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Traction out of the hole is one of, if not
the, most defining moments of a drag race. The
answer to more traction is generally slicks,
bigger slicks and huge slicks (okay, and some
suspension tuning). What about those of us who
don't want to cut or mini tub our cars, and
there are a lot of classes that designate a
DOT-approved tire with limitations on tread
width. One way to accomplish this is to dampen,
or soften the output of the engine - yes, take
power away! Not something in most racers vocabulary
but don't worry, this only needs to do happen
for a second or less.
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One of the most common ways to control traction
(note that we did not say 'traction control')
is through the ignition timing. By retarding
the timing during the holeshot you can effectively
soften the output of the engine.
When the spark occurs later in the combustion
cycle, the force of the combustion event is
not at its peak which reduces the force applied
to the piston on the power stroke. The key is
to have this occur just long enough to get the
tires turning and hooking, then bring the timing
back to your normal run, or total, timing amount
to achieve the engine's best performance going
through the duration of the pass.
Tuning with the ignition timing is the most
common way that drag racers are using to help
hook up, but innovations continue to pop up.
The hot topic of late is a new programmable
ignition from MSD called the Programmable 7
Plus which was recently banned from all competition
in NHRA.
Walking around the pits of an NMCA event, you'll
find different accessories and controls in the
small tire cars. They all start with a high
performance CD ignition system that either has
retard functions built in it or can accept add
on accessories. The main component is a retard
control. Generally a model with multiple stages
that can be activated at independent times as
well. MSD has a Multi-Stage Retard that provides
three or four stages of retard and each step
has its own activation wire.
 NOS
offers a couple different timer controls that
can be used to activate a retard stage or other
device. The Digi-Set Switch allows you to select
an activation time within 0.1-second increments.
By incorporating an adjustable timer, such
as a Digi-Set from NOS, to activate these retards,
you can automatically activate a stage just
for a second or two to get rolling, then have
it deactivated. There are a lot of racers using
this system to their advantage but there have
been advances in technology that make it this
easier with fewer parts, and less headaches.
A prime example of where this theory is practiced
is the NMCA's EZ Street class.
EZ Street allows (or allowed) a single stage
of nitrous but is limited to a DOT-approved
tire that has a tread pattern of about 11-inches
so traction is certainly an issue. The racer
we talked with wouldn't spill the beans on how
much retard occurs or for how long but he gave
us a little glimpse.
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