WOP'S 8-second Power Stroke

RockinJW · #1 (**permalink**) 07-16-2010, 12:50 PM

Well guys, we were hoping to make the big TS event next weekend with our Power Stroke dragster, but with the work we've got to do here at the shop on customers trucks, regretfully it doesn't look like we can afford to take the week off.

We've had the car out to the track a couple time this spring and have made quite a bit of progress. Through some transmission datalogging were were able to find the tranny issues we had been running into for the past 2 seasons. Software/hardware issues in the stand-alone transmission controller were limiting our overall control of the trans strategies. We resolved the transmission controller issues and the car finally started shifting like we had been commanding it to.

Amazing how well things start to progress when everything starts working together. Up to the point of installing the controller, the best the car had run was a low 12-second pass, popping and bouncing off the rev limiter. The first pass out with the new trans controller netted a 10.60 run with no changes in the previous trans shifting strategies. Through some fine tuning and another visit to the track, it was able to break into the 9's with a 9.44 run last fall.

This spring we have really started making solid progress. Our local track is closed from late September to early June, so we don't get near the practice and track time we would like, but we do what we can with what we have to work with. With some more tweaking with trans controller, we've finally made 5-6 passes worthy of pulling the chutes. One of which was at 170-mph in Vegas this past May.

Here is a video from this past Wednesday's test n' tune. We've got the car running better and better every pass. Just need to start fine tuning the chassis and tire pressures. Keeps going into severe tire shake about 300-feet out, which requires Zane to lift and pedal the car some to get it to rehook and go.

You can clearly see the car shake and hear Zane getting in and out of the throttle, we're confident the car has some 7-second times in it, if we can just set it up to stayed hooked and at wide open throttle for a full 1/4 run.