As I've stated in other posts, I'm new to cars, so I have seen a lot of people talk about cars doing "9s", "10s", "15s" etc. or saying something like "Ran 16.4 @86". What do these terms mean and what do they translate to?


My only theory was that things like "9s" or "10s" meant 9 or 10 seconds to go a quarter mile and that "Ran 16.4@86" translated to "Drove 1/4 mile in 16.4 seconds reaching a top speed of 86mph".


I have no clue if I am anywhere close on what those terms mean, but I would love to know for sure.

Also, feel free to clarify any other common terms/phrases/acronyms that it would be in my benefit to know/understand.

 

u are correct in your theory.

 

AWESOME!!!!

See that questions was read, responded to, and its response acknowledged in 7 minutes...... PERFECT

 

best thread evar.

 

Actually...

Isn't the MPH the AVERAGE near the end of the track? I'm pretty sure there's 2 traps that time how long it takes you to go that distance, and using V=D/T, determine your speed.. I think if you had a laser on a person at the 1/4 mile LINE it would be higher than the nember your time slip will show...

Or I could be wrong.

 

The speed "traps" at the end of the 1/4-mile start 66 feet before the finish line, and end at the finish line. The time slip speed is the average speed over the last 66 feet. If you do the math, for a car capable of pulling 0.2 G's at the top end (a bit generous for the average 4th Gen), the difference between the average MPH and the actual MPH at the finish line is less than 1 MPH.

http://www.nhra.com/basics/basics.html

 

Oh, ok, coolness.
Thanks