Is it just me, but anything that has to do with racing our cars seems to take a backseat to shine & polish. I mean their our some really sharp & fast guys who drive these little buzbombs. And yet the majority would rather discuss the things that make You look fast or sound cool instead of really going faster. Just wondering!!!
You are correct in your observation. However, the same could probably be said for all other cars too. I suppose there are a lot of reasons that guys go for "show-n-shine" rather than racing, not the least of which is the cost of racing and the constant replacing of broken/worn out parts. Then there is the fact that boy racers seldom have the experience necessary to do well on the track. And there is also the fact that the SRT-4 doesn't really have a class where it has a chance of dominating. When you go up against BMWs or 4-wheel drive rods, you aren't going to be coming up with some magic trick that is going to let you smoke the competition. Of course that pertains to classes where there are rules. Where there are no rules, the SRT-4 guys can spend enough money to go fast, for instance in HPDEs. And a final thought: When you start going really fast on the track, you car is no longer suitable for the highway. You just aren't going to race with 100-pounds of speakers in your trunk and all the other accessories that make street driving pleasurable, like AC, and windows that roll up, etc.
I am fairly certain that fewer than 1-percent of car owners of any brand ever actully ever track their car.
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Black 2004
Stage 2
Hotchkis bars
I'm workin' on the rest.
I think that i cannot relate to driving on the track but i can relate to beating the crap out of my previous (1 was a sxt neon)cars and that is very similar to tracking. Now i know what ur going to think, "What the hell is he talking about?, driving on the track and beating the car is not the same. Technically it is, on the track u push ur car to its limits in both handling and power.
For Ex. U corner hard and u try to get the most speed out of all gears (usually by redlining). As for beating on the car on the street is all about beng dumb and redlining and trying to get that inch on some car that u know u cant keep up with anyway.
So that is my reason that i just decided to baby my car and wash it weekly and save on headaches such as oil everywhere in the manifold and intercooler, broken tps, the messed up lower control arms, boost leaks/vaccum lines disconnected, leaking valve covers, replacing tube seals and all the other crap that the SRT fails on. Just my .02
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Def: Ricer- Any idiot that uses a public road as a racetrack and thinks they have beaten a certain individual.
OFFICIAL #1 HATER OF THE CALIBER SRT4!! (GO DODGE)
I think that i cannot relate to driving on the track but i can relate to beating the crap out of my previous (1 was a sxt neon)cars and that is very similar to tracking. Now i know what ur going to think, "What the hell is he talking about?, driving on the track and beating the car is not the same. Technically it is, on the track u push ur car to its limits in both handling and power.
For Ex. U corner hard and u try to get the most speed out of all gears (usually by redlining). As for beating on the car on the street is all about beng dumb and redlining and trying to get that inch on some car that u know u cant keep up with anyway.
So that is my reason that i just decided to baby my car and wash it weekly and save on headaches such as oil everywhere in the manifold and intercooler, broken tps, the messed up lower control arms, boost leaks/vaccum lines disconnected, leaking valve covers, replacing tube seals and all the other crap that the SRT fails on. Just my .02
If you make it to redline you are already losing time. Our cars do not make more power at redline, they make less. Look at the dyno graph and see how things start to taper off after 6,000 or 6,200 and you will see that is does no good to hold until the 6,500 redline (Staged cars of course!).
I personally try to be smooth and consistent with my throttle, brake and steering inputs and the benefits are not only higher speeds & lower lap times, but also less wear on the vehicle.
And I for one, have never had a single one of the problems you listed above! WTH is a tube seal?
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If you make it to redline you are already losing time. Our cars do not make more power at redline, they make less. Look at the dyno graph and see how things start to taper off after 6,000 or 6,200 and you will see that is does no good to hold until the 6,500 redline (Staged cars of course!).
I personally try to be smooth and consistent with my throttle, brake and steering inputs and the benefits are not only higher speeds & lower lap times, but also less wear on the vehicle.
And I for one, have never had a single one of the problems you listed above! WTH is a tube seal?
BTW i meant higher rpm and redlining, but ur right smartypants!!!
