Miata Mailing List: August 1998, Message #523

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Angelos,
                RWD is not the best layout for a sports car, it's the only
layout. What on earth does b/c mean?

JEFF & KELLY (99 Grace Green, MX5099)
OZTEAM VOODOO
TEAM MEGUIARS
SYDNEY AUSTRALIA
MX-5 CLUB NSW COMMITTEE MEMBER
MCA #42017
Where do I want to go tomorrow?
-----Original Message-----
From: Angelos Anastassopoulos <Anastassopoulosa@inac.gc.ca>
To: Multiple recipients of list <miata@realbig.com>
Date: Wednesday, 5 August 1998 08:30
Subject: Re: Is SCC full of it? (LMC)


>I've been following their mr2t hopup with some interest b/c my best
>friend recently bought a 91.  Their most recent issue has a summary
>of the car's modification history.  They got up to almost 500 hp,
>apparently.  I tend to believe them b/c they always claim use of a
>dyno and show dyno charts in their in-depth reviews.
>
>However, with some of their "reader's rides" or whatever they call
>them reviews, i am very wary of claims made.  Lots of these cars
>seem to base their hp claims on the type of simple math which
>involves buying a header for which the manufacturer claims
>a 20 hp increase and adding this number to the 10 hp your
>air filter is supposed to give you etc. and then adding this to
>the original hp of the car.  We all know this kind of math is
>incredibly optimistic.
>
>What i hate most about SCC is their bias to Honda cars and FWD
>cars in general.  I read the mag regularly but more often than not
>just get frustrated at the immaturity and lack of respect for
>what i call real (meaning RWD, and not spun off from a sedan)
>sports cars that the editors display.
>
>As far as the really quick ET's -- i'm pretty sure they're for real
>too.  Those hondas etc. can be made to run exceptionally quick
>quarter miles.  Remember though that these cars -- most of the
>cars in SCC in fact -- are set up for straight line only.  I personally
>remember the time when i used to chide american performance
>cars (but never the vette -- always loved that) for being
>suitable only for drag racing.  I preferred european cars and
>japanese cars b/c they were more likely to be proper sports cars,
>meaning they could attack a twisty racetrack in a natural
>fashion rather than rely on immense power to shoot from
>slowly and sloppily taken corner to slowly and sloppily taken
>corner.  Over the last 5 years things have changed significantly.
>Now the import cars are being modified into the type of muscle cars
>that america has largely stopped making.  It is ironic how the
>pony cars, while still not my favorite rides, have gotten more
>sporting in their handling and braking while still retaining
>excellent brute power, while the japanese cars and many
>many gti's have been converted by owners into poor handling
>overly-low riding but wickedly quick stoplight drag racers.  And
>RWD, which was once undisputed as the best layout for
>a sports car, is largely unappreciated by today's younger
>enthusiasts.
>
>So... SCC is not full of it.  They are merely reflecting what
>the majority of young enthusiasts are interested in today.  :-(
>
>angelos
>
>

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