n00b and Class Confusion...

[PHRANQUY]

Ok, so i'm fairly new to this. I was at the St. Cloud event a few weeks ago with my '98 Lincoln Mark VIII, and entered SI because a friend said it would be best since I'm still new. Well, I know my car fits into the "F" category, but it isn't "FS"..... Here is a list of mods: went from a 3.08 to 4.10 gear ration/limited slip rear end, exhaust, larger MAF/open element filter, underdrive pullies and thats really about it. Just nto sure if I'm supposed to be in FSP or FM....can someone clear this up for me as I think I'd fit better in another class? :flame: away.... 8)

[pinhead]

You're definately NOT in FSP (small bore VW and Honda class) or FM (single seat purpose built race cars). The "SP", "M" and "P" classes do not relate to a cars "stock" class (I would guess that your car is FS in stock trim). Ie, a car that is in CS does not automatically go to CSP, CP, or CM. In fact, my car is H-Stock, but there IS no such class as HSP, HP or HM.

I think you're probably in C-Prepared, aka "CP", due to the final drive change... Was a 4.10 an option on the Mark 8? If it was possible to get a Mark8 from the factory with a 4.10, then you might be in ESP instead (ESP should be a little bit slower than CP, in principal).

Have you deleted anything from the car? Sometimes new people neglect to mention that they have pulled the interior or whatever, which can make a big difference to classing.

[PHRANQUY]

Ok, maybe thats why I'm so confused when going through the different classes. :? I read it as if you do these things, you move to this class. My car is in FS in stock trim.

I don't THINK you could get a 4.10 gear in the car from the factory, but not posotive. I will see what I can find out. The only gear ratio's I know that were available in the cars from the factory were 3.08 (base model) and 3.27 (LSC).

Nothing has been removed from the interior of my car. It is a daily driven stock interior Mark VIII. The only thing I have removed is the pump for the secondary air injection as it got in the way of my underdrive pullies (didn't work anyways, and not about to spend $300 on a part I don't need). In fact, my car is heavier than it was from the factory, as the case for the differential is iron, where the OEM cases for the Mark VIII were aluminum. I found a ~30# difference between the two.

[stangerjon]

a rear end gear change puts you into a prepared class? thats hard to believe.

[PHRANQUY]

a rear end gear change puts you into a prepared class? thats hard to believe.

Not really...in a car like mine it would give it quite the advantage over a stock one...in fact, my car is ~1 second quicker in the 1/4 mile now than it was a year ago, even though my MPH hasn't hardly changed (still trying to get that 100mph pass though).

[phile]

a rear end gear change puts you into a prepared class? thats hard to believe.

It is so. Or at least out of Street Prepared. Dunno about which of the new alphabet-soup classes might take it. Street Prepared in SCCA Solo rules does not allow free changing of final drive gears. You have to change the entire differential case and contents to another differential case and contents which was available in a car on the same line in the listings.

Used to be, Met Council rules would allow any gears you could get in the stock case. That was the only major difference between Met Council and SCCA rules in Street Prepared. That went away when the Council voted to go to SCCA prep rules for all classes.

[PHRANQUY]

So, any idea what class one would be in with my setup then? Or am I just stuck running in SI? Maybe I'll just sit at home and read through the rulebook this weekend.....yeah....maybe then I could actually figure out what class I'm in.

[MNbiker]

You can run in Street Modified (SM). All your car mods are allowed there. Or you can continue to run in SI, until you gain more experience.

-Steve Garnjobst
Met Council Rules Chair

[PHRANQUY]

Hmmm...ok, guess I'll have to put a bit of thought into it. I'll probably just stay SI for now....maybe by end of summer I'll move to SM.