Stitch welding seams

[Roy]

Can anyone shed some light on whether or not you can stitch weld the seams on the chassis

[Greg Amy]

Can anyone shed some light on whether or not you can stitch weld the seams on the chassis
What category?

Improved Touring? No. Why not? Because it doesn't say in the regs that you can do it ("If it doesn't say you can, then you cannot"; 9.1.3.D).

Explicitly allowed in Super Touring (9.1.4.C.2)

[Roy]

So yes for STL but no for ITS

[Roy]

Not sure why it would be ok in one category but not another. It would seem to me that it would make the chassis stiffer but perhaps safer as well.

[Greg Amy]

So yes for STL but no for ITS
Correct.


Not sure why it would be ok in one category but not another. It would seem to me that it would make the chassis stiffer but perhaps safer as well.
Different categories have different prep regs. Otherwise they wouldn't be different categories.

Everyone here has heard the "safety" canard as a support for a preferred rule change. It's been trotted out many, many times. No point in bringing it up lest we smile toward you and say "bless his heart..." If you think a particular ruleset is unsafe then it is your responsibility to not participate in that category and seek out one that meets your personal safety needs.

[Roy]

Correct.


Different categories have different prep regs. Otherwise they wouldn't be different categories.

Everyone here has heard the "safety" canard as a support for a preferred rule change. It's been trotted out many, many times. No point in bringing it up lest we smile toward you and say "bless his heart..." If you think a particular ruleset is unsafe then it is your responsibility to not participate in that category and seek out one that meets your personal safety needs.

I don't think current rules are unsafe in IT just thought if you can make it stronger without spending a bunch of$$$ then why not. Just like in categories with their own set of prep rules you have some that will prep to the max and others not so much, the same can be with how much stitch welding you want to do. I just look at my car and see so many seems that are easy to get to just makes sense to stitch weld them.

[Greg Amy]

The genesis of Improved Touring was as a spur of timed-out Showroom Stock, back in the days when Showroom Stock was "showroom stock". That included stock suspension, stock wheels, stock brake pads, stock seats, stock steering wheels, stock pretty-much-everything. About the only thing we could change was tires, add the bolt-in-only cage, harnesses, go racing. Cars were only eligible in the category for 7 years.

Improved Touring pulled from that whole restriction a series of limited modifications, mostly limited to common bolt-on street upgrades. And in fact, the original regs required the cars to still be street-drivable.

As such, IT is, and for the foreseeable future will be, an intentionally-restrictive category.