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(Article
begins on the Tech, Tests & Installs page HERE)
For
years (since I’ve owned the Dodge
in 1995) I’ve used a 10” converter from Brand
X that stalled at 4,900 with my combination. If I shallow-staged
the Dodge, I was able to hit the tree well, but not great.
A number of years ago I tried a 9” converter from
Brand Y. The Dodge flew like a bat out of Hell. It immediately
went from running 10.90s to 10.70s at over 2 mph faster,
but it would not hit the tree to save its life. Testing
on a .500 Pro tree, the best I could get out of it was
an .080. Yes, the car was flying alright,
flying right back to the trailer after 1st round every
week. I took the 9” out, went back to the 10”
inch and dealt with it.
Being
that
I don’t know the intricacies of torque converters,
I consulted with some fellow racers who said my experience
was no surprise, that the best-reacting converter for
my application (a relatively heavy car, pure footbrake,
low compression, pump gas) was a 10”, because it
has the momentum to get the car moving quickly. "A
smaller converter," said they, "would just not
do it." Maybe you've heard this, maybe not, and while
each car is different it sounded reasonable to me so I
accepted it as fact.
Jump
ahead to 2010.
If you’re a regular visitor to The Dragtime
News, you’ve no doubt noticed that ATI
Performance Products has become a supporter.
In addition, however, they've also become friends. I was
on the phone with them recently and described my experience
with the 9” and what I had been subsequently told.
The conversation went something like this:
Me:
“So let me ask you, I was told that a 10”
converter is the only way to hit the tree with a heavy
car in a footbrake application.”
ATI:
“Where’d you get that? Our 8” TreeMaster
is the converter of choice for many Stock Eliminator
cars, will go 2-tenths quicker and 2 mph faster than
your 10”, and will drill the tree.”
Me:
“Drill the tree staged dead-shallow, on a .500
Pro tree?”
ATI:
“We’re sure it’ll do everything
you need it to do.”
I
needed to see for myself. I filled out ATI's detailed
questionnaire and spoke with a tech adviser. I ordered
the converter, installed it and took it to the track.
The results were amazing, and are documented below. Racers,
there are companies out there whose claims are valid,
and this proves it. If you see me at the track, feel free
to speak with me about my experience. I cannot wait for
the 2011 season thanks to my ATI 8” TreeMaster converter.
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Below
is a time slip from US13 Dragway, when the Dodge had the
10" converter; this
was the first time-shot on Thursday. |
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DATE:
September 16th, 2010 / 10" converter
TRACK:
US13 Dragway, Delmar, DE
Temperature:
80°
Humidity:
72%
Barometer:
30.14"
Density
Altitude:
2,258'
Wind:
low head
Sky
conditions:
sunny
Launch
RPM:
3500
Reaction:
.027
60
ft.:
1.489
ET
@ MPH:
10.957 @ 120.74
Notes:
Staged dead-shallow.
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That's
my baseline run, and will be used to compare the ATI 8"
TreeMaster. |
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After
the Bracket Finals, I took the Dodge to STR Transmissions
in Stillwater, NJ to swap out the 10" converter for
the 8" ATI TreeMaster. Hey, New Jersey
looks pretty nice, doesn't it? |
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We
got the Dodge on the lift and ready for surgery. |
This
is Steve Gillan, owner of STR Transmissions.
Steve's a racer himself and has decades of experience building
racing transmissions |
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Steve's
not some drop & swap kind of guy. He has tons of know-how
and a real eye for detail, and if anything didn't look right
he'd know. |
It's
so cute! This cuddly little ATI TreeMaster 8" converter
has found a new home. |
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| Steve
installs the TreeMaster into my Torqueflite, and then measures
clearances. This is an important step, as the depths are
critical for transmission, converter and crankshaft health
& happiness. |
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Dodge
reassembled, engine running, fluid level checked. Time to
load the car up and get to Englishtown for testing. |
On
the way to the track I was behind this thing. I have no
idea what it is. No windows, only a door and an air conditioner.
