Ray writes:
>The people who
>are in a position to change rules don't wish to do so. They
sense no
>groundswell of demand for change from the peasants. There is
none. Not yet
>anyway. No one knows how that might change as time goes by.
It's worth considering just how much time HAS gone by and also
how much BETTER things are w/r/t autox tires and classes than
they were in the 70s. How many folks have to recount their
experiences in that earlier era before people will realize how
much things have improved? Consider that, if your car didn't fit
in Stock, it went to Prepared. Been there, done that. The best
available STREET tires for autox use cost far more during the
'70s in inflation-adjusted dollars than do present street tires.
Currently available autox tires are even cheaper. And they work a
lot better, making the sport more fun. IMHO, of course.
> So whether durometers are consistent or not, whether a z
rating means
>anything or whether treadwear ratings mean something or mean
nothing doesn't
>matter.
Sure it does.
> If the time were ripe for a tire rule change the specific
way it would
>be defined and enforced would follow.
No. Enforceability MUST be considered a priori, particularly when
the change being contemplated is highly restrictive.
> You could gather a bunch of tire engineers together now and
pick their
>brains as to what works and doesn't work and from that write a
coherent
>rule--
I claim that, if you REALLY talked to a "bunch of tire
engineers," and they were honest, you'd come away with the
realization that they could make a ringer tire with any speed
rating, tread wear rating, or durometer reading, AT ANY TIME.
It's been done before, and it could be done again.
>but you'd be wasting your time.
But not for the reasons you assume.
> My rather extensive experience has been that, with tires,
soft = fast =
>short-lived = more expensive and hard = slow = longer-lived =
cheaper.
You apparently haven't encountered tires that are too soft and
"go off" as a result. I have. Soft DOES NOT always equal fast,
and hard DOES NOT always equal longer-lived. I've seen relatively
hard street tires go away very quickly in autox use, and I've
seen much softer autox tires last a lot longer.
>Autocross was at one time a place for the amateur
>to enjoy some relatively low pressure and low cost competitive
fun with
>whatever car he happened to have.
Still is.
> Now the rules seem aimed more toward those
>who purchase cars with autocrossing first in mind,
Be specific. The rules haven't changed very much over the last
ten years or so. In Stock, the rules are more restrictive - no
port matching, no balancing, no replacement steering wheels -
than they were just a few years ago. I claim you're simply not
considering the REAL trends in the rules.
> no place for the guy who
>admits he is an amateur and a tightwad.
Sure there is. Bring your car, enter the event, and have fun. If
it's not fun for you, that's not the fault of the rules.
Jay
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