Search found 468 matches

by John Stimson
Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:56 pm
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: May FasTrack
Replies: 75
Views: 23372

Re: May FasTrack

The aversion to the 2-groove tread design is that it's a major reason why the ST category has taken off. I used to think it had something to do with street legality of the cars, but they're rapidly throwing all that stuff overboard. I just don't see the STAC letting the tire rules slip back towards ...
by John Stimson
Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:00 pm
Forum: Events
Topic: 2012 El Toro Pro Solo 5/5-5/6
Replies: 83
Views: 44526

Re: 2012 El Toro Pro Solo 5/5-5/6

My guess would be that you just need RT as your class. I don't think the ladies index classes and prepared/mod classes display anything but L# or P#.
by John Stimson
Sun Apr 22, 2012 12:30 pm
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: May FasTrack
Replies: 75
Views: 23372

Re: May FasTrack

I don't believe that the tread design is really the main reason for the performance difference. There have been other tires with very little void area that were not nearly as fast as an A6, V710, or even an R6. Falken RT-215, Yokohama A038/A048. There is an exclusion list that I expect will be used ...
by John Stimson
Sat Apr 21, 2012 2:16 pm
Forum: New to Autocross/New to the Forum
Topic: Post Car Classing Help Questions Here!
Replies: 1188
Views: 4117476

Re: Post Car Classing Help Questions Here!

The one questionable modification for SM is the roll center adjustment kit. If it changes the pickup points on the body, it's not legal in SM. If it modifies the control arm or the spindle, then it's okay.
by John Stimson
Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:57 pm
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also
Replies: 116
Views: 51974

Re: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also

Ed, see my reply over on the street tires in stock thread that Kurt created.
by John Stimson
Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:54 pm
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: Street Tires in Stock
Replies: 3
Views: 1895

Re: Street Tires in Stock

Continuing that discussion from the other thread: Since the very beginning of the RT discussion, I have been trying to understand why we are being lumped into an SK1/SK2 INDEXED type of class to prove interest in "street tire in stock". Because: 1) At the national level, any DOT tire is al...
by John Stimson
Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:57 pm
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also
Replies: 116
Views: 51974

Re: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also

Ed, if you really want stock on only street tires to happen, you should run in RTR, not E Stock, at the San Diego Tour. The SEB and national staff are using the RT attendance as an indicator for whether stock-on-street-tires is a viable idea. If you run ES, that puts more weight behind the status quo.
by John Stimson
Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:42 pm
Forum: Events
Topic: April Autocross weekend PHOTO/VIDEO thread
Replies: 76
Views: 78140

Re: April Autocross weekend PHOTO/VIDEO thread

Moderators! Where is the dang "Like" button?! This needs a big "Like" :D For those who liked the "Someone is wrong on the internet" comic, you might really enjoy xkcd.com for a thrice-weekly comic on nerdy topics. Those who resemble the "Someone is wrong " co...
by John Stimson
Wed Apr 18, 2012 9:23 am
Forum: Events
Topic: April course...kudos to Kurt!
Replies: 39
Views: 14694

Re: April course...kudos to Kurt!

There was an optional-direction pair of gates at the 2005 National Championships. Optional features are rare, but they do show up at national events. It gives you a choice of line, but with two discrete options instead of the continuum you get when the course is really wide. I just wanted to point o...
by John Stimson
Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:30 pm
Forum: For Sale/Wanted
Topic: Wanted: RX-8
Replies: 5
Views: 2542

Wanted: RX-8

Done shopping.
by John Stimson
Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:06 pm
Forum: Events
Topic: April course...kudos to Kurt!
Replies: 39
Views: 14694

Re: April course...kudos to Kurt!

KJ Christopher wrote:John Stimson - I think you mean 45'?
Yeah, 45'. I drove at an event with a minimum-spaced slalom, and pretty much everyone's reaction was "KILL ME NOW". This one was work, but not that bad.
by John Stimson
Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:21 pm
Forum: Events
Topic: April course...kudos to Kurt!
Replies: 39
Views: 14694

Re: April course...kudos to Kurt!

The course was fun in the wagon. I did get sucked in on two of my four runs (2nd and 4th) by the transition between the slant walls and parallel walls on the way out -- turned in to go to the right of the first parallel wall, then had to jink left to stay on the correct side. That caused some coneag...
by John Stimson
Mon Apr 09, 2012 9:13 am
Forum: For Sale/Wanted
Topic: WTB : NA Miata suspension
Replies: 8
Views: 6793

Re: WTB : NA Miata suspension

You can get Energy Suspension bushings with brackets in a variety of sizes. Kragen (now O'Reilly) carries some sizes and can special order the others.
by John Stimson
Fri Apr 06, 2012 6:33 pm
Forum: New to Autocross/New to the Forum
Topic: Post Car Classing Help Questions Here!
Replies: 1188
Views: 4117476

Re: Post Car Classing Help Questions Here!

