What's a Good Reaction Time?

[HEMI-ITIS]

I can't cut a tree with a chainsaw

 

[bobtile]

Here's a couple good ones and a bad one.
Get somewhere in between.

 

[440 4 speed]

I only raced on Street Legal Nights, and not often. My best was in a fully loaded 1968 300 2dr TNT, all stock with A/C. .001 light I think 14.98 and 94 mph.
One son has a few .000 lights through the years, other son has .000 light. Our Grandson in JR. Street had .002, .001 and a .000 in the same season. This is when he started racing when he was 13 years old. He also won class championship.
His older sister also won the class while she was in JR.Street. Once I get the car done, my plan is to do street legal and get a .000 light. Maybe hard to do in a 4 gear, but might have to do it in an auto with less power.

 

[biomedtechguy]

For me, I "get the beat" or the timing of the yellow lights in my head, and go on the last yellow.
I'm not sure why, I don't know if their yellow lights were timed differently? (I don't know if that's possible?) but I usually cut a decent RT except at Brainerd!
I couldn't get a reasonable much less good RT there, not once.
The last time I ran a car at the track was my wife's GTO right after I had the Rochesters in the Tripower heavily professionally modified by a Pontiac legend in Wisconsin. It was the first time using the line lock for burnouts to heat the Toyo Proxes TQ drag radials, and the idle speed was a little low, no tach (at the time) basically I was distracted.
I still beat the wheels off a newer Camaro.

 

[dvw]

This reminds me of when I coached youth hockey. I asked the kids what's the best check? Most replied when the flattened their opponent. The real answer is when they came away with the puck alone. R/T is the same. What is the best? .000? No , its when it was good enough to get the win. .000 is a poor job of red lighting. A consistent string of lights near or below the others in your class turns on the win light. Very seldom is someone's light better than .02x for every run in an event.
The pinnacle of R/T is big dollar bracket racing.
Doug

 

[440rb]

Our best is an 0.02>.0.03 generally .015's>.025's....Deep stage and add some to your dial if brkt racing for better RT's but you better get it right as you'll red easier.

 

[LemonWedge]

I feel like I’ve done my job if I can be somewhere between .010 & .025.
.00X is too close to an instant loss for my liking, and will generally get into your head in the next rd.
.014 & dead-4; taking .015.... that’s my idea of a perfect time slip.

 

[66Satellite47]

Bracket racing is tough. .010-.025 wins most "no box" races if the car consistently runs the number. With enough experience I tried real hard to not to allow a .00x light "get in my head". If I was in the "zone" after a few rounds, I was likely to win the race. My car was very consistent. Around .01-.02 RT would usually win for me, but sometimes the other guy does better. I lost many rounds with .02 or better RT & .01 over dial. That's racing.

 

[Frustration]

50 hits on the full tree this afternoon and 100 on pro. Same 350 rollout. The pro hits keep you honest
DougView attachment 981687 View attachment 981688

Doug, Loved seeing this. I used to do the same thing when I was racing more frequently. I would run 100 rounds per day and would record the outcome on an index card. The practice tree I use has an .030 as the number to beat (when racing the computer). I used to try to go .000, but learned that trying to go .015 would get me more wins with less red lights. I was beating myself, by going red, more than I lost to a slow light. By trying to go .015, an early reaction would be a very good light, and a late one would still be in the .030-.040 range...still winnable around here in some rounds. Now that my son has been driving more than me, I haven't been as diligent on the tree. Hoping to get the car out some this season as Tommy is heading to Penn State next week. I get my seat back!

 

[Frustration]

...another thing I learned is that taking Advil during the race day made my reaction times go away. Same for allergy meds. I would have a terrible time focusing on the tree after taking Advil.

