May 3, 2000

SCCA Competition Board

9033 E. Easter Place

Englewood CO 80112

Gentlemen:

We are writing to request your approval and publication, as appropriate, of the few items discussed below and to comment on some proposals submitted by others relating to FM.

(1) Please reinstate the new mirror, P/N 110-136, as these are now available at an acceptable price. They will retail to customers for the same price as the obsolete Vitaloni, California. Please list the new number as optional.

(2) We intend to convert new vehicle production from MK VIII Webster to MK V Webster gears. The spec ratios are maintained within about 50 RPM of the original gears but the MK V gears are much more durable and will be sold at the same price as we used to sell MK VIII gears. The number of teeth on the Mark V sets are fewer and the lowest gear (1st) is part of the lay-shaft. The table below should be helpful to show the relationship of MK V to MK VIII ratios. Please list the MK V gears and shafts are optional.

Current Listed Ratios
Equivalent Ratio
RPM Difference

MK VIII
MK V
@ 6800

15:36
N/A


17:34 (Webster)
15:30
None

19:32
15:25
40 RPM

21:29 (Webster)
18:25
49 RPM

22:30 (Hewland)
17:23
50 RPM

23:28
19:23
56 RPM

24:27
24:27
None

25:26
25:26
None

24:24 (Hewland)



26:26 (Webster)
26:26
None

26:25 (suggest this be deleted)

(3) The current Koni shocks are a very old twin tube design and are nearly impossible to police. Most of the bigger teams dyno each to try to match sets, but new or rebuilt shocks seldom repeat characteristics and different rebuilders have mixed and matched parts over the years such that car owners/drivers do not even know if the shocks contain the spec parts anymore.

The new shocks are still Koni, but are a more modern single tube (even though not “state of the art”) and testing shows them to have much better repeatability. They are adjustable for both bounce and rebound but are simple and do not require the customer to change parts. The Koni designation for the new shocks are: front 3012-1604FMF, and rear 3012-1616FMR. (Star Race Cars P/N 000-151 and 020-130, respectively.)

Please list these as optional.

(4) We have developed a new piston for the alloy brake caliper to reduce heat transfer from certain brands of brake pads into the brake fluid. The P/N is 040-143. They will come standard on calipers produced after August 2000. Please list them as optional. Also, please list steel brake pad shims P/N 040-140 as optional. These permit consumption of all of the brake pad material without degrading brake performance. In addition, some competitors like to use “kick back springs” on the brake pads. We would like to list these also as optional. (P/N 040-141 retail price $5.50 set of 4)

If you agree, please list items 1, 2, and 4 in Tech Bulletins ASAP, effective upon publication. Because there will be a performance advantage to the new shock absorbers, we would prefer to make item 3 legal 1/1/2001.

Some other subjects, raised recently, which we feel deserve comment:

(a) Proposal (by Winkleman) to limit carburetor jetting. We think the proposed range is far too narrow to permit tuning for all normal conditions encountered throughout SCCA. We would suggest:

air correction jets – 215-240 (Weber 77401-215 to 77401-240)

fuel jets – 195-230 (Weber 73401-195 to 73401-230)

idle jets – 0.50–0.70 F6, F9, or F10 (Weber 74819.50-.70, 74822.50-.70 or 74823.50-.70

pump rods – 10, 14, or 16 mm (Weber 10410.012, 10410.15, or 10410.16)

acceleration pump jets – 0.50 to 0.70

(b) Delete 46mm chokes (Winkleman) – not a problem.

(c) Permit coating/wrapping of exhaust header (Winkleman). We strongly disagree. This will lead to higher cost and more breakage.

(d) Clarification of allowed number of Koni shock absorber packers (P/N 000-147) – free.

(e) Cutting standard Koni packer(s) (P/N 000-147) to open the standard slit to a wedge shape, for ease of installation and removal of the packer(s), should be permitted.

Sincerely,

Gary E. Rodrigues