[hrdlydangerous]

Well like the title says I'm new on the board but that's not to say that I haven't been lurking for a while. I just aquired a '94 Trans Am that will be used to compete in the Grassroots Motorsports Magazine $2010 Challenge. This will be the second car I've competed with in this venue. The first car was a fox Mustang that finished a best of fifth in 2006. I've been autocrossing for more than a decade but this is the first F-Body I've owned. I promise to search this board thoroughly before I post up any tech questions. Look for me to post a lot in the classified sections looking for cheap parts to keep me under my budget limit. Thanks in advance for all the help.

Matt

[00 Trans Ram]

You can spend $5000 on wheels - they (along with tires) are considered a safety item.

The quesiton is "should" you get the biggest tires available. You can be 100% within the rules, not even pushing them, and still get some arbitrary penalties from the judges. If you show up with a 2500lb F-body making 300rwhp on 315 rubber, you WILL get penalized.

You've got 2 choices for tires. Run stock 16x8 wheels and 245ish tires. They'll last the whole race, and be OK.

Or, you can try to pull a fast one. Show up on stock 16x8s with junky tires and get the car inspected with those. But, have the 18x10.5s in the back of a van or something. After you go through the inspection, just before the race, change tires. It's not against the rules at all.

The only problem is that they can impose those penalties at any time during the race. They may notice the tires, and decide that they don't like the fact that you tried to pull a fast one. Then you'll be sitting in the pits for an hour while they make you lick honey off the car or something.

My advice is to just get 16x8 stockers and slap some good 245s on there. If you can run all the laps and not get penalized or breaking, then your chances of winning are probably better than 90%. If you research the results, you'll find that the winners almost NEVER turn the fastest laps - they are the ones that simply stay out on track the most.

[Thinkkker]

You can spend $5000 on wheels - they (along with tires) are considered a safety item.

I think stuff is getting garbled here. I think he is build a $2010 Challenge Car, NOT a Lemons car. Totally different animals.

All parts are to be added to the $2010 cost, there is not a "Safety" break that I know of.

[EchoMirage]

You can spend $5000 on wheels - they (along with tires) are considered a safety item.

I think stuff is getting garbled here. I think he is build a $2010 Challenge Car, NOT a Lemons car. Totally different animals.

All parts are to be added to the $2010 cost, there is not a "Safety" break that I know of.

exactly. plus, the minimum id run is stock 17x9. im sure you don't need receipts of every purchase, so for all they know, you can get a stock set of 17x9 rims for $100 (which is close to truth anyway). im SURE prices are fudged in every way possible.

the saying back in the heyday of the trans am series was, and still is, 'racing is cheating, and cheating is racing.' you really think those guys put together a turbo charged vette with an M1 abrams blower motor for under 2K?

you can tell who actually puts together a car for the required 2K. there was a guy who got a 944 out of a junkyard. listed in his description of mods was a nothing tune up and detailing. i think he used the same tires that were on it in the junkyard. he actually stayed within the budget (buying any porsche is a bad idea for this) and wound up with a bone stock car.

This post has been edited by EchoMirage: Feb 5 2010, 10:14 PM