Oops! What happened? Anyway,
Justin Hughes writes:
> > The problem with putting these cars in Stock are that they had special
> > competition suspension options that are Street Prepared oriented;
> > adjustable front camber plates, special brake discs, Grupe N adjustable
> > suspension. As delivered standard they came with special trunk kits;
> > baffled oil pan and dual oil pump pickup, adjustable rear spoiler, and
> > front subframe crossbrace.
> > Installing trunk kit items automatically voids the warranty. Engines
> > were dyno'd & handpicked from std. assembly line, plus BMW specifically
> > stated that theses vehicles were made for competition. Aluminum door
> > skins, stiffer suspension springs with 1" lower ride height, sound
> > padding removed, special seats, and a lower rear gear were also std.
> >
> > Hardly the type of vehicle to be classed in Stock.
<snip>
> Compare that to what differentiates a Neon ACR from a Neon Highline or a
> base model. Relatively speaking, the basic grocery getter Neon gets an
> even more extensive makeover to turn it into the class dominating
> performer it is than the M3, which is a high performance car to begin
> with in its "basic" form.
<snip>
> And if memory serves (I'm sure someone will be quick to
> correct me if I'm wrong), doesn't ACR stand for American Club Racing? If
> that isn't "made for competition," I don't know what is.
Either you're joking, or you're writing from one of the Polar research
stations, where flames are welcome! Well, I don't intend to flame, so I'll
try to list the details (again, yawn).
Every part on an ACR is shared with another trim level, with the exception
of the struts, cam bolts for attaching the strut to the clevice bracket,
and a thicker front hub flange. I'm sure you will recall that struts are
free in SCCA stock class, and factory crash bolts will give all the camber
you'd need if you didn't have cam bolts. The hub flange was a redesign as
a result of the original part having a short life on the road course, so its
a durability improvement, not a performance improvement. So where is that
extensive makeover hiding? ACRs don't even get a go-fast sticker, so it
can't be the name! :) I'll overlook the 5th gear ratio and '95 speed limiter
differences as irrelevant anywhere except a dry lake bed.
> Again, I'm not suggesting that this is right or wrong, or that anything
> needs to be changed. I don't have much of an opinion on the matter myself,
> mostly because I don't compete against M3s or Neon ACRs. :) I just find
> this comparison interesting.
Yes, its always fun to explore the differences in trim packages! This is
one of the neatest things about team.net - knowledgable people explaining the
"hot" options on cars we will most likely never have the pleasure of owning.
The most important thing to keep in mind, IMHO, is not whether the
package component differences are typical of mods allowed in other
classes, but whether the package is available as mass produced on a stock
model. SP mod allowances would be mostly moot if it weren't for the element
of owners' choice.
If it weren't for the "trunk kit" and the extremely low production
volume, the M3 Lightweight would be a Stock class car. To say otherwise is
to say we cannot tolerate any advance in the state-of-the-art of production
automobiles. It doesn't sound like you (Justin) have a problem with that,
but the previous poster implies that the M3 lightweight resembles a SP car
too strongly. That "trunk kit" does venture into a gray area, doesn't it??
Its just too ironic.
--
Jeffrey D. Blankenship Senior Technical Consultant
jblanken@itds.com ITDS - TRIS
neon enthusiast #478 Champaign, IL, USA
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