Massive power only works if you can put it to the ground......

I had some people ask me why the 600 hp Shelby GT 500 and the 580 hp ZL1 Camaro were only slightly faster than the 426 hp Camaro SS and the 444 hp Boss 302. By slightly I mean just a few tenths in the 1/4. The Boss 302 ran mid 12.40s and the Shelby only ran 12.20s. Ditto for the Chevys. The Camaro SS ran like 13 flat or 12.90 depending on what magazine you read, and the ZL1 only ran mid 12s. The reason is this-The Boss 302 driver could drop the clutch at 3,500-4,000 rpm and rocket off the line. The Shelby driver-even slipping the clutch at 2,200 rpm still fried the tires halfway down the track. The reason is the Supercharged engine in the Shelby had so much more bottom-end torque, and with a suspension set up for handling instead of drag racing, most of the extra power was lot in excessive wheelspin. Same for the Camaros. The SS ran best if the driver popped the clutch at 3,200 rpm. This gave just enough wheelspin to get the car moving with alarcity and get the engine up on it's torque curve. The ZL1-even with an automatic just fried the tires right off idle. A rear-wheel-drive car with 600 hp is going to fry the tires period. Drag Radials will help, but without extensive modifications to the suspension-( Which would ruin the ride and handling ) These cars will never reach their full potential in a drag race.  That's why the all-wheel-drive Nissan GTR can run 11.1 in the 1/4 with "Only" 545 hp. It has traction. It may have less hp, but it's putting every ounce of it to the ground. Mopar fans have the same problem-the 465 hp 6.4 liter SRT8 Charger isn't much faster than the 390 hp 5.7 liter R / T model. Because the extra power is eaten up in excessive wheelspin. So that's the physics lesson for today. Power is great, but only if you can put it to the ground. Mastermind