Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Holt
There are no engine mods allowed for AH/SM versus SS/AH. The engine/car rules are lifted verbatim from SS. That is why I don't see any real performance gains by entering the car in Comp versus SS.
Now if you entered the car as an A/SM or A/SMA then yes, you are allowed changes, but the iron headed combo is at a distinct disadvantage on the 8.45 ish index for those classes....
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Okay, I have lots of questions.
I understand Comp "can" be a teardown class, but considering all of the fuss about valve cover location/studs in SS/AA a while back, there aren't ANY modifications that might slide through in Comp? Or do you anticipate going through a full Super Stock teardown after qualifying for Comp? That's the only way Comp racers are ensuring that AH/SM is adhering to "engine/car rules are lifted verbatim from SS", not tweaked for performance here and there.
Truth is, Comp racers got tired of new classes getting a "gift" index and AH/SM and FS/SM suffered because of it. I see where you mentioned that the index should be where the top running cars should be able to run .65 under right off the bat, really? Yet you propose a 9.05 index? 9.05 minus .65 equals 8.40 by my math, Wolkwitz ran what, 8.44, at the Gators? I suppose that .61 under your proposed index right off the bat wouldn't be a gift, right?
Do you need to run .65 under to win Comp? How far under did Bruno have to run at Topeka? Does Rampy need to run .61 under to be competitive?
If the SS/AH cars really wanted to run Comp, they needed to show up at Divisional Races to run Comp. Those performance standards would give them some leverage for a better index. How many have done that this year? Or do you only expect cars to show up at Divisionals that have a chance to win? If you show up at a Divisional to get grade points in SS/AH do you still run the car like a "mini pro stock"?
Now, is the current AH/SM index too hard at 8.75? I would agree, that's too fast. What should it be? Slower, but how much? At 3170 lbs AH/SM is 7.14 pounds per cubic inch, A/SM is 7.5 pounds per inch....with an 8.45 index. For those who don't do math, that's .39 heavier and .30 faster than the "too fast" AH/SM index! Maybe A/SM needs an adjustment too! Is there a SM class with an index close to your proposed 9.05 index? Oh, D/SM is. That's 9.5 pounds per inch with little carburetors and head limitations, you could add only 1050 pounds to get to the index you want. The only precise way to determine the correct index for AH/SM is with more performance data. The only way to generate that data is?