A race Mustang's weight is always a concern, and racers can take many different routes to lighten their cars or, using racing vernacular, "put the car on a diet." The engine in the Orme brothers' '88 coupe is a great example of how lightweight G-line XF hose by Goodridge [PN Hose 910; www.goodridge.net; (877) 676-3277] can be used as part of a race car's weight-loss program. This stuff is super lightweight when compared with traditional, steel-braided hose. For example, while AN -10 braided fuel line weighs 0.2352 pound per foot, the same size G-Line XF is only 0.1351 pound per foot. With its smooth-bore liner, it has outstanding resistance to pressure and markedly higher flow rates than standard hoses. It's definitely an item to consider when it's time to plumb your 'Stang.
Believe it or not, information or raw data is critical to any drag-race program. Variables such as weather conditions, engine/driveshaft speed, amount of boost, fluid and gas temperatures and pressures, chassis setup, and track all have a direct impact on how well or how poorly a Mustang gets down the track. All these variables should be recorded in some manner before, during, and after each pass. Here are a few data-capturing tools we think stand out, and we strongly believe every racer must have at least one of them.
Here's where it all starts. Keeping thorough, accurate notes in a racing logbook is the simplest and least expensive form of data recording. Logbooks are available from Jegs (www.jegs.com) or Summit (www.summitracing.com), and many sanctions even pay contingency bucks for winning racers who use them. Entry-level Mustang racers should start with a logbook to become familiar with the type of information that's commonly referred to throughout the racing season.
Hard-core Mustang drag racers in all of the quicker, naturally aspirated and power-adder-assisted heads-up categories track a bevy of detailed data points about their cars after each pass, and the full-on data logger helps them do it. After evaluating the DL-32 data logger (PN DL-32) by Innovate Motorsports [(949) 502-8400; www.innovatemotorsports.com], we knew it belonged on our must-have list. This logger works in conjunction with Innovate's wideband O2 meters and definitely does it all. It has 32 channels of data-logging capability (rpm, MAP, vacuum, boost, EGT, acceleration/braking g's, and such) and LogWorks 2.0 analysis software that provides 3D charting and features a sweet math engine. The math engine can be used to create custom tuning programs (EFI and carbureted) because of its ability to determine peak volumetric efficiency at any rpm or load. In other words, LogWorks 2.0 is so bad-ass it can tell you not only what your air/fuel ratios are, but also what they should be. That's big when you look at it from a tuning perspective. In our book, any opportunity to stay away from the lean mixture is a good opportunity.
Auto Meter's [(815) 899-0800; www.autometer.com] Ultimate II Dual-Channel Playback tachometer (PN 6884) is a great example of the next level of data capturing and should be considered by racers competing in classes where clutches and stick transmissions are prevalent, such as NMRA's Pure Street and Real Street, as well as several other classes. The Ultimate II records both engine and driveshaft rpm, which can be replayed directly on the tach immediately after a pass, or downloaded to a laptop, where data can be reviewed in graph form using the Tach-Facts software that's included. The graphing capability of the program allows a racer to highlight any point of elapsed time during any of the four total runs that can be recorded. Detail areas of a graph-such as engine and driveshaft rpm at shift points, driver's shift response, and the top-end rpm as the car passes through the lights-can be isolated and saved to compare with other passes. The Tach-Fact software can process and display graphs of engine and driveshaft rpm together or separately, and the ratio between both, which can be a big help to a racer trying to sort out traction issues or clutch/converter slipping. Engine and driveline information is a big part of a racer's overall data scheme. This tachometer is one of the best parts available for capturing that driveline information.