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Registered: 03/25/2008 Posts: 2,526 |
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Registered: 03/25/2008 Posts: 2,526 |
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Posts: 347 |
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I feel getting more diesel tractors in the LSS would definitely get the crowd into the show! There is nothing like a rivalry of smoke vrs booze.
But the diesels are at a major disadvantage! If they were perfectly even why has everyone went away from diesels!? One big difference is cost per pass. A competitive 505 dss is probably double or triple an alcohol super. Not saying an alcohol super doesn't break or is cheap. But it definitely is much less work and $. Most dss tractors have catastrophic engine failure more than once a year. I know there is the argument that the Ross tractor never breaks, has any issues, and runs maintenance free. That is absolutely not the norm. The Ross family definitely has everything figured out in the motor department! Cost of initial build a dss motor is much much more expensive. Scream a lss diesel up around 6,000 rpm 300+ pounds of boost 5+ gallons of water 3 gallons of fuel. You are injecting the fuel while the piston is still on its way up. This builds astronomical cylinder pressure. To get a motor to take this you have to build everything at a different level than an alcohol tractor. Everything about the diesel motor is much more expensive from rods to fuel system. Weight of building a diesel is a disadvantage in lss. Due to the recast blocks, recast heads, billet steel rods, solid steel wrist pins, heavier pistons, billet crank shaft, having to tie the recast block together, and a bigger fuel- water system a diesel motor weighs much more than an alcohol. This takes more weight off of the nose of the tractor. Most diesel teams can not afford the weight of the HP tires and have to run ragged 8 plys. Less weight on the nose and no HPs = a wilder ride and less gription. The other issue is traction control. Diesel motor does not have traction control. You can not tune a Diesel motor to run low rpms off the line and then maintain certain rpms the rest of the run. Diesel tractors need to be close to full tilt to make it off the line. On very hard tracks with no bite this is a major advantage for the alcohol tractors. It also keeps the alcohol motors from over revving and causing damage. Joe Degenhardt does run very hard in the lss with his diesel. He even won a grand national hssd last year. With as hard as he runs and as good of a tractor that he has it still has not been that close the past two years. Seems to be around 30 feet behind the leader. Not taking anything away from Joe as Wisconsin has grand national caliber state level tractors in lss. Joe also melted it down in a ball of fire twice last year in the lss. He doesn't seem to be holding anything back. So it would be nice to get Joe's opinion on what it would take to get the diesel tractors competitive! I truly feel getting more diesel tractors in lss would improve the show greatly!!! I don't know what it would take to to get them to be competitive. Be it weight or cubes. But they are not competitive enough as they sit now. I know some people would argue that its not really a win if your given an advantage. But it would be good for the show to have smoke vrs booze back!!! 
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