Quote:
Originally Posted by PeanuKeeyes
Hey Dradernh
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Not dradernh, but I know a few things about NASA ST/TT as well. Awesome you're getting excited about TT! To get started, really all you need is a transponder, not even safety.
Building a
competitive car, especially in ST4/TT4, is a whole different ballgame. In my region (NorCal), that's easily the class with most competition and often pretty good results nationally. Be prepared to spend, well, a lot. And to experiment, since ours is a not very proven chassis.
In addition to the things you listed, several things at the minimum:
- be careful when tuning, especially if you're going for 40-50 hp. You want useable power across the rev range, not just the high peak number most "street" tunes go after for bragging rights. The NASA P/W calculation reflects that -- you take an average from several values around your peak.
- you need to max out tires. NASA has their own templates (check the rules about details), but think roughly a 275 Toyo RR mounted on a 10" rim for a 3200 lbs car. On our chassis this means fender work, of course. There's positive P/W modifiers you can get for running narrower tires, but they're generally not worth it.
- along the previous point, there are positive modifiers for running Toyo RRs or UTOG 100 tires (compared to non-DOT tires, like Hoosiers). These are generally worth it. Not just because of the obscene cost of Hoosiers -- the current crop of UTOG 100 tires (Maxxis RC-1, Nankang AR-1, Toyo RR) is actually pretty good.
- you need to max out aero. In ST4, it's pretty simple, just a rear wing (look at the mounting rules) and a 4" splitter.
Not saying the above to discourage you. Just the opposite -- you know already this thing is like crack
Just pointing out the basic things allowed by the rules that others in a competitive class will max out.
IMHO, if you can slot near the top P/W range of TT5, you should go after that. Even if it means detuning / adding a bit of ballast. There's plenty of other rules to max out without worrying about the added reliability trouble of 40-50 extra useable HP.