This a topic that I commented on recently that needs its own thread. Whenever I go and watch ametures race street cars, I notice that almost none practice the art of shallow staging. Correctly shallow staging takes practice and finesse, and can help your et out a lot.
What is shallow staging? It is the practice of BARELY breaking the 'staged' beam, or the 2cnd beam. This, in effect, gives you a longer 'running start' before you leave the 2cnd beam, or the timing beam. Almost EVERYONE I see at the strip in a street car needs help with this. Want better et's? Stage it shallow- shallow as possible. In essence, what shallow staging gives you is a "running start" before your front tires come out of the timing beam, or the "staged" beam(the 2cnd beam). The more shallow you stage, the greater your speed will be when your front tires come out of the timing(staged) beam, the beam which activates the et clock. If you roll too far forward, your front tires will come out of the first(pre-staged) beam, and the prestaged light on the tree will go dark. This practice, called deep staging, can help your reaction time(especially on a pro tree), but will give you less rollout, or travel before the clock starts. The bottom line is the bigger the running start you get before the clock is activated, the better your et will be. Know it. Practice it. Live it.
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02 S281E

 

DUH !!! j/k. thatll prolly help a lot of people out. btw.....u really race a top fuel dragster ?? wut kind of engine ? cubes ? hp ? tq ? info is needed. haha

 

So i guess 3 inches makes that big of difference? How much we talking? Lets say on a 14 sec ride is it really worth it?

 

It's always worth it.
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02 S281E

 

It's always worth it.


Brad Anderson motor, 500ci, around 8000 hp
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02 S281E

 

I always shallow stage, that way I know the car is staged the same every time. Birdieman is right ,it's always worth it. Also alot of people will run a bigger front tire to get the same effect.

 

Really ... hmmm !!! Think ill do this next time i go. i have really never paid any attention to it i just stage and get ready..

 

well I think you car tells you how to stage as some cars react slower than others me et;s don't mean much if I run faster and you put me on the trailer with me have a slow light.. i see many a car braking out by a few thousands because they stage shollow

 

Vfast I agree if you are actually racing brackets, but alot of these guys here are just trying ti get the best time out of their cars. I find that staging shallow is the best way for me to get consistant times, I know the car is in the same place every time.

 

I'm not comfortable enough at the tree to shallow stage, get the rpms up and ride the clutch out without dumping it or falling asleep at the light.

Although, I do recall on my best run I kept rolling back just ever so slightly and disabling the 2nd light & I was really pissing off the guy next to me.