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Message text written by Carl Merritt
"
You know, this may seem like a crazy idea, but why not just limit Stock
class to stock shocks? Hmmm...the simplicity of it is downright scary...
-Carl"
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History on how we got here:
Way back in the middle '70s, probably before you were born <G>, I
was appointed to the SEB and we discussed Stock shocks on Stock cars. It
was the position of the SEB Chair that most enthusiasts of the era changed
their shocks to gain better street performance and he advocated "free"
shocks for teh Stock classes. Technology had not advanced very far in that
time frame.
While sitting there in Reading, PA, I recalled watching SCCA
Showroom Stock road racers tipping over in Turn 11 at Sears Point Raceway
in single-car incidents. Using that as a standard, it became my opinion
SCCA did not need this sort of thing on super market parking lots across
the country. So I voted for "free" shocks.
Subseqeuent SEB's have not seen fit to address the issue until the
last two years with the advent of the Penske Shock which is really the Fox
Shock invented in San Jose for motorcycles. The reservoir is the key to the
Penske. In racing, shocks and the fluid inside get hot and thus the oil
viscosity changes. We do not get the same type of rising temps in Solo
events, thus, IMHO, nobody NEEDS a reservoir-type shock in Solo II. Now
there are a lot of people in the race-car parts business who will tell you
that you need to buy the latest stuff. And many newbies, with virtually
zero background, believe them. Then as they develop as drivers, they now
"know" the trick shocks did it for them. It was all mileage, to my mind.
As OEM shocks are a major improvement today over what they were
yesterday, it seems reeasonable to require them. HOWEVER, OEM shocks
generally cost more than Alternate brand at Kragen's or Monument, or
whatever. Thus requiring OEM for shocks raises costs.
I haven't read Tony's item all the way through yet, so I'll wait a
while before offering any more here.
--John Kelly
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