Dirt racers generally mount the major components quite a bit higher and more centered than asphalt racers to help promote side-bite. Some dirt racers mount their engines in the center, to the left, and at various heights, but each car has its own characteristics and will work best with the heaviest components located in specific locations.
What is side bite in dirt racing?
To the typical dirt racer, side bite is the idea that the car is rolling to the right, forcing the tires to dig into the dirt providing more traction. Like a paddle in the water, the further you push the paddle down into the water, the more force you can put through the paddle to propel the boat.
Do side bite tires work in the dirt?
After warm ups, or maybe into the heat races, the tire's grooves can no longer work into the dirt, at least not much because the dirt is harder than the rubber. So this idea of side bite and trying to make the grooves work into the dirt by applying more weight to the right rear for traction doesn't make much sense.
How do you make a dirt car stop sliding?
Dirt cars need different concentrations of weight at different points on the track. Going into the turn, left-side weight should transfer to the right-side tires to produce side-bite, which makes the car take a set (stop sliding).
What is the point of side bite?
The idea of side bite, the tires digging into the dirt when sliding, then became someone's reason of why these changes needed to be made. Makes sense and explains why the adjustments work. To the typical dirt racer, side bite is the idea that the car is rolling to the right, forcing the tires to dig into the dirt providing more traction.
How do you increase forward bite on a dirt modified?
6:0013:25Forward Traction is made by this Component!!!! (Enhanced Sound) + ...YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAmount add them up dividing by two simple math. So every angle change has an effect on the upperMoreAmount add them up dividing by two simple math. So every angle change has an effect on the upper thrust and the forward thrust of the rear. End so the more upper angle.
How do you drive a street stock Dirt car?
4:209:21Dirt Driving Techniques - Street Stock - By Andrew Fayash III - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipJust don't go full brake or full throttle unless absolutely necessary. And only do so for a splitMoreJust don't go full brake or full throttle unless absolutely necessary. And only do so for a split second if you can't avoid the slick. Just be a little easier on the inputs.
How do I increase my left rear bite?
19:2623:52Tire Stagger and its Affect on Bite. - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipIf i reduce the size of the left. Front or i increase the size of the right. Front that is going toMoreIf i reduce the size of the left. Front or i increase the size of the right. Front that is going to increase bite it is an exact opposite relationship is it's an inverse.
How fast do street stock dirt cars go?
They hit speeds well over 100 mph (160 km/h) and slide around the dirt corners. They are raced on dirt tracks throughout the country anywhere from 1/5 to one mile. The expense for these cars is significant. The cost for one complete race-ready late model is around $70,000.
How do you scale a street stock race car?
0:2853:12How to Scale, Adjust, and Understand your Street Stock Race Car SetupYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipUm i take my stagger measurements. Um at air pressure right before i scale. And then i like to takeMoreUm i take my stagger measurements. Um at air pressure right before i scale. And then i like to take and just write them down and i've already done this one. And i write them down on the wheels.
How fast do sport mods go?
IMCA Southern Sport Mods can range anywhere between $5,000-$12,000 depending on the type of chassis (car frame) and engine combination. During a race, IMCA Southern Sport Mods average 70 MPH in the corners and 85 on the straight-a-ways.
What does left side weight do in a dirt car?
Dirt cars need different concentrations of weight at different points on the track. Going into the turn, left-side weight should transfer to the right-side tires to produce side-bite, which makes the car take a set (stop sliding).
How do you drive a modified dirt?
11:2937:36Devin Moran | How to drive a dirt late model | DIRTRACKR ConversationsYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipDefinitely more wheel put in wheel input left hand down and then obviously there's not as much grip.MoreDefinitely more wheel put in wheel input left hand down and then obviously there's not as much grip. So you're counter steering. Some. Your quarter throttle half throttle quarter throttle.
What does AJ Bar do on a dirt late model?
J-Bars or Panhard Bars? In a dirt Late Model race car, this bar controls the car's roll center. While it has the same function, its name depends on its shape, which depends on where the bar is mounted to the pinion. A short, straight bar mounted to the left side of the driveshaft is a Panhard bar.
What does UMP stand for in racing?
United Midwestern PromotersUnited Midwestern Promoters (UMP) is a short track motor racing sanctioning body in the United States that sanctions short track racing on dirt race tracks from 1/5 mile (0.3 km) in length to 1-mile (1.6 km) in length.
What's the fastest dirt track?
