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Originally Posted by
rlward
Jake, a rule change does not dictate everyone has to go out and buy new wheels, but a class change does. I think I have you to thank for that.
I have accepted that if a 2 year exception is the only thing available, I'll go with that and bring this up again in 2 years.
1- you have the people who wrote in and begged the car get reviewed and moved. The math showed it couldn't compete at the ITA performance target, and that the weight at which it could would be impossibly low, IIRC. So thank the letter writers, not me.
2- Let me clarify the "exception" you bring up. I for one would support a 2 year dual classing. But that's it. No line item exceptions for different equipment, or differing weighs. Simply, keep running it in ITA, or move to B. your choice.
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I have not touted a class change but rather a global change for all IT classes. Some of the latest suggestions lately have made some sense as it allows for changes in availability.
I am comptitive in B, thank you. but I want to be MORE competitive. I need to reduce wheel weight, change track, and I need to replace old wheels, and new 7" wheels (thank you again).
You sound to me like you don't want any changes that will possibly upset your apple cart.
If by "your apple cart" you mean a category that has time and time again has said, "move slowly, be stable" as a major philosophy, then sure....I'm careful about changes that do more harm than good. You say that a rule change doesn't force everyone to go out and purchase wheels, and you're right, it doesn't. But, the competitive reality is that you have just started a spending war with such a change. Those with the $ will raise the bar if they can, and those who had worked their way into a competitive position ...but aren't as well flushed are now looking at mandatory expense just to regain their former competitive level.
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I take exception to your statement about any answer that doesnt please ME....you make this sound as if I am asking for a change for my car only. I am not. I asked the question if it was time to review the rule on sizes because of change in the market. 5 years ago there were plenty of 15X6 wheels being made. How many manufacturers can you find now, and I don't mean those off brand wheels made in China, how many reliable makers in the US?
That sounds great, but the entire subject came up because you aren't happy with the choices that you have found for your car. Plenty of options have been listed here, and you've shot all them down as: "Too much money, too dangerous, too heavy, not competitive enough", etc. It's not that you don't have options, it's that you don't like them. If you owned an ITS car with plentiful wheel choices, you could be making these claims more effectively, but your stake in the matter shows the true origin of the issue.
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If a change was to go to 7" in ITB only: How many ITB drivers have you personally talked to about this issue? Do they feel that they will HAVE to go out and buy new wheel soley because of a size change? Are they receptive to that change?
The guys I've talked to are rolling their eye. That's informal polling...I'll keep asking.
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If the rule was changed as suggested above based on fitment for all of IT, have you personally asked any owners if they would feel a need to immediatly go out and buy all new wheel inventory?
I don't need to ask. Nobody will change anything if their competitive goals are being met. But, if their competition ups the game, well, it's a slippery slope. In essence, the cost of success is directly related to the popularity of the game. In other words, you can win on stock rubber in some regions, and there's no reason to do more. But, where it i more popular, it gets competitive, and you need to be on the perfect cycled tire, the perfect wheels, the perfect springs, damper settings, etc etc, etc.
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If the rule never changes and 15X6, or any wheel size now in the books become a rare as hens teeth, is that ok with you as, "that's the role of the dice sometimes"?
It's not my favorite answer, but I'm mindful of changing rules to satisfy small percentages of the population. The old English Prod guys kept beating at the rules makers: "We can't get cranks that hold up anymore". Billet cranks were allowed. Line items came to be. Every old timer had a request for something to keep his car in the game, and often they were granted, but at the cost to the entire category. We are doomed to follow history if we don't learn from the mistakes.
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This is not an easy issue to address and maybe there is no solution other than a short term one. Maybe we should look at this 2 ways, on one side a possible change to 7" in ITB only, with input from current ITB owners only, and then another one for a global change for all of IT with input from all.
What do you think about that?
My only palatable suggestion is dual classing for a period to ease the transition.
Finally, I run an old RX-7. Think it's easy getting lightweight 13 x 7 wheels at a cheap price? It's not. But you say" Just go to 15" versions". Sure, except that kills the gearing and the suspension geometry. But, here's my take: So what? It is what it is...it's an old car..I've gotten lots of miles and fun with it. Sheesh, it's run 2 logbooks worth of races. I'll deal with it. And now engine parts are in short/not available supply, and there is no replating allowed. So that's the end of the road on that. I'm not going to ask that the car be given an exception or that the rules be rewritten to allow me to keep racing the car...it's one car. I wouldn't vote for that if it came across the desk from some guy in a Wombat GT with the H4 engine, so I'm sure not going to for my own.