[RoadKillSTi]

I have a friend with a 04 WRX wagon with:
1. HKS up-pipe (no cat)
2. HKS down-pipe (no cat)
3. HKS 3 inch high flow exhaust
4. HKS blow off valve
5. HKS grounding kit
6. Tein SS coil overs
7. AEM cold air intake

What class does this put him in? and will he get his butt kicked?

Thanks,
Mike

[WRXRATED7]

I'm not 100% sure (because of the BOV), but I think he'd be in STX. If not...tell him to ditch the BOV.

It's possible he could be in SM if not STX.

[dowroa]

No CAT = Can't remember if ESP or SM.

BOV = SM.

Grounding Kit = SM I believe.

Enjoy.

- dow

[Slowride]

He'll get his butt seriously kicked in SM.

[jtheday]

what cars typically will run faster than an STI in SM? just wondering cause thats where i'll be in this year

[Slowride]

The national winners are usually M3s. Locally it's a real grab bag that Mustangs, Sciroccos, WRXs, etc. usually win. All of which are pretty heavily modified and very well driven.

[TwisterX]

The SM cars locally (well, where I used to live) were mostly Talons, and gokarts, er, I mean Civics. They were highly modified cars driven excellently. SM is a very tough place to be, if your area is anything like mine. The cars are fast as hell, and the top drivers are very experienced and talented. SM, because of its very open rules, is like an arms race. You have to be real good, and willing to spend some big money too.

To the original poster; your friends car is in SM, and it will probably get rocked pretty damn hard. Basically, if you are in SM without some serious suspension work, the biggest racing compound tires you can fit on the car, and a lot of skill, you are absolutely going to be destroyed. No R comps means you will be about 2 seconds slower, all other things being equal (same car, same driver, same course, same line, same track conditions). And 2 second on an auto-x course might as well be a year. Tell your friend to just try and have fun. Getting trashed is part of the learning process. :wink:

[mx_9]

Dow,

If the grounding kit was added for performance gains then SM. If it was added to clean up electrical noise then it, by itself, does not move you out of AS.

That's what I was told when I researched this particular issue.

[dowroa]

Originally Posted by mx_9

Dow,

If the grounding kit was added for performance gains then SM. If it was added to clean up electrical noise then it, by itself, does not move you out of AS.

That's what I was told when I researched this particular issue.

Ah, this is going to sound 'jackassey' though.

It really doesn't matter your *intent* for the fix, but more of the *reprecussons* of your fix generalized as to what is can do for all cars in that class.

Maybe for your car, it would just clean up electrical noise, but it *could* give you a better signal so the car can run more timing and give you a better spark to your cylinders.

Anyway, the way I interpret it is that if it doesn't say you can -- you can't.


-----------------

Now, with that ugly statement out of the way:: mx_9 -- my car is complete. You need to drive it sometime soon. I owe you.

- dow

[mx_9]

Yeah, I agree that you need to be honest about your intentions. If you were looking for performance gains when they were added then choose accordingly. As I was mulling it over the guys in AS told me to choose AS even with the wires added. I just think they wanted fresh meat in their run group.

[RoadKillSTi]

I spoke with Doug Gill who is the "Solo Technical Manager" with the SCCA, regarding grounding kits in AS and his reply is that it is a stupid rule and no one can prove that you didnt have a radio static problem.

How ethical it is to run one in AS is a whole other thing.

[sciolist]

If it’s running street tires, that car will probably not be any faster than a stock wagon on race tires. In SM, he’ll probably be left churning in the wake, but he will still have a good time.

[WRXRATED7]

Originally Posted by RoadKillSTi

I spoke with Doug Gill who is the "Solo Technical Manager" with the SCCA, regarding grounding kits in AS and his reply is that it is a stupid rule and no one can prove that you didnt have a radio static problem.

I know we're getting OT...but I'm starting to get a whine. Is this common? Does the grounding kit correct this?

[ValvetrainEngineer]

In local events it all depends on who shows up. I was ESP last year, and there were only a few times someone in SM beat me (raw time). This season I'll likely end up in SM with OEM tires....so mentally I'm dropping 1-2 seconds to see how I'd compare to others. I'm not in it for the trophies or anything, just having fun!!

[imaaaron]

Quick hijack... what class is a stock sti with just a K&N Typhoon? I like to stay in AS, will that exclude me?