Volunteer SpeedwayVolunteer Speedway is a 4/10 mile long dirt race track located in Greene County in the eastern part of Tennessee, in Mosheim (14095 West Andrew Johnson Highway, Bulls Gap, TN postal address). It is known as "The World's Fastest Dirt Track".
What is the fastest dirt track class?
Winged sprint cars are simply put the fastest, highest horsepower and most dangerous race cars on dirt today.
What is side bite in dirt racing?
To the typical dirt racer, side bite is the idea that the car is rolling to the right, forcing the tires to dig into the dirt providing more traction. Like a paddle in the water, the further you push the paddle down into the water, the more force you can put through the paddle to propel the boat.
Why do tires side bite?
However, the only time this understanding of side bite really applies is when the tire grooves (paddles) can work into the dirt (water), which is when the track is wet or slightly wet, in this condition traction is not a problem. Wouldn’t you agree? After warm ups, or maybe into the heat races, the tire's grooves can no longer work into the dirt, at least not much because the dirt is harder than the rubber. So this idea of side bite and trying to make the grooves work into the dirt by applying more weight to the right rear for traction doesn't make much sense.
Why is the right rear tire better than the left rear tire?
Actually, due to the larger foot print or contact patch of the right rear tire, its efficiency curve is different than the left rear tire (it can handle more weight before the traction falls off), as a result, about 30% more right rear weight is needed to maximize the traction. Likewise, maximum traction in the front is achieved when the two front tires are equally loaded.
Why does my tire groove not work?
After warm ups, or maybe into the heat races, the tire's grooves can no longer work into the dirt, at least not much because the dirt is harder than the rubber. So this idea of side bite and trying to make the grooves work into the dirt by applying more weight to the right rear for traction doesn't make much sense.
How to give a car more lateral traction?
To give the car more lateral traction, go to a softer right rear bar or a stiffer right front spring. A stiffer left rear bar will have two effects: raising the car (higher CGH), and adding static left rear weight.
Which tire loses more traction?
So now, by definition of the above graph, the left rear tire lost more traction than what the right rear gained. Fundamental Truth #1:Maximum traction in the rear of the car is achieved when both rear tires have the same amount of weight on them, and as much as weight as possible is transferred to the rear.
Which spring transfer less weight to the corner of the car?
Fundamental Truth #2: A softer spring will transfer less weight to that corner of the car than a stiffer spring.
How to reduce horsepower in dirt cars?
It is not widely known, but some top dirt racers have adjusted their cars' engines to produce less horsepower when slick track conditions would not allow great amounts of torque and horsepower to be put to full use. Using smaller carburetors, adding restrictor plates, unhooking the secondary butterflies, or using electronic traction control that changes the timing or breaks down the ignition on one or more cylinders are all ways teams reduce engine output.
How to compensate for a tight car?
As we have explained in the past, if a car is tight in the middle of the turns, we must compensate by adding steering input to help increase the front traction. Then, as we pass mid-turn, the added steering generates more than enough front traction to overcome the tight condition and the car begins to get loose. All of this usually happens right about the time we start to get into the throttle. As power is applied, the rear tires suddenly lose all traction.
What happens if you shift your tires too quickly?
If this transition happens too quickly, the tire is shocked and will most likely break loose. This is obviously detrimental to performance because in order to recover the grip in the rear tires, we must back off the throttle and allow the tires to reattach themselves to the track surface.
Why is it important to set up a car?
The Setup Is Very Important The way we set up the car can help us get more traction off the corners on flatter racetracks. We can split the rates of the rear springs so that the left-rear (LR) spring has a higher rate than the right-rear (RR) spring. When we accelerate, we transfer load to the rear of the car. We can cause that load to be redistributed so that the amount of bite is increased.
How does a pull bar work?
The pull bar can also absorb some of the torque going to the tires during initial application of power. By being able to move, these devices absorb some of the torque of the motor for a short period of time , usually long enough to allow the tire to adjust to the new direction of force.
Why split rear springs with softer RR?
For those cars, the rear MC is already quite high, so splitting the rear springs with a softer RR is necessary just to balance the mid-turn desires of the front and rear suspension. This is very convenient because we then have more forward bite without having to work too hard at it.
How does setup affect tires?
Most of the time, if we can keep the car from being overly tight on entry and through the middle of the turns, we can avoid the all too common tight/loose condition that causes a car to be loose off the corners. A balanced setup helps prevent this condition.
What does it mean when a dirt car takes a set?
Going into the turn, left-side weight should transfer to the right-side tires to produce side-bite, which makes the car take a set (stop sliding).
When to put weight on the right side of a car?
