There is a thread from a couple years ago where someone mentioned this, but I'm just wanting to confirm. Strut tower reinforcement plates will be ILLEGAL for stock classes, correct? I'm probably still going to buy them and just take them off for events, though I doubt anyone at smaller region events will care about it at all.

 

They are not mentioned in the stock rules as being allowed, therefore they are not allowed. Just remove for your events.

 

I would leave them on (unless you want to save the weight) because I would not contest them (unless your at a national event). The rules at the local club level is somewhat flexible and the plates offer nothing in the way of performance enhancement but they do add weight to the heavier end of the car. Rules are rules and like said previously if not mentioned then not allowed but personally I wouldn't contest a first place at even the national level if my competition had them installed (and that is who would care and contest...the driver who feels cheated). Then again the only reason you have them installed is to prevent damage due to poor design and I doubt the skid pads you run on have any pot holes or large deep cracks so it's not going to hurt anything taking them off.

 

I mostly agree; I doubt most Mini drivers would protest these at a local event, since they probably know the purpose and intent. However perhaps a driver of another make might not believe that they offer no performance advantage.

 

While this is true, one statement of "that's all there is to those" and I think anyone would have a hard time explaining an advantage the modification brings to the performance of the car.

If I was in the stock class Id keep them on until someone had a problem with them but I would also bring them to thier (other drivers in the same class)attention as well and would remove them or just voluntarily move up to STS if protested.

 

Yeah, I realize that at local events most people probably won't care about using them, but either way they're easy to remove quickly.

 

They are not legal for SCCA G stock class.

I have seen them in my region and told the owner to remove them for competition in G stock.

If you finish with a time that puts you out of the top finishers most times no one will complain.

As a rule I check every MINI that competes at our events and let them know what class they should be in and their options if they have something that could easily be changed so that they can be as well classed as possible.

 

What class would you fall into with the plates?

 

Street touring (X for MCS) or most other classes Minis are legal in.

 

I've run them and no one complained. I wouldn't complain if someone were running them.

Even if they did offer some sort of performance advantage, there are several other "legal" modifications that will make a much bigger impact.

If the pavement that you X on is as old and bumpy as ours, I'd run them. If it's the new, silky smooth asphault/concrete that I long for, do whatever you have time to do. Even though I'm sure the bumps wouldn't do any damage, if I can justify not taking them off, I won't.....plus I'm kinda lazy.

 

I am in a modified class now, so I have them, but would have had issues running with them in stock class (before the bump to DS) at the local level. I was winning my class and people would have loved to have something to call me on. I tried to get a rules interpretation passed to allow it and it was rejected. That said, I know others that have strut bars on other makes in stock class without issues.