[Shotimes] Warranty and racing

[Mark Nunnally]

> Hmmm, lets look at your car.  If you took it to the track right out of the
> showroom, after one or 2 laps you'd be off the road because the brakes
would
> have failed.  The clutch would be smoking soon after, and the diff pins or
> other parts of the tranny would probably not last more than a couple
races.
> In other words the engine would be screaming along while parts of the car
> started flying off...........while not having any track experience with,
> say, Pontiac, how long would a showroom stock GTP go on the track?

2 laps, I'd be off in 1 lap!! :)

I guess my previous remarks were more aimed at factory "tuner" cars designed
pretty much out of the box for the track, and not their sports car street
versions.  The WRX?  No.  The STi , yeah, C5 vette?  Not really.  Z06,
pretty much (bigger brakes, cooling ducts, etc).  Same with the EVO (the
lancer not even close).  They car's aren't pumped up on power, lightened,
with HD clutches & driveline parts, and shorter ratio's in the tranny so
they can increase the corporate EPA figures :)

These are pretty much new offerings these days with these type cars, back in
the 80's there wasn't a track option car to buy (that I can think of).  The
SHO although a big performance upgrade from the Taurus, wasn't track ready.
But you look at the hardware on the SRT-4 type cars (quaife, etc) WRX and
EVO (chassis stiffening, 4 piston fixed monoblock calipers, ~1.25" + thick
rotors, heck isn't there even an "R" type EVO that's option delete ~300 lbs
lighter?) Cobra "R", etc.  My point is they are built by the mfg's for the
track.  Should they be held liable under warranty?  Probably not...but they
SHOULD hold up and you'd think they'd stand behind it.

Another part of the debate would be what type of track stuff are we talking
here.  Auto-x is pretty hard on tires, but you don't see the loads and
pounding you'd get on open track work.  Drag racing would be the hardest on
clutches and driveline parts.  Most of the OEM "tuner" cars (Z06, STi, EVO,
SRT-4, etc) should be able to stand up to weekend of club sprint racing
(less than 45 mins) and open track/driving school days (20-35 min sessions)
with minimal work (maybe pad and fluid upgrade, and a few other tweaks).
Endurance racing (2-3 + hr) would be a different ballgame, as any car is
pretty much gonna need some additional hardware.

mark