Ever Thought of Trying Drag Car Racing?
By: Michael Hehn
Do you find yourself obsessively watching car racing on TV or driving to the local racetrack? Do you love tinkering with cars out in the garage, getting oil on your hands? Does the sound of a super-charged engine get your blood pumping?
Well, maybe you are the kind of person who would love to get into the hobby sport of Drag Racing. Here is some insight.
Drag car racer, Lorne Walters, worked on his drag car for over two years, making it one of the fastest cars on the strip. He even competes against cars that have a higher rated horsepower than his 1984 drag racing street car that he picked up for next-to-nothing. He collected inexpensive, used parts for it for over a year, until he finally bolted it all together and cranked the ignition.
Since then, he has put a couple of seasons of driving and fine-tuning under his belt. He explained that it is not major changes that produce big leaps in performance but many little changes over time that makes the difference between winning and losing a race.
Removing the muffler increased his engine's horsepower. Removing over three hundred pounds of non-essentials made the car lighter. Removing the belt-driven fan and replacing it with a battery-powered fan reduced the load on the engine. Changing from street tires to tires that get sticky when you lay rubber and heat them up increased his car's traction. All of these changes increased his car's speed.
When you are counting your racing time in tenths of a second, every little change brings you closer to winning.
One of Lorne's motto's to live by is, You can't learn it if you don't do it. If you want to become a better and more successful Drag Race driver, you can't just read about it or watch it, you must do it! The more you do it, and apply what you learn from the experience, the better you become.
You may not consider everything you just read to be crucial information about drag car racing. But don't be surprised if you find yourself recalling and using this very information in the next few days.
Before he ever thought of driving his own car though, Lorne joined a pit crew for a stock car driver, which allowed him to network with other enthusiasts and also get into the thick of it. Once he got bitten by the race car fever, getting behind the wheel became a driving obsession.
Consistency is also one of the major keys to winning. In Drag Racing, it isn't always the fastest car that wins, but also the one who stays consistent in doing the little things right. Good race timing scores must be repeated often.
Lorne also learned quickly that when you are on the strip, ready to go, you don't hang around waiting to be told to go. Waiting for the tree of lights to reach green-for-go cost him 1.2 seconds. Which meant that his competitor, who exploded his engine's horsepower into forward motion just prior to green, left the gate just as the tree hit green and was way out ahead of him. There is always a lag time before the car will actually burst forward.
When Lorne started out with his own car, tagging along with a successful racer who knew the circuit and all the ropes placed him car lengths beyond his competition. He also gained much of his knowledge by asking lots of questions, searching the Internet for free information, and by hands-on experience.
Drag Racing is no longer a hobby to Lorne, it is a passion a passion that pushes him from race to race throughout the season.
Maybe this could be your passion, and like Lorne, you may get some or even your entire car sponsored by local businesses.
Not sure if you would like it? Some drivers are allowed to take passengers during certain parts of the day. Why not get to know one and go for a trial spin?
Happy super-charging!
This article's coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.
How To Use Common Sense To Protect Your SUV
How To Use Common Sense To Protect Your SUV
By: Gregg Hall
These days with the price of an SUV being over $50,000 in some cases, the investment in the vehicle is second only to buying a home. If you have paid so much for something it just makes good sense to protect it. Let's look at some easy ways that you can protect your SUV from damage and theft.
Almost all SUVs now come equipped with an anti-theft device and most also have ignition disabling built in as well to prevent a would be thief from being able to drive off. If you have expensive wheels you will want to use locking lug nuts to at least slow the thieves down when they try to steel your wheels. If you insist on having spinners then you should know upfront you are setting yourself up as a target.
To protect your SUV from damage to the elements of course you should always to try to keep it in a garage or under a carport but if you have a really large SUV, it may not fit in the garage. If this is the case then you should invest in a water repellant cover for your SUV to protect the finish from damage from the sun, trees, and flying dinosaurs, I mean birds.
When you have to go to a shopping center don't try to cram your land yacht SUV into a tight space just to save a couple of steps. Park further out where you have a couple of spots on either side of you, you could probably use the exercise anyway. Just doing this one thing will help you avoid door dings and it will make you healthier at the same time.
Never park your SUV under trees. Yeah, the shade is nice, but the sap is not. In addition to the sap, you have the opportunity for the wind to blow branches onto your vehicle and then you have birds. I don't think I need to spell that out for you, do I?
Just because you are the biggest thing on the road in your Hummer or Excursion doesn't mean you have to be a road hog and drive aggressively. Drive carefully and safely to avoid getting into accidents and watch out for others driving along side of you.
Be extra careful when you are pulling through a drive-thru. I have seen the drive-thru at my local bank take out a couple of mirrors as well as leave long gashes in the side of an SUV who was in a hurry and not paying attention. You also need to be careful pulling in and out of your own garage; this is where many people damage their own SUV. Also, when you are working on your SUV in the garage be careful opening the doors, if you are like me you are probably in close quarters.
These may all seem like no brainer ideas, and really they are but you would be surprised how many otherwise intelligent people don't follow the simple instructions I just gave.
By: Gregg Hall
These days with the price of an SUV being over $50,000 in some cases, the investment in the vehicle is second only to buying a home. If you have paid so much for something it just makes good sense to protect it. Let's look at some easy ways that you can protect your SUV from damage and theft.
Almost all SUVs now come equipped with an anti-theft device and most also have ignition disabling built in as well to prevent a would be thief from being able to drive off. If you have expensive wheels you will want to use locking lug nuts to at least slow the thieves down when they try to steel your wheels. If you insist on having spinners then you should know upfront you are setting yourself up as a target.
To protect your SUV from damage to the elements of course you should always to try to keep it in a garage or under a carport but if you have a really large SUV, it may not fit in the garage. If this is the case then you should invest in a water repellant cover for your SUV to protect the finish from damage from the sun, trees, and flying dinosaurs, I mean birds.
When you have to go to a shopping center don't try to cram your land yacht SUV into a tight space just to save a couple of steps. Park further out where you have a couple of spots on either side of you, you could probably use the exercise anyway. Just doing this one thing will help you avoid door dings and it will make you healthier at the same time.
Never park your SUV under trees. Yeah, the shade is nice, but the sap is not. In addition to the sap, you have the opportunity for the wind to blow branches onto your vehicle and then you have birds. I don't think I need to spell that out for you, do I?
Just because you are the biggest thing on the road in your Hummer or Excursion doesn't mean you have to be a road hog and drive aggressively. Drive carefully and safely to avoid getting into accidents and watch out for others driving along side of you.
Be extra careful when you are pulling through a drive-thru. I have seen the drive-thru at my local bank take out a couple of mirrors as well as leave long gashes in the side of an SUV who was in a hurry and not paying attention. You also need to be careful pulling in and out of your own garage; this is where many people damage their own SUV. Also, when you are working on your SUV in the garage be careful opening the doors, if you are like me you are probably in close quarters.
These may all seem like no brainer ideas, and really they are but you would be surprised how many otherwise intelligent people don't follow the simple instructions I just gave.
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