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Auto Racing/Questions Answered by Expert Matt Lyons
| Subject | Date Asked |
| basic concepts for rear spoiler | 9/1/2011 |
| Q: I have a rear spoiler mounted on my race car, set at about 14 degrees. The height of the spoiler is ... A: A rear spoiler's main purpose is to provide downforce on the rear of the vehicle. maximum achieved ... | |
| slave cylinder | 4/1/2011 |
| Q: I have a 2000 pontiac trans am 6 speed transmission the problem im having i think might be the slave ... A: Sounds like you have a case of the classic mixed matched parts! I would get the correct slave ... | |
| Tire size and wheel off set | 3/18/2011 |
| Q: as far as aerodynamics are concerned, how does one determine the best rim & tire offset and ... A: Basically rear wheel offset doesn't really affect aerodynamics. You need to check state and local ... | |
| 2006 Dodge charger v6 | 8/11/2010 |
| Q: how you doing? i have a curiosity. i own a 2006 Dodge charger v6 (2.7)and i feel this car is to slow ... A: There are several ways to improve your performance. First you can use a re-programmer to change the ... | |
| 454 | 7/16/2010 |
| Q: If you put a 454 into 87 monte carlo ss would you need to change the brakes and suspension to ... A: It all depends on the horsepower and torque output of the engine. A stock 454 would be fine with the ... | |
| timing equipment | 4/12/2010 |
| Q: what should be the distance between the pre-stage and stage beams on a drag strip please? ... A: Sorry for the delay. I was away on vacation with my kids. The distance varies from sanctioning body ... | |
| 350 SBC - Performance | 3/10/2010 |
| Q: Matt - I am a Harley racer transitioning into auto racing (Street\Strip). I have found a nice 73 ... A: Welcome to the show! A Nova is a really nice base to build up for street/strip action. To give you a ... | |
| power weight ratio | 1/8/2010 |
| Q: some motorcycles have higher power to weight ratio than others despite having less net power. For ... A: You are confusing power to weight with speed. I can take a very heavy car and gear it to run faster ... | |
| cars | 9/29/2009 |
| Q: what qualification do i need to be a racing car driver A: I would say that it depends on what type of racing you are talking about. Good physical condition, ... | |
| drag racing head start term | 7/9/2009 |
| Q: I have thought for years that a 'hole shot' was a car giving a physical head start to it's opponent. ... A: What you are referring to is a "car length" which is a street racing term. Usually before a street ... | |
| my carb | 7/8/2009 |
| Q: i have a a 1963 c-10 with .30 over 350 with flat top pistons my cam is .480 lift and 280 duration ... A: Your idle is way too high for that cam. It should idle easily at 750. your manifold vacuum should be ... | |
| my carb | 7/5/2009 |
| Q: i have a a 1963 c-10 with .30 over 350 with flat top pistons my cam is .480 lift and 280 duration ... A: First off I think you would do better with a vac secondary carb. For the cam you are running a ... | |
| Gears in the differential | 6/21/2009 |
| Q: I'm a little confused about the gears. One of The cars i'm looking at has 3.55 gears in the back. ... A: The higher numerical gear (3.73) is going to raise your engine rpm higher than the 3.55. This can be ... | |
| nos | 5/5/2009 |
| Q: I have purchased a car with a NOS system already installed my question is how can I tell what the ... A: First determine what brand the kit is. You can do this by looking at the bottle and the labels on ... | |
| 55 chevy p/u Holley carb | 4/4/2009 |
| Q: I talked to you earlier about some things with the holley carb. I replaced the power valve with a ... A: If you have little to no control with the mixture screws it usually means your throttle plates are ... | |
| 55 chevy p/u Holley carb | 3/17/2009 |
| Q: I don't know if you remember talking to me yesterday about the 750 holley, on the 383 stroker with ... A: That carb only has one power valve. Just for info, Holley recommends a vacuum secondary carb for ... | |
| 55 chevy p/u Holley carb | 3/16/2009 |
| Q: I don't know if you remember talking to me yesterday about the 750 holley, on the 383 stroker with ... A: Of course I remember you! The reason the idle is "hunting" is because you need to open the idle ... | |
| 55 chevy p/u | 3/16/2009 |
| Q: I have a 55 chevy p/u with a 383 stroker engine with .470/.480 lift cam with 700r4 automatic ... A: First off, Thank your son for protecting our way of life. His time is very much appreciated and he ... | |
| 55 chevy p/u | 3/16/2009 |
| Q: I have a 55 chevy p/u with a 383 stroker engine with .470/.480 lift cam with 700r4 automatic ... A: That little screw underneath can be installed from the top of the plate so that you can adjust the ... | |
| 55 chevy p/u | 3/15/2009 |
