2010 Rules - Section 4, Street Tire Class

[bob-e]

Originally Posted by Specter328

I'm pretty sure if I caged my RX-7 I would be able to easily contact the cage with my head, not everyone has an Evo or STi which have tons of room inside (the Focus pictured included).

That's why you use 6 point harnesses and pull them super tight. You should only be moving a couple inches due to webbing stretch in an impact. I'm pretty sure others have had cages in RX7s with no problems.

[bob-e]

ps if you are 6'5" and 300 pounds, you need to reconsider your car choice

[McVey]

Originally Posted by caveguru

I've got to dig it up, but somewhere I have a video from a frontal impact crash test showing that, for the particular car being tested (a compact, iirc), the driver's head came nowhere near the A-piller.

I've been a passenger in crashes that caused my head to hit the roof of the vehicle... I personally feel that had there been a 2" tube, padded or not, in place of the large flat sheetmetal panel, I'd be typing a little less clearly these days- if at all. Just my opinion, but commonly street-driven cars shouldn't have cages. To prevent contact with the cage, you need a harness- and most are not DOT approved. And if you are harnessed in, and don't have proper head/neck gear, all the momentum from the crash is transferred to your neck, instead of your entire torso as it would with the DOT 3-point restraint. I guess that's why the Redline Rules, as they pertain to the cage and related safety gear, mandate inclusion of all those items (helmet, harness, HANS, padding, etc).

Lastly, may I remind everyone that even rally drivers take their cars on the street during transit stages. Do you think they wear helmets in traffic? I seem to remember someone's car in the WRC was totalled due to a freak accident during transit this last year. Anyone remember who it was? They weren't injured, iirc. You could argue they only drive one or two thousand miles a year under those conditions.

God bless the drivers/passengers, and I'm glad they were unharmed, but I woudn't use this example to encourage others to install cages on their street cars. If it was really so much safer, why hasn't NHTSA mandated cages in all "exotic" or hi-po cars? That's just my thought process...

I'm not debating the structural benefits of a roll cage, only whether or not I should be required to have one in order to compete "fairly" for points in what used to be a "Street" Class.

Ok, one more. Suppose you drive any classic car. Surely many of those would fold up like a tin can (bugeye sprite, mini, cobra, maserati, fiat, there are so many...). Are all the people driving those cars just putting them into deep storage never to be streeted again?
Frank

I'd hope that the owners of those vehicles would realize the performance limitations and safety liabilities of each vehicle and consider those things when deciding on the intended use of the vehicle... I hope that addresses the question how I think you meant it.

Great conversation guys.
-n8-

[prkiller]

Originally Posted by afgmoto1978

Lol, are you kidding me, Racing and Fair in theory is a great idea, but in real world practice have nothing to do with each other. I'm living in the real world and making the best of it. So should you if you want to race and be competitive in whatever series you decide to race in, ala RTA Street Tire Class.

For another example look at any SCCA showroom stock classes, there is nothing stock about those cars that are at the top. Other than the interior, the chassis and suspension are definitely not stock. If you want to win in those classes you have to effectively cheat to win. Example, some cars that will remain nameless had $1200 per side Inconel backing plate equiped brake pads to reduce overheating the brakes during the race, lol, stock my ass.

You totally missed the point of what I was saying and then went on about SS racing! Oh, and you might want to look into people before you talk about them the way you did. I'm certain I have MUCH more experience writing rules than you do and I am living in the real world. Look at any racing series in the world and tell me they are not written on the basis that things should be "fair" amongst the competitors.
No worries though. Is what it is and as I've said, does nothing to "help" the class, only hurt it.

[jnathan68]

Ok, so after all these threads,

1) I think most of us have a good understanding of why Redline has SS for the street tire class...they believe it will bring in more spectators and more revenue. Don't know if that will happen but we are going to find out.

2) SS for street tire class cars is not going away. We know this because of #1

3) Those that want to run the Street Tire Class SS will run them because they already have cages and corresponding safety equipment or they want to go W2W and were willing to up the safety equipment on the car this year.

I am a realist and completely understand the above. The main issue I continue to bring up is that it is not fair to the Street Tire class competitors to make the SS points count toward the championship this year. That only gave us a few months to find money to try to get our cars up to the safety requirements of the class. And even if I could find money, that money would come from something else I was already planning to do to make my car/driver combination more competitive for this year.

I thought it would be fair to make the SS points in the Street Tire class a seperate championship for this year and then next year combine them.

And before anyone cries out that racing is not fair, I just want to point out how many pages of threads were dedicated to how much people would have to spend or the fact they wouldn't be able to compete if their cars had to be 4 inches above the ground instead of 3.5" and that rule got changed.

I don't think it would diminish the SS field much at all if the points were seperate for the 1 year and it would give those of us thinking about prepping our cars for SS a bit more time to get it done.

Better way to handle it, I think so

[Clintfocus]

imma run the SS in street, but i do agree that being its first year, the points should be separate from the year end championship

[jnathan68]

Originally Posted by Clintfocus

imma run the SS in street, but i do agree that being its first year, the points should be separate from the year end championship

I probably won't but my strategy against you would be to use the cars power to get around you on the first straight and then block you the rest of the way J/K..or am I

[mxpop]

Originally Posted by jnathan68

my strategy against you would be.....

I would simply use my age and treachery against Clint's youth and exuberance. It wouldn't be the first young spirit who's hopes and dreams I have crushed....

[AnnouncerManTodd]

Originally Posted by mxpop

I would simply use my age and treachery against Clint's youth and exuberance. It wouldn't be the first young spirit who's hopes and dreams I have crushed....

Yes, JC... many a 12 year old girl has needed years of therapy after spending an afternoon with you in the back of a Ford Econoline Van

[Clintfocus]

Originally Posted by jnathan68

I probably won't but my strategy against you would be to use the cars power to get around you on the first straight and then block you the rest of the way J/K..or am I

try me!!!