Rob Pickrell Jr. writes:
> Jeff I appreciate all of your research, sound like you really know Neon's.
Thanks, I try.
> However, you have not answered my question. Has the SEB approved the
> changes you say are legal?
I have no idea if the SEB has ever had to worry about it. If it were me,
I wouldn't have even written a letter, since I don't see it as a gray area.
I'd expect factory documentation to be sufficient to show legality.
> I do not read the rules the way you are applying them.
Which rule are you referring to?
> If some one follows your advice will they pass a protest?
You'd be hard pressed to tell that any change was made, therefore protest
is highly unlikely. Not because the parts aren't in plain view, but
because its a factory configuration that rabid neon enthusiasts would
recognize as correct. Still, it is obscure enough that some would not
know. I had to do some digging before writing my post(s).
> Please note that your and my opinions are meaningless in a protest
> enviornment.
Granted, if you make a change like this, it might be smart to know where
to find the support in the documentation. But I'd reckon you're not
terribly likely to need it. In ES there are lots of non-neon cars with
drivers who don't know anything about neons, and even then the norm is
14", not 13". So I wouldn't expect any controversy over showing up on 14"
wheels.
> I thought we would get more response from other Neon owners since they are
> so many of them. I really do not have a personal interest in this car or
> class, just curious about your interpertation of the rules. You may be
> correct, however you may not be too.
I don't think I'm interpereting very deeply. I'll summarize everything
you'd need to know by paraphrasing the neons.org FAQ here:
'95 MY Highlines were produced with four different front brakes (two
sizes, each with or without ABS), and three different wheels - 13X5 4-lug,
14X5.5 4-lug, and 14X5.5 5-lug. The former two wheels were fitted on cars
with the smaller brake system, the latter was fitted on cars with the larger
brake system. The 14X5.5" 4-lug wheel replaced the 13X5" wheel on early
calendar year '94 Highlines with the small (9.4") front brake system.
After August '94, the 5-lug 10.1" system with 14X5.5" wheels became an
option on the Highline.
To the best of my knowledge, it is legal to configure a '95 Highline to
match any one of these production configurations, because it doesn't cross
a model year, model, or option package boundary.
I didn't mention it before, but I actually bought a set of original 14X5.5"
4 lug steels (with 195/60 R1s on them) from one '95 owner (Ed Yourkovich)
in West Virginia, kept the tires, and sold the wheels to a different '95
owner (Rex Scates) in California.
Sorry, all, I wasn't going to ramble on like this, but I felt you deserved
an answer, one that you could tr...umm, scratch that, trust no one... ;^)
--
Jeffrey "I want to believe" Blankenship Senior Technical Consultant
jblanken@itds.com ITDS - TRIS
neon enthusiast #478 Champaign, IL, USA
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