[Wichita-SCCA] Street Prepared on the street

[Brian Meyer]

As a long-time CSP competitor I feel compelled to comment.  I drove my
black CSP CRX on the street for about six years until I wrecked it.  It
could easily hold 4 of the munchkin sized Hoosiers and all the gear
required to survive an autox or even a 2-day event, and a passenger too.
While it was a street car it had a nice stereo (removable sub box and
amp) and air conditioning.  At the same time I was about 400 lbs heavier
than the CRX I have now, and typically much slower than the rest of the
class.  Still had fun but knew that if I wanted to be competitive I'd
have to loose that weight.

Now the CRX (different chassis) weighs about 1800 lbs and at least the
car is competitive (took 3rd this year with Ron Williams driving it) but
it's not a street car anymore.  Why?  Well, it does have lights and
mirrors and wipers and such, but the problem is it's got expensive
shocks on it that I'd rather not subject to things like railroad tracks
and potholes.  Second, I sold my street wheels with the rest of my
previous CRX so I don't have any durable wheels and streetable tires to
run it on.  Sorry, I'm not willing to subject my race wheels to the
potholes and tracks either.  Third, the HF chassis has no front or rear
bumper to speak of.  The metal behind the fascia is only there to
support the plastic and there is no steel "bumper" bar there at all.
Good for saving weight, not so good at stopping anything on it's way to
damaging very expensive engine parts.  I suppose that's not really much
of a risk since the car is so low the bumper will go under anything that
it runs into, but I don't know HOW Honda managed to get that one by the
feds (they "fixed" it in '90-'91).

I agree that the SP class has developed into something way beyond what
the original rules makers had intended.  The update-backdate rule was
introduced as a cost-savings idea to allow bolt-on changes between
various models of the same car so you could enjoy performance
improvements without having to get the most expensive model.  This was
back before there was much of an aftermarket for sports cars so usually
the only place to get that bigger swaybar or fuel injection system was
from the "sport" model of the car.  I'm sure they didn't intend for us
to have to build Frankenstein cars in order to maximize weight savings
and torque advantages.

Now days we have SP cars that take years to develop (I've got 10 years
in mine so far), have huge rear spoilers that would embarrass a NASCAR,
and have been updated/backdated so much you'd have to buy 2-3 cars to
duplicate one.  I'd say they are more like Prepared cars than Street
cars.

I honestly think it's time for the SP classes to go away.  I didn't like
it when the ST classes were introduced because I thought we already had
too many classes.  I still think we have way too many classes, but the
ST classes and the SM classes have a better progression from stock to
Prepared than the SP class does.  It's just really hard to figure out a
sunset plan for SP.  The STS and STS2 classes have been a success, just
look at the incredible numbers at the big events.  It's great that you
can buy one relatively cheap car, modify it with off-the-shelf
aftermarket parts and be nationally competitive and have a fun street
car at the same time.  However, look at how much faster the SP classes
are.  I will admit that I am addicted to the grip level of the DOT-R
tires and wouldn't go back to ST tires or an open diff no matter what,
so it looks like the only way for me to go would be Prepared or Street
Mod2 (or a different car).

-Brian Meyer
CSP since '96


Greg Laws wrote:
> Hi all,
> On Friday and now again today and maybe tomorrow I've been driving the

> Phrog to work. This because my daughter's car suffered broken fingers 
> in its clutch pressure plate and so she took my van to drive. This 
> left me with no other means of transportation except the Phrog until I

> manage to get the clutch changed in her car because Carolyn takes the 
> family Vibe to her work.
> It has been a jarring experience -- stiff springs and shocks make a 
> lumber wagon's ride seem soft & comfy while the toe-out makes the car 
> follow every crack & seam. Hoosiers last used in 2005 don't do much to

> help either. Then there are the puzzled looks from the public when 
> they see a strange little car dressed up like a real race car with 
> decals and numbers. The car is street legal, licensed, and insured but

> I gotta say that "Street Prepared" is not the same as "Street 
> Comfortable"!
> Enjoy,
> Greg Laws
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