What's the best platform for a Optima USCA ultimate street car contender.

Kinja'd!!! "briannutter1" (briannutter1)
11/10/2014 at 17:38 • Filed to: None

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The car isn't a one track pony. Street licensed, engineering points, road course reliable, awd favoring Speed/Stop Pro Solo—-all rolled into one To average well requires a 5.5 or better power to weight ratio, 200 treadwear 315mm+tires, $5-10k aero/lightweight panels, $4k in brakes, $5-15k in suspension, and $10-25k for a reliable engines. Porsche, GTR, Corvettes, Evo's, Vipers, Pro Touring cars, and all sorts of others come out to play. There's a sub 3000lb 2wd class, over 3000lb 2wd class, and 4wd class.

Take a look at the contenders to get a reasonable "real world" assumption of how different cars fare. Note the exotics being relatively slow for all their hype. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and the link below are the standings in Autocross and Speed/Stop Pro Solo format.

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What's your vote with different mods/swaps? Bonus points for a contender built in a garage with average mechanical skill for under $50k without being a hand grenade.


DISCUSSION (15)


Kinja'd!!! Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire > briannutter1
11/10/2014 at 17:39

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Kit cobra


Kinja'd!!! davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > briannutter1
11/10/2014 at 17:51

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Whatever it is, it weighs 3001 pounds.


Kinja'd!!! Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > briannutter1
11/10/2014 at 17:58

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$5-10k aero/lightweight panels

You actually have to use the stock hood, fenders and body panels. You can modify them with scoops and flares and the like though.


Kinja'd!!! briannutter1 > briannutter1
11/10/2014 at 17:59

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Here are some top 10 contenders that could be build for under $60k.

C6z with drysump fix, heads/cam, aero

Gen 3 Viper. acr parts, engine work, aero.

Lotus Elise under $30k now. Wheels/tires/ flaired fenders, Aero, boost, don't know about reliability of trans

Evo8 wheel/tire, aero, turbo system, engine, trans, reliability mods.

STI wheel/tire, aero, Substantial engine power and reliability mods.

Here are some garage built cars that could be top 10-15

S2000, lightened, flaired fender 315/335's, rear diff, Aero, Heads/Cam LS swap

Miata, fendered 315/335's , rear diff, Aero, Heads/Cam LS, tunnel work required.

2800lb 5.0, fendered, 315/335's with LS swap and widely available suspension mods.

28000lb FD RX7, fendered, 315/335's, Aero, built rotary, suspension mods

2900lb FC Rx7, fendered, 315/335's, Aero, LS Swap, suspension mods.

2200lb EF Civic with turbo K20, fendered, Aero, wheels/tires, suspension

2500lb 240z, LS Swap, fendered 315/335's, suspension, Aero, lightweight panels.

2500lb s14, Swapped, fendered, 315/335's, suspension, Aero, Lightweight panels.


Kinja'd!!! briannutter1 > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
11/10/2014 at 18:04

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As a competitor, I can tell you there are no rules to that effect. Many of the cars out there running substantial body kits, wings, splitters, and carbon panels that are close to stock appearing only because USCA hasn't evolved into a time attack format...yet.


Kinja'd!!! briannutter1 > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com
11/10/2014 at 18:05

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yes, I dropped my car sub 3000lb this year just to avoid competing against the 3001lb gorrillas :)


Kinja'd!!! davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > briannutter1
11/10/2014 at 18:07

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So is it too hard for most of the high horsepower cars to drop enough weight to get below 3000, or once they get under, they're competing with super-lightweights and can't overcome their mass?

Light makes right!


Kinja'd!!! briannutter1 > Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
11/10/2014 at 18:08

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http://www.pinterest.com/pin/2529053352… Or a real one! Check out this piece on Bruce Cambern....hence why the sub 3000lb class now exists. Ridetech's Kit Ford rocks as well!


Kinja'd!!! Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > briannutter1
11/10/2014 at 18:09

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I just sat down and read the rules earlier today, and there definitely is. Rule #1, at that. "All vehicles must use hood, fenders and body panels as produced from the factory. Scoops, flares and other modifications are acceptable." So good to know, go challenge everyone for breaking that...


Kinja'd!!! briannutter1 > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
11/10/2014 at 18:17

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Challenge yes, but not win. Optima leaves that door open to rule against the eventual full on time attack or DTM car, but you'll see what is permisable with a google image search on Optima OUSCI cars. Carbon hoods, fenders, wings, overfenders, flaired fenders etc. etc. all the norm. If you want to compete, let me know your thoughts and I might be able to point you in the right direction here and there. I say this as a person who wasted a lot of money not going faster.


Kinja'd!!! briannutter1 > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
11/10/2014 at 18:27

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The Facebook page has some nice galleries too. https://www.facebook.com/OUSCI


Kinja'd!!! Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > briannutter1
11/10/2014 at 18:27

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I work at a shop that's planning on building a car for next year... We are thinking of using our shop track car, Oppo's fav FoST.


Kinja'd!!! briannutter1 > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
11/10/2014 at 18:37

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Nice! where to you work? Wing, hood, splitter, flairs, engine work, lightweighting the interior and run in the sub 3000lb class. I've done pistons for Ecoboost before but don't have rods yet. High CG is the killer on cars like the EVO/STI with glass windows being the biggest problem. Engineering points are against gutted interiors are relatively low, so you could eject the bags, HVAC, and rear seats...lightweight front seats. I'd run a minimal harness bar versus 6 point for the same reason. What are you thinking about for turbo and engine management? 450whp 2800lbs would be a player.


Kinja'd!!! Little Black Coupe Turned Silver > briannutter1
11/10/2014 at 18:58

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A shop in Wisconsin. Today was literally the first day we talked about it, so still trying to get a feel for what we are doing. We have a tuner in-house, the car is at like 310whp with just some exhaust and tuning (and race gas...)


Kinja'd!!! briannutter1 > Little Black Coupe Turned Silver
11/11/2014 at 10:04

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Nice. 5 star crash rated cars have a TON of structure in the roof and other areas. Literally folds and folds of metal in the rocker areas too, so don't get crazy with bracing. Paul Faessler is a friend of mine stripping a 2015 mustang to turn it into a Nasa/Narra car and he's got a facebook post on the sheer volume of stuff removed from the car. Also said he's gone through about 150 cut off wheels over the last few days https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pauls-Au…