nuisance
05-13-2014, 10:24 AM
As I waited for the kit, and trolled this forum, one debate has been there for me all along...
Do I build this "R" for track+autocross only, or do I make it streetable too?
I am primarily interested in the race and autocross side of things, thus the choice of the "R" version. But, I also bought the street windshield with the idea of driving to an event sometimes, and just bombing around town, getting groceries, etc. The trouble is, the dual purpose machine involves compromises, which then reduce performance in each mode. In 2011 and 2012 I autocrossed my S2000 in STR class, which meant I could lower the ride height, change to a high flow cat and minimal exhaust, and run much stiffer springs. This produced a great autocross car, but on the street it was miserable. Much too loud, with a terrible drone, and very harsh riding even with the shocks on the softest setting. Worse was the ride height, which made every driveway a challenge, and found me driving all over parking lots trying to avoid the speed bumps. So, this last year I went back to street/stock class, and am happy there. But this 818 will be different. The performance potential begs more serious racing.
So, I would like to hear your opinions and thoughts about this.
I won't be going to street only, so the choices are streetable race car, or pure race car.
The pure race car:
does not need to be licensed or insured
must be trailered everywhere
can just sit on the race tires all the time-no constant changing of tires back and forth
can be an all-out build, no sound insulation or comfort stuff, E85 only, low ride height, no muffler (except the rotary muffler i.e. turbo)
The street/race car:
must be licensed and insured
can be driven to nearby events
needs a real exhaust system (it could have v-bands and a quick swap system)
must have a full windshield (I think the DMV will require this)
will probably have multiple engine maps for fuel and drivability
SCCA autocross is getting more accommodating toward street tires, so some local events could be run on the street tires, which would save money.
I am sure you all will have things I haven't thought of, so I'd like to hear them. Many of the build threads reference trade offs being made for the dual purpose machine.
John
Do I build this "R" for track+autocross only, or do I make it streetable too?
I am primarily interested in the race and autocross side of things, thus the choice of the "R" version. But, I also bought the street windshield with the idea of driving to an event sometimes, and just bombing around town, getting groceries, etc. The trouble is, the dual purpose machine involves compromises, which then reduce performance in each mode. In 2011 and 2012 I autocrossed my S2000 in STR class, which meant I could lower the ride height, change to a high flow cat and minimal exhaust, and run much stiffer springs. This produced a great autocross car, but on the street it was miserable. Much too loud, with a terrible drone, and very harsh riding even with the shocks on the softest setting. Worse was the ride height, which made every driveway a challenge, and found me driving all over parking lots trying to avoid the speed bumps. So, this last year I went back to street/stock class, and am happy there. But this 818 will be different. The performance potential begs more serious racing.
So, I would like to hear your opinions and thoughts about this.
I won't be going to street only, so the choices are streetable race car, or pure race car.
The pure race car:
does not need to be licensed or insured
must be trailered everywhere
can just sit on the race tires all the time-no constant changing of tires back and forth
can be an all-out build, no sound insulation or comfort stuff, E85 only, low ride height, no muffler (except the rotary muffler i.e. turbo)
The street/race car:
must be licensed and insured
can be driven to nearby events
needs a real exhaust system (it could have v-bands and a quick swap system)
must have a full windshield (I think the DMV will require this)
will probably have multiple engine maps for fuel and drivability
SCCA autocross is getting more accommodating toward street tires, so some local events could be run on the street tires, which would save money.
I am sure you all will have things I haven't thought of, so I'd like to hear them. Many of the build threads reference trade offs being made for the dual purpose machine.
John