| Q: I have a 55 chevy p/u with a 383 stroker engine with .470/.480 lift cam with 700r4 automatic ... A: If your primary idle mixture screws have no effect on idle that means that you have your throttle ... | |
| my 80 cutlass | 1/21/2009 |
| Q: well i was wanting to make my car a nice car to race on the town quarter mile and do better than it ... A: Gearing needs to be matched with the powerband of the engine. so I would focus on improving your ... | |
| How many times can you readline a production car? | 12/24/2008 |
| Q: Take any car with an LS motor, Camaro, Firebird, GTO (05') anyway and Corvette. How much use in ... A: Production computer controlled vehicles today have built-in rev limiters that prevent you from ... | |
| ford-chevy engine x-change | 12/5/2008 |
| Q: I own a 1990 ford ranger with a 4.0L 244Ci v6 it is EFI. I am about to buy a carbureted 350Ci Sbc ... A: First off this is going to be a complete fabrication job. I would check with Hooker Headers and see ... | |
| no-ignition | 11/30/2008 |
| Q: if the spark plug fails to initiate in an unleaded engine will the fuel mixture compress to top dead ... A: No. The fuel is expelled through the exhaust port each time the engine cycles. Gasoline must be ... | |
| 79 malibu | 10/16/2008 |
| Q: I just bought a 79 Malibu w/ 350 engine. I still need to figure out the tranny, but the rear axle ... A: Sorry to break this to you but the chevy 12-bolt passenger rear is different from the ... | |
| building a 96 350 sbc for drag racing | 10/12/2008 |
| Q: Matt i have a 86 s-10 blazer i put a 96 center boilt 350 sbc stock with a 600 sv holley carb rpm ... A: I would look at replacing the cam with a performance one. Try the Edelbrock cam that is matched for ... | |
| difference in fwd and rwd chassis | 8/5/2008 |
| Q: My ? Is. Other then the obvious differences in a rwd car such as having a drive ... A: Basically, the front chassis of the fwd car contains all the super structure to handle the torque ... | |
| 5.0L 302 '87 t-bird auto transmission swap for t-5 g-force | 7/25/2008 |
| Q: I got a few questions about swapping my tranny: 1. will i have to get a fly wheel instead of flex ... A: A T-5 is a manual transmission. You will ned to change the flywheel,remove or plug the fluid lines ... | |
| torque of the engine of cars | 7/18/2008 |
| Q: I want to know the process of torque generated from engine goes through transmission and finally to ... A: Torque generated by the engine is transferred through the driveline by a series of processors. These ... | |
| engine swap/street car | 7/10/2008 |
| Q: What issues will I face swapping a '74 T-Bird 460c.i. into '89 Mustang LX 5.0 ANSWER: I believe ... A: The tranny depends on whether you want a stick or an automatic. The stock T-5 won't handle the ... | |
| turbo 350 trans | 6/21/2008 |
| Q: i have a turbo 350 in my race car when ever i shut the car off it seems to blow fluid out the dip ... A: Sounds to me like the vent on the top of the tranny is plugged. Its located on top of the case ... | |
| ignition module | 6/11/2008 |
| Q: i know this is not racing related, but you said you have experiance with SBC performance... i have a ... A: The MSD 6a box is perfect for your application. The instructions include easy wiring diagrams for ... | |
| re:new car | 5/4/2008 |
| Q: I`m trying to interpret the NHRA rules regarding throttles. I`ve built a full chassis car and am ... A: You should be ok but I would add a toe loop to the pedal so that you can manually close the throttle ... | |
| Fitting 15" Tires & Mags on a 85 El Camino SS Choo Choo | 5/1/2008 |
| Q: I have 4 brand new BF Goodrich 15 TA white letter Steel Belted Radials on 15" American Racing Oulaw ... A: Where do they rub? If its the rear fender lips you can roll the lip flange up using a round bar like ... | |
| 68 f-100 | 4/29/2008 |
| Q: i have a 1968 for f-100 with a 302 motor in it. the motor has electronic ignition, headers, holly ... A: I don't understand how the tank is building pressure. Does it have a in tank electric pump? Sounds ... | |
| Tire PSI | 4/23/2008 |
| Q: What are the benefits of lower tire PSI because i know it increases the contact patch and is able to ... A: Lower PSI is used at the track to increase the tire contact patch for a better launch. It has ... | |
| Engine Part Fabrication | 2/18/2008 |
| Q: I really don't know who else to ask, but I'm trying to get a little more performance out of an older ... A: I would check out the makers of copper gaskets like Milodon and others to see if you can purchase a ... | |
| crate engine choice | 2/16/2008 |
| Q: I wonder if you have a favorite SBC crate motor? Im looking for 450-500 hp for street/strip in a 66 ... A: I don't really prefer the crate motors. I would rather build my own, because I know its done right. ... | |
