OV9

mik wrote: Tue Jun 06, 2023 10:24 pm

mik wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 11:09 pm

They look like tank tracks..

IanF wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 11:36 pm

They look like tank tracks..

Do NOT!

mik wrote: Wed Jun 07, 2023 11:09 pm

Wrinkle wall tyres are witchcraft.

Do they do that intentionally or is it just because they need to run at quite a low pressure, which rapidly increases when the vast amount of energy is put into them on launch?

A bit of both, when they first started dropping tyre pressure they noticed the wrinkle so they started developing tyres that would wrinkle and stretch more. There are a couple of reasons, it helps keep the tyre beaded, it helps soften the initial torque delivery to manage traction and as you surmised it stops the tyre blowing off when the gases expand during warm up.

There's also the fact that as it wrinkles, it greatly increases the contact patch and therefore greatly increases traction

The launch was the thing I really remember from when I had a passenger ride in that two seat dragster at Santa Pod years ago

There was no "clutch" effect - every other car I've ever been in, no matter how fast has had that slight pause as the power is fed to the wheels

The dragster just went, as it it was being pulled by a huge piece of elastic

There was no pause, no moment when it started to move - it just kind of went

Quite a strange feeling

The trans brake helps with that too. It holds the gearbox between first and reverse so you can build revs. When you let it go, you’re straight into first in the middle of the power band.

The amount of abuse diffs and axles take in drag cars is incredible

Those clips don’t really show it but there are othered around where you can clearly see the shocks of the power pulses at the wheel hub smoothed out by the sidewalls so the movement at the tyre surface stays constant.

Of course they’re also designed to grow and raise the gearing as speeds increase.

ZedLeg wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 12:27 pm The trans brake helps with that too. It holds the gearbox between first and reverse so you can build revs. When you let it go, you’re straight into first in the middle of the power band.

Yep - It's quite a feeling when all that pent up force is released with no "build up"

Car & Driver article about it;

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/c ... explainer/

and the vid to go with it;

nuttinnew wrote: Thu Jun 08, 2023 2:33 pm Car & Driver article about it;

https://www.caranddriver.com/features/c ... explainer/

and the vid to go with it;

One of my all time favourite YouTube videos

I've watched it so many times

Bonkers