>|Subject: Re: Spriget 1275cc vs. Triumph 1296cc
>|The Spridget has a better suspension and, probably, more go-faster parts
>|than the Spitfire...
>
>Ah, now here is the real reason I felt the urge to respond. If you race on
>billiards tables, then perhaps the Spridget does have a better suspension.
The Sebring (?) Sprites also did quite well in competition. Also,
I think sprites were usually a bit more rigid and.or lighter, due to the
unibody construction, as opposed to frame and body. This is a disadvantage
when repairing rust or body damage, though.
>So if you want IRS (assuming, of course, that the local billiards tables are
>too small for racing), then the Spridget won't give it to you. While it may
>be true that the Spridget can be made to go quite fast, I am not going to let
>G.E. get clean away after an inflammatory shot like "The Spridget has a better
>suspension..." :-)
Hmmm, I don't think I can let that go by either. :-)
Note that Sprites have, at least as far back as I remember, given
the Spits in the same SCCA clases quite a run for their money, and I have the
impression that for at least most of the '70s and '80s the Sprites have been
winning more than not. I dare you to compare Lime Rock to a billiard table.
:-) I will say, though, that race tracks are smoother than many roads (though
they are usually traveled at higher speeds, also).
Remember, IRS _in general_ gives you better traction over bumps,
especially in a softly sprung car with a fair amount of wheel travel. However,
racing cars are rarely softly sprung, and don't usually have a lot of travel.
IRS still has an advantage, but it's smaller. Camber problems in an IRS can
give the advantage to a solid-axled car (which maintains close-to-perfect
camber so long as the wheels remain on the ground).
Even if the IRS car would still have an advantage, certain IRS designs
can nullify that. For example, my fine TR-6 rear suspension, which has been
likened to a horse cart when going over bumps (the place where IRS is supposed
to be the best). The problem on the TR-6 is that the frame runs UNDER the
rear axles. This greatly restricts wheel travel in rebound, so the shocks
are stiff in rebound, and soft in bump, leading to a very funny ride on a
rough road. The TR-6, though, does not have the big camber problems that
the early spitfire has, though I suspect there is some camber change.
The next best war next to the MG vs TR wars: Sprite vs Spitfire wars.
:-) :-)
Randell Jesup, Commodore Engineering {uunet|rutgers|allegra}!cbmvax!jesup
(owner of both a gaggle of Sprites and a TR-6)
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