| vacuum pump | 2/8/2008 |
| Q: i'm installing a vacuum pump on a small block chevy.i'm pulling the vacuum from one valve cover, ... A: The whole purpose of a vacuum pump is to provide a negative atmosphere inside the engine. Pulling ... | |
| SBC heads | 1/9/2008 |
| Q: Hey Matt. If you had to choose between a set of 993, 441, or 882(overlooking the fact they are crack ... A: I would go with the 882 heads. There is a trick you can do to increase the cooling on the small ... | |
| turbo VS supercharger | 12/24/2007 |
| Q: Forgive me if this question is ignorant but i was looking into getting a forced air system but i ... A: A supercharger is driven off the engine and is providing boost from idle to max rpm. A turbo runs ... | |
| power vs. control | 12/24/2007 |
| Q: I'm 17 and own a 95 camaro 3.8L. i need your opinion on a question i'm faced with: should i try to ... A: It is really worthless to build more hp or torque when the stock suspension can't handle it. I would ... | |
| I need your help. | 12/12/2007 |
| Q: I want to swap my engine to a GM's LS1 and I don't know what parts I need to do that ?? If you know ... A: This is really out of my area. You are in for some major fabrication. Do a search to see if anyone ... | |
| quick hp | 12/11/2007 |
| Q: I got a 91 camaro rs 305 throttle body. all original with only 41000 miles on. Just trying to ... A: I would go with the Dynomax system for your car. The reason is 1. It fits 2. It won't drive you nuts ... | |
| transmission | 12/6/2007 |
| Q: it winter time as you know in the early mornings when i get in my 1978 Chevrolet Malibu classic when ... A: Did you check the fluid level with the engine running and the car in park? If the level is good what ... | |
| About exhaust pipe please... | 11/30/2007 |
| Q: I have a stock 1997 jeep cherokee 6-inline 4.0L engine. I want to make my engine breathe well :) so ... A: There a couple of things you can do. First is get a low restriction air filter. Second, see if a ... | |
| carb spacer | 10/31/2007 |
| Q: I'm putting together a 4 cylinder engine for a stock racing class with a 2 barrel carb. The intake ... A: This all depends on how deep the plenum is in the manifold. Raising the carb is going to move the ... | |
| Clanking engine | 10/29/2007 |
| Q: Okay, there isn't a section for engine repair, so I guess going to the racing guys would be the ... A: Firts off I need a little more info. When do you hear the noise? When its idling or on acceleration? ... | |
| 350 | 10/20/2007 |
| Q: i am building a sbc 350. i have a 4 bolt main block ,and thats about it, i would like it to have ... A: Before you get to involved have the block checked out by a machine shop. Sonic test the walls, check ... | |
| rear end | 10/17/2007 |
| Q: i have a 1988 cutlass with a chevy 350 and 700r transmission.i am trying to figure out what is the ... A: The GN was the only "performance" rear end that I know of for that vehicle platform. In addition to ... | |
| 77 camaro drag | 10/16/2007 |
| Q: Im just starting to build a 77 camaro for the local 1\8th mile drag strip, this is my first drag car ... A: With the data you have provided me it looks like you will run the 1/4 in 13.5. That stall speed is ... | |
| 77 camaro drag | 10/15/2007 |
| Q: Im just starting to build a 77 camaro for the local 1\8th mile drag strip, this is my first drag car ... A: I will need more info to give you an accurate answer. What are your cam specs or cam P/N? How much ... | |
| Fitting Drag radials on a 78' Malibu | 10/3/2007 |
| Q: I have a 1978 Chevrolet Malibu that despratly needs a set of tires. I purchased a pair of BfGoodrich ... A: First of all,a couple of questions. How wide are your wheel wells? What is the backspacing of the ... | |
| building a 305 v8 | 9/21/2007 |
| Q: i want to do a few minor upgrades to the 305 in my 93 caprice. the engine has 170 HP and about 250 ... A: The 305 motor isn't really a performance based motor. It is basically used for daily ... | |
Matt Lyons
Top Expert on this page
Expertise
I am considered an expert in drag race chassis construction and tuning. I also have general knowledge of performance engines with small block chevies being my specialty.
Experience
I have worked in the automotive aftermarket as a builder, designer and seller of race components. I worked for Moroso Performance for seven years as an engineer and product manager.
I currently am the owner of Lyons Performance LLC, a shop that specializes in American manufactured race products.
Organizations
NHRA, IHRA, SEMA,ASE, Alpha Omega Theta Fraternity
Publications
Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords
Education/Credentials
BFA-New York Institute of Technology, Marketing
Awards and Honors
1998 SEMA best new product Award -Racing Vacuum Pump
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