Re: Misc questions... (Quattro)

[Alex Miller <amiller@almaden.ibm.com>]

cmice@mke.ab.com (Cristopher Ice x2136) writes:

> I recently purchased a 1988 90Q and am VERY pleased with it.

(stuff about auto-x)

> So, this leaves me hungering for a few mods which can up my advantage while
> staying in my class.

Congradulations on your new car.  I hope it gives you many
happy years of service.

If money is NO FACTOR, then there lots of ways to improve
your car:  why you could strip out the body, have it custom
re-welded to be stiffer, put in special lightweight parts,
have the engine blue-printed, etc.., etc..  Some SCCA
Showroom Stock teams spend tens of thousands of dollars
preparing "stock" cars.

Please excuse me if I'm "preaching to the choir" but
perhaps the most cost effective thing you can do, is attend
some professional racing school.  Over the years, I've been
to Skip Barber, Bertis Roos, Jim Russel and Bob Bondurant.
Knowledge and well practiced skills help you go faster,
especially if you're racing against someone who has done
the same mechanical tweaks to their car too.

If the 90Q is your daily driver, then get a set of alloy
rims and shaved sticky-sticky tires (like A-001R or Comp
TA-R) that you only use for racing.  As for the other stuff
(struts, bushings, stress-bars, anti-sway bars, etc..)  only
do what you want to live with on a daily basis.  K&N filter,
synthetic oil, and ever vigilant service are good ideas.

best wishes,

Alex Miller
amiller@almaden.ibm.com