A drag car is a vehicle that is designed to race down a drag strip. They have usually modified versions of street cars, and they’re not built for comfort or showmanship. Rather, drag cars are designed to go fast.
A drag car is a vehicle used on drag strips to compete in the sport of drag racing. Some race in a bracket, where multiple drivers compete at the same time, and others use a heads-up format. The cars are usually purpose-built for this type of racing and feature an aerodynamic body design, high-power engines, and a four-speed manual transmission.
A typical engine in a drag car can produce over 850 horsepower (hp). The average car has about 200 hp. To put it more simply: if you could have one of these engines under your hood instead of the 200-hp factory motor, you would be able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in less than 3 seconds. That’s faster than most sports cars.
Drag cars are usually built for one purpose: to go fast. As such, they don’t have the same safety features as street cars or even race cars. The driver sits in an open cockpit, and there’s no seat belt or airbag protection.
Drag racing is one of the most thrilling sports in the world, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. A typical drag car can cost thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to build, depending on how much work you want to do yourself or how fancy you want your ride to be. Here we’ll discuss what goes into building a drag car and how much all those parts will cost you. We’ll also provide some tips for cutting costs if money is tight.
Equipment
Once you’ve got the chassis and body, it’s time to start picking out all of the other parts. You’ll need a drivetrain and wheels, suspension and brakes (and maybe even an engine), a fuel system (to keep your car running), an exhaust system, and many other components that make up a drag car.
The cost of building a dragster can vary widely depending on what kind of vehicle you choose, from $1000 up to the millions, but here are some ballpark figures:
-Chassis and body: $500-$10,000 -Drivetrain: $900-$20,000 -Suspension and brakes: $800-$15,000 -Fuel system: $1,200-$3,000 -Exhaust system: $400-$1000
Style and sizes
Drag cars can be built to fit a number of different styles and sizes. The size of the engine, tires, and wheels will determine how big your car looks. The style of paint job you choose will also have a big impact on how your car looks.
Here are some tips for building a drag car:
- Choose an engine that fits your budget and needs. Smaller engines work well if you just want to drive around town or on highways; larger engines are better for racing purposes because they provide more power and speed at the cost of gas mileage (more fuel). Bigger is better if what matters most to you is winning races.
- Pick tires depending on where you’re driving mostly: asphalt roads or dirt roads? Asphalt is easier on tires than dirt so if most of your driving will be done there (asphalt) go with smaller-sized tires such as 15/16 x 8-inch rims with 4 inches-wide Mickey Thompson drag radials which will give great traction but won’t last long before they need replacing again due to wear offs. If you drive mostly on dirt, go for larger-sized tires such as 15 x 10-inch rims with 5 inches-wide front tires and 6 inches-wide rear tires.
Materials and tools needed
Materials and tools needed:
- Drill
- Screwdriver
- Saw
- Hammer
- Pliers (wire cutter)
- Safety glasses and gloves. Welder, paintbrush, paint thinner, and sandpaper to remove excess welds when you’re done with them. Sponge for cleaning the body after painting or machining work has been done on it.
Tin snips, a hammer, and a drill to make holes for the lights, wire strippers, and pliers to strip wires. To clean rust off of metal parts, use a wire brush or sandpaper.
Drag racing safety equipment costs
Safety equipment is a must when racing your drag car. The costs vary depending on what you need and where you buy it.
You can buy safety equipment from a drag racing shop. These shops sell everything from helmets to fire suits to racing gloves and shoes. They also sell tools that are needed for building an engine, such as wrenches and sockets.
If you don’t want to go out of your way, there are other places that sell safety equipment for drag racing too. Hardware stores are one example of these sources; they often have cheap versions of everything listed above at low prices because they don’t specialize in selling them as drag racing shops do. Another option is going into department stores like Target or Walmart, they may not have exactly what you’re looking for but sometimes they do (and if they don’t at least there’s always Amazon).
Trailer
A trailer is a necessity when it comes to hauling drag race cars around, but they don’t come cheap. If you’re building your own car with the intention of racing in competition, I recommend getting a trailer sooner rather than later.
