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Racing FAQ

  • What is a Funny Car?

    Funny Cars are a major category in US drag racing where quarter-mile passes of 4.8 secs and speeds of over 320mph are normal.This class grew out of the Factory Experimental (A/FX) racing in mid-1960′s America where the Detroit car makers,seeing the marketing potential of the sport,built some wild machines with altered wheelbases,set-back engines and super light bodies which still resembled production cars.But they looked “real funny” compared to their production line cousins,hence the name. Todays Fuel Funny Cars have a full space frame chassis with a front-mounted “nitro” burning,supercharged engines producing in excess of 6,000 h.p. The driver sits right behind that “beast” of an engine,legs astride the transmission,making it one of the most dangerous places in motorsport;engine explosions being quite common.The whole machine is clothed in a thin,lightweight composite one-piece body which closely resembles a late-model US car.The bodies have many aerodynamic features with wings and spoilers playing an important part in the stability and traction of these “extreme machines”.

  • What’s the best way to warm my tyres and how long will it take?

    Unless you use tyre warmers the only way is to ride along. Bearing in mind friction creates the heat, tyres can be encouraged to warm up faster by increasing the friction. So, you could run tyres at a slightly lower pressure, which would cause more deformation at the contact patch, and so create more friction. But this isn’t practical for road use. You can cause the tyre to deform more under acceleration and braking because it carries a larger load. This also creates more slip at the contact patch because the tyres aren’t just rolling along. So the quickest way to get heat into your tyres would be to ride along with the front brake dragging slightly, or to accelerate and brake heavily. This causes load at the front and rear contact patches, and more heat than simply riding along. In tests we’ve conducted with 2D non-contact temperature sensors, tyres take about 1.6-1.9 miles to reach a stable temperature with normal riding .

  • Ever thought that data-logging is too expensive?

    Not necessarily, the 2D equipment is a modular system which can be expanded as and when needed..

  • I’ve heard that you have to use expensive factory supplied sensors – how come?

    Not true! It is possible to log data without ANY sensors by using the bike’s own sensors – throttle, RPM, wheel speed etc. The easily configurable loggers and software allows any analogue, digital or CAN sensors/devices including ECU’s to be connected and calibrated quickly and simply.

  • So why don’t I just buy an ECU with internal logging?

    You could, however there are limitations. For example, the ECU’s main task is to look after the engine and therefore is compromised for logging unless you opt for a really expensive unit, which would probably be too big for bikes. Most ECU loggers have small recording capacity, few spare channels, low sample rates and generally low resolution analogue inputs. For basic logging, the ECU solution is fine and you can still take advantage of 2D’s analysing software and range of sensors, with the possibility to add more later – for more detailed analysing a dedicated logger is required. So why compromise your data logging? Start as you mean to go on by using the best available, it would work out cheaper in the long run as an added bonus!

  • Why is 2D better than some cheaper logging systems?

    You get what you pay for. Although a cheap system appears to do everything you want to begin with, they quickly become useless as you get better – as many teams will tell you. Our systems are designed for race bike needs and the developments have followed riders feedback. The software is not the same as car/kart logging alternatives, the sample rates allowed are up to 800Hz (even the smallest logs at 400Hz!), the hardware design ensures fast set-up and the sensors are small and lightweight.

  • Can I afford a 2D DATA LOGGER similar to high end Race Teams ?

    Yes. We can offer a complete system WITH sensors and software from around £2400 which gives you the same quality hardware as the MotoGP and WSB teams. The software is exactly the same, just not so much of it. You can upgrade with additional functionality at extra cost when needed.

  • I am considering data-logging, but have a need for an ECU too, what can you offer?

    2D loggers are CAN capable and will record all data from most current ECU’s so that all signals – motor and chassis – can be analysed with the same powerful 2D software. This is becoming the most economical and flexible package that allows teams to choose the best hardware available which can be carried over to another bike in the future.

  • What are the key reasons top teams use 2D?

    Very small size means ease of fitment to bikes . High channel count, logging capacity and fast sample rates . Isolated inputs allow use of existing bike sensors – saving money and setup time . Sensors and software developed for bike use – not modified from car or kart . Systems designed for future expansion – rather than forcing the purchase of new mode.