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Competition Wanna improve your R/T?

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Competition Pulling trucks = NICE 'idle'!!

Competition Central PA Truck Pulls

MOUSE???

I got it down to consistant . 501's but I don't think they'll let me start my truck with a mouse button!

JohnOo.
 
I know whatcha mean John.

My times on the tester are mostly . 50s, at the track mostly . 90s



At the track R/T = YOUR reaction time + the vehicle's.



My 1 ton P/U won't move off the line like my old 400+hp '70 'Cuda with 8" slicks used to. :(
 
Can someone explain to me what Reaction time is?



It's the time from What to what?



I think that breaking the lights at the end of the staging area is when the time is cut off, but when does it start?



I've never understood the timing.



Thanks in advance,

Chris
 
Chris,



Your reaction time is based on how long it takes you to break the 8' role out. The objective on a full tree is to get as close to . 500 as possible without going under. The full tree has the bottom 3 ambers coming on . 500 seconds apart and you need to anticipate the start.
 
Thanks Stefan,



So the time starts when the last yellow comes on? And ends when you've rolled 8'?



So when do you leave with your truck (which light) and why aren't you in Vegas already?



Thanks,

Chris
 
R/T: Reaction time is how long it takes you to leave the starting line after the green is displayed. There are 3 lights on the starting line, Prestage, Stage and one more that starts the time clock when you leave the starting line. If you move to quick and break that 3rd light before the green you will redlight, move to late and you will get a bad reaction time.

The prestage tells the starter that you are preparing to go, the Stage light tells the starter the you are ready to go, the last light starts the clock to measure your ET elasped time.
 
Well this site has become so popular that it is having problems. :( Gives the old... "Bandwidth Limit Exceeded" sign.



So what kind of light is it called when you look at the tree like this... .



0-0 =prestage

0-0 = stage

-----

0-0 =yellow

0-0 =yellow

0-0 =yellow

-----

0-0 =green

-----

0-0 = red



The 3 yellow lights light up(flash) at the same time, then turn green as opposed to lighting up each yellow, by going down the line?? Do you follow?



Andrew
 
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Andrew,

I have always heard the start you describe refered to as a "Prostart, or Pro tree"

It's usually only used by faster classes, ie Pro Stock, Top Fuel, etc



HTH
 
HTH,

I figured it was for the faster classes since that's what I THINK the big boys of the NHRA use. that is the style I prefer, less to antisapate IMO.



Andrew
 
On a Pro start, all three yellows are turned on together. . 400 seconds later, the green is lit. The idea of this was to decrease red lights, particlularly with vehicles that launch hard.



On a Sportsman tree, the yellows are turned on one at a time, at . 500 second intervals, as is the green, . 500 seconds later. This system remains in place for most sportsman categories, and is useful in handicapped racing, where some anticipation is part of the fun, and can provide a starting line advantage when exploited to the fullest.



The prestage light simply warns the driver that he is approaching the stage light beam.



The stage light on the tree is illuminated when the front tire rolls into and breaks the stage light beam.



This is very important! Elapsed timing (E/T) begins when the front tire LEAVES THE STAGING LIGHT BEAM, and ends when the tire cuts the beam at the end of the 1/4 mile. NO timing is taken from the green light. A CLEAR TO GO signal is all it is. You can sit in the stage beam all day with the green bulb a-glowing, and the only timer that will be counting will be the reaction timer, which stops when you leave the stage light beam.



Reaction time is the length of time between when the last yellow is turned on by the electronic timers, and when the front tire leaves the stage beam.



A vehicle can accelerate forward (approximately 12 to 18" with a normal tire) before the green light is turned on, with the front tire still breaking the stage beam. This distance is the tire's rollout, as in, rolling out of the beam. Most vehicles take several 10ths of a second to roll out of the stage beam. It's possible to use those 10ths of a second to accelerate the vehicle while the last yellow is lit. If the green light is turned on just before the vehicle leaves the stage beam, then :D :D :D . If the vehicle leaves the stage beam before the green light is turned on, then :( :eek: :mad: :eek: :{ :{ :{



In other words, a red light is the result of accelerating forward enough to allow the stage beam to be detected by its sensor before the green light is turned on, . 500 seconds after the last yellow. It's a bad thing. A . 499 R/T gives you the red bulb. A . 500 R/T is a very good thing.



The third light beam is, I believe, strictly a guard beam to prevent 'deep staging'. I've never played with that, so I don't know much about it, except that the third beam is not involved in any timing function.



Because the bulbs used on the tree are incandescent flood lights, there is also latency in the way they illuminate when turned on.



All this means is that the green light must be anticipated.



Practice, practice, practice. A . 500 R/T is a beauty to behold.



Don't wait for the green! Or... . You snooze, you lose!
 
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Both Jeg's and Summit have these neat little practice tree things, about the size of a GameBoy. They also have computer software. Even life-size trees, and all the stuff to hook it up to your car, so you can practice while sitting in the car. Uh... did I say car? I meant to say truck... :D
 
If I remember reading it correctly, the catalog description said something about hooking a switch to the accelerator pedal... . car, er, uh, ah, I MEAN TRUCK, doesn't have to be running or moving.
 
A point that hasn't been made here is that the reaction time is the time from your brain recognizing the light is green to the neural signal actually reaching your legs/feet to release the brake (auto) or engage the clutch (manual). This is widely recognized at 0. 5 seconds.

I saw a neat demonstration of this at Western Electric in No. Adnvoer, MA, years ago. They had a car with a paint blaster (like a paintball gun) and a noise maker. You accelerate to a desired speed, then at some point you would hear a loud bang. At this point you would mash down on the brakes. The distance between the mark and the beginning of the skid divided by the vehicle speed was your reaction time. Even with your foot resting on the brake, it was not possible to have a reaction time less than 0. 5 second, because that is how long it takes for your brain to tell your feet to do their stuff.

Fest3er
 
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