MORAN TURBOS TO THE FIVES
Wed, 2009-03-18 08:00
Turbocharged Pro Modified Racer Mike Moran’s Relentless Pursuit of
Excellence …
Mike Moran goes to the starting line knowing his Pro Modified has more
horsepower than anyone he lines up against.
The Pro Modified racer from Taylor, Mich., recently made his first five-second run, blasting down the quarter-mile in Valdosta, Ga., to a 5.973 at 250.41 miles per hour.
Those familiar with the Pro Modified class would argue that these volatile doorslammers are already on the verge of striking the 5.7-second barrier; what has taken him so long? Turbocharged Pro Modified Racer Mike Moran’s Relentless Pursuit of Excellence …
Mike Moran goes to the starting line knowing his Pro Modified has more
horsepower than anyone he lines up against.
The Pro Modified racer from Taylor, Mich., recently made his first five-second run, blasting down the quarter-mile in Valdosta, Ga., to a 5.973 at 250.41 miles per hour.
Those familiar with the Pro Modified class would argue that these volatile doorslammers are already on the verge of striking the 5.7-second barrier; what has taken him so long?
The supercharged cars ran their first five back in 2002, the nitrous cars last season and for Moran, he became the first to push a turbocharged doorslammer into the fives.
If he’d have had a say in the matter, the feat would have come a few years ago.
He always had the power to run five seconds but the progressive nature of turbocharged horsepower kept him at bay.
“It’s progressive power, it’s not instantaneous like a belt or nitrous,” Moran explained. “Nitrous instantaneously makes the tires round and turbo, it’s a gradual build up. It’s a progressive power and that’s the evil. As it comes on you have to find a way to get that power out quicker.”
Moran estimates that he’s only able to tap into the 3600 horses in the last 100 feet of the quarter-mile. He believes that off of the line to mid-range he’s maybe only able to tap into half of that if he’s lucky.
A professional engine builder by trade, Moran uses a twin-turbo system on a 572 cubic inch engine. He’s very much aware that a smaller engine would be friendlier but it’s the second half of the track sacrifice that would be the tough pill to swallow for Moran.
Moran ran a 598 last year and a broken crank led to downsizing to the 572.
“I’m working my way down because the torque is my problem, that’s the evil that I fight,” Moran admitted. “I think it [going smaller displacement] would be better, although I don’t want a learning curve at this point.
“It takes so much more power just to gain the last two tenths. It really isn’t easy to get that horsepower that late because you are down about 500 horsepower. That’s a lot. So, just to go a little bit faster doesn’t take just a little more power, it takes a lot.”
This kind of a combination usually relegates Moran to middle of the pack qualifier and that doesn’t bother him because his tendency of laying down quick reaction times works in his favor.
“When the number ten spot is only seven hundredths away from the number one, I’m okay because I’m usually in the double zeros or the teens on the lights and I can make it up,” Moran added. “I’ve always been known for great reaction times so I can make it up. I just have to be close, I don’t have to be number one and I don’t have to have an advantage. I’m happy with being in the middle, I’m going to strive to be number one but it’s going to take a little while.”
Moran’s five-second accomplishments have relaxed him considerably but done nothing to decrease his drive to match elapsed times run-for-run with his supercharged and nitrous counterparts. Chasing the plateaus can seem like stop and go traffic for Moran.
“I was very relieved because it’s been a struggle for a very long time,” Moran said of the first five second run. “I was just super relaxed at that point. I have been trying for a long time and it’s been a money issue just to go out. Then I go out and I’m starting to get some headway and then I have to park it for the next couple of months because I have work to take care of and money to earn. Then when you go back out there it’s like you start all over again, it’s not like you pick up where you left off.”
Each time he returns, the exorbitant amounts of horsepower just aren’t enough for him.
He’s pondered every which way to create more horses with smaller inches including nitromethane. The volatility of nitromethane combined with the already stressed budget he races on makes an idea neat to think about but realistically filed away somewhere on a bucket list of things to do when he has an unlimited budget.
“I’m almost afraid to try it because it would be another learning curve on top of what I’ve already got,” Moran said. “I’ve already got too much torque down low and all the nitro would do is bang the torque number way up. I’d say I’m better off just working with the combination I have rather than adding another power solution to it and just complicating matters.”
