Steve Chryssos
09-19-2006, 04:54 AM
I saw it with my own eyes At the RTH2 Auto-X from hell, the faster cars were running sub-70 second laps. Anything in the 60-second range was considered good for street tires. A 63 is killer. A 64 is excellent. 50's were only possible on stickies. Air Ride showed up with two A-bodies and one F-body. All of the cars were fast and the Air Ride guys, Britt and Brad, really know how to drive. Beyond the air springs, you must also consider the Air Ride hard parts such as their a-arms and tri-four links.
So it's official: The only thing that was full of hot air we're their springs. For what we are trying to accomplish here at Pro-Touring.com--which is to build capable street cars--AirRide parts are just as fast as metal springs and other suspension parts. Sound like an ad? Nope. I'm just a believer trying to share some first hand news. We caught it all on video, too, so you can see for yourself. Worst case scenario, the numbers indicate that their A-body stuff works better than their F-body stuff. Times are listed below.
66 Chevelle Britt Marolf-Britt was smooth. As the times show, he was fast on his first run and kept tweaking his laps. Note that all but one of his runs are clean (no cone penalties or DNF's)
TIMES: 69.176, 66.202+1, 64.577, 66.338+1 (68.338), 65.181, 64.318
71 Camaro: Brad Coomer-Brad has a, umm, propensity for throttle oversteer, so it looked like the car lacked bite. Brad was fun to watch and the car was fast anyway. His bets time was a 69 and change. DNF means that Brad lost his way a few times. But when we put Tony Bolton (the local gun) in the car for the Camaro Challenge, the car hooked and went with a lot less tire smoke. The "T" in the numbers below are with Tony Bolton driving.
TIMES: DNF, DNF, 63.797+3 (69.797), 64.186T, 63.936+1 (65.936T)
71 Buick GSX:At the last minute, Tony Bolton hopped in the big Buick and ripped off a 63. This car had more power, but also more heft. Air Ride owner, Brett Voelkel, showed that he is not afraid to put his driving skills or his high dollar rig to the test. He had a lot of trouble navigating the Auto-X from Hell, so we only have one official run--but--man--it was fast. Faster than any of the Camaro Challenge results. Brett would have really benefitted from riding with a navigator in the passenger seat. Then we would have more data. Regardless, we have one fast run. And fast is fast.
TIMES: DNF, DNF, DNF, 70.790DNF, DNF, 63.817T
I was just as skeptical as many you regarding the actual function of Air Ride suspension. No more. The right Air Ride parts, combined with the right wheels and tires (not 20" street rod wheels), an air Ride car can handle. Sorry if that bursts anyone's bubble (pun intended).
So it's official: The only thing that was full of hot air we're their springs. For what we are trying to accomplish here at Pro-Touring.com--which is to build capable street cars--AirRide parts are just as fast as metal springs and other suspension parts. Sound like an ad? Nope. I'm just a believer trying to share some first hand news. We caught it all on video, too, so you can see for yourself. Worst case scenario, the numbers indicate that their A-body stuff works better than their F-body stuff. Times are listed below.
66 Chevelle Britt Marolf-Britt was smooth. As the times show, he was fast on his first run and kept tweaking his laps. Note that all but one of his runs are clean (no cone penalties or DNF's)
TIMES: 69.176, 66.202+1, 64.577, 66.338+1 (68.338), 65.181, 64.318
71 Camaro: Brad Coomer-Brad has a, umm, propensity for throttle oversteer, so it looked like the car lacked bite. Brad was fun to watch and the car was fast anyway. His bets time was a 69 and change. DNF means that Brad lost his way a few times. But when we put Tony Bolton (the local gun) in the car for the Camaro Challenge, the car hooked and went with a lot less tire smoke. The "T" in the numbers below are with Tony Bolton driving.
TIMES: DNF, DNF, 63.797+3 (69.797), 64.186T, 63.936+1 (65.936T)
71 Buick GSX:At the last minute, Tony Bolton hopped in the big Buick and ripped off a 63. This car had more power, but also more heft. Air Ride owner, Brett Voelkel, showed that he is not afraid to put his driving skills or his high dollar rig to the test. He had a lot of trouble navigating the Auto-X from Hell, so we only have one official run--but--man--it was fast. Faster than any of the Camaro Challenge results. Brett would have really benefitted from riding with a navigator in the passenger seat. Then we would have more data. Regardless, we have one fast run. And fast is fast.
TIMES: DNF, DNF, DNF, 70.790DNF, DNF, 63.817T
I was just as skeptical as many you regarding the actual function of Air Ride suspension. No more. The right Air Ride parts, combined with the right wheels and tires (not 20" street rod wheels), an air Ride car can handle. Sorry if that bursts anyone's bubble (pun intended).