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Re: Stock or Modified(Street Prepared, Prepared, Mod, etc.)?

To: autox@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Stock or Modified(Street Prepared, Prepared, Mod, etc.)?
From: "Bob H." <hodge@one.net>
Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1999 13:17:54 -0500 (EST)
> I think it's just as hard to drive a non-stock car as
> it is to drive a stock car in an autocross.

Now, I've never driven a mod car, just stock and lightly-modded SP.  But,
I would have to agree that it is surely difficult to drive any car well,
regardless of the class.

> Granted, a proper suspension set-up and sticky tires
> will compensate a little for some bad driver habits,
> resulting in faster times.  

This is the point of the original question I think.  IMHO, the limitations
placed on a car in stock class (narrow tires, soft suspension, etc.) make
those "bad habits" more of an issue.

For example, it seems that getting a bit wide through a slalom in a
softly-sprung stock car is going to be harder to recover from than
getting wide in a mod car.  So, the novice driver might
learn more quickly how to eliminate these bad habits.  So, when/if they do
move into a modified class, the bad habits are gone (ideally).

You're right, it is a moot point that a street-prepared version of a certain
car should be capable of faster times than its stock equivalent.  But, only
in the hands of a capable driver. :-)

And, in stock cars, slight differences in driver capability can have more
of an impact on the time difference between the two.

-Bob (who has plenty of bad habits to get rid of in his mostly-stock car)
 97 Talon TSi AWD (ESP)

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