Tom:
Thanks for your response. I'd like to answer your letter point by point:
>
> You said...
> You said...
> 1. Rooster tails on the salt are not from wheel spin - it is caused by
> the vacuum created behind the car. The severity of the rooster tail has
> much to do with how much loose salt is on the course. I say this because
> of experience in a low HP car that rarely spins its wheels but generally
> carries a tail from about the one mile.
>
I think some of them are. This summer, most days the salt was excellent,
with not
much loose stuff on the surface. I saw rooster tails from the tires of our
lakester
several times, as it accellerated. Usually, these diminished as the
accelleration
began to decline (an aero roost would increase with speed, wouldn't it?).
Then, I saw
on the datalogger traces corresponding large differences in front and rear wheel
speed-- and RPMs much too high for the actual vehicle speed. Clearly, the
vehicle was
spinning its drive tires when I was seeing the roostertails on acceleration--
and the
rest of the time, there was no (or negligible) "roost".
Occasionally I saw her "roost" at the big end, too. Checking the datalogger
traces
showed differences in front and rear wheelspeed at those times, and RPM jumps,
as
well. What would you say that evidence indicates?
> You said...
> 2. I am not in favor of anything that takes the absolute control of the
> car away from me for any reason. Otherwise why drive, let's put robots
> in the driver's seat. Driving is what it is all about, if it wasn't I
> doubt if many of us would bother to make the trip.
I assume you don't believe in automatic transmissions either?
Positraction?
Seriously-- I love to drive, too. But I don't believe that 300mph+ LSR
is any
place for this man against machine macho stuff. When there is so little
margin for
error, it makes sense to have the machine work with you as much as possible.
If I
thought posi would help, I'd use it. Likewise (gag, barf) an automatic trans.
If I
want to go man against machine, I'll do it in go carts or Legends cars-- they
give a
heck of a thrill-- they fight you back!-- and if you screw-up, they usually
don't kill
you for it.
> You said...
> 3. After talking to Earl Wooden, I don't believe his problem was wheel
> spin, rather, I suspect, it was extreme loading of the tires from
> applied HP that was well hooked up. The flexing of a well hooked up tire
> will create more heat than a spinning one, in my opinion. Would traction
> control correct the problem? I don't think so.
Both too much "hooked-up" tire loading and tire spin can be very
destructive.
It is true that a few of our cars probably have enough horsepower to threaten
the
tires, even if the tires are not spinning. Can't argue that.
But when Earl came by me at "the three", there were distinct salt plumes
from
his rear tires. Check the Speedvision film.
After the meet closed on Friday, I went out and examined the course
where I had
seen Earl go past our pit. Several cars had gone past that point with a lot of
wheelspin; the salt was pretty well trenched-up there. I certainly think
Earl's car
was one of them.
> You said...
> I have been doing crazy this stuff since the middle fifties. I have seen
> many changes in Safety Requirements and I applaud those that have made
> it happen. Most of our Safety Rules have been ushered in by blood, even
> lost lives, but none so far take total control of the car away from the
> driver. To quote one of Murphy's Laws, "You can't make things fool safe,
> fools are to ingenious."
Why do some folks seem to think I want a rule that mandates TC? I just
want to
eliminate the rule that outlaws it! Hot rods? Freedom? Doh. I'd also like
to point
out that not ALL fools are ingenious.
> I do appreciate your comments. I just don't think that you really
> understand what we do.
>
Do you always talk-down to the people you "appreciate"?
Russ Mack
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