We definitely don't need a repeat of "s2000STR", the nutjob who created an account over at Miata.net to anonymously accuse Jeff C (a 2-time S2000 owner and a member of this forum) of illegally flaring his fenders even though he had never seen the car.

 

Well, I'm seeing that the exterior profile has been clearly flared outward. I would consider that illegal since the rule reads that one cannot alter the exterior profile of the fender. The S2000 flaring is extremely easy to see. The outer profile is flat... if it lips out... it's been over rolled.

The s2000 owner that had the severe flaring in the rear even admitted that it was done improperly. He said he'd tried the best he could to not change the exterior profile... but he had. Look, I'm not going to protest any kind of flaring in the rear if the wheel offset is proper... crap happens. However, if the owner is sporting 15mm spacers on +62 wheels... he's going to get protested.

*edit* As for the "P" word being thrown around... look, I've been to 6 Pro / Tour events and never protested a single time. However, I'll say it again. I'm not going to let +62 wheels with 15mm spacers slide if the lip of the fender is rolled outward. If I see something like that I'm going to let the owner / driver know that I know immediately and ask him to remove the spacers. I'm not going to sneek it in at the end of the event.

 

An alternate solution to keep the front tires out of the fenders is to add bumpstop packers. They just get the bumpstops engaged a little earlier. If you have stock-length shocks the bumpstops are in play any time you're cornering anyway, this just starts the process earlier.

 

Drove Reyenga's car today at the practice event. Nice. Plenty of grip. Phenomenal transient response. Fastest times in my BS car (Gendron front bar, stock shocks, 245x4 Kumhos) were similar to fastest times in his STR car (AP1 fairly well along in mods & tuning). I'm thinking about it...I think if I had an '06+ that would tip me over the edge.

 

I think they are +68ish and I run a 5mm spacer. They'll hit the front control arm pretty hard without the spacer (but I might be able to go to like a 3mm spacer if I wanted to machine my own). Other than my boo-boo on the passenger front fender, I think my fenders are legit (didn't make it to wendover).

I'm thinking about taking them off the car, setting them on a flat piece of wood, and just going to town on the with a big hammer just to be sure.

 

So when you guys are running -2.8 are you using J's racing offset joints? It seems they would be needed to get this much adjustment but since they move the lower joint out then I wasn't sure they would help. Maybe the SPC upper joint? I am a little leery of running these because of the slot. I guess I am trying to figure out the best way to avoid rolling the fender and not damage it. Is the general consensus to just go ahead and roll or is running -2.8 really enough?

 

Guy Ankeny makes an offset bushing for the upper A arm as well.

 

Guys, another approach to consider, is writing in letters requesting the flaring restriction be modified. The current rule/restriction is crap IMO. I get the idea, but like many in the history of ST, it's a noble one but the execution is a FAIL.

Basically now we're going on the "if it looks like the exterior profile has been modified", but I don't believe that anyone, with just about any tools, has the ability to perform a fender roll without in some way altering the external profile down at the can't-see-it-with-the-bare-eyes level.

The rule says *any* external profile move is illegal. If you want to make illegal just about any car in any ST class, bring in a virgin front fender and build a jig to do the comparison. I guarantee no car with rolled fenders will match exactly, however carefully the roll was done.

This all reminds me of the fernder liner overreaction the STAC had sometime around 2003, when they decided that all fender liners would have to be perfectly intact, without even any rub holes. Took a few years to get that fixed, and it now appears we're in the same boat with fender rolling.

I've written in a few times requesting the rule be modified to allow for fender rolling, minus the restriction on external profile change. No cutting would be allowed, but you'd be free to roll and bend things as you see fit.

Obviously in the STR camp you S2000 gang have some of the least to gain, as you can fit the max-size tires without much issue. But I still think it'd be in the category's best interests to remove this "everybody look the other way except when it passes this fuzzy line of an ok deviance" restriction that's potentially messing everything up.

 

I'll buy that.

 

Just out of curiosity -- why is everyone fitting 17" x 9" rims instead of 16" x 9"? The latter would weigh less at the expense of slightly worse transitional response because of the taller sidewalls (assuming identical tire diameter).