Should NON-US motors be allowed in ST?

[Knestis]

Yes. The big first assumptions of the class - as I understand them - would be in no way compromised by this approach.

K

ON EDIT - My answer might be different for STU vs STL.

[Andy Bettencourt]

I said no. What problem is this 'solution' fixing? I am not sure any. Are you opening up a market of engines that will equalize the power/cc issue?

Is it neccessary? What beneifts does it provide? Does it have the same effect for all manufacturers or just the ones 'you' (the collective you) like?

For a rule change like this, I like to hear WHY, instead of WHY NOT. (Looking at this from an STL point of view)

[JohnW]

For a rule change like this, I like to hear WHY

First, I'm not an expert. And second, I'm only concerned with Hondas. Plus, I'm certainly biased a little.

That said.

Why not?

The K20a and K20a2 are almost identical. Most of the parts can be mixed and matched. Same with much of the B series stuff. One could build a JDM spec K20a engine using a K20a2 US block and few (if any) would know any better...

That's what I'd do...

Policing would be a B-itch.

[Matt93SE]

I bet if I stuck an SR20DE in my 240SX, I could go all season locally without anybody even batting an eye. Why? Cause it says Nissan on the valve cover and it bolts in stock. (The car came with this engine in every other country it was sold.) I can provide a bazillion pictures of this engine in this chassis, including a service manual in Engrish with drawings of this engine in the chassis and everything.

The guys in tech can't possibly know every car and every US engine that's on the market, so it's nearly impossible to police this kind of stuff.

I haven't been asked to lift my hood by anyone since I got my logbook for the car back in May. Of course I've only run regionals so far, but it's not like I'm an also-ran. I've finished in the top 5 overall and won STU in all but one race to date, as well as set track record at MSR-Houston.
Nonetheless, I could have been running a freakin Chevy V8 in the car all season and nobody would know..

But am I for non-US engines? HELL YES. Nissan's engine options under 3L are crapola for the US. everything is a long-stroke truck engine, or an ancient iron block designed in the 60s. for a supposedly modern class and philosophy, Nissan is stuck with engines from the stone ages.

Do I realize it would open up the class to all kinds of other uber-engines? You betcha. Bring 'em on.

Let's go back to the rules when they were originally made for the class: (This is STU-specific..)

Normally aspirated:
Under 3.0L displacement
12.0:1 max compression
0.6" max valve lift
6 spd max transmission.
weight = 1.1lb / cc displacement
Go.

Turbo?
stock turbo for the engine it came on. no conversions.
pick a tranny, 6 spds max.
weight is based on inlet restrictor size placed in turbo.
Go.

For whatever engine you have, you must a factory service manual in English in your possession.

Very simple to police. All of the components are easy to measure and/or verify with a factory manual. Voila.

[Andy Bettencourt]

Policing is 100% moot. Tech has NOTHING to do with legality. There is no difference between STx with non USDM stuff and IT right now. It's up to the competitors to know their competition. It's also a punk move to run something illegal like that. You want your ashtray that bad? Please.

Not 'why not'. WHY? The first real reason I heard was to provide a selection that was much better suited to 'racing'. I'll buy that some.

Mostly I just see it as providing SOME a better choice and not all. I like rules that help or hurt everyone.

[Matt93SE]

Dont' have a coronary over there-- just voicing my opinion here. We're all allowed to do that, no?

The only time I've lifted the hood on my car at the track is to check the fluids. nobody has looked under my hood or even asked. If they did, I've got nothing to hide. My car is 100% within the rules and I plan to keep it that way, competitive or not.

If I were the cheating type, it would be easy to do and not get caught- at least for a while.