rec.autos.simulators

Can anybody tell me what the subtle differences are between the Dodge,
Plymouth, Ford and Mercury, were in 1970? Apart from the engine sizes which
I know,  the NL readme gives few clues. I would suspect that the Ford and
Mercury would be better for short tracks, but is this so? I can't make my
mind up from the actual race results because drivers seem to change cars a
lot.
Steve

That's a very good question, Steve, and one that probably cannot ever be
answered,
in this forum or any other.  Most of the reason is because there were no
test proceedures
that governed NASCAR (or the manufacturers) in those days, therefore no one
can say with
certainty what the 'best' car really was.  There were no baseline dyno
tests, no baseline
windtunnel tests, and only the figures from the race shops and
manufacturer's propaganda
as to how powerful each of the cars were.

If you go to http://www.Superbird.com, Ken has about the best comparisons
between the
cars, but again, it's based only on data from the races.  The
Superbird/Daytona seems to
have the advantage on larger tracks once they were introduced, but it's
still a tough call.  As well,
you had several notable teams that used each of the cars, so the deck was
rather evenly stacked
by both manufacturers as far as who had the best teams.  Dodge/Plymouth had
Petty Enterprises,
Ford/Mercury had Holman-Moody and the Wood Bros.

The Dodge Daytona/Charger 500 and Plymouth Superbird/Roadrunner, and the
Ford Torino Talladega/
Mercury Cyclone were very like their sister company counterparts.  The
Charger/Roadrunner were
both called 'B-body' cars, even though they looked very similar, they were
not quite the same
as far as the makeup of their body parts.  Which one had the advantage is
anyone's guess.  The
Torino/Cyclones were also made up of the same frame/subframe components, but
had differing
bodywork.  All of the Chrysler products (Dodge/Plymouth) and the
FoMoCo/Mercury cars had similar
powertrains to their 'sister' cars.

However, I think this brings something new into the equation, that of the
fact that I think it was
definitely alot more up to the driver back then...the cars were heavy and
ill-handling compared
to todays cars, and the tires gave up easily.  The drivers who came out on
top most often back
then were Petty and David Pearson, again, Dodge/Plymouth and Ford/Mercury!

So, again, good question, and don't think you'll get a decisive answer!  ;]

Cheers!

??Jan Kohl??        **The Pits Performance Team**
Computer Systems Programmer
USAF Air-Ground Operations School
Hurlburt Field, FL

Castle Graphics - http://www.castlegraphics.com/
The Pits - http://www.theuspits.com/

Thanks. Its an interesting subject isn't it. I wonder if driver biography's
can give a clue to what they thought of the cars. Oh what the heck, I'll
choose the prettiest (car,not driver).
Steve

Snip...

 I think Ford was more dominate in 1969 then Dodge/Plymouth, Ford cars
were simply more aerodynamic.. the Ford Merc Cyclone and Taladege
Spoiler were more very aerodynamic... more so than the 1969 RoadRunners
and even more so than the Charger 500.. the Charger 500 was simply a
Charger, with a dif back window from a Cuda, also the front Grill was
flush... but the basic body style wasn't as good as the Fords for wind
resistance.
    Now when they took the Charger 500, mounth and real wing, and a
pointed nnose cone on it and called it the 1969 Dodge Charger "Daytona
500" and the 1970 Plymouth Superbird.
then is when Chrysler had an atvantage, but only on Tracks like Taladega
for most part, Michigan also some..

  a friend of mine has a 70 superbird, he's got alot of history on them,
a friend if his told us that a 1970 SuperBird stil has the nascar record
top speed on the straitaway of 236 mph than has never been broke... keep
in mind the lap time were 200 mph.. Bill Eliots 1987 212 mph lap times
is still the best lap times but those old heavy 3900 lb bias ply tired
1970 couldn't corner near as fast or well, they had lot of power... not
much more than the non restrictor plate of ones today, but much more all
around torque/power.
   I'm not sure if that 236 mph top spped is true myself... I've got to
look into it.... if it is, then Nascar Legends is modeled wrong/ as I
can't top out more than 208 mph in a good draft in this sim myself.
 great sims..

 hard to race, you have to work with the setup to keep your tires from
wearing out before you need fuel...
 the best setup for me for 10% race at Taladega was to take qual car, up
4th gear to 3.25, set front tires at 54 lbs back at 60, 3 clicks down on
the front/read weight transfer, and 3 clicks left on the weight wedge,
and all the way to the left still for left/right weight...
  Thise keep your tires a little longer.. enough for a tank of fuel...
otherwise, you'll wear out your tires at lap 14-15 and slide up on the
utrs more and more.. everyone will pass you then..

 enjoy

any patches for NL yet?

scott