Snails - Racing for Real

  • Thread starter CoachMK21
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anyone is in and around the Vancouver area during the summer, come out and check out the action at Mission Raceway! 2016 schedule is finalized!


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I'm going to my first autocross in Darlington next month! I'm excited and I'll try to get some pictures.

Meanwhile, have a picture of the time we fit 5 people in my AE86. One in the back is 6'2" and 220 and one in the front was 6'2" and 350+... (the guy taking the picture) I had the sunroof open so his head would fit.

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Car fitment is a key component to going fast...
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Unfortunately that theory gets thrown out the window when you're 6'4 170 trying to fit into a car designed for someone 5'6 130 :lol: plenty of modifications have happened in order for me to get below the roll bar, and even then it's still a little iffy.
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Car's coming along rather nicely, hopefully the budget allows for a new paint job!
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Let's see if this works.
via Imgflip GIF Maker

Full final image.

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And just so you know @zer05ive , I was using the number 5 several years before you knew what a number is. ;) :lol: :D

I had those 4 numbers made so I can mix and match if the organization I run with gets picky about who gets what number. The logos are magnets I had made by a local sign shop. Numbers and letters are magnets too.
 
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Let's see if this works.
via Imgflip GIF Maker

Full final image.

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And just so you know @zer05ive , I was using the number 5 several years before you knew what a number is. ;) :lol: :D

I had those 4 numbers made so I can mix and match if the organization I run with gets picky about who gets what number. The logos are magnets I had made by a local sign shop. Numbers and letters are magnets too.
Looks great! What does the "FS" mean? The logos look sweet too! @GranStand Bill
 
Thanks, maybe there will be another car in FSP next time so I won't win by default... Lol

I suspect that cars in my class (if any show up) on good tires will be tough to beat.
I think you are either underestimating your own skill, or overestimating their's. While good equipment certainly helps, it ain't the deciding factor.

Heading down to NCM Motorsports Park on Saturday for a little recon. Might do a little "support the effort" while I'm there and buy a helmet.
 
I meant to post this a while ago. If you plan to compete in SCCA events, it's always cheaper to be a member. If you're not a member and you put me down as a reference, you get a $15 discount on your membership and I get a $5 discount on my renewal. All you need is my name and member number: Mark Krueger - 470672.
 
I meant to post this a while ago. If you plan to compete in SCCA events, it's always cheaper to be a member. If you're not a member and you put me down as a reference, you get a $15 discount on your membership and I get a $5 discount on my renewal. All you need is my name and member number: Mark Krueger - 470672.
A co-worker did the math for me last fall and he determined the cost of membership didn't become beneficial until 7 or more events were attended. Unless my research on SCCA membership costs were in error, I'll pay by the weekend for now. If and when I pull the trigger on full time membership, I'll be sure to use you as a reference Mark. Thanks for the tip!
 
A co-worker did the math for me last fall and he determined the cost of membership didn't become beneficial until 7 or more events were attended. Unless my research on SCCA membership costs were in error, I'll pay by the weekend for now. If and when I pull the trigger on full time membership, I'll be sure to use you as a reference Mark. Thanks for the tip!

It's $15 for a day membership and $80 for a year in my region, so after the 6th event you've saved money. One thing to remember is if you do pay the day membership fee, you can apply 2 of them toward your membership and my referral for a total of $45 of the annual membership fee.
 
Are you saying that on top of the $40 weekend entry fee, I'll pay another $15? That's not how I understood it when I was asking questions at the last event the club here ran.

So far as I can tell, from what's posted here, with your discount, I'll save 10 dollars by the 4th event. That's if I pre-register for another $5 discount on the annual member entry fee. At present, I don't really know how many events I'll make. Budget is limited in this area and I still have a helmet (won't be doing the loaner thing) to buy and diff oil to change, before I'm fully ready to go to even my first event. Wife is already not really enthusiastic about me doing this. Don't really care to press it. I have no intention of competing for championship points. I just want to drive my car harder than I feel comfortable doing on public roads, where there are mini-vans, SUVs, cops and other random idiots in the way.
 