Mike Moran goes to the starting line knowing his Pro Modified has more
horsepower than anyone he lines up against. The Pro Modified racer from Taylor, Mich., recently made his first five-second run, blasting down the quarter-mile in Valdosta, Ga., to a 5.973 at 250.41 miles per hour.
Those familiar with the Pro Modified class would argue that these volatile doorslammers are already on the verge of striking the 5.7-second barrier; what has taken him so long? Turbocharged Pro Modified Racer Mike Moran’s Relentless Pursuit of Excellence …
Mike Moran goes to the starting line knowing his Pro Modified has more
horsepower than anyone he lines up against. The Pro Modified racer from Taylor, Mich., recently made his first five-second run, blasting down the quarter-mile in Valdosta, Ga., to a 5.973 at 250.41 miles per hour.
Those familiar with the Pro Modified class would argue that these volatile doorslammers are already on the verge of striking the 5.7-second barrier; what has taken him so long?
The supercharged cars ran their first five back in 2002, the nitrous cars last season and for Moran, he became the first to push a turbocharged doorslammer into the fives.
If he’d have had a say in the matter, the feat would have come a few years ago.
He always had the power to run five seconds but the progressive nature of turbocharged horsepower kept him at bay.
“It’s progressive power, it’s not instantaneous like a belt or nitrous,” Moran explained. “Nitrous instantaneously makes the tires round and turbo, it’s a gradual build up. It’s a progressive power and that’s the evil. As it comes on you have to find a way to get that power out quicker.”
Moran estimates that he’s only able to tap into the 3600 horses in the last 100 feet of the quarter-mile. He believes that off of the line to mid-range he’s maybe only able to tap into half of that if he’s lucky.
A professional engine builder by trade, Moran uses a twin-turbo system on a 572 cubic inch engine. He’s very much aware that a smaller engine would be friendlier but it’s the second half of the track sacrifice that would be the tough pill to swallow for Moran.
Moran ran a 598 last year and a broken crank led to downsizing to the 572.
“I’m working my way down because the torque is my problem, that’s the evil that I fight,” Moran admitted. “I think it [going smaller displacement] would be better, although I don’t want a learning curve at this point.
“It takes so much more power just to gain the last two tenths. It really isn’t easy to get that horsepower that late because you are down about 500 horsepower. That’s a lot. So, just to go a little bit faster doesn’t take just a little more power, it takes a lot.”
This kind of a combination usually relegates Moran to middle of the pack qualifier and that doesn’t bother him because his tendency of laying down quick reaction times works in his favor.
“When the number ten spot is only seven hundredths away from the number one, I’m okay because I’m usually in the double zeros or the teens on the lights and I can make it up,” Moran added. “I’ve always been known for great reaction times so I can make it up. I just have to be close, I don’t have to be number one and I don’t have to have an advantage. I’m happy with being in the middle, I’m going to strive to be number one but it’s going to take a little while.”
Moran’s five-second accomplishments have relaxed him considerably but done nothing to decrease his drive to match elapsed times run-for-run with his supercharged and nitrous counterparts. Chasing the plateaus can seem like stop and go traffic for Moran.
“I was very relieved because it’s been a struggle for a very long time,” Moran said of the first five second run. “I was just super relaxed at that point. I have been trying for a long time and it’s been a money issue just to go out. Then I go out and I’m starting to get some headway and then I have to park it for the next couple of months because I have work to take care of and money to earn. Then when you go back out there it’s like you start all over again, it’s not like you pick up where you left off.”
Each time he returns, the exorbitant amounts of horsepower just aren’t enough for him.
He’s pondered every which way to create more horses with smaller inches including nitromethane. The volatility of nitromethane combined with the already stressed budget he races on makes an idea neat to think about but realistically filed away somewhere on a bucket list of things to do when he has an unlimited budget.
“I’m almost afraid to try it because it would be another learning curve on top of what I’ve already got,” Moran said. “I’ve already got too much torque down low and all the nitro would do is bang the torque number way up. I’d say I’m better off just working with the combination I have rather than adding another power solution to it and just complicating matters.”
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