 

[dvw]

Completed 1600 hits last week before going to Columbus. So my results after last weeks marathon practice session. Not what I had envisioned. 6 between .036-.052. Went deep on purpose Saturday as the competition was tough. Went .007 deep. Then .021 red the next rd. The lights were consistent , but slow. Now that I look back my lights have been about .030 slow since the conveter was swapped. The original converter is back from being serviced. So it's going back in.
Doug

 

[NSS Guy]

Completed 1600 hits last week before going to Columbus. So my results after last weeks marathon practice session. Not what I had envisioned. 6 between .036-.052. Went deep on purpose Saturday as the competition was tough. Went .007 deep. Then .021 red the next rd. The lights were consistent , but slow. Now that I look back my lights have been about .030 slow since the conveter was swapped. The original converter is back from being serviced. So it's going back in.
Doug

what did your homemade data logger show?

 

[33 IMP]

I don't know what a good reaction is, but I know a bad one.
I went one whole season at my local track and didn't lose a race to another racer all season!




Redlight every damn race, either early or late round. Made for a lot of shitty drives home.

 

[66Satellite47]

I don't know what a good reaction is, but I know a bad one.
I went one whole season at my local track and didn't lose a race to another racer all season!




Relight every damn race, either early or late round. Made for a lot of shitty drives home.

For me it took time to win a few rounds, then win a race. A couple more years before I would win often enough. Still driver sure lost more than my car ever did. Red lights got me a lot more than I wished.

 

[Dibbons]

I was bracket racing in the mid 1970's at Fremont Raceway and don't remember ever having red-lighted. I think at that time they had gone to one or two yellow lights. I always reacted when the last yellow lit, whether it was one or two yellows, I am not sure. And I can't find any photos online of close-ups of the christmas tree at Fremont (AKA Baylands) circa 1975 or so. My memory is a little bit fuzzy with the details.

 

[NSS Guy]

It's easy, lol
I would much rather be lucky than good
Check the MOV's close raciing

 

[66Satellite47]

Being lucky is very fun! Bad luck sucks. Losing a coin flip into the final is no fun. Lost the flip then lost in the semi's by .01. Then the coin flip winner couldn't make the run in the final. $3000 difference for me!

 

[Dibbons]

At Fremont, circa 1975 I placed once in the 13 second bracket during a Sunday meet. My second place finish netted me a check for $35.00.

 

[Mike Gaines]

All the info below relates ONLY to the .400 or .500 PRO TREE not a full
Sportman's Tree.
The picture of the time slip below is of my last run of my 6 runs at the NHRA 2020 March Meet at Famoso (Bakersfield) to get my NHRA Competition License. (9.99 or quicker)
This .008 was on a .400 Pro Tree NOT a Full Sportsman Tree.
I am 78 years old so age has nothing to do with Reaction Times...LOL..
I firmly believe that the real key to a great reaction time on the Pro Tree is:
#1) Big Tires...like 14" wide or more
#2) Trans Brake (a good one) with button adjusted for quickest release.
#3) Light Car...like 3000lbs or less
#4) Ladder Bars or 4 Link rear suspension
#5) If "Deep Staging" is not allowed, then stage as deep as you can without turning off the top bulb and disqualifying yourself.
#6) Pop the Trans Brake button the instant you see anything ORANGE on the tree.
When I was running my Coronet the car weighed 3800lbs on the starting line, only had 11.25" wide slicks and had Cal Trac Rear suspension. For the life of me I could not get a light below .100 (on the .400 Pro Tree) and most were like .150 range. I finally figured out it was not me....it was the CAR that was slow to react.
When I got into my 64 HEMI car it had all the required items listed above and my reaction times were BEST of .008 and slowest of .035)...most in the low .020's for 13 passes down the track. (I did have 1 -.004 Red Light.)
PLUS: I don't think the actual setup of your Ladder Bars or 4 Link really comes into play for a big part in REACTION TIME on the PRO Tree as we are only talking about the first few inches of the run. Even if your Ladder Bars or 4 Link aren't getting you the best launch, that incorrect, or correct, setting only comes into play AFTER you have recorded a fraction of a second in reaction time.
Nuff said on my part for what it is worth.

 

[33 IMP]

It's easy, lol
I would much rather be lucky than good
Check the MOV's close raciing

View attachment 988593 View attachment 988594

The calculator I use, says that .0063 MOV was about a foot, the .0001 calculates out to a quarter of an inch.