Are you saying that on top of the $40 weekend entry fee, I'll pay another $15? That's not how I understood it when I was asking questions at the last event the club here ran.

So far as I can tell, from what's posted here, with your discount, I'll save 10 dollars by the 4th event. That's if I pre-register for another $5 discount on the annual member entry fee. At present, I don't really know how many events I'll make. Budget is limited in this area and I still have a helmet (won't be doing the loaner thing) to buy and diff oil to change, before I'm fully ready to go to even my first event. Wife is already not really enthusiastic about me doing this. Don't really care to press it. I have no intention of competing for championship points. I just want to drive my car harder than I feel comfortable doing on public roads, where there are mini-vans, SUVs, cops and other random idiots in the way.

Looks like fees are cheaper in your region. In my region it's $40 with a SCCA membership or $55 without one ($40 + $15 weekend). Yours are $30 + $10 (or $25 + 10 if you preregister at motorsportreg.com).
 
I'm noticing some odd things about SCCA car classing, if my car was stock it would be in HS, but a stock Fiesta ST is also in HS?

Seems kind of odd to me that a 30 year old car putting down 60 horses through a live rear axle and open diff would be classed with a 200hp hot hatch that tripods around through the cones and has much wider stock wheels. (5" vs 7")

My car is in FSP because I have a Weber, lowering springs and 15" wheels, and i'm allowed to use up to 225 width tires, making my PAX the same as C5 Corvette in SS that gets to use 285 width R compounds on the rear? Kinda odd.
 
I'm noticing some odd things about SCCA car classing, if my car was stock it would be in HS, but a stock Fiesta ST is also in HS?

Seems kind of odd to me that a 30 year old car putting down 60 horses through a live rear axle and open diff would be classed with a 200hp hot hatch that tripods around through the cones and has much wider stock wheels. (5" vs 7")

My car is in FSP because I have a Weber, lowering springs and 15" wheels, and i'm allowed to use up to 225 width tires, making my PAX the same as C5 Corvette in SS that gets to use 285 width R compounds on the rear? Kinda odd.
Yup. The way they have the class rules written, the first mod that gets you into the class will leave you behind, if it's the only mod. SCCA, helping to drive after market economies, since the 1940s.

If all I change on my car is a cold air intake, I could compete in 3 different classes at that point, but none of them would be the base FS. Every mod after that will limit which classes I could run in.
 
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@ConnorWolf you might have a look at the rules for wheels and suspension and see if your car could go in the Touring class instead of prepared. So far as I can tell, it would appear you could. Although that carb you have may kick you out of Touring. Wheels are limited by width, not diameter, so.... I'm no expert though, so I could be misinterpreting the rules.

Thinking if you're really concerned about that PAX and competing with what appear to be "bigger dogs" you'll just have to start sacrificing some greenbacks and keep on moddin' that little beast. I used to own an '85 Corolla. Mine wasn't that little sporty thing you have though. 4 doors for da' fambly wuz needed. Had that thing for a lot of years and it was, literally, driven from one end of this country to the other, (Alaska to New Jersey), and spent a year in Italy as well. Thing was a brute for such a little thing. Actually AXed it once in Utah in the late '80s.
 
I'm noticing some odd things about SCCA car classing, if my car was stock it would be in HS, but a stock Fiesta ST is also in HS?

Seems kind of odd to me that a 30 year old car putting down 60 horses through a live rear axle and open diff would be classed with a 200hp hot hatch that tripods around through the cones and has much wider stock wheels. (5" vs 7")

My car is in FSP because I have a Weber, lowering springs and 15" wheels, and i'm allowed to use up to 225 width tires, making my PAX the same as C5 Corvette in SS that gets to use 285 width R compounds on the rear? Kinda odd.

@ConnorWolf you might have a look at the rules for wheels and suspension and see if your car could go in the Touring class instead of prepared. So far as I can tell, it would appear you could. Although that carb you have may kick you out of Touring. Wheels are limited by width, not diameter, so.... I'm no expert though, so I could be misinterpreting the rules.

