The rules now read that any seat 25lbs or more INCLUDING mounting hardware can be used. It appears that the days of the 15 pound seats are over, so, I am going to be pulling my Kirkey out asap and going back to the Momo RS2-GT thats 21lbs plus a 7lb mount. :-)

I just figured I'd post this up so noone showed up with their 2006 spec 15 pound seats/mounts.

Overall, I think this is a good change to the rules, but, its going to cost competitors a few hundred buckaroos or an alteration of their current lightweight seats if they were prepped to the absolute limits of 15lbs w/permenantly fixed mounts on the seat.

 

Craig, any other recommendations on 25 lbs seats?

 

Maybe the RS-GT Momo's with brackets/sliders, I think they would need 2 pounds of balast though to meet the 25lbs. Not sure on any others. I'll make you a deal on my Momo's though. ;-)

Craig

 

I've heard what some ST class participants are doing is just creatively attaching ballast to the very bottom area of the seat/bracket to meet the 25 lb minimum weight, while keeping the weight as low as possible.

-Keith

 

Yeah, it wouldn't suprise me what ST class guys would do. I, personally, choose to have a safe and comfortable seat, the Momo is perfect even though its 3 pounds overweight. :-)

 

I weighed my Kirkey, sliders and bracket, and came up with 26 lbs. Meets the minimum, safe, and it won't be driven more than 30 miles at a time, so "comfortable" is a relative term that fits...

It sounds like the philosophy behind the rule change was to encourage safer seat mounting. Hopefully my fellow STS drivers will go that direction, rather than go to 25# seats with the same flimsy bracketry...

Charlie

 

I just kept the stock seat in my old STI that I ran last year in STU. Didn't seem to slow me down to much, won 2 championships with it. Even the Nationals winning STU car was using stock seats. The loose nut behind the wheel is the most important thing in autocross.

BTW, how well do the MCSs do in STX. Only one campaigned in my area and I don't think he was prepped at all, just showed and ran. Trying to decide between an 08 MC in HS or a used 06 MCS in STX. I liked running STU, but having to mess with the alignment before and after each autocross was a pain. I assume changing wheel/tire packages would be about the same hassle, so it comes down to which would be more competitive and I think that's an HS MC. Another plus is better fuel ecomony and being able to order exactly what I want.

 

http://ner.org/solo/results/07/2007_event_5_pax.html

(admittedly a JCW)

why not GS (and soon DS) ?

 

Don't want to spend more than 20k. That gets me a used MCS or new MC. That puts me in GS/DS (whichever they decide) or STX with a used MCS and HS or STS with a MC. I think I would like the MC better as a daily driver and wouldn't have to worry about inheriting someone elses problems with a new car, but I could end up with a fast STX car with minimal investment and run in a very popular class in my region. I'm not sold on either stock class, as I've heard R comps will eat you out of house and home. I think the MC is fodder in STS and there aren't to many people to play with in my region in HS.

I know I could be fast and regionally competitive in a MCS with Azenis, camber bolts, or plates, RSB and wider wheels. Tires last an entire season. On the STU car I would buy tires prior to the end of the season so I had fresh tires for the Florida State Championships and the tires would be nice and sticky for the cooler months we race and they would be used up by late summer. Could probably set -1.8 to -2 deg of camber in the front and leave it as long as it doesn't have to much front toe. If I add plates, I'll adjust to 1 deg less neg camber than the plates allow, set to max allowed toe in by the factory and adjust the plates at the track to max neg camber, that way you end up with some toe out for the race and the tire wears evenly on the street due to the toe in and neg camber causing even wear across the tire in theory and in practice, at least on the STi it did.

 

A MCS can do very well regionally in STX, and decently nationally dependant on course.

I ran STX for all of the 2003 season (cleaned house in two regions), with an open diff and before the rules change allowed JCW cars. By the time that change was made, I'd installed a Quaife but also a pulley so I moved to SM. I ran 2004 and 2005 in STX trim, plus the pulley, in SM. That includes tires. Power level was certainly no more than a JCW STX car would have. I've continued to do well regionally in SM (well over 90% class win rate in two regions) though I run Rs about half the time now. I've managed a 2nd divisionally in SM in that config, but I don't get to many of them any more due to vacation day limitations.

If it weren't for the cost of installing the JCW with no performance improvement, I'd go back to STX in a heartbeat.

HS or GS will be more competive nationally, but an STX car is a lot more fun to drive and isn't hopeless at Tours or divisionals. Locally, a JCW STX car would do really well in class and on PAX if the driver is good.

Scott
90SM