my car is pretty low with the JDM DC header. so low that last yr at the first test and tune the redlight was tripping every pass i made until i lifted my car up. so i have a few questions concerning the rule from the NHRA handbook 4.5:

Minimum 3 inches of ground clearance from front of car to 12 inches behind the centerline of the front axle; 2 inches for remainder of car, except oil pan and exhaust headers where permitted.

now my question are: does this include body parts??
if so, how are some of the pros so low, im sure some of their front chin spoilers are lower than my DC header.
other peoples cars are lower than mine yet i trip the redlight with my header??
anyone got an explanation for this???

 

The only answer is, a visual thing. The pro cars all look low, but in reality they aren't. The staging sensors are set at a certain height. The car cannot be lower than that. So even though the pro cars may appear to be lower, I think it must be an optical illusion. The sensor could care less, if it is a header or a bumper or a fender, if it clears the lights, then it clears, if it doesn't it trips the redlight. That's the only explanation I can come up with.

Clayton

 

Yes that is anything; bodywork, exhaust, oilpan, radiator...etc.
Check out a pic of my car..


My lip spoiler looks low, but it's actually 3.5"-4" all the way around.




Many of the Pro cars just look that close to the ground, because the entire chassis is low.

Low bodywork can hold the beams and artificially create more rollout. This results in a lower E.T. (with a longer reaction time). Many tracks have a third beam to prevent this (resulting in redlight).

Another cheat is having something that will dangle at the front of the car at the finishline. Instead of tripping the last beam with the front tires, you use the dangling item, effectively shortening the track by a couple of feet.

Note: generally the beams down track are higher off the ground than the at the startline. RWD vehicle could actually "jump" over the beams when the front wheels would lift at a shift. They did a little segment on the track on Inside Drag Racing.

 

well ur guys opinions is basically the same as mine. i thought about the pro cars lookin lower than they actually were too. i just thought i would make a post about it anyways to get others opinions. anyways, more opinions???