Haha i had all these problems for a reason, but my problem is that i search for them all the time, because i have access to a lift and am very anal about my car. Tube seal is the seal that is on top of the tube that goes down around ur spark plugs and valve cover. I hope u understand, sorry i wish i had a pic.
I think that i cannot relate to driving on the track but i can relate to beating the crap out of my previous (1 was a sxt neon)cars and that is very similar to tracking. Now i know what ur going to think, "What the hell is he talking about?, driving on the track and beating the car is not the same. Technically it is, on the track u push ur car to its limits in both handling and power.
i would disagree.
the streets lack consistency for the most part and conditions change more often on the street. does skill follow that consistency? who knows.
the track gives you the opportunity of greater refinement of skills since there are constant characteristics.
-greater margin of safety
-plus you can put a time to it for measure (lap times)
-comparison to similar/non-similar vehicles vs. constant characteristics
BTW i meant higher rpm and redlining, but ur right smartypants!!!
Haha i had all these problems for a reason, but my problem is that i search for them all the time, because i have access to a lift and am very anal about my car. Tube seal is the seal that is on top of the tube that goes down around ur spark plugs and valve cover. I hope u understand, sorry i wish i had a pic.
And I thought that would be a plug wire.... Tube Steak ..... Got It !
I am pretty attentive to my car as well, my lifts are very helpful in checking over all aspects of the car before and after an event.
the streets lack consistency for the most part and conditions change more often on the street. does skill follow that consistency? who knows.
the track gives you the opportunity of greater refinement of skills since there are constant characteristics.
-greater margin of safety
-plus you can put a time to it for measure (lap times)
-comparison to similar/non-similar vehicles vs. constant characteristics
my .02 cents
Iam sorry if it came over wrong, but i meant beating on the car (high rpm, hard braking/cornering,) basically putting stress on components (internal/external) and not surface conditions on which such tasks are performed (Race track, drag strip, public roads, gravel roads, etc..)
there is the simple difference between show and go... those who like to look the part and those who actually like to DRIVE
...ironicly I started out in the show n shine side of things (back when I was 17, 18 and 19) and quickly got into the autocross scene and did that for many MANY years (mainly because it was cheap and fun and the social aspect).. and then I discovered/was introduced to track/road racing and the autocross dwindled away..
It used to be more expensive for me to track then autocross and probably still is technically (but it depends on the price you put on your time shagging cones vs. time you spend on a course actually driving)
At autocross I had to work a corner at least 4 hours a day for 4 minutes of track time vs. at a track I tend to get 2 hours (4 to 6 20 to 30 minute sessions) and do NOT have to shag cones but do instruct up to 2 hours or 4 hours (more fun than shagging cones anyway) BUT when you instruct, your track time is free or discounted
So yeah, I'd rather work 2 to 4 hours instructing than shagging cones on a hot tarmack and guess what, you see more of the track instructing and can pick up some tidbits on track conditions in the passenger seat
Iam sorry if it came over wrong, but i meant beating on the car (high rpm, hard braking/cornering,) basically putting stress on components (internal/external) and not surface conditions on which such tasks are performed (Race track, drag strip, public roads, gravel roads, etc..)
i'm confident the audience here knows what you mean.
If we're talking about street racers and garage queens then, the reason they don't race is because they'd get their butt kicked by people who take driving seriously and do it in the proper arena. They need to learn that all important lesson that we all have something to learn.
If the person does not have a competitive personality then I figure they are just car guys like the rest of us. Only in a different way.
From what I have seen, those that talk about "street racing" really don't. There are a few that really do trakc their cars, but most just talk.
When you do convince them to come out to the track, many just get the shit scared out of themselves and decide that they don't want to push their car like that. I really beleive that more drivers would benefit from learning some performance driving on a roadcourse. Those that I know that do run on a raodcourse are far better drivers on the street. Do we break things? Yes, but holy shit isn't better to take some rock chips road racing versus an anonymous shopping cart ding?
Oh, and I think that the number that do go out on a road course and race is more like .001%.
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cars and that is very similar to tracking. Now i know what ur going to think, "What the hell is he talking about?, driving on the track and beating the car is not the same. Technically it is, on the track u push ur car to its limits in both handling and power.
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