Thinking if you're really concerned about that PAX and competing with what appear to be "bigger dogs" you'll just have to start sacrificing some greenbacks and keep on moddin' that little beast. I used to own an '85 Corolla. Mine wasn't that little sporty thing you have though. 4 doors for da' fambly wuz needed. Had that thing for a lot of years and it was, literally, driven from one end of this country to the other, (Alaska to New Jersey), and spent a year in Italy as well. Thing was a brute for such a little thing. Actually AXed it once in Utah in the late '80s.

Yea, I think the item that places @ConnorWolf in FSP is the Weber carb. Without that, he'd be in Street Touring FWD. You just need to make one decision to this quesetion; Do you want to win or do you want to have fun? You can do both, but then you'll need to do the mods that are appropriate for your class.

There is a guy in our region that has an AE86 and he kicks butt in SM (street modified). Although it also has a motor from a Honda S2000.
 
I'm noticing some odd things about SCCA car classing, if my car was stock it would be in HS, but a stock Fiesta ST is also in HS?

Seems kind of odd to me that a 30 year old car putting down 60 horses through a live rear axle and open diff would be classed with a 200hp hot hatch that tripods around through the cones and has much wider stock wheels. (5" vs 7")

My car is in FSP because I have a Weber, lowering springs and 15" wheels, and i'm allowed to use up to 225 width tyres, making my PAX the same as C5 Corvette in SS that gets to use 285 width R compounds on the rear? Kinda odd.

Unfortunately, your car is only eligible for stock/street category through this year; as the sunset rule dictates the 30 previous model years from current as allowable. This doesn't appear to be of concern to you, however, as there is no sunset rule for the other categories including Street Touring and Street Prepared.

More to your point, Solo II classing is rather unique because of the lower speed and largely transitional elements that occur on course. Yes, power has a significant impact(moreso in recent years as course design has evolved and speeds increased), but given the unique elements on a course other factors weigh heavier there than on a proper road course. The torqueband, gearing, weight, wheelbase, suspension geometry, and many other factors have greater influence than peak power in solo. This is why you find 25-30 year old Hondas outrunning new pony cars on course with 4 times the power and 5 times the tyre.

Most cars don't spend much time at peak power on a course, but rather in the middle. This is why some of the less 'hot' models are actually more competitive than their racier(and usually peakier) counterparts for solo competition such as the Celica GT vs. GTS in GS, the base Miata vs. MazdaSpeed Miata in ES, and several others. Peaky motors are less than ideal for solo. Because of this and the fact that multiple layouts compete with one another(Evo/STi vs. S2000 and Vettes in BS, Minis and WRXS in DS, etc) Solo event performance has a lot of course dependability. I'm not going to go further into that as it would be quite lengthy, but the existing classing is largely data driven on averages and new models are classed by committee.

When I say data averages, I mean performance averages. Using the BS S2000 vs. C5 Vette comparison; the Vette gains somewhere upwards of .1 for every 100ft of acceleration range, but the s2000 picks up about .050 at each slolam cone. Given a fair and average course design, the theory is that the two should finish about the same time. Of course, if you find yourself running a course full of 1st gear pivot cone digs followed by 300ft straights with one slolam; you will almost certainly lose to the vette. Now, if you find yourself on a course such as described above, I would simply request a refund and go home and mow the lawn. Screw that. Darlington is a a difficult site to design a course for given the long and narrow lot, so you will find it only gets better as you run more events around the area.

As for the specifics regarding HS(and GS), I'll illustrate some history on stock/street classing. In recent years there have been some massive changes to the stock category in solo.

Just a few years ago stock class allowed R compound tyres, open exhausts past the catalyst dumping behind the driver, while banning not stock diameter wheels, adjustment of suspension beyond factory ranges, and many other little things like shift knobs and badging. Scca has strived to open the classing to a broader range and as such banned r compound tyres, allowed +/- 1" wheel diameters, opened sway bar allowances and alignments a bit, while removing restrictions on non performance items like badges and knobs. In doing so, this altered the parity in various classes as cars that were 'the car to have' on race tyres became also rans. I'll leave that at that and if someone wants to discuss further we can.

