Drag Tag

[Adz]

For the past two days I have spent my afternoon and evenings at the new dyno facility in Campbellfield called Drag Tag. When I first heard of the concept I thought it was a great story, hell was freezing over and cops where flying south for the winter.

Its hard to describe things that simply have never existed before, so the only way I can describe it is the best car game you have ever played but you use your own car.

Here’s how it works. Currently they have three operating cells. Each cell consists of a 4wd dyno to measure you cars power and breaking inputs, a state of the art laser system measuring the front wheels angle for steering inputs, a pneumatic clamp down system to hold the car on the dyno and a 260 degree screen in front of the dyno. The dyno and lasers are hooked up to 5 computers. These computers measure your cars inputs and relay them into a driving simulator that is projected on to the 260 degree screen with graphics and scenery comparable to any game on the market. You drive your car on to the dyno, put it in first gear let out the clutch and you start moving along a virtual road. Turn right and you move into the right lane, turn left and your back in the left lane. Keep turning left and you on the foot path. Give it some stick and you find your self quickly approaching a set of traffic lights that are red. When they turn green you can go. This is your opportunity to do what you’ve always wanted to do early on a Sunday when no one is one the road. Floor it. So you dump the clutch and wheel spin of the line screeching all the way. Grab second with a little chirp and then she hooks up and your off, you grab 3 and you are hurdling down a deserted road out the back of an industrial lot and stuff is starting to move real fast. Grab forth gear and the car is starting to wonder over the road a little but that’s all good you just steer out of it. FLASH shit you’ve been done by a speed camera. Well that’s what I thought anyway. That actually means you’ve just run a quarter mile. All of a sudden the scenery disappears and all your cars stats come up on the screen, power, torque, reaction time, 60 foot, ET and how you positioned against the guy in the cell next to you in his WRX. All the scores get recorded and compared against everyone ells on the day and every one ells that’s competed in the past.

This is virtual racing in your own car, using its power and your driving ability. Its not just limited to drag racing either. You can race around circuits, rally driving and the soon to be developed drifting. The days of you and your mates jumping in a row of Daytona games are over. Now you can still race against each other but now its in your own cars, three wide, with no risk.

Currently they are having free open nights on Wednesday and Thursdays. The last one I believe is next Wednesday and Thursday. This is your last chance to see what its all about for free.

As I said I was there tonight and I couldn’t help picturing SAU vs WRX club drag tag.

I highly recommend you check it out and that the club looks in to having a Dag Tag event.

www.dragtag.com.au

Cheers,

Adam

p.s. All your stats get posted on the net too.

Here are mine

Car Stats - DRIF6

Drive Stats

Edited May 18, 2006 by Adz

[R31Nismoid]

60ft of 1.34 secs... you running slicks on that thing Adam?

I heard rumours you were out there checking it all out heheh

[Adz]

60ft of 1.34 secs... you running slicks on that thing Adam?

I heard rumours you were out there checking it all out heheh

Na no slicks. Just did a big dirty clutch dump in 2nd from a stand still to get some heat in to the tyres and dyno.

Yeha been there the last couple of nights.

Edited May 18, 2006 by Adz

[garage-13]

sounds awesome

will be interesting how they get drift going on there...

never liked the physics in drift video games before

[silva33]

Id love to see it in action but a 1.34 60 foot time is a bit out...

Does that mean a GTR will get sub 1 sec 60 foot times?

It would be goot to get some more examples

[NateR31]

well i guess it dosnt really compensate for much wheel spin? as the 2nd your wheels are moving it thinks the car is flying off?

[silva33]

it may be accurate, just tell you what your car is 'capable' of but a little unrealistic...

i noticed the guy i bought my car off said he had something to do with dragtag, he has the VCMSuite Monaro on the register running flat 11's... it is a Supercharged LS2 but have a look at his 60 times!!! 1.2 sec?? i doubt it

[2rismo]

The 60' component is the only thing that needs work. It effects the incrementals but the end results (1/4 ET and TS are very accurate.)

There is already a thread discussing this with Russel from Drag Tag a member of SAU.

Adrian

[silva33]

ill be sold when i see a car that has consistent times down real drag strips getting the same figures on dragtag...

If the 60 foot time is out, how can the 1/4 be accurate??

Goin by my calculation, (correct me if im wrong) That monaro ran a flat 11 with 117mph... Does not seem right at all.. it should have massive top end with a blown 6 litre.

[SKY031]

repost....

still on the same page even

http://www.skylinesaustralia.com/forums/in...howtopic=116325

[stolen_s15]

I just read about this in the paper. It looks awesome. I'll be down there for sure on wednesday to check it all out.

[Coupe-This]

something i'd be worried about would be things while drifting or curcuit racing would be feeling the weight of the car lean, and the g forces involved, it cld end up being a one handed affair, and then the people end up racing at a real track and come into grief ...

there is no substitute for reality

but hey, this mite make calder n heathcote charge less

[R31Nismoid]

Heathcote over charges?

@ $40 for the day, with over 20 runs possible easily.

I dont see how they are over charging at all

[allblitz]

Heathcote over charges?

@ $40 for the day, with over 20 runs possible easily.

I dont see how they are over charging at all

Agree 100%

[chrissso]

How do they get around HICAS and 4ws?

[paulr33]

i ran a 11.3 sec pass at drag tag

[NateR31]

i ran a 11.1 with a 60ft of 1.3 at drag tag

[justin911]

sounds pretty accurate...

[NateR31]

oh it is

[AGE]

How do you turn corners with AWD on a dyno??