Just a place to keep the vampires cool. |
On-Track
Testing
Here
are the time slips with the new 8" ATI TreeMaster:
two at Englishtown, two at Island Dragway. What a brutal
beast the Dodge is now, considering it's still just a low-compression,
pump gas 440. The Englishtown testing was done on a .500
Pro tree at night. Therefore, I thought perhaps the Pro
tree at night might be leading to quicker-than-reality reaction,
so the next step was Island Dragway during the day, but
that had no negative effect; the Dodge is still reacting
like gangbusters, and is just charging all the way down
the track. |
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DATE:
September 29th, 2010 / 8" ATI TreeMaster
TRACK:
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Temperature:
72°
Humidity: 75%
Barometer: 30.05"
Density Altitude: 1,587'
Wind: calm
Sky conditions: dark
Launch RPM: 3,200
Reaction: .006
60 ft.: 1.438
ET @ MPH: 10.622 @ 124.52
Notes:
Staged dead shallow, .500 Pro tree.
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DATE:
September 29th, 2010 / 8" ATI TreeMaster
TRACK:
Old Bridge Township Raceway Park
Temperature:
68°
Humidity:
91%
Barometer:
30.07"
Density
Altitude: 1,383'
Wind:
calm
Sky
conditions: dark
ET
@ MPH:
10.642 @ 124.48
Notes:
Staged dead shallow again, .500 Pro tree.
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DATE:
October 17th, 2010 / 8" ATI TreeMaster
TRACK:
Island Dragway
Temperature:
59°
Humidity:
59%
Barometer:
29.51"
Density
Altitude: 987'
Wind:
low / medium tail
Sky
conditions:
sunny
ET
@ MPH:
10.603 @ 125.00
Notes:
Staged dead-shallow, .500 Full tree.
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DATE:
October 17th, 2010 / 8" ATI TreeMaster
TRACK:
Island Dragway
Temperature:
67°
Humidity:
47%
Barometer:
29.41"
Density
Altitude:
1,691'
Wind:
medium tail
Sky
conditions:
sunny
Reaction:
.013
60
ft.:
1.430
ET
@ MPH:
10.617 @ 125.03
Notes:
Staged dead-shallow, .500 Full tree. Lowered the launch
RPM by 200 to 3,000.
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Summary:
as you can see in the above time slips, the ETs with the
8" ATI TreeMaster converter were more than 2-tenths
quicker than with the 10" (taking into account the
wind and air temperature in the baseline run), and the reaction
is killer. So much for the myth about not being able to
hit the tree while footbraking with an 8" converter.
This
photo shows the end result : the Dodge proudly wearing its
new ATI TreeMaster stickers as I put it away for the winter,
now ready and waiting for the 2011 season.
Sources:
ATI Performance Products, Baltimore, MD;
www.atiracing.com.
STR Transmissions, Stillwater, NJ; 973-579-2055
or on Facebook. |
UPDATE
11/7/2011: up until now I hadn't been back to US13 Dragway
to see how the 8" Treemaster compared to the 10"
converter at the same track. Below is a comparison. |
US13
Dragway, September 16th, 2010; 10" converter. |
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DATE:
September 16th, 2010 / 10" converter
TRACK:
US13 Dragway, Delmar, DE
Temperature:
80°
Humidity:
72%
Barometer:
30.14"
Density
Altitude:
2,258'
Wind:
low head
Sky
conditions:
sunny
Launch
RPM:
3500
Reaction:
.027
60
ft.:
1.489
ET
@ MPH:
10.957 @ 120.74
Notes:
Staged dead-shallow.
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US13
Dragway, September 21st, 2011; 8 " ATI TreeMaster converter. |
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DATE:
September 21st, 2011 / 8" converter
TRACK:
US13 Dragway, Delmar, DE
Temperature:
78°
Humidity:
91%
Barometer:
30.21"
Density
Altitude:
2,121'
Wind:
low head
Sky
conditions:
cloudy
Launch
RPM:
3400
Reaction:
.003
60
ft.:
1.470
ET
@ MPH:
10.692 @ 124.32
Notes:
Staged dead-shallow. Note the difference in humidity.
I don't know about your car, but humidity kills the Dodge.
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