> Don't take this personally,
Well, OK. And, of course, you won't take this response
personally, either. Right?
=======================
Of course. I can take it as well as dish it out. ;^)
> but maybe those "prepared" and mod cars aren't
> all that properly prepared if they're overheating and
unreliable.
Uhh, Eric, I recall certain STOCK F-bodie cars having overheating
issues in Pro Solo. So much so that they were allowed to install
manual radiator fan switches for Pro Solo competition.
=======================
Were they actually overheating to the point of potentially damaging the
engine (if so, then that IS a poorly designed Stock car and perhaps a better
choice is available) or did the car owners simply want some time to let them
cool down a bit for better performance, or (gasp) were they merely stalling
for time? I've seen the "overheating" excuse used to stall for a bit more
time as the drivers of a 2 driver car weren't paying attention and weren't
ready for their call to the start line. FWIW these were multi time past
National champions.
> Perhaps
> they were never properly engineered or built to begin with.
Possibly. Or possibly, they were _perfectly_ engineered and built
for runs of a minute or less separated by a five minute or
greater cooldown, which is what you can expect to encounter in
Solo II competition. It's speculation either way.
============================
Speculation indeed. But the fact remains that if these prepared and mod
cars were not built to sustain that level of exercise (ProSolo) it was by
the owners choices. Stock, and SP cars to some extent, are limited in what
they can do and therefore may have to live with inherent manufacturer
defects or poor designs.
> Personally I
> would never field a car that cannot reliably sit idling between
runs without
> fear of overheating.
Hear that, guys? Eric wouldn't run in your cars. You'd better put
'em up for sale, since he doesn't like 'em. ;^P
===========================
Damn straight, and cheap too. When I buy them I'm gonna have to go out and
immediately buy bigger radiators and cooling fans at a minimum. ;^)
Probably need tranny and oil coolers as well. I never said I wouldn't like
to take a run or two in these cars but that _I_ wouldn't field a car that
wasn't up to the rigors of the event. Stuff happens and even good parts can
break. That's inevitable and sometimes unavoidable but if it's due to using
undersized or inadequate parts then that's the builder's fault. I liked
Dick Rasmussen's recent story on the utter reliability of his CM Citation
during several years of abuse at Solo and ProSolo events. Compare that to
other cars in the same class that break on a regular basis. Was this due to
the owner's choices or the manufacturer's? Dunno, but he seemed to have
very few problems despite thoroughly flogging the car.
> We used to have a phrase for cars like that back in
> school..........lessee...........hmmm.............wait a
> minute..............it's on the tip of my tongue.............oh
yeah, POS.
As opposed to what? An STS Neon?
===========================
Hey, it CAN survive back to back to back Solo runs not to mention 30 minute
open track sessions and grocery getting duties without as much as a hiccup.
Right now it's doing okay in the snow too. Sounds like a decently
engineered car to me. How 'bout the Lotus? They were sold as actual street
cars at one time weren't they? That said, my Neon did go through 5 PS belts
(and 4 PS pulleys, 2 PS pumps, 1 AC and crank pulley [on the same belt] and
2 PS pump brackets) in 2 months this past season. Dunno exactly what caused
the first tossed belt (it may have been the alternator belt which also flew
off that day but has never again been a problem) but it's not an entirely
uncommon event for Neons. The 4 subsequent tossed PS belts can be directly
attributed to poor service department technicians. That was before the 2000
Nationals and (knock on wood) it's stayed in place since that last
replacement despite relentless flogging. I still think the root cause may
be the actual PS rack but that's neither here nor there.
To each his own, I say. I wouldn't be quite so critical of other
folks' car/prep decisions if I were you. You just might wind up
needing somebody's help when your car breaks.
Jay
===========================
Absolutely to each his own. But don't gripe about it overheating because
you installed a smaller, lighter radiator or fans. That's like me griping
that my car doesn't have 300 hp. I bought it, I live with it. In my long
term plans is the idea of building a Prepared car. BUT I will do it right
utilizing the advice of every ear I can bend and of all those who have
blazed the trails ahead of me. I will not try to piece it together bit by
bit while still trying to campaign it between upgrades. It will never see a
start line until it's mechanically complete and proper from top to bottom.
A good looking paint job of course is entirely optional. ;^)
Now, back to work for a bit. ;^)
Eric Linnhoff in KC
1998 Dodge Neon R/T
#69 STS #13 TLS
eric10mm@qni.com
ICQ#101282513
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