The other side to the changes made were the introduction of the sunset rule, and classing reorganisation. The scca is trying to make the street class more accessible by making the 'car to have' in each be readily available new at the dealer. To do this quickly, they aggressively classed a few newer cars that completely obsoleted(sometimes only in perception, but that's all that is needed to instigate change) some of the older, less accessible cars to have. HS was, a few years ago; home to a perceived single dominant car that was relatively expensive, didn't sell in huge quantities in the option package, unreliable, and ate a set of Hoosiers before breakfast. The car to have in ES was a 20+ year old car in an option package that was only built in the 100s, and the car to have in BS was a $35k car they built 699 of for two model years(66x one year, 3x the next). There hadn't been a true original 'legal' ES car on the grid in years; they were all clones. Now, the downside to this is that entry level costs for the most entry level of classes is now a car loan/lease plus prep. Reasonable minds may differ as to whether this was the right move for the sport.

Conversely, because of the massive skill differential you'll see, especially at local events, these deficits can be overcome. For what it is worth, my car makes 91ft-lbs of torque at 7600rpm on 6 inch wheels and weighs within 100lbs of the Fiesta ST. When I do attend solo events I compete with the Fiesta. I do have the benefit of a real suspension, narrow chassis, and lower centre of gravity, though. It's also the best looking car in grid, and that matters when your car is slow because people have so much time to look at it on course. :)

My car is in FSP because I have a Weber, lowering springs and 15" wheels, and i'm allowed to use up to 225 width tyres, making my PAX the same as C5 Corvette in SS that gets to use 285 width R compounds on the rear? Kinda odd.

Every region has the ability to dictate their own variations on SCCA rules for their needs(some banned R comps years ago, for example), so that can vary from region to region. Nationally, FSP does not have any wheel or tyre width limits, only that the tyres are DOT certified.

As for the speed adjustments; in full prep that is about correct. When I ran DSP I was in a 2.5RS on 15x10 wheels with 275/35/15 Hoosiers, and although the motor was stock internally the gains from the suspension adjustments and wheels/tyres put the car regularly on pace with the same Vettes described above. With much less weight in the Corolla and equally poor suspension, I would expect similar times.

Yea, I think the item that places @ConnorWolf in FSP is the Weber carb. Without that, he'd be in Street Touring FWD. You just need to make one decision to this quesetion; Do you want to win or do you want to have fun? You can do both, but then you'll need to do the mods that are appropriate for your class.

There is a guy in our region that has an AE86 and he kicks butt in SM (street modified). Although it also has a motor from a Honda S2000.

Unfortunately, the Corolla would be in STS along with God's Chariot and the Rainbow Roadsters. Tough crowd in there with proper suspensions, but it's been done before as recently as a few years back with a 240sx in class.

The gentleman with the F20 powered AE86 in SM is classed incorrectly. SM allows engine swaps, but only from the same manufacturer. For example, you can put a RB25 in a 240SX, or a 13b in a Miata, but you cannot put an LS1 in an RX7 because GM did not manufacture any engines for that model. However, you can put an STi motor in an FRS because it was a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru(Scion is recognised as Toyota for this purpose). Again, individual regions are allowed to have their own exceptions to the rules, and in some classes there are agreements among competitors not to protest others for various items so there may be something else at play.

Edit: I don't find myself here very often anymore, but if anyone has any questions or such I'll be glad to help in any way I can.
 
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Unfortunately, your car is only eligible for stock/street category through this year; as the sunset rule dictates the 30 previous model years from current as allowable. This doesn't appear to be of concern to you, however, as there is no sunset rule for the other categories including Street Touring and Street Prepared.

More to your point, Solo II classing is rather unique because of the lower speed and largely transitional elements that occur on course. Yes, power has a significant impact(moreso in recent years as course design has evolved and speeds increased), but given the unique elements on a course other factors weigh heavier there than on a proper road course. The torqueband, gearing, weight, wheelbase, suspension geometry, and many other factors have greater influence than peak power in solo. This is why you find 25-30 year old Hondas outrunning new pony cars on course with 4 times the power and 5 times the tyre.

