• Registered: 2009-10-25
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Topic: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Judge Phils great thread on Lemons reliability vs overall finish was VERY interesting...

http://forums.24hoursoflemons.com/viewtopic.php?id=3166

So here is my quandary....would you rather have a ROCK SOLID reliable racecar that is SLOW...think bottom third of lap times....that is guaranteed a top 10ish finish due to always being on track (assuming drivers watch their mirrors)....

OR

a "FAST" car that may or may not finish for about a million reasons...or a top 5 lap time car...but its well known for imploding in spectacular fashion...

So how do you want to spend your Lemons weekend....methodically plodding along in a "slow" car.....or crossing your fingers, praying to the Lemons gods that your rocket ship will finish?? 

I would post a poll...but don't know how...so just vote on here with your reasoning (fast or slow)

I'll start (like there is any doubt)

FAST...........ALL THE WAY.....  its just more exciting wondering if the crap can will make it

Richard Doty
1984 Porsche 928 "Estate"
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  • From: Detroit, MI
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

It depends if the potential for epic failure was based on pure chance or if it could be made more likely to live with the right pre-race wrenching.  If no amount of prep would make it live, then I'd take a slow car.

That said, I race a Z, so what the hell do I know?

BRE Datsun (Broke Racing Effluence) formerly Dawn of the Zed Racing
'74 260Z
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  • Troy
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

I'm with Jeff.

I go for Fast. 

We've blown up all kinds or crap.  Mostly, we've gotten penalties.

We've sure had a lot of fun along the way.

Troy

#35 LRE
1973 Datsun 240Z
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Everyone "thinks" they can make their crap can last......optimism and alcohol tend to make things seem better than they really are!! 

With that said do I think the 928 estate can actually finish a race....YES....in reality will it.....  I dunno, only time will tell....where did I put that magic 8 ball

Richard Doty
1984 Porsche 928 "Estate"
Porsche- "there is A substitute" Racing
Dirt Poorsche Racing #2
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

in reality, we cant keep ourselves out of the penalty box, so yeah, we choose fast.

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

fast.  we spent the entire event at CMP fall trying to get our corolla back on track after blowing ahead gasket 8 laps into the race (not kidding).  we still had a great time, even though i didn't get into the car all weekend.  i figure that you can't really get less racing than that, so i'll keep on trying to run fast.

mike - Schumacher Taxi Service
12+-time loser
"Winner" - We Got Screwed, NJMP '11

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Fast all the way. Unless your car is so old, that even slow feels hella fast.

BTW Mike, saw the FG episode with Buzz Killington again tonight. "Anybody want to hear a story about a bridge?"

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Watch out for the filthy at Sears!


KT

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

trekkor wrote:

Watch out for the filthy at Sears!


KT

but is filthy "fast" or "slow".....

Richard Doty
1984 Porsche 928 "Estate"
Porsche- "there is A substitute" Racing
Dirt Poorsche Racing #2
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Fast...

Our hot lap at TH was faster then the 3rd place finishers.

Not crazy fast, faster than most. Top 25%, I'd guess?


KT

TH 2009- 40th ~ SP 2010- 13th Class Bad win!! TH 2010- 17th ~TH 2010- 16th  SP 2011- 20th ~ RF 2011- 13th Least Horrible Yank Tank ~ TH 2011- 79th
SP 2011- 105th ~ SP 2012- 119th ~ SP 2013- 139th ~ BW 2013- 17th
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

trekkor wrote:

Fast...

Our hot lap at TH was faster then the 3rd place finishers.

Not crazy fast, faster than most. Top 25%, I'd guess?


KT

I'd say thats FAST!

Richard Doty
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  • From: WOOTville USA
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

I got nothin.

"Real ZomBees prefer Bacon"
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  • From: Gilbertsville, PA
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

I'd like to finish an event before "spectacular failure" sets in at a second or third event.

That being said, I'm running either the stock 2.3 turbo motor or a sb ford, so my chances of failure are probably higher than average.  So I guess we'll try to be fast.  But not break.  But definitely fast.

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

This feels like a good opportunity to game the system. I know that the "right" answer should be slow & reliable. Especially since I haven't had a car run the full race yet, and they say that right way to do things on track is to get slow and consistent, then get faster but stay consistent. So building a car program should probably follow that same theme.

But I can't help myself. I vote fast. Fast and tragic, inevitably.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Fast...faster...fastest

I may be lost, but I'm makin' good time.

sawinatthewheel...sometimes too much, sometimes not enough...just like life
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Hmmm...

