In the world of drag racing, power-to-weight ratio is king, as top-class races rarely exceed 10 seconds anymore. Lighter cars accelerate faster, and in drag racing, acceleration is critical. So builders strive to combine the highest output engines with the lightest possible race car components. It is not unheard of for teams to spend thousands of dollars in pursuit of a lower elapsed time, often aiming to shave just hundredths or even mere thousandths of a second off their E/T.

In the pursuit of the best combination of lightweight components and strength, drag car builders are now using carbon fiber wheelie bars in a few professional drag racing classes. As with other applications that have transitioned to the use of carbon fiber race car components, composite wheelie bars have proven to be stronger and lighter than molybdenum or titanium, and not by an insignificant amount either. In terms of weight, these carbon fiber wheelie bars are 60 percent lighter than 4130 chromoly and 15 percent lighter than their titanium alloy counterparts. In terms of hard numbers, savings range from 15-30 pounds when compared to alloy race car components. Those weight savings are pretty significant for racers that need to accelerate as fast as possible. The weight reductions depend on the type of construction that was used in the wheelie bars. With metal alloy wheelie bars, bridges and cross bracing were necessary to withstand the forces of a wheelie and prevent breakage. Carbon fiber allows the builder to discard this extra material, because of its higher strength. Comparing these composite race car components with alloys, carbon fiber is twenty percent stronger than 4130 chromoly and 50 percent stronger compared to titanium. Obviously then, you can use much less material for the same strength requirements.

The downside, as is the case with most carbon fiber applications at present, is the cost. When a set of race car components like carbon fiber wheelie bars costs more than $5,000, many teams will balk at the cost. But a significant number of chassis builders have already adopted this new material, despite niggling problems with the first installations. There are also racers who are concerned that visual inspection cannot be reliably performed between runs as a stress fracture may not be visible from outside. Early adopters also suffered breakages, but as with any new application of technology, those problems will be resolved in time. For those at the top levels of the sport who obsessively pursue the lowest possible elapsed time, spending $5,000 for a race car component like a carbon fiber wheelie bar is an amount well spent.

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