Where are you guys getting this idea that high dollar shocks are
bringing the vettes up to speed? As far as I know the only person that even
has double adjustable shocks on a SS vette is Kent Rafferty and he is
running SM. I don't believe that any of the vettes that got trophies at
Natls last year had anything other than single Koni's, that includes the 89'
that Gary T drove to the P3 prosolo championship.
I did just have my Koni's rebuilt, they were about 8 years old, they
are still singles. I would not want to see the shock allowance go away,
however if we limit people to doubles you do help limit the cost.
I know almost none of the SS vette guys are using the swaybar
allowance. However most of the SS RX7s do change, maybe taking that away
would bring the RX7 back down to the vette level?
Jason "RX7 KLR" Isley
jason.isley@alltel.com
-----Original Message-----
From: dg50@daimlerchrysler.com [mailto:dg50@daimlerchrysler.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2000 6:22 AM
To: autox@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: The Classing Picture As A Whole
Scott Meyers <solo2@uswest.net> wrote:
> No I wasn't - but *AM* looking for a way to outlaw $4000 worth of shocks
on
> a "Stock" car :-) I am open to other alternatives that are *factory
> equivalent* in fact.
You can't do it. Oh sure, you can outlaw the high-dollar shocks, but you
can't outlaw the money being spent. Take away the ability to use
aftermarket shocks, and you'll get people buying dozens of stock shocks,
dynoing them all, and running the 4 best - for the same net cost - and
punishing the people who don't have that kind of time.
And besides, someone who is spending $4000 on shocks is likely wasting
their money. Typically, the money-spent-per-tenth-faster on a given part
curve rises exponentially (or worse) so that a $4000 set of shocks are
maybe a tenth or two faster than a set of $1000 shocks. And that assumes
the driver is good enough to make full advantage of them.
Daddio's shocks are _cheap_. There's no unobtanium in any of them - he's
just done a ton of testing, he has them revalved to perfectly suit his
driving style, and he's a hell of a driver to boot.
> There will always be cheaters and those who push the rules to the limit -
> make that limit less expensive is all........
You see, that's your problem - it doesn't. It makes Stock MORE expensive.
In the worst case, you force people to swap cars, and the last time I
checked, cars were more expensive than shocks.
Consider SS, and the RX7 vs Corvette. The shock allowence brings the 'vette
pretty well near parity with the RX7. Force stock shocks, and now the
'vettes start suffering. But there's no lower class out there that it's
fair to bump the 'vettes into, so you either have to 1) Create a new
Corvette class or 2) Abandon the 'vettes to their fate - in which case a
Corvette owner has to spend $20,000+ for a new, competitive car.
That's insane - and ignores completely the (lack of) wisdom in rendering
the "Great American Sports Car" (of which there are tens of thousands
available) uncompetitive through an administrative rule.
> The sky doesn't have to fall on me ;-) to let me know that no matter
> how good I may be that if I intend to prosper in this sport (in Stock
class,
> i.e. "The Beginning") I will l have to spend $$$$$$$$$$$ to be
competitive.
Utter, complete crap. When I ran Stock class, my car trophied at National
events in my hands twice, won two National Tours, a half-dozen ProSolos,
the Ladies' Challenge overall, and a high trophy at Nationals (in my
co-driver's hands) with a drop-in K&N filter, a set of race tires, and a
cat-back exhaust. Stock wheels, stock shocks, stock pretty well everything.
If you intend to prosper, you need to DRIVE WELL. If you're being beaten,
you're not being outspent, you're being OUTDRIVEN.
DG
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