4AGZE MR2
FX-16 Corolla
Craptation Regurgitation (seized motor is being replaced with a modern Pontiac 3.4)

All three of the above cars have nuked themselves rather spectacularly at least once.  The Corolla has:

-had a wheel bearing catastrophically fail (wheel fell off)
-rolled
-been parked due to copious fluid leakage
-blown a head gasket

The only race it ever finished was the first one we did.  It seems that fast and unreliable is our MO.

Dave Heinig - Schumacher Taxi Service
coROLLa - 2 time loser, RWB MR2 - 5 time loser
The Craptation - IOE WINNER! Lemons South Spring 2010
Crown Vic - Please God Don't Ever Make Me Go Through That Again

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17 Reply by VKZ24 (edited by VKZ24 2010-01-19 10:38 AM)

  • VKZ24
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Seriously?  You're gonna ask a bunch of guys that race cars if they prefer a fast or slow car?

At my first 24 HOL event in 2008 we were pitted next to a dog slow car that ended up about 15 places ahead of us at the finish.  I know this may sound crazy, but given the choice between drving that car for two days (even winning with it) or driving our faster car finishing 15 places back...I wouldn't change a thing.

Captain
Team Super Westerfield Bros.
'93 Acura Integra - No VTEC Yo!

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  • From: Federal Way, WA
  • Registered: 2009-06-11
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

We've been going for reliable since being fast in a Peugeot isn't that much of an option. Hmm but then reliable isn't much of an option either, kinda looks like we're behind the 8 ball, doesn't it? :-)

In all seriousness I'd go for a car that's swift but not fast (figure faster than say 2/3rds of the field) but is still reliable (remember a 4-cylinder Mustang finished 2nd at one race). Usually that means Miata or E30 but since those are not popular with the judges and because you want to make it into the race as well you'll need something more obscure like the Gremlin with a Jeep Cherokee engine.

Good luck!

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Solracer wrote:

(remember a 4-cylinder Mustang finished 2nd at one race)

A 4-cyl Mustang won at Houston last February.

Pat Mulry, TARP Racing #67

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  • From: Portland
  • Registered: 2009-05-02
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Troy wrote:

I'm with Jeff.

I go for Fast. 

We've blown up all kinds or crap.  Mostly, we've gotten penalties.

We've sure had a lot of fun along the way.

Wow... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree 100% with Troy

Matt
Free Range Racing
  • Registered: 2009-10-25
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

"fast" is a relative term....heres something I noticed last night while reviewing the hours of on track video we have......the guys driving the old VW rabbit with ears that had a slipping clutch all day Saturday and ended up finishing in the top ten with a "slow" car.....it really wasn't that slow....sure it turned a best lap of 2:28...but watching how it was driven during the race....those guys can drive and got the most out of their car.....  yes it wasn't strong on the long straights..but it got around the corners quite well....

the single best thing a team can do is get FAST drivers....sure everyone thinks they are fast.....but compare your best lap to a proper race driver in the same car on the same day.....those 5 seconds a lap are a lifetime over the course of the race.....think about it...  good drivers will make up for a lousy car 90% of the time....

I like my plan of good drivers and a fast car....that has a tendency to explode.....we may not finish, but damm are we gonna pass a bunch of cars!!  :>)

Richard Doty
1984 Porsche 928 "Estate"
Porsche- "there is A substitute" Racing
Dirt Poorsche Racing #2
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

icemang17 wrote:

I like my plan of good drivers and a fast car....that has a tendency to explode.....we may not finish, but damm are we gonna pass a bunch of cars!!  :>)

Love that mantra!

Captain
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'93 Acura Integra - No VTEC Yo!

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  • From: Arvada, CO
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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Speedycop wrote:

Fast all the way. Unless your car is so old, that even slow feels hella fast.

My wife rides sport bikes.  I ride pre-war bikes.  She says she likes to take a corner at 50 mph.. I say I like to take a corner at 10 mph and have it FEEL like I'm going 50.

Seriously though, fast is nothing without driving ability.  My friend Rich and I used to go rent go-karts and race each other... he'd be out in front, all the time, looking effortless, while I'd be behind him, frantically sawing back and forth on the steering wheel, getting my ass kicked.  It's all about the driving (unfortunately for some of us smile)

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Fast car.  I've done two races with a slow car and it sucks to spend most of your time checking mirrors and making space for faster cars.  Our car for the last race was in the upper half for speed and it was much more fun to drive.

Of course if the fast car blows up too early you may not get to drive at all...

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Re: The ultimate Lemons Racing ???? fast vs slow car

Do you want to die an old man that never took any risks or stuck his neck out?

Or do you want to go sliding into the afterlife backwards. on fire. with a heavy metal soundtrack.

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Don't Start Believin'

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