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Old 12-06-2004, 06:52 PM
Teetoe_Jones Teetoe_Jones is offline
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Default Balanced vs Excessive

Why do we build our cars to the point of wretched excess?
Jody, did you ever hook up your ZL1 with the Pro-Charger?
Stuart, same question- Can you drive it daily, or is it a hand full of deadly metal that requires 110% attention at all times?
Where do we draw the line on what is 'enough' power? With tire replacement records? With speeding ticket numbers? When is it finally enough?
I know that we all love to drool over the car with a 806 big block with twin turbos feeding a 871 roots blower into a direct port Nitrous setup, but why the hell do we need that?
Tire adheasion should be our factor in power selection. What good is 935 hp if you burn off 500 miles of tire tread each time you hammer it off the line? I'd feel embarassed if I got spanked by a 2001 Camaro Z28 that could kill me from a dead start because I'm stuck at the crosswalk with a plume of smoke showing how much 'power' I have. Thankfully a stop light to stop light race rarely goes into the triple digit speeds required for a car with gobs of power to catch a car like the Z28 off the line. ( I don't endorse street racing)

What about suspension setups? Is there such thing as over the top in this area? Sure I could be driving a full race chassis with uni-lug spindle mounted rims, air jacks for lightning quick tire changes, and in car adjustable sway bars, but could I ever use a car like that to its full ablilty?
Why have a road race chassis if you don't intend to use it on the track?

I can think of a nice case of a balanced car-
Stielow's Thrasher.
It had a well designed chassis system (not exotic custom parts) balanced engine, decent sized tires (No mini tubbing) and was run at the One Lap Of America with very good results.
I'd like to see if the Mule can turn a faster lap time than the Thrasher.
I know I'm comparing Apples to Oranges, but let's break it down:

Thrasher-
1969 Chevy Camaro
406 small block- 600 hp
T56 six speed
Stock front subframe with Global West Bushings, and 1" taller spindle, Landrum weight jacks, and Koni shocks
Landrum rear leaf springs with Global West bushings, Koni shocks and a Currie 9" ford rear with 3:93 rear gear
17x8.5 BBS rims (front) 18x9.5 BBS rims (rear)

Mule-
1969 Chevy Camaro
Twin Turbo'd small block (1100+ hp in full trim)
T56 six speed
Wayne Due C4 front subframe with Global West bushings, and QA1 coil overs
Custom designed 4 link rear with Currie 9" rear end
18x9.5 Fikse rims (front) 18x12 Fikse rims (rear)

Very different setups on these cars, but I still feel that the Thrasher would turn a faster lap time due to its well balanced setup, and good power ratio. I think the Mule would spin tires out of corners, possibly creating oversteer, and slower lap times.

So Charley- Which do you think is faster?

What do you guys think on all this stuff? Should we build excessive cars to 'one up' the neighbors, or just build a balanced all around car that defines Pro-Touring? We are the ones that will shape this hobby in the future, so lets not go the way of Pro-Street- Where we can't back up our excessive, trailer queen show cars.
Tyler
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