Blog — Technical Articles

Sport Compact Camshafts By Aaron Bonk Webster’s Dictionary defines the word “cam” as a disk or cylinder having an irregular form such that its motion – usually rotary – gives a rocking or reciprocating motion to any contiguous part. In other words, when rotated, a cam will impart its irregular, out-of-round or eccentric shape onto the given corresponding object. The camshaft then, is simply a rod-shaped device that hosts one or more cams and is able to react against multiple objects all at once. And while cams may be found in any number of mechanical devices ranging from furniture hardware...

PROPER AIR PRESSURE Proper air pressure is critical to the best performance of your ET Drag or ET Street racing tires. Mickey Thompson strongly suggests investing in a good tire pressure gauge and that you keep accurate and complete records of each pass. This will aid you in becoming a consistent performer. Recommending air pressure is not easy, since there are so many variables that affect it: i.e. weight distribution, transmission, chassis set-up, wheel size, etc. To help you, we have broken down the types of vehicles into the following categories with a recommended starting point for the correct air...

UNDERSTANDING THE SERVICE LIFE OF YOUR M/T TIRES DETERMINING THE AGE OF A TIRE The manufacturing date of a tire is incorporated into an 11 digit code, called a TIN (Tire Identification Number) located down by the bead of the tire. The only exception would be most Pro Drag Radials, which do not incorporate traditional TIN's. On street legal tires, the TIN is preceded by the letters "DOT". The last four numbers of the TIN represent the week and year of manufacture. In the Example below, this tire was produced the 35th week of 2008. EXAMPLE: CY1JM5FJ3508 (3508 = date...

You can't go to any large Sport Compact drag racing event without feeling the presence of this Tuesday Ten interviewee. He brings a lot to the table every time he comes to compete for his team, fans, rivals and sponsors. Thanks for your time Norris Prayoonto. #1 – What keeps you busy? Daily activities? Normal work schedule? What does a day in the life of Norris Prayoonto look like? My mornings are mostly taking care of my newborn son until about 10 or 11, then off to the shop. At the shop we are there every day working on our...

Anatomy of a racing damper The development of externally adjustable dampers, or shock absorbers, is one of the hottest areas of race car chassis engineering. The adjustments available from these dampers provide a quick, simple method of changing the behavior of the car in transitions and over rough pavement. Adjustable dampers can also provide the combination of a smooth ride for daily driving and firmer damping for competition driving simply by rotating an adjuster. There are two common types of adjustments available. This article will focus on the physics behind the results produced from each type of adjustment. We will...