For 2020 the NHRA has come out with some pretty significant rule changes with regards to Pro Mod chassis and more. These new rules are intended to combat some of the recent issues with parts on cars exploding and coming into the cockpits, as well as crashing and having parts and pieces coming toward the driver. The nice thing about rules changes is ever increasing safety for drivers and crews, but they can sometimes cause a lot of confusion and cost a lot to implement. There are a lot of new rules that have come into effect, but this particular video from Tim McAmis is talking about the new regulation that says a transmission must be sealed from the driver. Basically that means a transmission tunnel is required. Sounds like a logical rule, and one that non-racers would assume was already in place, but it wasn’t.
As Tim explains, these cars have been setup with a belly pan underneath the transmission to seal the driver’s compartment from the outside elements, but that transmission and driveline was open to the driver’s compartment up top. The transmission itself was required to be SFI approved for containment, the driveline had to be equipped with loops and a shield, but it was all just hanging out there. When nothing goes wrong that’s all good, but with the ever increasing power potential that these cars are achieving and the stresses on transmissions, this was a necessary change. Not a cheap or necessarily easy one, but still a smart move.
I appreciate his no nonsense no bullshit way of explaining things. I can’t believe it took this long for them to mandate a tunnel. Good video.
I agree this is something that should have been done long ago. This should not only be in NHRA cars but also in cars like RVW. My only concern is the cost to upgrade this, and the other changes. Drag racing at this level has never been cheap but the cost could could sideline some very good racers. I looked up the cost of the carbon tunnel that McAmis sells and it $1,299.
Not as cool but it could also be made from aluminum…much cheaper.
Seeing Oklahoma Street Outlaws races, Diver named Reaper making a testing pass , in the launch his transmission explode bringing broken metal parts inside cockpit, and because he forget to lowering his eyes protecting clear cover, he received face damage showing some blood.
I think that in the making of a transmission protecting tunel , it should be made of enough resistant metal, and not a mere simple carbon fiber material.
In an explosion of metal parts event is better to have a debris resistan metal tunel that sustain all all high speed debris. So debris metal at so high speed can pass through carbon fiber.
For the sake of compromise, cost and weight savings I\’d be happy to see a trans. blanket and an enclosure. I\’m not sure how much of a hardship a $1,299 enclosure is to these teams as it theoretically is a one time expense. Or until a trans starts pitching parts. If aluminum is adequate that\’s great IF it saves some money because this is far from the only change teams face.
Hang on, you guys are talking about cost issues for a SAFETY item in promod?
$1300 for a carbon tunnel is nothing when you realise what they spend on getting more power out of the cars.
$1300 is cheaper than a power wheelchair, or a funeral.