Most cars don't spend much time at peak power on a course, but rather in the middle. This is why some of the less 'hot' models are actually more competitive than their racier(and usually peakier) counterparts for solo competition such as the Celica GT vs. GTS in GS, the base Miata vs. MazdaSpeed Miata in ES, and several others. Peaky motors are less than ideal for solo. Because of this and the fact that multiple layouts compete with one another(Evo/STi vs. S2000 and Vettes in BS, Minis and WRXS in DS, etc) Solo event performance has a lot of course dependability. I'm not going to go further into that as it would be quite lengthy, but the existing classing is largely data driven on averages and new models are classed by committee.

When I say data averages, I mean performance averages. Using the BS S2000 vs. C5 Vette comparison; the Vette gains somewhere upwards of .1 for every 100ft of acceleration range, but the s2000 picks up about .050 at each slolam cone. Given a fair and average course design, the theory is that the two should finish about the same time. Of course, if you find yourself running a course full of 1st gear pivot cone digs followed by 300ft straights with one slolam; you will almost certainly lose to the vette. Now, if you find yourself on a course such as described above, I would simply request a refund and go home and mow the lawn. Screw that. Darlington is a a difficult site to design a course for given the long and narrow lot, so you will find it only gets better as you run more events around the area.

As for the specifics regarding HS(and GS), I'll illustrate some history on stock/street classing. In recent years there have been some massive changes to the stock category in solo.

Just a few years ago stock class allowed R compound tyres, open exhausts past the catalyst dumping behind the driver, while banning not stock diameter wheels, adjustment of suspension beyond factory ranges, and many other little things like shift knobs and badging. Scca has strived to open the classing to a broader range and as such banned r compound tyres, allowed +/- 1" wheel diameters, opened sway bar allowances and alignments a bit, while removing restrictions on non performance items like badges and knobs. In doing so, this altered the parity in various classes as cars that were 'the car to have' on race tyres became also rans. I'll leave that at that and if someone wants to discuss further we can.

The other side to the changes made were the introduction of the sunset rule, and classing reorganisation. The scca is trying to make the street class more accessible by making the 'car to have' in each be readily available new at the dealer. To do this quickly, they aggressively classed a few newer cars that completely obsoleted(sometimes only in perception, but that's all that is needed to instigate change) some of the older, less accessible cars to have. HS was, a few years ago; home to a perceived single dominant car that was relatively expensive, didn't sell in huge quantities in the option package, unreliable, and ate a set of Hoosiers before breakfast. The car to have in ES was a 20+ year old car in an option package that was only built in the 100s, and the car to have in BS was a $35k car they built 699 of for two model years(66x one year, 3x the next). There hadn't been a true original 'legal' ES car on the grid in years; they were all clones. Now, the downside to this is that entry level costs for the most entry level of classes is now a car loan/lease plus prep. Reasonable minds may differ as to whether this was the right move for the sport.

Conversely, because of the massive skill differential you'll see, especially at local events, these deficits can be overcome. For what it is worth, my car makes 91ft-lbs of torque at 7600rpm on 6 inch wheels and weighs within 100lbs of the Fiesta ST. When I do attend solo events I compete with the Fiesta. I do have the benefit of a real suspension, narrow chassis, and lower centre of gravity, though. It's also the best looking car in grid, and that matters when your car is slow because people have so much time to look at it on course. :)



Every region has the ability to dictate their own variations on SCCA rules for their needs(some banned R comps years ago, for example), so that can vary from region to region. Nationally, FSP does not have any wheel or tyre width limits, only that the tyres are DOT certified.

As for the speed adjustments; in full prep that is about correct. When I ran DSP I was in a 2.5RS on 15x10 wheels with 275/35/15 Hoosiers, and although the motor was stock internally the gains from the suspension adjustments and wheels/tyres put the car regularly on pace with the same Vettes described above. With much less weight in the Corolla and equally poor suspension, I would expect similar times.



Unfortunately, the Corolla would be in STS along with God's Chariot and the Rainbow Roadsters. Tough crowd in there with proper suspensions, but it's been done before as recently as a few years back with a 240sx in class.

