Powerglide-why is it still used for drag racing?

[lesmore49]

I am a little amazed that the powerglide auto teans, , which hasn't been used for near 40 years, in a factory car, is still used behind drag racing cars.

 

I know it's supposed to be tough, but my Father had a couple and even, in the early 60's I could never figure out why chevy held on to the powerglide, or slip and slide banana glide, as we used to call it back then.

 

Mopar had the excellent and tough torqueflite and Ford had the cruis-a-matic, no great tranny, but it did have 3 speeds, as opposed to the lowly PG's 2 speeds.

 

I would think the PG would be at a disadvantage when it comes to acceleration, given the fact that having one to two to three less speeds forward, has to cut into acceleratin'.

 

Maybe someone out there has the answer for me? Les

[Larry]

I guess because you can’t miss second gear.

 

What do you expect….the drag racers still use carburetors too so why wouldn't they use 40 year old transmission technology

[Guest chevydeerhunter]

What do you expect….the drag racers still use carburetors too so why wouldn't they use 40 year old transmission technology  

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

 

Part of the reason is to see how well one can make a naturally aspirated engine run without using computers to do all the work.

[bamataco1]

I know what you guy's are talking about, when I was a kid you litterally couldn't give a powerglide away. When we bought a Chevy the first thing we did was yank out the PG and put in a manual tranny. In order to get rid of the PG's I used to put it in the trunk of a car and go to one of the transmission shops in town and ask them if they wanted it for free.

[Hecktorx]

With a wide RPM band and the right match with the rearend gear, 2 speeds is all you need for the 1/4 mile. Using that trans will save some weight and have less mechanical drag.

[Steady Eddie]

 

The later alloy-housing PG trannie only shifts but once down the 1/4 mile.

Shifts take away time. The modified PG will take a very small (mass) high

stall speed torque convertor. They shift...bang! and..you're gone.

 

Even the small block dragster classes use them.

[SilveradoWV]

They are still used in some circle track applications too, heavily modified of course!

[doverarjim]

I tried to do this last night let me try again. Back in the late 70's early 80's we ran a 230ci 6cyl with a pg, it had a 8000 rpm stall converter in it and it would really scream when lauanch at about 8500 with only one shift as others have said it stayed in the powerband a lot longer, and did not lose as much torque when shifting as you do with a 3 spd auto or a 4 speed. We had problems with our 468ci BB turbo 400 so we used the pg behind it for a while with a 5000 stall converter and a trans break it did not run as quick as the 400 did because we did not change the rear gear to make up for only have 2 speeds. But at 9.0's and 140 mph it did not make much difference.