Originally posted by lateapex911:
Hey Geo.....any idea of the reasons behind the reluctance??
I think there are a handful of reasons.

1) The (IMHO) inaccurate belief that they will be a big competitive advantage.

Testing by various magazines with same car, same wheel in different diameters, and same tires in different wheel diameters and same OD have yielded results that are generally marginal and also conflicting. In the end it is my belief that there is and improvement in feel, but generally there is no real improvement in lap times due in large part to the fact larger diameter wheels are heavier and harder to accelerate.

2) Resistance to "rules creep."

While a commendable position, as has already been pointed out, they are less of a rules creep than other allowed modifications. Furthermore, I believe opening up the wheel diameters is much more in keeping with the class philosophy than spherical bearings and coilovers.

3) The belief that wheels are still available.

The problem is, in many sizes, wheels are becoming very scarce. It's not (IMHO) within class philosophy (sp?) to require competitors to purchase special race wheels to go racing in IT. Yes, I know you can run narrower tires, but let's be real here.

Furthermore, I think some of the people who think wheels are still available have cars for which they either have long had a good supply of wheels, or they have cars for which wheels are still reasonably easy to find. Just try finding 14x7 wheels. Your only source is Panasport.

To reiterate, I think it's time we change this rule for a couple of reasons.

1) Availability - let's change it now while we have the "luxury" of taking just a bit of time to make a well thought out rule rather than suddenly having to change because nobody is offering them new anymore and then have to make a panic decision.

2) It fits class philosophy - when IT was originally developed, the idea was to take SS cars and others and allow some simple, basic, modifications using commonly available parts. The aftermarket has changed in the last 25 years and this rule is an anachronism. Let's change the rule to reflect this.


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George Roffe
Houston, TX
84 944 ITS car under construction
92 ITS Sentra SE-R occasionally borrowed
http://www.nissport.com