The gentleman with the F20 powered AE86 in SM is classed incorrectly. SM allows engine swaps, but only from the same manufacturer. For example, you can put a RB25 in a 240SX, or a 13b in a Miata, but you cannot put an LS1 in an RX7 because GM did not manufacture any engines for that model. However, you can put an STi motor in an FRS because it was a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru(Scion is recognised as Toyota for this purpose). Again, individual regions are allowed to have their own exceptions to the rules, and in some classes there are agreements among competitors not to protest others for various items so there may be something else at play.

Edit: I don't find myself here very often anymore, but if anyone has any questions or such I'll be glad to help in any way I can.

Thanks @Marcus Garvey! That was a lot of information and a great read.

And sorry for the error on the STF classing comment. I quickly searched the rule book for Corolla and saw it in STF, but just checked again and that's for 2003-2015. Oops.
 
Yea, I think the item that places @ConnorWolf in FSP is the Weber carb. Without that, he'd be in Street Touring FWD. You just need to make one decision to this quesetion; Do you want to win or do you want to have fun? You can do both, but then you'll need to do the mods that are appropriate for your class.

It's more than just the Weber from what I understand, it's mostly because I've deleted a lot of factory equipment. If it's unnecessary and broken I just remove it... I classed the car in FSP myself based on what I read in the regs, but I was also told by the tech inspection guy I'd be in FSP without my bringing it up. (also, my 'rolla is RWD)

I don't mind being classed in FSP, but I'm not sure if anyone else will show up for my class, and it would be nice to have more direct competition. (even if I don't have the money to improve the car, just to maybe keep it on the road)

I actually do have a few more mods already waiting in the wings, so I should be able to get a liiiittle more competitive. I wanted to try running the car essentially "stock" daily-driver style as far as I'm concerned before I started changing too much. Next to go on is the rear sway bar from a GT-S and an aftermarket front bar to help with transitions and maybe spread the load better on the rear end to let me put down power without spinning the inside rear so much :) Maybe some better tires, too... although I can't really go wider than 205.

I admit I'm slightly worried that making the car more competitive by putting super sticky rubber on it will make it less fun, both on the track and to drive around town (not to mention the affect on my gas mileage and how short-lived competitive tires would likely be...). I was told that I could run "FSPT" for "tire", which maybe would work?

@Marcus Garvey , thanks for your response. I do have one question - as I understand one of the main things that puts me in SP is my A/C delete, does that apply even if A/C was optional, not standard for my model in a previous year? ('84 vs '86)

I'm not too worried about building the car to be super-competitive, I plan to make up for it by driving faster, and however I do is how I do :) I was just surprised by certain things, like an old Camaro that I expected to beat (and did beat by over three seconds, with both of it's drivers posting almost identical times) being in ESP above me, Fiesta STs in classes below me which I expected to be much faster than me (and were with one driver by almost 3 seconds).

I guess that's mostly due to the combination of driver skill and not modifying the car to fit a particular class.
 
Thanks @Marcus Garvey! That was a lot of information and a great read.

And sorry for the error on the STF classing comment. I quickly searched the rule book for Corolla and saw it in STF, but just checked again and that's for 2003-2015. Oops.

No apologies necessary; my 'unfortunate' comment was regarding how unfortunate it is that the Corolla would have to compete with the heavy hitters in STS all around the same weight but with better suspension and more power.

It's more than just the Weber from what I understand, it's mostly because I've deleted a lot of factory equipment. If it's unnecessary and broken I just remove it... I classed the car in FSP myself based on what I read in the regs, but I was also told by the tech inspection guy I'd be in FSP without my bringing it up. (also, my 'rolla is RWD)

I don't mind being classed in FSP, but I'm not sure if anyone else will show up for my class, and it would be nice to have more direct competition. (even if I don't have the money to improve the car, just to maybe keep it on the road)

I actually do have a few more mods already waiting in the wings, so I should be able to get a liiiittle more competitive. I wanted to try running the car essentially "stock" daily-driver style as far as I'm concerned before I started changing too much. Next to go on is the rear sway bar from a GT-S and an aftermarket front bar to help with transitions and maybe spread the load better on the rear end to let me put down power without spinning the inside rear so much :) Maybe some better tires, too... although I can't really go wider than 205.

