Now that the base RSX (2734lb/160hp(141ft-lbs)) is moving to HS, can it beat the Mini Cooper (2524lb/115hp(110ft-lbs)) that has taken over that class. Opinions??

 

For the record, the decision on the RSX moving to HS has not yet been made. At the moment, it's a proposal upon which the SAC and SEB will decide after Nationals this year.

Steve

 

Slightly unrelated, but what is the weight on the Celica GT (base)? They are very fast in GS and I always considered them the equal of a base RSX, but results never showed it. If the RSX carries more weight, in autox that makes pretty much all the difference. And yes, if the base RSX finds its way in HS, it should be a great car in the class.

 

The base Celica's a lot lighter than the RSX -- its curb weight is a bit over 2400 lbs. before autocross prep. That and its ability to get major negative camber are its main advantages over the RSX.

 

The RSX will not have much more chance nationally against the mini in hs as it did in gs, however the car that I find interesting if this move goes through is the 94-97 Celia ST which was a multi year national championship car in both Old HS and GS, this is the car that I think will give the mini some competition, if anyone decides to run it.

 

A big emphatic NO, the RSX blows in all forms when it comes to autox. (Believe me, my family owns one they are great road cars but pathetic autox cars.) The only chance it has is in local competition where there aren't any Coopers. If the Cooper S does move to DS next year I might actually run the family Type S at more events.

 

A friend of mine runs an '02 Civic Si. It is bone stock other than V710's. Mark Pilson drove it to a local PAX FTD early this year (eeking out John Brown in his DP Toyota). I think both the Civic Si and the RSX would make good HS cars.

The 94-99 Celica ST's are interesting to me, but after casually searching for one, they seem hard to find. The MX6/Probe GT are interesting, too. They are cheap to buy and readily available.

I hope all the HS proposals go through.

 

Don't you have an ITB car to build?

Focus Ivan. Focus.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by steverife &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A friend of mine runs an '02 Civic Si. It is bone stock other than V710's. Mark Pilson drove it to a local PAX FTD early this year (eeking out John Brown in his DP Toyota). I think both the Civic Si and the RSX would make good HS cars.


I hope all the HS proposals go through. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Second that! Waiting impatiently...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by igoita63 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">can it beat the Mini Cooper ...??
</TD></TR></TABLE>

No. I'm biased though because the wife/husband combo in my club absolutely obliterates! FTP several times this season.

Then again, I'd much rather own an RSX, but like I said, I'm biased.

 

On the same note isn't the 99-00 Si going down a class next year? If so I would think that the Si would fare better then the RSX base. Which with having a '00 Si, I won't complain too much about

 

I'm confident that my HS Focus would smoke a full-tilt boogie Stock-prepared RSX.

Yes, I'm serious.

The RSX blows for stock class. The rear suspension is horrid, horrid. Historically an RSX has never done well in stock (both D and G Stock).

Maybe, maybe they would be good at a ProSolo where you have a drag start and get use that mAdd tYte K-series powAh, but once you start having to turn that lead will very quickly evaporate.

The newish Honda to watch in HS is the 99-00 Si. The setup book for that car is already written (think ITR...).

 

99 Si is only about 130lbs lighter than the 02+ RSX/Si (~2610 vs ~2740). It's got significantly less torque and runs the same 6" width wheels. Not sure about gearing differences. The wheelbase on the 02 is about 2 inches shorter than the 99. The Si is about 2 inches taller than the 99. The Si/RSX has struts with camber bolts and the 99 has the dbl wishbones.

What makes the 99 car THAT much better? Honest question.

Still not sure any of these cars can hang with the HS minis.

 

Scott,

You are correct. My ITB car is in progress (Slowly but surely). The Chevy truck is going away and I'm looking for a new daily driver.

Ivan

 

I'm not sure what kind of weights the RSX can get down to, but the 99-00 Si can get in to the 24xx pound range in Stock class form. 130 pounds is a lot, as is a suspension that works well when you're not allowed to change much of anything.

 

I wish I remembered where my 00 Civic Si weighed with the cat back exhaust and Konis. I think it was around 2520lbs or so. My car sits around 2450lbs as it sits with header, intake, strut bars, rear sway bar and empty gas tank.

Invest in some SSR Competitions which are 9lbs each, and you could probably lighten it up a bit more.