Wheel-hop

Locomotion said

Stiffer shocks may not be a cure-all for everyone but will probably help a lot of people here. But each car is different. Stiffer shocks like Rancho or CalTracs are not usually considered high dollar either. There are different clutch materials and configurations that stick racers can choose from but they can also have adjustability. An auto trans racer can't swap a converter as easily as adjusting a clutch. But it still has to work together with the rest of the car.

I think a more accurate description would be that a clutch controls the application of power to the drivetrain while shocks control the application of that power to the suspension. Sticks just have that extra tuning aid further upstream. But it all still has to be tuned to work together because each combo is different.

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Most stick cars have too much clutch for an efficient launch. In this case the clutch controls how fast inertia is drawn out of the engine, which in-turn determines how much peak torque gets applied to the transmission's input shaft during WOT launch. Keep in mind that peak torque number typically only lasts for a few tenths of a second. If the suspension tops out during that short period of peak torque, the tires are going to unload. Slowing down suspension reaction with stiffer shocks can get you past the period of peak torque which helps maintain traction, but now the shocks absorb the excess energy and the engine bogs.

Instead of slowing suspension reaction down with stiffer shocks, one could reduce the peak torque number by softening the clutch hit. This has the effect of not only slowing chassis reaction down, but it also increases the amount of time that peak torque number gets applied to the input shaft. Less hit, but the hit lasts longer. Less engine bog as well, which in-turn raises the engine's average power output. Problem is many see stiffer shocks as the track proven fix, don't even know softening the clutch hit is an option.

Grant