Isn't that a wash-out in competition regarding>>
chassis stiff/weighs more=chassis flexes/weighs less..IMHO.
arnold
-----Original Message-----
From: Charles Cox [mailto:charles@coastalbay.com]
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 6:15 PM
To: Scot Zediker; ba-autox
Subject: Re: Fear and Loathing in AP
I didn't believe they were going to enforce changing the wheels from 15 -
13" that would make anyone already on DP have to buy new wheels and maybe
brakes...my book says 13 X 7 but sure there was an update at some point
reverting to the 15 X 7".
2100 makes sense...didn't think you were that you could be much lighter than
that. You're actually then, 75# heavy for DP as a 1.6. Add a roll bar...40#
+ (required for Prepared...don't remember if you had one or not...) and
you're already 115# heavy. Gut the car you can get the weight out and I can
see how you ultimately would have to ballast the car...an M2/NB (post 1999)
wouldn't need much if any ballast...particularly if caged.
The only internal changes of any significance between CSP and AP is cams and
cam timing gears...and possibly (some) porting but not as significant as you
might think for an autocross motor where you don't want massive overlap,
needing bottom end and a broad torque and power band. For road racing,
that's different where they are getting 220-240 HP Naturally Aspirated but
only at between 7500-9000 rpm...doesn't work as well for autocrossing. Fuel
injection is not required to be "Stock" but original, so extensive
modifications are allowed and why the differences are not as much as you
might think. Even the road racers are using it (original fuel injection) and
making massive horsepower...so I really don't think there is much to be
gained of substance between the two...and you don't have to run the stock
ECU either...no one does or can at a competitive level.
I knew there must have been one car...I'd really like to see it but still
suspect it from a structural standpoint unless fully caged (don't know the
car so might be). Realize that it is a '90 chassis which weigh something
like 150-250# (maybe more) less than later cars...not insignificant and in
building a car one owns, means you'd have to buy an early car to make it to
the light weight. Not sure about you, but if to meet the minimum weight
means having to buy an earlier chassis to do it, that to me falls well out
of bounds of being "reasonable" in the ability to meet the minimum weight
(AP).
Chas
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scot Zediker" <roadsterboy@earthlink.net>
To: "ba-autox" <ba-autox@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 5:19 PM
Subject: Re: Fear and Loathing in AP
> I had heard that they were keeping 15" wheels for DP, but I was just going
> by what my rulebook said. By "induction" I meant carburetion/fuel
> injection. And in case anyone here missed it, in my original message FI
> stands for fuel injection, not forced induction. And I was referring to
DP
> minimum weights, not AP (my car weighs around 2100 lb in autox trim
> presently, so I'd have to ADD weight if I put in a 1.8L engine and went
into
> DP).
>
> While an IRTB setup might not gain much on a CSP legal engine, it probably
> helps quite a bit on an AP motor, where you can make major internal
changes.
> And for a DP car, when they say "stock fuel injection" they pretty much
mean
> stock. Stock manifold, stock throttle body, stock ECU too if I'm not
> mistaken.
>
> But the lightest Miata I know of is the Whitney car. IIRC, it began life
as
> a '90 and Stan once said it weighed about 1740 without ballast. In other
> words, the minimum for a 1.8L AP car, give or take a bit. Having looked
it
> over a couple times, I have no idea what else, if anything, they can
remove
> from it.
>
> Scot
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