DeTomaso Mailing List: August 97, Message #126
     



From: pantera@pobox.com (David Doddek)

Subject: RE: Drag Racing a Pantera? HUH?

Date: Mon, 4 Aug 1997 23:03:49 -0500 (CDT)



>

>>They said there was a .4 second delay in when

>

>you actually took off and when the unit started to register.  So this would

>

>mean that it was .4 seconds slow.  Ie if it read 13.4 then you ran a 13.0.  

>

>>>>No, no, I think you've got it backwards.  You leave the line.  One potato,

>two potato, then the thing starts counting.  When you arrive at the finish,

>it says you turned a 13.4.  What you actually turned was a 13.4 plus two

>potatoes, or a 13.8.  Right?  Or am I missing something here?

>

>Mike

>

>

>I though that too at first, but since this unit records a 1/4 mile starting

at the point its 

>clock starts and not from the point that you really started moving at.

Instead your 

>already moving a couple mph at the point it starts it's quarter mile.  So,

this would 

>shift all kinds of things.  You loose your off the line burst off

acceleration and at the end 

>your really going faster than what it would read (the mph you were going

when it started 

>counting). Which (now I'm getting lost) would give you a slower time, same

as how a 

>0-60 time should be faster than a 5-65 time. But even if it had a .4 sec.

delay I don't think 

>that time can be fully deducted since it stopped timing your 1/4 mile .4

sec later.

>

>I guess the main point is that it isn't timing a 1/4 distance between 2

points, rather it 

>times the distance from the point the clock starts running (32 feet per sec

per sec of 

>acceration it knows when it's covered a 1/4 mile)

>

>Curt T.

>1TO9 MPG

>

>

>



If you really want to know the reason, just try to find what magazine did

the article.  I believe it was a July issue.  All I know is that they did

the test with a car running about a 15 in the quarter.  They also said that

it read 2 mph faster than what you were doing.  Sorry for not remembering

more, but I was in a hurry that day.  Perhaps someone could go to the

library and look the old mags up and let us know.



David Doddek     pantera@pobox.com    www.pobox.com/~pantera    217-422-3722

69 EFI Fairlane, 89 T-bird SC, 74 Twin turbo NOS EFI Pantera #6825

If you are going to go fast, go real fast.





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