Light Speed, Ridiculous Speed, Ludicrous Speed...

Light Speed, Ridiculous Speed, Ludicrous Speed...
By Don Terrill (c) RacingSecrets.com

I've talked in the past about changing our thinking from making incremental improvements to quantum leaps. http://blog.raceology.com/2005/01/quantum-leaps-in-performance.html

What area will give us the biggest payoff for a quantum leap?

HP = Torque * RPM / 5252

This simple formula shows us where we need to look for more Horsepower. We need to (a) increase both Torque and RPM or to (b) increase either of them without decreasing the other.

So you say to yourself, "Okay, I'll just change gears and spin the motor higher." One problem: After the Peak Torque RPM it's all down hill for Torque. Then how do we move the Peak Torque RPM up and/or keep Torque from falling off as much after the peak?

Here's my definition of Peak Torque RPM: it's the highest RPM where the engine can feed itself effectively.

So it's clear, we need an intake system that can feed the engine a larger air/fuel mix and an exhaust system able to clear the increased output of combusted gas.

Now, you hear warnings all the time about making intake/exhaust ports too big, but if the goal is to move the operating RPM range of the engine up, this is exactly what the engine needs -- bigger ports with more flow.

If you're serious about making real increases in horsepower, your number one priority has to ALWAYS be moving the RPM range up.

Of course, with this extra RPM you're going to have to find components able to handle the increased load or you're going to have to accept higher failure rates.

Now I ask you, will this be another year where you make a small incremental improvement or will you make the leap?

Extra points for those who know the movie that made the phrase "ludicrous speed" famous.

Want to send off a nasty email about how wrong I am? Well, first read this and then write your own article.

Too Complicated?

Too Complicated?
By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com

If left unchecked, products will become more complicated over time.

When thinking of how to improve a car they always think about adding something, never deleting. I'm sure many of you will agree, it might be time to start removing some of these "improvements."

A while back I had a Chevy S10 Blazer where the push button 4 wheel drive quit working. It cost me $400 to fix. Now tell me, what was wrong with the old lever for shifting the transfer case? It cost a lot less to produce and never failed. Have we become so soft that pulling a lever is consider too much work?

Toyota's huge recall because of gas pedals sticking is the most recent example of products becoming too complicated. My '69 Camaro has a rod attaching the pedal to the carburetor. Later they switched to cables. Both are very simple designs. Now Toyota and others are switching to electronically controlled throttles that add layers of complexity and new points for potential failure.

How do we keep our race cars from befalling the same fate?

(1) Think fewer moving parts - If it moves, it will eventually fail

(2) Think simplification - Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler -- Albert Einstein

(3) Think less is more -  See subtraction as a positive

(4) Ask if it's actually needed - This is the most important. Why spend time simplifying if the item is not even required.


From Wikipedia:
Feature creep is the proliferation of features in a product. Extra features go beyond the basic function of the product and result in over-complication rather than simple, elegant design.

Want to send off a nasty email about how wrong I am? Well, first read this and then write your own article.

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Recession Proof Horsepower

Recession Proof Horsepower
By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com

Does the news media have you all wigged out about the economy? Are you looking to cut costs, but still need your racing fix? Well, you can't race for free, but you sure can be smart about how and where you spend your money.

Build Affordable Horsepower:

• Only Build What You Need - The vast majority of racers will build their engine with more horsepower than required. Instead, think about how much power you need and then find the most affordable (and reliable) way to get there.
• Engine Size - If there are no restrictions on engine size, build one large enough so you don't have to put it on meltdown to make power. 400" with a flat tappet cam may be better than 350" with a roller.
• Power-Adders - Throwing reliability out the window, power-adders (nitrous, blowers, etc) can add a lot of bang for the buck. It's hard to beat the HP per Dollar of Nitrous Oxide -- in fact it's impossible.
• Airflow - Have a bunch of rules? Forced to make your horsepower the old fashioned way? Don't waste a penny on titanium rods or other nonsense. Put your money where it counts, in airflow improvements.

Build Reliable Horsepower:

The last thing you need is a blown engine when money is tight. Here are a few tips to help out with engine longevity.

• RPM - There's no bigger killer of engines than too much RPM. Don't spin the engine any harder than required to be competitive. You won't have to give up any performance if you build/tune the engine to work down low.
  
• Compression - The main problem here is the increased risk of detonation as you raise compression ratio. The lower the compression the better, but learning how to read spark plugs will help keep you out of trouble no matter what the compression.
  
• Valvetrain - If you can only afford to build the engine once, then this is no time for any aggressive valve motion. Leave the camshafts with quick ramps and a ton of lift to the rich folks. Get more air into the engine through airflow improvements, not by wilder cam lobe profiles.
  

As for financial success in this economy, I don't see anything more important than protecting your ability to earn, and one of the best ways to do that is by furthering your education -- Make yourself more valuable to the marketplace.

The same goes for your racing success, there's no better bang for the buck than educating yourself. Dummies will never find themselves in the winner's circle very often.

Want to send off a nasty email about how wrong I am? Well, first read this and then write your own article.

Racing Project Management

Racing Project Management
By Don Terrill (c) - www.RacingSecrets.com

If you're serious about racing you need to keep all of your data in one place - a project management folder if you will. Every single engine I've done has had one.

Here are some of the things I've kept in my engine folders:

• Build Sheet - All the engine specs like bearing clearance, etc.
• Part Numbers - All of them
  
• Product manuals
• Camshaft info - Cam card and Camdoctor raw data
• Piston spec sheet
• Cylinder Wall Sonic Test Results
• Flowbench Data - Cylinder Heads, Intake Manifold and Carburetor
• Cam Company Profile Listings
• Track Test Results
• Engine Simulation Software Printouts
• Spin Tron Graphs
• Fuel Testing Results - For fuel mixes and additives
  
• Receipts and Purchase Orders
  
• Photos, Drawings, Charts, etc
  
• Rule Book
• Articles - Print magazines, websites, etc
  
• Notes and Ideas for Improvement - This is the most Important
  
• Contact Info - Inside the front flap of your folder
  
• Create e folders - one in your email program and one on your desktop
  

For hardcore project management, try some of these software titles:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_project_management_software

Want to send off a nasty email about how wrong I am? Well, first read this and then write your own article.

"Best of the Best" - Raceology.com Gets 5-Stars!

"Best of the Best" - Raceology.com Gets 5-Stars!
posted by Don Terrill

Alltop.com has been one of my favorite sites for awhile now. I noticed the other day that they had added a section on auto racing. I clicked on the link expecting to see all the usual players like espn and nascar. They were both there, but then I noticed sites that I'd never heard of - interesting sites. Then, as I scrolled to the bottom of the page, I was in shock, they had listed Raceology.

I wasn't just excited because I love the alltop site, but because it was co-founded by Guy Kawasaki, one of the original Apple employees.

So what? If it wasn't for Steve Jobs and people like Guy Kawasaki, I'd be writing this post on a windows pc - I don't even want to think about it.

Thanks Alltop!