Sorry for the GT related post here. But the GT forum is all but dead, and most of the GTL folks are here. I'll pull it if there if enough folks are offended.
Just a happy data point.
I know there are many of you that see the SIR a hardship without an upside.
Here is why I see it as a savior of the budget minded racer.
I spoke to my engine builder this weekend. He'd just completed the analysis of the "spare" motor. I have two, and they rotate in shifts (usually two years).
It had no measurable wear in any part of the engine. Ring end gaps, bearing clearances, you-name-it ... nada, none, zip, zilch. My engine builder is a thorough as they come. He found nothing that needed replacement.
This motor was last in the car for the entire 2012 and 2013 seasons. I bought the car including both motors in 2008 (six seasons). This motor has been in the car for four of those six seasons. Since I bought the car it's been apart twice to look it over. The rings, bearings, pistons, etc are still same from when I bought it. It's only gotten new valve springs, and a new cam in four full seasons of racing!! It hasn't even needed the valves cut. Only lapped.
This is what the SIR brings to the table. Say what you want about the $300 cost to purchase the SIR and the time it takes to fabricate an airbox (a weekend). But the increase in service interval is awesome. Without this magical aluminum horn I would not be able to race in GT, prod, or any other development class. I simply could not afford the motors.
Back in the day, street cars needed lots of full tear down service. Motors were good for 80k, and every town had machine shops and repair shops that regularly built engines. These days, street car motors last more or less forever. And if they do fail, 90% of the time you're better off buying a good motor from a salvage yard than rebuilding the dead one.
So back in the day, building a race engine a couple times a season was easier. You had local machinists who were busy and happy to help.
These days, not so much. There are machinists, but they're fewer and less interested in racing. H*ll, I tried to find a place to re-core an old radiator (Super 7) for less than a mortgage payment, and came up empty.
Limited Prep is a great idea. But figuring out the VE of the many many combinations is next to impossible. The SIR is the same for everyone and provides exactly what LP was aimed at: parity and greatly increased service intervals. I'm not saying prod should adopt the SIR. I'm just saying that I'm glad GT did. It was painful at first, but it's really worked out for the best.
Honestly, it's a great time to be a racer! Now if we can only stop the rich folks from pulling the rug out from under us (Commode), we can enjoy this!
-Kyle
Just a happy data point.
I know there are many of you that see the SIR a hardship without an upside.
Here is why I see it as a savior of the budget minded racer.
I spoke to my engine builder this weekend. He'd just completed the analysis of the "spare" motor. I have two, and they rotate in shifts (usually two years).
It had no measurable wear in any part of the engine. Ring end gaps, bearing clearances, you-name-it ... nada, none, zip, zilch. My engine builder is a thorough as they come. He found nothing that needed replacement.
This motor was last in the car for the entire 2012 and 2013 seasons. I bought the car including both motors in 2008 (six seasons). This motor has been in the car for four of those six seasons. Since I bought the car it's been apart twice to look it over. The rings, bearings, pistons, etc are still same from when I bought it. It's only gotten new valve springs, and a new cam in four full seasons of racing!! It hasn't even needed the valves cut. Only lapped.
This is what the SIR brings to the table. Say what you want about the $300 cost to purchase the SIR and the time it takes to fabricate an airbox (a weekend). But the increase in service interval is awesome. Without this magical aluminum horn I would not be able to race in GT, prod, or any other development class. I simply could not afford the motors.
Back in the day, street cars needed lots of full tear down service. Motors were good for 80k, and every town had machine shops and repair shops that regularly built engines. These days, street car motors last more or less forever. And if they do fail, 90% of the time you're better off buying a good motor from a salvage yard than rebuilding the dead one.
So back in the day, building a race engine a couple times a season was easier. You had local machinists who were busy and happy to help.
These days, not so much. There are machinists, but they're fewer and less interested in racing. H*ll, I tried to find a place to re-core an old radiator (Super 7) for less than a mortgage payment, and came up empty.
Limited Prep is a great idea. But figuring out the VE of the many many combinations is next to impossible. The SIR is the same for everyone and provides exactly what LP was aimed at: parity and greatly increased service intervals. I'm not saying prod should adopt the SIR. I'm just saying that I'm glad GT did. It was painful at first, but it's really worked out for the best.
Honestly, it's a great time to be a racer! Now if we can only stop the rich folks from pulling the rug out from under us (Commode), we can enjoy this!
-Kyle
