Which SCCA Solo Class am I going to be in?

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
02/22/2016 at 09:51 • Filed to: None

I figure I might as well post the question here in my search for where exactly I will end up in Auto-x this year. I do not care how competitive I will be, I just want to make sure that I register in the correct class. My car is a 2001 Miata that I ran in ES class last year. Of course with a bone stock car and all-season tires, I could only improve so much. Anyways, here are the relevant mods which I know based on the rulebook (I have read the whole thing) knock me out of ES:

15x8 wheels with ~240 TW summer tires

Flyin Miata Vmaxx Coilovers

Everything else is stock. My only other plans for mods would be Front/Rear Sway bars and End Links. So I am just curious if you guys know what class I would end up in currently. Again, I am just there to have fun and provide a safe way to push my car to it’s limits. Now here is a list of the classes based on my research that I am unsure about:

ESP (might be seriously outclassed here lol)

STR (or one of the other Street Touring categories?)

Something else?

Also, just registered for my first event of the season on April 3rd! I tentatively put in STR but I can always correct that day of or whatever. I will be at the Blue Ridge Region Event Number 2 in Verona, VA!

DISCUSSION (13)

cooterbaldwin > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/22/2016 at 09:55

Back in my day you’d be in ESP. Haven’t a clue what the current regs look like. No mater what, get out there and have some fun!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > cooterbaldwin
02/22/2016 at 09:58

Well of course. That is my goal! Thanks to the location of that event, I should be able to get in some good hiking that weekend as well. Hopefully it's not too cold out there that time of year though. I know it will be much warmer over where I will be at in Norfolk.

Gone > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/22/2016 at 10:11

I super edited this.
STS is your best bet with street tires. this is contingent on what width tires you have.
STS is 225s/7.5" wheels and factory diffs
STR is 255s/9" wheels and aftermarket diffs

Future next gen S2000 owner > Gone
02/22/2016 at 10:29

I second this. Miata’s got rolled into STS because no matter what you do you will be out classed in STR by the S2000.

Nonster > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/22/2016 at 10:31

I took a quick look through the rule book and you definitely fall in STR since you have a 2001 Miata with coilovers. If you’re looking be more competitive then put the widest stickiest tires that the class allows. For STR you could go up to 255 width tires on 9 inch wide wheels.

Good luck!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/22/2016 at 10:40

I realized when you posted this that I had no clue about the actual SCCA rulesets, so I went off to read them for like 20 minutes. Mostly because the local autocross uses SCCA classes and I was curious where a three ton four-door 1959 Lincoln on 14" bias plies is classified. Seems to be in the CAM catch-all, which I’m still not sure how that interfaces with Solo Classes.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Nonster
02/22/2016 at 10:52

Yeah, I definitely plan to see how I like these tires and eventually get something wider since my wheels can definitely support wider. They are relatively heavy wheels though so I may end up not keeping them very long anyways. Just couldn’t pass up the deal I got on them!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Gone
02/22/2016 at 10:56

Ahh this is a good table to work from! The different ST classes were somewhat confusing to me. I would definitely like to get 225 tires in the future.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
02/22/2016 at 11:02

CAM seems like such a weird class. There are all sorts of crazy things in there! And talking to those guys is always interesting.

Nonster > Gone
02/22/2016 at 11:05

For some reason they cut the Miata off from STS after the 1997 models whereas STR covers 94-05 Miatas. Seems weird that theres some overlap, but since his is a 2001, he has to play with the S2000's

Gone > Nonster
02/22/2016 at 11:19

Good catch, totally missed that.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/22/2016 at 11:25

Well, as far as I can tell, the class rules are so agglutinated from various sources that you have conceptual contradictions if not contradictions in fact. There are all kinds of street classes based on models less than 30 years old, but then there are rafts on rafts of sizing rules and specific model carveouts, and from my quick lookover, size, age, modifications, engine type, and model seem to be running at cross purposes from time to time. Common models have the easiest time of it - though I note that very soon NA Miatas will have to depend on having their carveout as a model, because some will be too old on the 30-year framework. CAM appears to have been drummed up as a master category of “OK FINE YOU CAN BRING YOUR MUSCLE CAR, GEEZE”. But, since it’s a tack-on, it’s an SCCA class that’s not a competitive class in the Solo framework - I think. Meanwhile, some muscle cars have Solo positions as carveouts for no reason, and CAM... well, with their period mods vs. unmodded vs. anything goes type setups, in some senses it’s the best organized. Which is weird.

Anyway, I’m not interested in competing so much as just running a three ton 1959 car with a 500+ ft-lb engine and two speed transmission in an autocross at least once because it would be hysterical. Which car I have and will have running in another year or so. To run it, I needed to have something to call it.

Sweet Trav > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
02/22/2016 at 11:25

Cam was a clusterfuck last year. My 1986 Monte Carlo SS, body on frame, 215 series tire with tiny discs in the front and drums in the back is competing with a 2009 Mustang GT with 315 series tires and ABS in CAM-C. They have since revised cam to have it make a lot more sense for pre '93 cars.