For those of you that have not been paying attention to the strut bar clarification shenanigans (i.e. "stiffening in one axis), that clarification has officially been recinded. The SEB will take up the issue again at the end of the season with actual member input this time around.

 

I'm more interested about the AC removal issue ... I hope the option to remove AC goes away from ST ... Not that it makes a difference if the driver sucks

 

I agree that it was a bad idea in the first place, the problem is that people have already performed the modification. And it's unfair to them to make them reinstall AC especially on some of the older cars where parts can be expensive and hard to find.

A local guy shared a letter he wrote the SEB regarding the issue and he makes some pretty strong points to leave it how it is.

It would be interesting to find out how many people have removed the AC, and then figure out what the options are from there. Maybe a compromise like banning AC removal, but allowing existing competitors a grandfather clause with the addition of a weight penalty. That's probably way to complicated but the rule does seem out of line for the ST classes.

 

From: http://sccaforums.com/forums/thread/232849.aspx

STS: (most had optional A/C)
Corey Ridgick - 2000 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS (A/C removed)
Jon Simmons - 2001 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS (A/C retained)

STX:
Steve O'Blenes/Jeff Barco - 2005 Subaru WRX (???)
Chris Fenter - 2005 Subaru WRX (A/C removed)
Brian/Kathy Fitzpatrick - 1988 BMW M3 (A/C removed)
Billy Brooks - 2003 Subaru WRX (A/C retained)
Greg Olsen - 1993 BMW 325is (A/C removed)
Courtney Cormier - 2003 Mini Cooper S (???)
Derek Punch - 1997 BMW 328is (A/C retained)
Bryce/Gary Merideth - 1997 BMW 328is (A/C retained)
Amy Olson - 2002 Subaru WRX (???)

STU:
Branden Burkhart - 2004 Subaru STi (A/C retained)
Terry/Amy Fair - 1997 BMW M3 (A/C retained)
Mike Simanyi - 1995 BMW M3 (A/C removed)
Jerry Irvine - 2006 Mitsubishi Evo (A/C retained)
Mike Neary - 1995 BMW M3 (A/C removed)
Richard Jung/John Brennen - 2003 Mitsubishi Evo (A/C retained)
David Heinrich - 2003 Mitsubishi Evo (A/C retained)
Max Hayter/Carl Vanderschuit - 2006 Subaru STi (A/C retained)
James Balducci - 2005 Subaru STi (A/C retained)
Geoff Clark - 2003 Mitsubishi Evo (A/C retained)
Drew Little - 2003 Mitsubishi Evo (A/C retained)
Mary Bahr - 2004 Subaru STi (???)
Debbie Kerswill - 2005 Mazda RX-8 (A/C removed)

STS2: (all had optional A/C)

While I agree A/C removal doesn't fit with the spirit of the class, take-backs suck and you don't want to start down that slippery slope. It's a rule that should have been thought about and caught when the class was being created but unfortuantely it's too late now IMHO.

 

It's never too late ... it's just an inconvenience to some

 

Anybody happen to know the weight of the A/C components on the EVO? On my 2.5RS the total weight was just over 30lbs.

Corey #89 STU

 

Hi all,
Thought I would pass on info on this article in Grassroots Motorsports where they just did a test between the B'stone RE01-R and the Azenzi RT 615 on a ST Miata.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/new...-vs-falken.php

RE01-R came out top, which probably wont suprise most (though its nice to see the data), but what's perhaps even more newsworthy is that Bridgestone is offering a $100 discount per set with proof of car club membership (SCCA, BMWCCA, etc). Thats like contigency money for all and brings the cost of the B'stones in line with the Azenzi's, which always had cost factor as the top draw vs the RE01's and Neovas. Check http://www.potenza.com/ for more details.

 

Hmmm...and I was going to try to keep this Bridgestone thing a secret, damn.

I personally think the grip characteristics that GRM found are right-in-line with what an AWD car needs to balance the whole suspension and tire package.

I've got to go pick mine up from their shaving appointment. I'll weigh them on my 17x9 CE-28's once I pick them up and see what difference there is from stock rims and tires.

 

The Neova's are still slightly better but when you're looking at $1000 for a set of Neova's (shaved and shipped from the Tire Rack) vs. $700 (shaved, shipped and the coupon), I think my crappy driving can absorb that slight disadvantage!

 

Sounds like you will be ready for Sunday. Looks like Derek better bring his A-game. At least we have the car out of the barn (it has been on the street 3 or 4 times (I drove it twice and I think D has had it out twice, don't think Don has been in it yet). I guess it is ready to go (new header and dp seem to have made nice improvements), I don't even remember what tire psi we ran last time See you Sunday AM!

Adam

 

From the SCCA forum:

"The 245/40R17 weight after being shaved to 4/32s is 22.8 lbs"

I think my CE28s are 16.6 lbs? So it will be interesting to see if your combo comes out to 39.4 lbs.

 

Not 100% yet Adam. I am still waiting to install my coilovers, the uprated springs are not in yet so I'm not installing them until I have the new springs on. I'll atleast have my shaved Bridgestones on. We're learning how to drive the car properly now.

 

Good find splurta! Infact I was reading the latest GRM and they tested a bunch of ST tires on the AWD Saab (WRX platform) and the Falkens came out on top. But realistically speaking I think the tires are so close in performance the variations could all have been driver. The Neova and the RE01R were right up there with a difference of 1/10th of a sec ...
I think a lot will be depend on the weight of the cars and the suspension setup to match the tire ... Branden B. has been running Neovas and has been blazingly quick. Both Jerry I. and Jake D. have also switched to Neovas and are right up there ....

Me on the other hand, due to my awesome driving skillz , will be sticking with the cheapest tire of the bunch ... RT-615.

 

I'm up for a re-challenge in the stock Miata after you put the suspension & tires on the Evo.

 

I sometimes dismiss the GRM tire tests because of some of their test parameters but with the way Andy Hollis does his testing, I do take notice. I can tell you that based on my experience and DL-1 testing with 615s vs. Advans, the Advans were by far the better tire on both a STi and my old RX8. I saw much higher grip levels and we estimated that they were worth at least a half second per run. Now I'm running the RE-01Rs on my Evo and so far I really like them. At the next local event, which will be on asphalt similar to HP, I'm going to run the DL-1 on my car vs. the Nationals second place finishing Advan-equipped M3 and will see what the different grip levels are.

As far as pricing, after the $100 rebate you basically are paying $143 each for the 245/40-17s B-stones. Not too shabby, especially for a manufacturer who is now going to fully support our ST-category. Heck to me that alone makes we want to give them my business.