I am still trying to figure out what this means after reading it at least 30 times: Once on the entry list, the following conditions must be met or your check will be cashed: You must cancel by midnight, April 11, 2012 The event must have 100 entered at the site the day of the event." It means...
by John Stimson
Sat Mar 31, 2012 9:25 am
Forum: New to Autocross/New to the Forum
Topic: Post Car Classing Help Questions Here!
Replies: 1188
Views: 4117476

Re: Post Car Classing Help Questions Here!

The handicapping is done in order to let cars from different classes run together so that there is enough competition to be interesting. Stock Street Tire (SK) is a local category, and if it were broken up into the usual nine Stock classes, most of them would only have 1-2 competitors, which isn't m...
by John Stimson
Tue Mar 27, 2012 8:10 am
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also
Replies: 116
Views: 51974

Re: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also

Mako, you can look up the SSF ratings (or the rollover percentage, for newer cars) at http://www.safercar.gov" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; by clicking the link to 5-star vehicle safety ratings.

The Fit and Yaris just barely qualify to run, if I recall correctly.
by John Stimson
Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:01 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Toyota/Subaru RWD
Replies: 216
Views: 96792

Re: Toyota/Subaru RWD

There seem to be a few making their way through the Subaru dealership network for people to check out. There was one in San Jose a few days ago. If you hear of one coming to an L.A. area dealership, chime in and let us know.
by John Stimson
Fri Mar 16, 2012 10:09 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Hard Drive Recovery
Replies: 13
Views: 5050

Re: Hard Drive Recovery

The most common type of "data recovery" software is designed to find deleted files or retrieve files from a hard drive with a corrupted file allocation table. If your hard drive's hardware is degrading but you can still access all your files, that's not the right utility to run -- it will ...
by John Stimson
Thu Mar 15, 2012 6:12 pm
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also
Replies: 116
Views: 51974

Re: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also

The NHTSA published rollover probability is 14.5% for the Fiat 500. The cutoff in the Solo rules is 14.0%.

Marshall, where did you get the data on CG height? That could be a good resource for the SAC.
by John Stimson
Thu Mar 15, 2012 5:06 pm
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also
Replies: 116
Views: 51974

Re: Not Just SUV's ... Fiat 500 Also

John, the Solo safety folks use the rollover data that they can obtain for the majority of production vehicles, which is published by the NHTSA. Prior to around 2010, that was the static stablity factor. Around 2010, the NHTSA stopped providing SSF data, and changed to a mysterious "rollovery p...
by John Stimson
Thu Mar 08, 2012 9:14 pm
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: SK* classes and new national road tire classes
Replies: 14
Views: 8278

Re: SK* classes and new national road tire classes

Trophy, but no money.
by John Stimson
Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:45 am
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Auto Club Dragway suspends activities due to noise complaint
Replies: 26
Views: 12000

Re: Auto Club Dragway suspends activities due to noise complaint

George Schilling wrote:YOUR TAX DOLLARS
It's being paid for with the airport fees ("PFC funds") so it's only the tax dollars of people who use the airport. Not saying this is proper or improper, just clarifying whose tax dollars you're talking about because I was curious.
by John Stimson
Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:35 am
Forum: New to Autocross/New to the Forum
Topic: Post Car Classing Help Questions Here!
Replies: 1188
Views: 4117476

Re: Post Car Classing Help Questions Here!

Hey I was hoping to get some help classing my car for the ProSolo. Car: 2000 Honda Prelude Mods: Intake Header Exhaust Stripped interior w/ roll bar Coilover Suspension rear swaybar Tires: Federal RSR The car would be a good fit for STC, if not for the stripped interior. With carpet and interior pa...
by John Stimson
Sun Mar 04, 2012 10:21 am
Forum: Solo Talk
Topic: Cal Club grid process could use tweaking...
Replies: 67
Views: 22335

Re: Cal Club grid process could use tweaking...

Jayson Woodruff wrote:I'm willing to bet more regions use simple lines.
More people doing it doesn't mean it's better.

I'd bet that a lot more regions have around 60 entrants than have around 200, too, and that makes a big difference in the most efficient ways to run the event.
by John Stimson
Thu Mar 01, 2012 8:30 pm
Forum: Off Topic
Topic: Auto Club Dragway suspends activities due to noise complaint
Replies: 26
Views: 12000

Re: Auto Club Dragway suspends activities due to noise complaint

That's got nothing on the freak show up in Dublin, when the owner of the motocross track took legal action against the racetrack on the other side of the freeway due to noise issues. Yes, you read that right.