I admit I'm slightly worried that making the car more competitive by putting super sticky rubber on it will make it less fun, both on the track and to drive around town (not to mention the affect on my gas mileage and how short-lived competitive tires would likely be...). I was told that I could run "FSPT" for "tire", which maybe would work?

@Marcus Garvey , thanks for your response. I do have one question - as I understand one of the main things that puts me in SP is my A/C delete, does that apply even if A/C was optional, not standard for my model in a previous year? ('84 vs '86)

I'm not too worried about building the car to be super-competitive, I plan to make up for it by driving faster, and however I do is how I do :) I was just surprised by certain things, like an old Camaro that I expected to beat (and did beat by over three seconds, with both of it's drivers posting almost identical times) being in ESP above me, Fiesta STs in classes below me which I expected to be much faster than me (and were with one driver by almost 3 seconds).

I guess that's mostly due to the combination of driver skill and not modifying the car to fit a particular class.

I'm more than happy to help.

You can freely remove the a/c in the Street Prepared category regardless of whether the car was available without it. You cannot remove the heater system, though.

If the a/c was optional on your specific year/make/model, you can remove the a/c even in street category. The removal must be a 'complete package' change; meaning that if the non-a/c car had any other differences you would have to swap them as well. For example, if the a/c option package also comes with stiffer springs and a larger radiator, you would have to swap in the non-a/c springs and radiator. This only applies to street/ST category, whereas in Street Prepared you can freely remove the a/c regardless of option package as stated above.

A full build SP car is not going to be normally streetable. I open this paragraph with that statement for various reasons, so if the car is going to remain your daily driver everything that you do must have that intent in mind. That said, if you are considering buying r compound tyres, you will need a separate set of wheels(can be cheap steelies if you want) to mount them on. For most of my time, that is how I competed. Even now in the days of the super hotness street tyres I still drive the car to events on all seasons, swap on the race wheels/tyres and run my sessions. Then I swap the wheels back for the ride home.

The FSPT class is a good casual option, and the best choice for now if you are going to stay on street tyres and do not want to invest in wheels or mess with changing tyres at events. Those classes allow all of the normal rules for FSP, but mandate street tyres no less than 200TW like the S/ST categories and disallow r compounds. Another benefit to running street tyres is that the lower grip level is much slower to wear wheel bearings, bushings, brakes, etc. With r compound tyres, you will want to keep a close eye on the wheel hub bearings as the greater loads increase wear significantly. Of course, street tyre grip is now approaching old r-compound territory under certain conditions; so that gap is closing.

I wouldn't focus too much on comparing your times to other classes, especially where the cars achieve their pace through other means(Fiesta ST is a heavier, FWD lots of electronics whereas the Corolla is light, low power, and no electronics). The same for PAX; don't even bother looking at it. Look at your own time improvements, and even better put a fast driver in your car for a couple of runs and ride along. Ride along with others in similar cars. When I'm instructing from the right seat, there is only so much I can convey using words and motions. I find most often that the light bulb goes off somewhere during or after I take a student on a ride along as it allows them to 'feel' what is supposed to be happening. I'm making generalisations here rather than ramble on about teaching techniques, but beyond grabbing rides I also recommend you take a ride out to other sites when the season gets going as the weather warms. Darlington is a very unique site and not representative of what you'll see at national level courses, and because of this you don't always to get to develop the skills learned from the types of elements that just can't be used at the Darlington site. Above all, keep getting seat time. Seat time.
 
Spent a couple hours down at NCM Motorsports Park today.

In no particular order.
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This my car

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Cars. Lots of Cars.

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Start line dude said this is a Hellcat. After watching it launch and get down to T1, I'm inclined to believe him.

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This car was so fast, I couldn't catch his launch.

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I lied earlier.

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Maybe this one was the Hellcat. All them Dodges look the same to me.

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My personal Favorite.

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Found out just how relatively inexpensive once of these events are and so, after I get a few AutoXes under my belt and bond with my car a bit more, I'll be headed down there to put me and him on the track.
 
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