Well, I think I've touched on this a little. But, I wanna drill down a little deeper into it.
I understand that many class racers are not willing to give up any info that might help a possible opponent.
But, maybe there are a few here that, for whatever reason, can & are willing to give a few behind-the-scenes details.
I suppose the subject might be LITTLE things that are, or could be done, to reduce ET slightly, for heads-up & record runs.
Thru the years, I've read of stuff like running thinner oil or grease, in places like engine, rear end, & wheel bearings.
Also have read of running max reasonable air pressure in tires, that will still hook up, in order to reduced rolling resistance, after launch.
What about disabling rear brakes, on tracks with ample shut-down area, in order to reduce pad-to-rotor drag ?
Now here's what I really wanna talk about. I've noticed that a lot of SS cars run big tires, like 14x32 or larger. I understand why most guys would want max traction at all times, even when track conditions are bad.
BUT, let's assume, for this post, that the track conditions are great, and the driver knows for sure that the car will hook 100%, with much smaller tires than it usually runs. Do(have) any SS racers used smaller tires, in order to run a hair quicker, for a heads-up or record run ?
Maybe that's a ridiculous question. I don't know. Sounds reasonable to me, considering all the other things I've read about class racers going to great lengths & expense, for very small ET gains.
Here's why I ask this about smaller tires. We all know that some of the Stockers are running 8's on 9" tires. But, being an old school kind of guy. Lets consider some 9 sec BBC powered Stockers. There are several BBC powered '69 Camaro & Nova SS cars that can run in the 9's. They must do it with 9" tires, & CalTrac type traction devices.
https://www.dragracecentral.com/DRCS...r2019#indextop
So, is there any reason why some of the low 10 sec to mid 9 sec SS cars could not run a wee bit quicker on 9" tires than on 14x32 or larger tires ? Again, this is on a sticky track with good conditions, & just to run a bit quicker for a heads-up or record run. It's hard for me to believe that a racer with lots of money wouldn't carry some smaller tires, that he had tested on his car, for just such occasions.
If nobody ever does this, some of you long time racers please explain why.
Are there V8 powered 10-flat & quicker SS cars that run 9" tires, all the time ?