Dear Mr.RKS,
let me first start by saluting you for your enthusiasm. it is indeed rare to find gentlemen of your age who are so enthusiastic about motorsports / fast driving.
We have in the past raced Maruti 800's on the track. although the car is not based on the Tall boy concept there have been a fair number of cars which unfortunately seen the world upside down. Needless to say, but I will mention it anyway, the cars were fitted with roll cages which is not only a safety feature but goes to stiffen the chasis thereby reducing flex and improves handling too. The cars are also kitted with race suspensions which are extremely stiff and last but not the least, the tyres used are of a compund different to that which is used in road cars. Apart from this certain components are beefed up in order to deal with the constant abuse they are put through. The equipment on normal road going cars can only withstand a certain amount of punishment after which the weakest link will snap leading to mayhem.
Having skill is only one of the factors. One needs to identify the limits of the machinary in order to ensure that one does not land up in a hospital or worse. Driving on a race track is a totally different ball game. The equipment (cars / bikes etc.) are exposed to sudden directional changes. Some of the equipment is built to cope better than others. In my personal opinion equipment with higher CG is not. I am not saying that it is impossible to drive around the track safely in a Santro / Innova / Wagon R etc. etc. what i am trying to stress upon here is that you have to know the limitations of the machinary in order to avoid a disastrous situation. As long you keep this in mind you will not only enjoy the experience but will want to come back for more. Things sometimes go wrong faster than you can ever imagine. I would request you to keep this in mind whether you are out on the road or on a race track.
With regards to your rims, due to the offset your track has increased but please remeber that this is only putting additional stress on all the other components. You might not experience the negetive after effect of this excercise immediately, but it is bound to happen sometime in the future. Please take care. With regards to wider contact patch by mounting the same width tyre on a higher "J" gap, please remember that in effect you have actually stretched the tyre to sit on a wider rim. This will also cause complications in the future and will actually hamper the way the tyre actually is supposed to work.
I am not an expert and have only quoted the above based on personal experience. You are senior to most of us in age and qualification and i respect that. However the above is for your personal safety.
It's always better to be safe than sorry.
Drive safe.
Last edited by Sideways : 9th April 2007 at 18:24.
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