Is it just me, or does this have anyone concerned?

#1

I am sorry, but this, EVEN WITH HIS DISCLAIMER, is bad news for a spec series:

http://spece30.com/classifieds-usermenu-91?page=show_ad&adid=390&catid=1

#2

[quote=“mcmmotorsports” post=57026]I am sorry, but this, EVEN WITH HIS DISCLAIMER, is bad news for a spec series:

http://spece30.com/classifieds-usermenu-91?page=show_ad&adid=390&catid=1[/quote]

No big deal. Lots of folks rebuild Bilsteins, it was inevitable that we’d find someone that would rebuild our Bilsteins. I replace my shocks last Jan because I figured that it was time. I tried to find a place that would rebuild my shocks, but the folks I talked to said that although the rebuild Bilstein, they don’t do “our” Bilsteins. If I’d a found a place to rebuild mine I’d a done that rather then replace them.

I don’t know much about suspension, so I don’t have much of a feel for how much benefit there is to be had in cheater shocks.

#3

[quote=“mcmmotorsports” post=57026]I am sorry, but this, EVEN WITH HIS DISCLAIMER, is bad news for a spec series:

http://spece30.com/classifieds-usermenu-91?page=show_ad&adid=390&catid=1[/quote]Bad news? Nah. This is old news.

#4

Has there been a rule change to allow this? I believe the rules read that only Bilstein can rebuild our shocks…

#5

[quote=“FishMan” post=57047]Has there been a rule change to allow this? I believe the rules read that only Bilstein can rebuild our shocks…[/quote]The rule has not been changed. It’s just one of those un-tech-able rules unfortunately.

IMHO, using your favorite vendor to rebuild to factory specs should be permitted (but that would require publishing the specs and tolerances).

#6

SoCal SE30 has elisted Weekend-Racer.com and John Mueller as a series sponsor. John has agreed to help us with great pricing and enforcement of legal shock rebuilds.

John IMO should be the go-to guy for LEGAL rebuilds of SE30 and SpecMiata (he’s the National director for SpecMiata for NASA) shocks and strut inserts.

John is also a reall nice guy, he was covered in a recent GRM article on the 25 hours of Thunderhill.

This is a good thing.

#7

I think it is a good thing as well. I would much rather pay $60 to have them rebuilt then $140 for a new one. Perhaps a rule change is in order though, but it appears this service makes SpecE30 racing cheaper to me.

#8

Rule change yes, but I think the rule should disallow rebuilt shocks. There are too many people out there that will rebuild them NOT to stock specs. It is not a way to save money, it is a way to open another door to cheaters.

#9

Right… because the cheaters will follow the rules if we say it’s not allowed…:unsure: …
Do the rebuilds look any different that off the shelf new units?

FWIW, at the last National Championship I was at (MidOhio), one of my shocks was pulled and sent off to be dyno’d. They gave me a replacement, which I then had to give back to my series director when my original one came back from being dyno’d.

#10

No, but they might think twice if there are penalties for their actions.

Now, please don’t ask me what color the sky is in my world. :stuck_out_tongue:

#11

[quote=“mcmmotorsports” post=57068]No, but they might think twice if there are penalties for their actions. [/quote]Ummm, there are penalties for cheating now. With a published spec, we could more easily perform tech.

#12

I agree with Steve. I see no problem with rebuild shocks, provided they can pass a dynamometer test. We need the specs on the shocks to facilitate rule enforcement.

#13

Right… because the cheaters will follow the rules if we say it’s not allowed…:unsure: …
Do the rebuilds look any different that off the shelf new units?

FWIW, at the last National Championship I was at (MidOhio), one of my shocks was pulled and sent off to be dyno’d. They gave me a replacement, which I then had to give back to my series director when my original one came back from being dyno’d.[/quote]

And how will it be dyno’d, at what points are we scruitinized? How much of a manufacturing tolerance do we have with bilstein themselves?

If someone has enough money and the want to cheat, they will and probably not get caught.

Having a separate set of specs for each track would surely give someone an advantage. Expensive, but an advantage none the less, especially with tire wear.

Lol, I remember reading a for sale ad for a car that was in a class that could not modify or replace shocks. The ad read “Hand picked shocks.” Either one of two things was going on:

  1. He literally bought a boat load of shocks and had them all dynod to see which were on the points he wanted.
  2. They were revalved.

Either way, still funny.

#14

[quote=“Foglght” post=57112]The ad read “Hand picked shocks.” [/quote]That’s called “parts bin blueprinting”. Buy a bunch and match the sets. You did that with your valve springs, right? :wink:

Just be glad we aren’t like the Spec Racer Ford racers with sealed engines. The spendy guys buy a few, dyno them, keep the cherry and sell off the others.

There would be one spec for shocks. Shock dynos don’t suffer the same variance as wheel dynos (as I understand it) so you don’t have to worry about that. Snug right up against the rules (which already include a standard variance, BTW).

#15

No, I bought used ones of an E-motor car.

And I know what it is, I was just pointing out the fact that even if it isn’t cheating (which I pointed out) you are still talking about outspending a competitor.

I also wasn’t referring to the variance within the shock dyno, I was talking about manufacturing tolerances from Bilstein. LMC/MMC tolerances can change the equation in a production environment.