch as large as possible through the corners. A drag car's suspension stiffness is going to greatly depend on the vehicle's power output. A drag car needs weight transfer to the rear tires in order to maximize traction at the rear wheels. Too soft of a suspension and the car will bottom out on the launch thus causing it to rebound and spin the tires. Too stiff of a suspension will cause the car to have very little weight transfer resulting in the tires spinning.
These have been but a few examples of the differences between drag cars, street cars, and road race cars. We have to remember that almost every aspect of the vehicle can be specifically tailored to the car's use. This is why at MaXpeedingRods, we offer a multitude of products to fit any vehicle's needs as well as products with the adjustability to fit multiple needs with the same part.
It can be difficult to figure out what direction one would like to take their vehicle. This is something that all enthusiasts have to grapple with as most of us have a desire to do more than just one thing with our car. Because of this, most of us will make compromises and never see the true potential of our vehicle in any one type of racing. Unfortunately we are not able to take a corner with large lateral G forces then drive to the drag strip and cut a 1.20 60 ft time.
Focusing on one specific type of motorsport generally requires more changes than most would expect. It is not just the suspension that you change. Much more can be specifically tailored to your chosen style of racing. The type of boost may change, suspension geometry may change, the AR housing or turbo itself can change, the compression ratio you choose may change, the type of fuel you use may change, and many more. Two of the exact same model cars making the same peak power will perform, drive, and prosper in completely different places. A road race car it's going to want a very broad RPM range so that it still has power out of the corner when it's lower in the RPM range then on the back straight where it will be much higher up. A drag car with a high stall converter will focus on peak power in the much more narrow RPM range that the vehicle will be seeing.
MaXpeedingRods offers many turbos for all sorts of applications. While searching their catalog, one might find that there are multiple turbos that seem to be very similar in specs. These differences are key to specing out one's car to their given application. For instance, MXR offers the GT2860 and GT2871 turbochargers. Both turbochargers have the same exhaust side while the GT2871 has a compressor side that is 11 mm larger on the exducer. A road course racer or even a street prowler may greatly benefit from the GT2860 as the reduced rotational mass and smaller impeller characteristics will net a quicker spool. This is so important for those who need to be in boost in the corner, throughout, and out of the corner as well for those who are stoplight to stoplight and need to make all of the boost as quick as possible. On the contrary, a heavily drag race focused vehicle cares less about how quickly the turbo spools as they are able to stage the car in the beams and spool the turbo there. They are more focused on making sure they have as much power available with the coolest intake air temps as possible. This is better suited for the GT2871.
Suspension is another major component that differs greatly based on the user's application. A street-driven road car is going to want something soft in order to absorb bumps and transfer as little energy into the chassis as possible. Conversely, a road course car will have a very stiff suspension in order to absorb the harsh lateral forces observed in the corners. The stiffer suspension also works to keep the car as flat as possible while keeping as much force down on all four tires to make the contact patch as large as possible through the corners. A drag car's suspension stiffness is going to greatly depend on the vehicle's power output. A drag car needs weight transfer to the rear tires in order to maximize traction at the rear wheels. Too soft of a suspension and the car will bottom out on the launch thus causing it to rebound and spin the tires. Too stiff of a suspension will cause the car to have very little weight transfer resulting in the tires spinning.
These have been but a few examples of the differences between drag cars, street cars, and road race cars. We have to remember that almost every aspect of the vehicle can be specifically tailored to the car's use. This is why at MaXpeedingRods, we offer a multitude of products to fit any vehicle's needs as well as products with the adjustability to fit multiple needs with the same part.
