Loren Williams wrote:
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When you're talking about D Stock, where everyone has the same car, same
setup, same tires, perhaps different paint schemes <grin>... there is no
doubt about which factor in the equation was responsible for a win.
--
Then I pointed out:
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Take another look at all the 1999 National trophy winning positions in DS.
Everyone is NOT on the same tires. And I can *guarantee* you that there
are some *very* different setups being used between these cars.
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To which Loren replied:
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Perhaps not all the exact same tires or exact same setup, but certainly
the same car, very similar setups and as far as I'm concerned, any of
the big-3 are the same tire. (I know, they all have different
characteristics, require slightly different setup, and respond best to
different driving styles... don't argue semantics with me, please) My
point is that in a class such as DS, you can't win just by having "the
car" because everyone has "the car" and most of them are prepared well
enough to win.
--
Loren,
Now you have me confused. Where did all this "the car" stuff come from?
This thread is about tires. You were whining and moaning about how a spec
tire should be selected for the ST classes to remove the competitive
variablilty different tire brands introduce to the street tire classes.
You then used DS as an example of a class where everyone uses the same
tire, setups, etc.
I was simply trying to point out that your generalization about DS simply
isn't true. Even in a class dominated by a single car model there are a
lot of variations in the things you mentioned. That was my point. Sorry
you missed it.
Now back to the topic of tires. If you truely feel that a spec tire is
needed to make the ST classes fair, how can you make a statement like, "as
far as I'm concerned, any of the big-3 are the same tire" (refering to the
BFG, Hoosier, and Kumho R-tires I presume) and expect to be taken
seriously? To make that statment while arguing that certain brands of
street tires may provide enough competitive advantage in ST that they need
to be legislated seems hypocritical to me.
Taking the spec-tire argument to another extreme, I can see where even a
spec tire isn't fair since it will favor the driver who's driving style or
vehicle most closely matches the capability of that particular tire. Or
is this just "semantics" to you? I very srongly believe it should be up
to the individual to determine what tire or tire size (within the
established rules) is the best one for their particular car, driving
style, setup, conditions, etc.
When it comes to tires I am most definately pro-choice! And you can
extend that position to cover the whole R vs. street tire debate. (But not
necessarily to any other issue... let's not go there!)
--
Steve Couture
#57 DS Neon ACR
Kumhos - they work great for me, may not work for you.
Looking forward to the 225-50-14!
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