Two step versus high idle control solenoid

[Tim Ellis]

Back about 5 years ago me & alot of other bracket racers used a device we called a Kicker. I believe it is actually a high idle control solenoid for Holley carbs. It allows you to stage the car stalled to a preset rpm via throttle position. I believe all the units we used were modified to extend the plunger, & make the length adjustable. This was a very effective means of staging consistently @ the same rpm/ throttle position. I say all this to ask, are bracket racers or ore oportantly STOCK racers STILL using this device???????? Is it legal? I am pretty sure I have seen this solenoid on at least one Chevy stocker, HOWEVER, it is likely a factory piece on the carb & may be inactive. However just because they are factory doesnt mean they should be used for stalling the car to a preset rpm [ like a 2 step],unless of course you have the air conditioning on when staging the car! Just wonderin what ya think.

[tgriffith]

whether its Nhra/Ihra legal,,,dont know,,,what I do know is at 3 different tracks,,,,racers who had these devices were told ,,,take them off or dont come back,,,,2 was Ihra,,,one was Nhra,,,tracks make their own rules,,,,,,,they basically all stated the same,,,,no item that could be used to assist the car launching in ANY way other than the moving of the foot and immediate launching of the car,,,,,,now a good arguement is that tracks cant set idle RPM of a car ,,,,,,,,The reason one of the tracks gave was fairly clear,,,,it was electric,,adjustable and operated by a switch,,,other than the factory programed switch/.computer---set at factory specs for cold idle warm up


arent you guys glad you dont have this making your rules,,,,,NO BS,,,plain and simple,,,,footbrake un assisted or leave

It is LEAGAL ! The 396 camaro came with this unit. Tech has asked about it and confirmed with my father/ per Travis ..I'm pretty sure..WE use it to come up against the converter. Thank you. Jason .

[Rich Biebel]

How about a twist lock style choke cable....That came stock on my LT-1

[SSDiv6]

This selenoid is the same used to increase the RPM's when thr A/C is turned on. The pushrod is adjustable and it has a hex at the end. Very simple to power with a single wire power source.

[neb5445]

how about using your right foot to give the carb more gas?

[tgriffith]

Gentlemen,,you can tell yourself what you want,,ANY electronic controled thottle stop or leaving device could be challenged and be found illegal,,,and could be tossed on a number of issues,,,,,th bigest one is saftey,,,,,any electronic throttle control device that would bring up the rpm enough to cause a car to set at 3500rpm is dangerous,,,in the event of an emergency,,,,and this is forgotten and left on,,,then what???,,,..

The rules clearly state that just because something comes stock on a car DOESNT mean that its use is legal in another way,,,,and Im rather sure that somewhere there is an article on the legality of throttle cables that arent posititvely locked or anything hooked to it

has racing become that difficult that holding a certain rpm with your foot is too much to do???

[Jeff Lee]

I'm no electrical whiz, but I can't imagine it would be difficult to activate a solonoid to not only raise the launch RPM, but activate WOT RPM and then back off WOT "as needed".
That's why we don't need electrical ghizmo's in racing.

[Rich Biebel]

I used an idle stop solenoid as far back as the mid eighties to raise the rpm on my bracket car for staging. Mostly racing in S/G or S/ST to allow me to get in deeper quickly and easily......A Ford item and a home made lever attached to a Holley carb on the secondaries. Another racer had it and he made me a lever like his.......I did a burnout and turned it on and tapped the gas pedal......I have very little trouble staging my LT-1 at various rpms now but having a way to set that rpm without looking at the tach after getting both lites on would probably be a plus........

[Michael Beard]

>> any electronic throttle control device that would bring up the rpm enough to cause a car to set at 3500rpm is dangerous

That's the key point right there, and the reason why many tracks said 'no' to things like this. There is a way to do it safely, but most guys in the northeast did not have a positive return on the throttle, meaning that if they got into trouble and had to lift, they'd be stuck at launch rpm. It was not acceptable to have a switch or cable to be hand-operated by the driver. The only way they considered it at all was if the engine would return to idle after you went to WOT.