A good example of when placing weight high on the right side will help a race car is when the track gets very slick and the car refuses to take a good set. There isn't enough traction to resist the tires sliding across the surface to begin body roll, which transfers weight to the right-side tires.
Why do race cars need ballast?
Some racers get their cars so heavy during construction that adding weight to balance the chassis puts them way over the minimum regulated by their rules. Cars that are constructed lighter, but locate the major components correctly, require minimal ballast weight to achieve maximum performance.
Why do racers have two battery boxes?
Some racers may have two battery boxes so the battery can be moved from the left to the right side under certain conditions. Weight & Speed It takes horsepower and traction to move weight, so bolting lead on the cars means we need more of both factors to maintain the same speed.
How to run a car with no lead?
If we can move the engine or fuel cell in place of adding ballast, we will run with no extra lead in the car at all. To help accomplish this our cars are built so the fuel cell can be raised or lowered 4 inches. Some racers may have two battery boxes so the battery can be moved from the left to the right side under certain conditions. Weight & Speed It takes horsepower and traction to move weight, so bolting lead on the cars means we need more of both factors to maintain the same speed. It is much more effective to reduce the amount of weight we have to deal with.
How do fuel cells work in dirt racing?
Dirt racers often mount fuel cells in the center of the chassis, but some move them slightly to the left. In many cases, when moving these heavy components to the left they also have to be mounted higher to produce the same amount of side-bite. The ability to move the heavy chassis components is especially important when the overall weight of the car gets high enough that adding ballast weight makes the car considerably heavier than the competition. Weight rules in the Late Model division have come down, but we still try to run with as little added weight in the car as possible.
How to make a car go faster?
Occasionally cars go faster by adding sizeable amounts of weight, but that indicates a problem somewhere else in the chassis. Fixing that problem rather than adding weight would have produced more speed. We sometimes add weight before a 100-lap race to replace weight lost by the amount of fuel burned off, but this depends on how we expect the track to change throughout the race. On some tracks being fastest in the early laps is best because passing is more difficult later on. Other tracks require the car to handle best at the end of the event to win. Either way, racers have to determine how much of a change keeps them working their best without giving up too much at another point of the race. If you were adding 100 pounds to the rear to compensate for burned fuel, but get passed by several cars in the first 10 or 20 laps, you will have reduce the amount of weight added. Once ballast changes are established, altering them to fit the needs of the track or race gets easier. Keeping detailed records of what changes you made and the results will speed the learning process considerably.
LEFT SIDE WEIGHT ON DIRT
I run a Metric chassis on dirt circle track. The front upper control arms can be relocated, but everything else, (front and rear) must have stock suspension mounting points. I have recently been experimenting with higher than average Left Side weight percentages, in an effort to use ALL the contact patches on my car.
Re: LEFT SIDE WEIGHT ON DIRT
I'll add my humble opinion to that of Bubstr & rkless in the True Trac thread and say your LS isn't going to help you. Not going to argue your tire patch goal, just your setup philosophy including apparent focus on ballast placement as the primary adjustment.
Re: LEFT SIDE WEIGHT ON DIRT
It's just my opinion, but I've seen LS weights up to 60% and you give too much to get a little forward drive out of the corners. The first concept you have to grasp, is handling is a matter of forces and all forces originate from the center of mass. They are modified by your roll centers, anti squat and anti dive.
Re: LEFT SIDE WEIGHT ON DIRT
I understand that there will be a point of diminishing returns. I think that I might be at that point. That is the reasoning behind my question.
Re: LEFT SIDE WEIGHT ON DIRT
It's been my experience that adding weight low and left when the track slicks off will give you more forward drive. Dry slick tracks were my forte when I raced the SE WI dirts tracks 30 years ago.
Where should lead be mounted on a dirt car?
We may decide later on to move it out, but for now we remounted the lead in front of the rear end and high in the car. A higher center of gravity is desirable on dirt cars for dry and slick tracks.
Where is lead placed in a car?
The car builder had placed a considerable amount of lead well behind the rear end on the rear hoop that protects the fuel cell. Although fairly common, this tends to act with a cantilever effect and increases the polar moment. Polar moment is defined as a force trying to rotate or swing the rear end to the outside wall during cornering.
Is it better to put lead behind the rear end or behind the front end?
Some teams will experience a more neutral car by placing lead behind the rear end, but this is more likely a crutch for a tight car and although it helps the car into and through the turn, it will make the car loose off. It is much better to set up the car correctly and get the front to turn with a balanced spring setup and proper moment center and cambers. That way, you get into and through the turns better and still have more bite off.