Trailer costs vary depending on size and type. The average cost of a basic utility trailer ranges from $1,000 to $3,000. If your needs are more complex than that (for example: if you’re going to be hauling motorcycles as well), then expect to pay upwards of $5,000 for a new model.
There are also plenty of used trailers out there, Safety equipment is one of the most important things to buy when drag racing. You can’t go out there without it, so make sure you have everything you need before going out into the track. but be wary of purchasing one without having first thoroughly inspected it for structural damage or corrosion issues that could result in expensive repairs down the road.
Towing vehicle
Tow vehicles come in a variety of sizes, from compact cars to full-size trucks. The tow vehicle you get should be large enough to pull the trailer safely and comfortably without straining your own vehicle’s engine. The cost of a tow vehicle varies depending on its make and model, but it will probably run you between $20,000 and $35,000 if you buy new.
To save money on a tow vehicle, try looking at used models that are less than three years old. You’ll likely find one available through an online marketplace like Craigslist or AutoTrader. For example, A 2014 Ford F150 SuperCrew with a 6.5L V8 engine can be purchased for around $25K (plus taxes) if the current owner is willing to part with it because they’re ready to trade up for something newer or more expensive—which means there could be savings involved.
Additional costs
- Fuel costs: Drag racing is an expensive hobby to have, so you should plan on spending at least $20 in fuel for every hour of driving.
- Tires: When you’re going to be regularly taking your car to the drag strip, it makes sense to invest in some quality tires that can handle the heat and stress of being driven at higher speeds. Depending on how much money you want to spend and what kind of tire technology you want, this could cost anywhere from $200-300 per set of tires (typically four will do).
- Insurance: If your car doesn’t already have insurance that covers drag racing and other high-speed driving activities then expect another $20-$30 a month added onto your bill unless you opt out of getting it all together, not recommended.
- Maintenance: The last thing any racer wants is their engine breaking down right before they go up against another driver; therefore, regular inspections are critical when building a new or modified vehicle because they help prevent costly repairs later down the road when things inevitably break down regardless due to all sorts of factors ranging from wear-and-tear over time or even simple ignorance when working around such powerful machines without proper training first.
How long does a drag car last
Drag cars are built to last. They’re also built to be fast and driven hard, but they’re not designed for comfort or long-term use. They’re meant to race, and they’ll do that over and over again through many years of racing from track to track across the country. This means that you have to make sure you get a car with the best parts possible because if one part breaks, it could cost you the race in addition to money for replacement parts.
It’s also important that your drag car is lightweight so it can reach its top speed quicker than other cars on the track.
How long does it take to build A drag car?
How long it takes to complete a drag car depends on the builder. It also depends on their experience level, as well as the budget they have set aside for their project.
If you are an experienced builder with all of the necessary tools and skills, then you can probably get your car done fairly quickly. If not, it may take longer than expected. The same applies if you don’t have a lot of money to spend on the project or any experience building cars in general; this could lead to setbacks and delays in getting your vehicle ready for competition.
Cost to build a drag car
The cost to build a drag car depends on the size of the engine and the amount of equipment you want to add. The average cost to build a track-only drag car is $150,000 to $300,000. That’s not including your safety gear (shoes, helmet), engine, or vehicle costs.
This may sound like a lot for a racing car but when you look at all the parts involved it’s really not that bad at all. If you have a street-legal car then this is where I would start because it will be cheaper than building one from scratch and then trying to get it street-legal later
Building a drag car is expensive but can be done cheaply if you’re careful.
You can save money by buying used parts, and doing some of the work yourself.
Building a drag car is a fun and rewarding hobby. The only thing you need to remember is that it can be expensive and time-consuming if you don’t do your research beforehand. Keep in mind all of the costs involved with building one, including labor, parts, and equipment costs before making any decisions on whether or not this lifestyle is right for you. Even if you’re not planning on racing soon, it’s still worth considering some of these factors as they may impact how much “fun” driving around town will be.
