Starting to see some to National and Divisional competitors cars for sale. The dust is obviously starting to settle on the SCCA classing decision for the '05 MCS. I've fretted, complained, and worked myself into a froth over it, and have come to the conlusion:

1. Hey, I'm not a National level driver anyway (yet ).
2. I like my '03 MCS, and it's not paid off just yet.
3. I thought about switching to STX but it would cost more than trading up to '05 with LSD.
4. If the LSD equipped 05' does spank us all in GS, they will probably move it to DS.

I guess I'm staying, learning to drive quicker, and taking a "wait an see what happens" approach.

 

One thing I found out years ago when we had to chase the mastodons out of the NSA parking lot so we could autocross was that 99% of the time it's the driver, not the car. Fast drivers were fast in slow cars and slow drivers were slow in fast cars.

Moral of the story is that it's cheaper and more effective to work on your own skills rather than trying to buy your way past your own limitations.

 

Not wanting to quibble with this wisdom it is also fair to say that without a level playing field you will not be able to say if it's the driver or the car when an LSD car beats a non-LSD. Any competitor wirth his salt should start with the best car possible for the job. This decision is costing us money or instilling doubt as to whether it was the car or driver that prevented the win.

 

I have an '05 w/LSD on order, mainly because with the resale on the car, I can sell mine, pay it off and put the rest down on a new one and pay only slightly more a month. If i was keeping my car, i was going to return it to stock and run GS again anyway. It would be fun to compare times to an LSD equipped car. As it is, I think I'm going to run DS because I have a feeling the 05's will get bumped halfway through the season. Especially if it is listed on a separate line in the rulebook.

 

If I could afford to get the '05, I'd be doing that, but as it looks, I'll be headed back to Miata stock where I came from...

I truly believe that anyone who gets a stripped '05 w/LSD will have a top car for D Stock. I can't gaurantee anything, but I've done enough research and testing (non LSD vs. LSD, Type R vs. Cooper S) to make that seem true.

Good Luck,
Brian

 

I'll second that. Take away the LSD in an ITR and it sucks, so it's a logical conclusion that MCS + LSD = great DS car.

I hope to have my '05 MCS in time for the first ProSolo of 05:smile:

 

Thats what I'm shooting for as well. I think everyone is trying to hurry to get that extra added advatage early in the season. Especially with Mini paying so much on contigency monies and free Hoosiers on the line.

Oh, and about working on driving skills instead of buying a car to overcome ones own limitations.......

This is true on a local level which I agree 110% with, but, noone can buy themselves into a win nationally, if you don't have the best equipment and correct setup, you lose 90% of the time on a national level.

 

Hoosiers? No way. V710s kthnxbye:smile:

I heard through reliable source that there will be a 215/40/16

 

Ahhh, thats great news!!

 

Has anyone had luck on the V710's on a light car? A past national champ, and I beleive the highest placing FS-driver actually on Hoosiers this year, told me that he thought the Hoosiers would still be the fast tire for "light" cars.

Whether or not the Mini truly qualifies as a "light" car I don't know, but it's lighter than a Camaro

I'll probably be on 710's either way next year, because I'm too cheap to pony up for Hoosiers and not fast enough for it to matter anyhow.

 

2004 Nat'l Champ in G/S was running the 710 (on the dry day), on a car that weighed 2300 lbs.

 

I've seen Carpenter drive, though He'd have probably won on essentially any reasonable tire

Although that does say that the 710 obviously doesn't suck for a light car!

 

I'm flying to the dealer, picking my new MCS up and driving to Fontana for the first ProSolo myself. Should be broken in just in time

Does anyone think the new V710 sizes will be out before early March?

 

Due to certain circumstances, and pending agreements, I fancy myself as a kumho kinda guy.

Matt Grainger didn't have much luck with the V710's on his ITR vs Fitzpatrick and his staggered Hoosiers, but I suspect that was mostly due to the V710s being 205s.

And I would speculate that the complete size list for the V710's will be released soon and that the tires will be available in early 2005. Kumho would lose a lot of loyalty if they came out with this awesome tire and then teased us by having a short list of available tires. Hell, they are already in the doghouse in my opinion.

 

The 215/40/16 V710 is scheduled for release in April... that probably means May or June. Looks like we get to start the season on Hoosiers.

 

What you have to keep in mind is that Rob C. wasn't winning on the V710's against drivers of "possibly" lesser skill that were on Hoosiers. Remember, the dry day was 5 cars within a tenth or so, with Kenny Sorenson on top, on Hoosiers. Given that stat and knowing Robs ability against Foley, Sorenson, McCrispin, Lillejord, etc., I would venture to say the V710's are NOT as fast.

But it's obviously not concrete and can't be judged by just a few dry runs. I just wouldn't start running them at National events until you have something a little more positive (back-to-back comparisons).

Brian