No V10 in the end...turned out to be a 3.4l V8 instead...with something like 280tq and 460hp.

Yeah - they just re-used their existing racing V8, which works within the series rules in any case.

It's such a bummer Honda didn't go forward with production, especially seeing how much better it looks than the renders. I assume they were worried about unfavorable performance comparisons to the GT-R on top of what is already a money-losing proposition. Thing is, some of us care less about absolute performance than driving fun, and I would have definitely gone for an NSX in the $90K range over the GT-R any day.

Oh well - my post-IPO dream car will have to remain the Exige S260. And who knows - if my stock does well enough, I've got my fingers crossed that the new Esprit will be on target. Hopefully it will carry the torch for the sub-3K lbs. mid-engine exotic with impeccable handling and great looks...

The above is one of the most effective means by which to quantify mods. Viva #140!

In for the drama.

Of course you are, Frost! voyeur! :)

Hey, how about those Arizona Cardinals? lol

Heart-breaking SOBs! Cinderella story is over; I dont believe they will have it in them next year.

so frustrating... you're probably right, they may have run out of mojo

Well, it sounds like kurt is done. He was talking about how he hopes god removes his desire to play football from him, lol.

Discussion needed... I need to set an objective for weight and whp, and it hinges on my decision to keep this car NA or add SC. Currently, I am in the TTS time trial class and NASA requires that I maintain a lbs/hp ratio of 8.7 or higher. NASA also give me the option to run larger tires or limit to 275 series tires or less, in which case I get a 0.4 bonus - so ratio becomes 8.3. Make sense? So, given all that - which one of these should I target ?

1. 3,175 lbs SC 380 rwhp little tires (275 series all around)
2. 3,300 lbs SC 380 rwhp big tires (285/315)
3. 3,050 lbs NA 345 rwhp big tires (285/315)
4. 2,975 lbs NA 335 rwhp big tires (285/315)

Right now, the goal is #3. I think the weight target is achievable, and once tuning software for this engine matures, I'm hopeful the hp target will work out. Alternatively, if I SC this car, I may have to ballast some weight to stay above the ratio. That may turn out to be a good thing, b/c I can load the weight low and to the rear and get on/near 50-50 weight distribution. I can see scenario #2 working out for that reason. And then a third choice would be to take a bit of weight off scenario #2 and limit myself to smaller tires. Picking between #1 and #2 is trivial - and something that I could figure out down the road if I decide to SC. I realize the hp estimate for this car with a SC is probably low, but I'm going to have to run it that way to stay in my current class, otherwise I'll be carrying too much weight, I believe. One factor favoring the SC route... Adding the SC will give me the opportunity to run RTA in the 'modified' class and have a better shot at being competitive. So, I'm looking for thoughtful input from those with a bit of TT experience or track experience with an aftermarket SC... for my NASA TTS class limits, what will turn better times, #1, #2, or #3 ??? Let's assume we are primarily talking about my 1.6 mile home track that is about half nascar oval and half infield. Thanks!

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While I have never driven your home track, I vote #4 actually. A car with high mid-corner speed is usually faster on most tracks and although your home track is a "ROVAL" at 1.6 miles, its got to be a fairly small one. Lighter is always better. Having to have 200 more lbs. on board will offset the extra 50whp on the straights and lower your mid-corner speed. In addition, NA horsepower is always more useable power than FI power. The SC will also generate a lot of heat and add probably 60-100 lbs. to the front end of your car which is no bueno, plus you have the possibility of more components to break. And probably the best part, is sticking with NA will save you a bunch of money.

I would also say that at 2975 lbs., you wont need such big tires. I would probably run 275/285 tires max, especially if they are R-Compounds. Thats the size I run on my car with street tires at ~3400 lbs. w/driver and they do fine.

My goal would be to get the car as light weight as possible and add ballast in ideal places if you need to add weight at the end of the day. Then you can remove the ballasts for RTA events. I feel pretty confident your car would be very competitive in Mod RWD at Buttonwillow, Spring Mountain, and some other twisty tracks. Look at Street RWD results from last year. Manly Kao's 165whp Lotus dominated at Buttonwillow and Spring Mountain, did pretty good at AAA Speedway, and did ok at Willow Springs, but also took away the championship.

Great feedback as always, thanks Mike! I've been leaning that direction. It is going to take a lot of effort to get to that weight, I suspect... it is competition weight, so includes driver, which doesn't help at all :) but based on your feedback I should probably add another scenario

#5 2,900 lbs NA 340 rwhp little tires (275 series all around)

That creates an even more ridiculous weight target, but based on Mike's input might be optimal.

Others?

FYI PIR layout:
http://www.stubpass.com/data/maps/2266.jpg

Basic rule of thumb is to get as light as possible. If you are under-weight, compensate with ballasts. If you can't get down light enough, compensate with horsepower.

depends on the ratio, I'm sure you'd agree... I'd take 1hp for 1lb all day long... in this case, 1hp=8.7lbs... considering this car is a pig to begin with, and considering that reliability is important to me, I'm sure you're right, need to keep pulling weight off

issue is closed unless someone wants to plead the case for SC.................

I have a question travis, how do they measure the HP of car, specific shop you get your car dyno at?

yeah, anytime the classes are set using HP, you'll find that there are controls over how the HP is measured. in the case of nasa arizona region, there are two dyno's that are specifically recognized to be equally calibrated and usable for the TT'ers and racers in establishing their class. there is trust and some degree of error involved, but process seems to work well