Reply With QuoteIt was soooo worth the wait!Originally Posted by Titus
It was soooo worth the wait!
Okay, I can play that game!
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
So now that we're comfortably drifting, let's return to a perhaps-overlooked question from earlier. What effect does ECU reprogamming have on SCCA classing?
S.
Probably puts you in to a 'Prepared' classification.
Not legal in Stock. Legal in Street Touring (your car would be in STX due to the front diff), if the car retains the original factory ECU housing. In higher classes (Street Prepared, Street Modified, Prepared, and Modified), ECU is free - you can reflash the factory one or replace it entirely.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
DITTO!!!!!!!!Sriv, I'll make the same suggestion to you that I make to almost everyone who wants to mod their cars to "be more competitive" or "faster on the autocross course" - save your money.
You've got a shiny new toy. You've got some money to spend. There are a whole lot of vendors out there who make shiny, pretty go-fast bits, and it's only natural that you want to buy some of those bits and bolt 'em to your car. Everyone else is doing it, right?
Problem is, you can spend $5k on spiffing up your car, I'll rent a Hyundai Accent, and I'll still be faster around the course. Why? Because I spent money upgrading the single most important part of any performance car - the driver. As a bonus, upgrading the driver works in any and every car you'll ever drive (with the notable exception of an Elise in "ice mode").
This is not a slam. I wish I'd listened to the fast guys eight years ago when I started autocrossing with my spiffy new Honda Prelude. I didn't. Instead, I bolted a lot of shiny go-fast parts to it in a failed attempt to "make it faster", made it a relatively unpleasant daily driver, and guys like Gerry Terranova would still show up in old sh!tbox Honda Civics and beat the pants off of me. Because they upgraded the driver.
Suspension upgrades are doubly dangerous. It's hard to screw up a car with a performance exhaust - even if it doesn't make 18 gazillion horsepower like the manufacturer claims, chances are it won't slow the car down or make it turn worse. Shocks and springs are not the same, and the more adjustability you buy yourself, the more rope you've got to hang yourself with. Contrary to what Super Street or Sport Compact Car would have you believe (hmm... magazines that derive 95% of their revenue from advertisers trying to sell you go-fast parts), most modern performance cars are pretty capable right out of the box. It's really easy to screw that up when you suddenly add a whole bunch of adjustments that you really don't understand.
A good alignment and a good set of tires will have a much greater impact on your overall lap times than $5k worth of go-fast goodies, and you'll have the added benefit of a car that doesn't beat you senseless on the street. I'd suggest you spend that money on a performance alignment, a second set of wheels, a stickier set of tires (not necessarily R comps, but something better than what came on the car), and a whole bunch of seat time. Not only will you end up faster, but you'll be happier in the long run.
Just my $.02, from someone who has "been there, done that".
[Thread Drift Back ON]
I still have ahanging on the wall!
[Thread Drift Back OFF]
Bent ones don't count ya poser![Thread Drift Back ON]
I still have a
[Thread Drift Back OFF]
Seriously, gang, this has been most helpful.
S.
Bite me Honda boy!
Seriously, gang, this has been most helpful.
S.
The thread drift, or Iain's dissertation?
Seriously, gang, this has been most helpful.
S.
Gotta be the drift!The thread drift, or Iain's dissertation?
Who's drifting? CLICK ME!!Gotta be the drift!
"Racing makes heroin addiction look like a vague longing for something salty" - Peter Egan
Trying to have a serious discussion with you guys is like talking to a bunch of really smart, but really drunk, people.
S.
More like a couple really smart people and a bunch of
s.
(one of which happens to prefer his Roadster in a box.)
Mine may be bent, but it's much bigger than yours!Bent ones don't count ya poser!
Exactly. You!!
Ya but I get to use mine, not just leave it hanging on the wall.Mine may be bent, but it's much bigger than yours!
Well, you got me there...Ya but I get to use mine, not just leave it hanging on the wall.
I bent my Wookie!
'02 Berlina S2k
J's 60RS, K&N FIPK, AUT CF cooling panel,
JDM sidemarkers, S badges, BYS emblems,
Mugen TP, 11.7:1 CR, Comptech Header,
Hello Kitty Mugen badge
Posting Permissions
