Thanks KeS for your well-reasoned responses.
One response about my crack about brake pads - interpreting the rule about
"factory specifications" completely and entirely literally, I suspect that
balsa wood pads would NOT meet Ford's specifications. :-) But if the rule
says "any" pads, what the heck....hobby shop, here I come! Let's find out if
those fire extinguishers really work.
The comments about safety items and such were indeed related to the (probable)
intention of the rulesmakers to consider Safety first and Performance issues
second. Of course anyone enforcing the rules has to work first from the letter
of the law, and only occasionally does the spirit come into consideration.
Someone else made the point that I was looking for, I suppose, so here's my
restatement: "Reasonable" people (IMO) would look at a car whose driver beat
them, and would choose not to protest the car based on a breakdown or wearing
out of a component, where that breakdown did not give the driver an advantage.
I personally feel that ABS as implemented on my car does not detract from its
performance, and is possibly a plus, but I chose to compete in the possibly
degraded condition rather than spend large money on the repair and possibly not
be able to compete. At about that time I had moved out of the Stock class in
any case. Fixed now, finally.
-------------------
RE: Katie's question and the Mini -- 'Sport Compact Car' recently reviewed a
noted tuner shop's "package" for the Mini, and found that the hella kewl 17"
wheel/tire package chosen weighed something like 6 pounds more per corner!
Versus stock 15's. The reviewer rightly noted that, particularly in a car that
is not overpowered, adding rotating weight is a big minus. Not even getting
into the unsprung weight issue.... The car buyer has to carefully weigh ;-)
the options when choosing them. Or if running Stock, find out the lightest
wheel available matching an optional size (and offset +/- 1/4 inch) that can
fit the requisite R tire and keep their second set for styling on the street
with whatever floats their boat.
PaulT
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