Just before wrapping this piece up, let me say a few words on wheel choice and safety. Wheels are purpose-built. A wheel designed for drag racing can be very light because it does not have to take the kind of abuse a road-racing wheel would be subjected to. Do not under any circumstances shortchange wheel strength for the job just to get a lower moment of inertia.
Lastly, tires: Because these are at a larger radius than the wheel, they can have a bigger influence for a given weight reduction. The way to check to see if the tire you intend to purchase is heavier than some of its direct competitors is to go online at www.tirerack.com and check out the tire specs. All the weights are listed. Yes, it really is that simple.
| FIG. 3 |
| RPM | Hp at | Hp at |
| | 300/sec | 600/sec |
| 2,250 | 1.7 | 7.7 |
| 2,500 | 3.4 | 8.5 |
| 2,750 | 4.2 | 9.5 |
| 3,000 | 4.0 | 12.0 |
| 3,250 | 4.3 | 12.4 |
| 3,500 | 6.0 | 14.6 |
| 3,750 | 7.1 | 15.0 |
| 4,000 | 7.6 | 16.8 |
| 4,250 | 7.3 | 16.2 |
| 4,500 | 8.5 | 17.2 |
| 4,750 | 6.3 | 19.0 |
| 5,000 | 6.6 | 17.1 |
| 5,250 | 10 | 18.0 |
| 5,500 | 8.3 | 18.9 |
| 5,750 | 7.7 | 18.6 |
| 6,000 | 6.8 | 21.7 |
| 6,250 | 4.7 | 20.2 |
| FIG. 7 |
| 5.0 FACTORY STOCKER |
| | Heavy | Light | Improvement |
| 60 ft | 1.788 | 1.739 | 0.049 |
| 330 ft | 5.114 | 5.043 | 0.071 |
| 660 ft | 7.896 | 7.823 | 0.073 |
| 1/8 MPH | 88.847 | 88.387 | - 0.46 |
| 1,000 ft | 10.337 | 10.249 | 0.088 |
| 1,320 ft | 12.39 | 12.289 | 0.101 |
| 1/4 MPH | 109.757 | 110.399 | 0.642 |
The "improvement" column shows gains everywhere for the lighter flywheel, except for speed at the eighth-mile.
| FIG. 8 |
| SUPERCHARGED 5.0 |
| | Heavy | Light | Improvement |
| 60 ft | 1.651 | 1.577 | 0.074 |
| 330 ft | 4.606 | 4.458 | 0.148 |
| 660 ft | 7.029 | 6.869 | 0.16 |
| 1/8 MPH | 101.763 | 101.817 | 0.054 |
| 1,000 ft | 9.104 | 8.952 | 0.152 |
| 1,320 ft | 10.863 | 10.725 | 0.138 |
| 1/4 MPH | 127.81 | 126.443 | - 1.367 |
Again, the "improvement" column shows lighter is better. Trap speeds were down at the end of the quarter mile due probably to excess engine temperature from so many back-to-back runs
| FIG. 10 |
| HEAVY WHEELS & 2,000 lbs |
| | Improvement | Finish Line Advantage |
| | Over Baseline | Over Baseline, in feet |
| ET AVERAGE: |
| 14.7303 | = Baseline Number | |
| MPH Average: |
| 88.98 | = Baseline Number | |
| LIGHT WHEELS & 2,000 LBS |
| ET Average: |
| 14.6973 | 0.033 seconds | 4.4 ft |
| MPH Average: |
| 89.17 | 0.19 mph | |
| Light Wheels & 1,968 lbs |
| ET Average: | | |
| 14.6303 | 0.1000 seconds | 13.1 ft |
| MPH Average: |
| 89.52 | 0.54 mph | |
| Heavy Wheels & 1,940 lbs |
| ET Average: | | |
| 14.6307 | 0.0996 seconds | 13.1 ft |
| MPH Average: |
| 89.65 | 0.67 mph | |
ADVERTISER INDEX |
| AIR FLOW RESEARCH CO | 66 |
| AIR RIDE TECHNOLOGIES | 15 |
| AIRAID INTAKE SYSTEMS | 97 |
| AMERICAN TOURING SPECIALTIES | 95 |
| APOLLO TRICK TITANIUM | 97 |
| BOSCH | 2-3 |
| CAD COMPANY | 97 |
| CHRIS ALSTON'S CHASSISWORKS INC | 19 |
| CLASSIC INDUSTRIES | C3 |
| CLASSIC TUBE | 105 |
| COMPETITION CAMS INC | 68, 69 |
| COMPETITION PRODUCTS | 29 |
| DETROIT SPEED ENGINEERING | 67 |
| DICK MILLER RACING | 79 |
| DRIVE TRAIN SPECIALISTS | 95 |
| FACTORY FIVE RACING INC | 23 |
| GLOBAL WEST SUSPENSION | 77 |
| GOODGUY ENTERPRISES INC | 13, 53-56 |
| HOTCHKIS PERFORMANCE | 8 |
| HOWARDS CAMS | 19 |
| HUGHES PERFORMANCE | 76 |
| INDY CYLINDER HEADS | 98 |
| INLINE TUBE | 79 |
| ISKENDERIAN RACING CAMS | 99 |
| JE PISTONS | 50 |
| JEGS HI PERFORMANCE CENTER | 7 |
| JIM PACE GM PARTS WAREHOUSE | 23 |
| MAGNUSON PRODUCTS | 50 |
| MONDELLO PERFORMANCE | 99 |
| NATIONAL PARTS DEPOT | 98 |
| NEWSTALGIA WHEELS | 5 |
| NITTO TIRES | C4 |
| ORIGINAL PARTS GROUP INC | 96 |
| OUTDOOR CHANNEL | 11 |
| PRO PLUS MEDICAL | 101 |
| PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTS | 79 |
| RANDY'S RING PINION | 15 |
| REIDER RACING ENTERPRISES | 70 |
| RICK'S HOT RODS INC | 99 |
| SCAT ENTERPRISES | 78 |
| SHAFIROFF RACING ENGINES | 77 |
| SNOW PERFORMANCE | 99 |
| SPEED-O-MOTIVE | 94 |
| SPIN TECH MUFFLERS | 79 |
| STAINLESS STEEL BRAKES | 66 |
| STRANGE ENGINEERING | 71 |
| TCI AUTOMOTIVE | 9 |
| TURN KEY ENGINE SUPPLY | 97 |
| YEAR ONE INC | 70 |
| ZEX INNOVATIONS | 51 |