On Friday, January 11, 2002, at 07:12 PM, Matt Murray wrote:
> But consider the original reason that shocks were part of
> what we allow to be altered in stock--price. Originally, it
> was thought that aftermarket shocks would be cheaper than
> oem shocks. Heck, a nice set of Sears Roadhandlers still
> are!
I think Byron may have stumbled on the solution here. Allow any shock
that is sold by Sears! heck we could even sign them up as a series
sponsor! :-)
In all seriousness it's my opinion that Byron is 100% correct that there
is a problem and that any solution is apt to be unpopular and difficult.
He's also correct that the problem is getting worse and worse and it
won't be long before we see cars with shocks worth more than the car is.
I was originally in favor of a shock claiming rule since I don't agree
with Byron's statement that stock shocks are the way to go since stock
shocks are usually a) expensive, b) short-lasting and c) unavailable for
many cars. Through in the temptation to cheat and re-valve the way the
road racers do and IMHO we'd still end up with a shock problem when
we're done despite his faith in our membership.
To find a solution to the problem we have to stop and think *why* are
people going to these expensive shocks? Obviously it's to increase the
roll stiffness of the car when you can't do so by swapping springs as
you can in SP. A quick look at SP shows that high-zoot double-adjustable
shocks are far less common there than in stock which suggests a solution:
Make *springs* free in stock! By allowing people to switch to stiffer
springs we allow them to make the same roll stiffness adjustment to the
car for a far cheaper price ( a good set of Miata springs is less than
$300 vs $3000-$5000 for a set of shocks). I know it sounds crazy but I
think it might just work.
Opinions? Feel free to flame away!
- Alan Dahl
--------------
Alan Dahl home:
adahl@eskimo.com
Federal Way, WA, USA work: Alan.Dahl@PSS.boeing.com
http://www.eskimo.com/~adahl ICQ 52688023
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