Queen of Track Building
Posts: 1613
Joined: Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:47 am
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Cars: Chevy Cobalt
Re: Green Hell Lap Times
Razyx wrote:I've been thinking (a bit) on the rules about production cars:
I see no problem on the next:
- fuel type 98Ron max.
- no semi slicks
- no race intake
- no race exhaust (race headers)
- when available, you have to use every muffler option
- chassis material cannot be carbon fibre
- no carbon ceramic brakes
and a few 'debatable' rules:
- weight/power ratio lower than 2 (i.e. 1400kg / 700cv or so, would not be allowed)
- undertray cannot be set on downforce configuration
- maybe a limit on rim diameter (20"?)
I'm not sure why this is even a discussion. The above rules are fine, except for mufflers and wheels. Production cars should have mufflers, but should not be specified which ones or how many. One muffler (plus cat if applicable) should be sufficient to meet road legal requirements in most places. AFAIK, at least where I live, there are no real rules on how big a wheel can be. I see offroading trucks all over the place which could easily drive right over a Chevy Caprice without even noticing it, and they're not getting tickets over it. The only rule they must follow is minimum bumper heights cannot exceed X inches above the road surface.
The only debatable ones are P/W and tire compounds. Power/Weight would be good at 2.0. Realistically, it can't really function on a street above that (and above 1.0 is actually a good argument). Tire compounds are only debatable because drag radials are street legal, at least here in the US. Just don't have an accident on them, or they will be auto-faulted for the incident (cops don't really like them much on street cars).
Downforce undertray should not be allowed on production. Limited downforce trays are fine, as many cars use them already...for hypermiling efficiency.
I personally think 98RON (93AKI) should not be allowed, but only because here in the US it is near impossible to find unless you are near a raceway or dragstrip. 95RON (91AKI) is common Premium fuel in the US. The rest of the world is obviously not so stingy with the octane, however. This does not take into consideration Ethanol blended fuels. E85 is still quite hard to find, even in the US, and has an AKI rating of 94-97. At least in the SouthEastern US where I live. Again, Ethanol blends are much more common in other parts of the world....like Brazil.
You could also consider production numbers to determine a production vehicle, although it would be tough right now without a functional tycoon aspect in the game. For racing in the US, it is usually considered a production vehicle if it is produced in numbers greater than 500 units, for SCCA regulations. Anything lower is considered a racing/prototype vehicle. It could be simulated with a production cost aspect, or even a production cost PLUS production units cost (valued at a fixed number per unit), but some companies have deep pockets and a $100,000+ production cost wouldn't bother them a bit.
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