6 replies to this topic

[mike1972chev]

I am currently scratch building a drag car here. Could I get some ideas,opinions on how long the wheelie bars need to be from the center line of the rear axle???  I am having an idea of them being like the 1 to 1 cars that are usually 60" inches long. I could just scale those down to size,but does that translate and work on these 1/24 cars on the track???

[Bill from NH]

Some racing groups will limit their length, so it might be a good idea to check with local racers or the rules.the run by.

[Jairus]

Rule of thumb is: If you have a 4.5 wheelbase, then 4.5 length to the wheelie bar wheels.

Of course if you go front wheel drive... no wheelie needed! 

[Dan Ebert]

I tend to run mine at 4.5 to 5 inches.   5 inches is the max allowed in most Drag Racing rule sets.   If you look around Drag racing sites and blogs.  You will find a great majority run longer bars.  I don't see many cars running scale versions.

[John Good]

Mike:

 

I'm certainly not an expert.  In my experience, the longer the better.  A longer bar allows for a finer adjustment of the height of the wheelie bar wheels, which I consider the most important adjustment on the car.  A longer bar also seems to make the car more stable and balanced when the chassis loads and unloads.  I find that my cars with longer bars are much less likely to experience wheel hop.  I set all mine right at 5" which is the maximum allowed by most tracks.  The fact that nearly all tracks set a max limit on bar length and nobody sets a minimum should tell us something.

[Phil Smith]

Of course if you go front wheel drive... no wheelie needed! 

 

That's really what slot cars with long wheelie bars are, aren't they?

[Foamy]

5" max length since 1992.
FWD cars are best with max length wheelie bars. Have rear tires off the track. Wide soft front tires. Have run low 9's with a 16D at 120 grams for a class racer.