tirediron wrote:i'm not sure what they mean with the gasket match rule. I would assume that 1/2" is the max depth you can cut into the manifold in the direction of the runner..
I think gasket match means that you can trim the gasket material so it does not impede airflow. In a sense, you can port match the gasket. It sounds like the rules do not, however, allow the removal of any metal.
Overall, my thought on this concerns power/weight ratio rather than the at-the-wheel HP to be competitive. If guys in other cars are making 160, you may need to make more HP as the SAAB is such a heavy (and sturdy) car. I would do some power/weight math. If you have done the math (that I think you might have done), I am curious about the numbers. What do most cars in the class weigh? What do competitive cars weigh?
Lastly, weight makes for a sturdy race car but raises handling and braking issues (in addition to acceleration). Early in my racing career, I watched a lot of SCCA ITB races at Summit Point. The BMW 2002 was very competitive. The early (round taillight) cars were faster than the later (square taillight) cars. The biggest difference between the two were bumpers. Not a lot of weight but enough weight to make a difference...and it was extra weight on the wrong places. That has always impressed me as a subtle difference between cars making a big difference in race results.
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