Heads up
 

If you are faced with a heads up race, what are some things you can do to be a little faster, and realistically how much faster could you get? I'm pretty new to this and am looking for a little insight. Thank you.

Re: Heads up
 

Let's look at factual results as we just had a heads up final in Vegas.
Jerome was dialing low 11 teens, but went 10.98 on a bye in the semi,s.
Maybe setting up for the final, maybe setting his opponent up for the final.
Ryan was dialing high 11.0's, and ran 11.07 on a quarter final bye.
Jerome ran 10.81 in the final, or 17 better than his fastest, Ryan ran
10.85 or 22 better than his fastest. Average of the two is 19.5.
So worth it? Apparently. J.R.

Re: Heads up
 

It all depends on whether you run your car All Out (balls to the wall ) OR sandbag ( holding back )......I have seen guys pick up 5 tenths ......

Re: Heads up
 

It's not uncommon to see a car pick up 3 tenths in the finals of class eliminations.. Depending, of course, who he ran into in previous rounds.

Re: Heads up
 

So everyone holds back a little?

Re: Heads up
 

Its a bracket race all day with exception of heads up. Nearly every bracket racer holds. Fire suit on.

Re: Heads up
 

more air in front tires, drain some oil, ice the intake, cool the fuel, remove air filter if using one, shallow stage,remove any extra weight, some or all might apply depending on circumstances

Re: Heads up
 

When you get close to 1.00 under runs, you've got to hold back some. Don't want to hit that trigger more than once per half season.

Re: Heads up
 

* Normally shift at a lower RPM, then shift at the optimum RPM during heads-up race.

* Swap out your normal oil for a lower viscosity. i.e.: normal 10w-30 conventional oil, heads-up 5w-20 or less special conventional or synthetic.(Consult your engine builder.)

* Rear end can usually have a quart or a bit more drained below normal capacity.

* Advance/optimize timing if running conservative.

* Make sure your jetting is optimized without a filter if removing it. Otherwise, removing the filter may lean out the carb if the filter has any restriction

* Add air to rear tires, IF it will hook with a smaller contact patch.

* If cutting weight close to minimum, remember to weigh EXACTLY what you take out and include the weight of any oil drained. Keep a little safety margin.

* Adding air to front tires will help minimize rolling resistance too, but it can also reduce rollout and quicken RTs. (Don't redlight.)

* Switching from same size bias ply slicks to radial slicks usually helps pick up ET as well as RT. But finish line RPMs will be a bit higher because radials don't grow like bias ply. (As long as your engine can handle it.)

Just remember that you have to be able to return to a predictable dial-in afterwards for the next run if you win the heads-up race.

Re: Heads up
 

* Make sure your jetting is optimized without a filter if removing it. Otherwise, removing the filter may lean out the carb if the filter has any restriction


^^^ This. We had a street car event and in the final round we needed a little bit more as it was heads up. I said take the air filter off and then proceed to run .1 slower in ET. and lost the race. Then realized car went lean with filter off. Ooops

Re: Heads up
 

Some of you may remember Don Carter from South Carolina who ran C/SA in the nineties with a red 69 Nova, one way to remember him is he looked like one of the Oak Ridge boys. Anyway Don had a headsup first round at the GV divisional in that period with some one who had him covered a bunch. I asked him in staging if he had a plan and he stated he was going to pray, the faster car broke in the water.

Re: Heads up
 

How does engine temp play a factor? I see everyone putting ice on the intake and fuel regulator, pushing their cars through staging. What is an optimal engine temp?

Re: Heads up
 

If your fast enough to hurt your AHFS average, you need to slow it down. My car is fuel injected. I use a FAST XFI ECM (computer). They will hold more than one "tune up". They sell a selector switch. I just use a toggle switch. Race tune, and a Slow Down tune. I just flip a switch while the car is shut down. I found adding weight to slow it down effected my lights. Pull the weight for a heads up, and problems with red lights. Less timing & leaner is how I slow mine. Same lights. Bias to Radial tires effect my lights too. I stay on radials. Same lights. I had a restrictor plate, but guess I was ratted out. One of our tech guys found it in the staging lanes, told me he "Didn't ever want to see it again!" I considered simply leaving it out until after going through tech. He checked for it again between rounds in the staging lanes. LOL

Re: Heads up
 

Many, many years ago Lee Bannister was kicking Azz and taking names in stock eliminator. Lee usually qualified near the bottom of the ladder and one year at the Gators he had a heads up with a much faster car. The faster car just blowed the tires off at the hit.....Lee must know the same prayer....

Re: Heads up
 

Sorry for my ignorance but why is a restrictor plate illegal? I find it odd that something to slow you down is a problem.



Curtis

Re: Heads up
 

That seems pretty goofy to me. They going to outlaw a bolt under the gas pedal next................... Seems tech isn't sure what to do with EFI combos so they go strictly by the rulebook.

Re: Heads up
 

I was the faster car in NC one year and lost to Mr. Carter heads up. It was a long drive home. And a very quite one at that.

Re: Heads up
 

Had one. Popped the end off a throttle cable, since thin carpet with no padding under it, made WOT at the throttle body happen before the pedal hit the floor. Put a stop in for the pedal. Made a shim for the stop by tig welding a flat washer on one end of a short piece of 1" tubing. Glued flat washers inside to stop at 80% throttle angle. Last shim was cut out of magnetic black plastic, to help keep it on. Maybe ratted out again. Was checked for WOT in the staging lanes right away. "Put the pedal to the floor, Ed!" He pushed the Throttle Body WOT from under the hood, when the pedal didn't.
"Don't want to see that again, Ed!".
Do it in the ECM tuning now.

Re: Heads up
 

If a RESTRICTOR plate is illegal, then there are NUMEROUS cars in D 3 that are ILLEGAL,,,,

Re: Heads up
 

Check your p.m.s

Re: Heads up
 

They are concerned with their AHFS (Automatic HP Factoring System) deal to even the combos out by adding HP to the faster car, causing them to carry more weight (eleven lbs per hp for my class) to slow them down. Too much like bracket racing now.
I slow it down in the computer. Nothing for anybody to see.
I also got chewed out for clicking it off at 1000 feet once during qualifying. I don't do that anymore, either.

Re: Heads up
 

Gotcha. Thanks.

Re: Heads up
 

No.

Re: Heads up
 

With this live timing, other guys running the same engine often watch you.
Last year, first pass at No Problem, mine stood up & hit the wheelie bars hard enough to unload the tires, which causes the RPM to spike, causing my computer to shift it to second while up in the air, I was in second gear by 60'. I had new heads, and needed to see my air/fuel data log in high gear, where RPMs climb slower. I thought "this run is crap, I'll run it out the back for that.
Got my time slip, 9.87. Thought "I'm going to hear about this one!". My phone beeped while sitting on the scales. Back at my pit spot, got out of the car, dug my phone out, found a text: "What the f**k are you doing?!" From another LT1 racer. If I thought it would be that fast, after the bad launch, I would not have run it out.
Yes, some guys hold back.