Street Version Vs. Racing Version

[FordGTGuy]

when cars are converted do they always take the specs down by restricting the engine? Or just most of the time? and have they ever changed the strucutre of a car for street use?

[mindgam3]

you're not being too clear....

99% of the time road cars are the basis for race cars, not the other way round.

They don't take a race engine and try to make it street legal, they take the road engine and get as much power out of it by changing and improving as many parts as the rules for that particular racing championship lets them.

Alot of the time you see race cars and they're actually nothing like the road car except the body shell.

I hope this is what u meant

[666fast]

Like mandgam3 said, you need to elaborate a bit.

Most racecars are built from road versions. There are exceptions though, like the Saleen S7. Built as a race car then retuned for road use. The onyl reason for a road going S7 is to meet the homoloation rules.

Every now and then, a company takes a racing engine and detunes it for a street car. The Carrera Gt's engine was a race engine with no home. (Thank you Cayenne :x ) The Ferrari F50's engine is a detuned Formula One engine.

and have they ever changed the strucutre of a car for street use?

I honestly don't know, but if a car was designed as a race car first, then most likely. Depends on the series the car is running in.

[mindgam3]

Originally Posted by 666fast Every now and then, a company takes a racing engine and detunes it for a street car. The Carrera Gt's engine was a race engine with no home. (Thank you Cayenne :x ) The Ferrari F50's engine is a detuned Formula One engine.

Yeah but both the actual cars - the CGT and F50 were both built for the road, not too race

[racer_f50]

Originally Posted by 666fast Most racecars are built from road versions. There are exceptions though, like the Saleen S7. Built as a race car then retuned for road use. The onyl reason for a road going S7 is to meet the homoloation rules.

thats not what Steve Saleen said. he said they were developing it as a Road car first and primarily, then some teams got interested in the project and they built some race versions for them. i'm sure the race cars were built first, but the intention was for a road car. this is what i remember from that MSN interview video.

[sameerrao]

Originally Posted by FordGTGuy when cars are converted do they always take the specs down by restricting the engine? Or just most of the time? and have they ever changed the strucutre of a car for street use?

I assume you mean start with a race car and then make it into a streetable car. It takes more than engine adjustments

There are several things required
- Add catalytic converters and relevant equipment, street legal mufflers
- Add airbags and required safety equipment
- Make sure the cars lights are at legal heights (especially in the US)
- Add comfort items - A/c, radio, carpets. noise related insulation, etc. add roadworthy instrumentation - fuel gauge
- De-tune engine for longer life and make it capable of taking 91 octane. Also perhaps add torque at lower rpms to make it more streetable. Make it capable of handling traffic jams
- Add ground clearance to avoid grounding the car

There are several things to be done. In many cases there is very little in common with the road car and race car from which it originated...

From a structural standpoint, they may remove the roll cage in interest of more interior room. Reduce the gas tank size, add a trunk. Therefore quite a few changes...

[sameerrao]

Originally Posted by mindgam3 Originally Posted by 666fast Every now and then, a company takes a racing engine and detunes it for a street car. The Carrera Gt's engine was a race engine with no home. (Thank you Cayenne :x ) The Ferrari F50's engine is a detuned Formula One engine. Yeah but both the actual cars - the CGT and F50 were both built for the road, not too race

Yeah but he was specifically talking about the engine and not the whole car ...

[mindgam3]

hmmm i can't think of a whole production car that started life as a race car

[sameerrao]

Originally Posted by mindgam3 hmmm i can't think of a whole production car that started life as a race car

There are not many

Daur 962
Porsche GT1
Ferrari 250 GTO or LM (was first a race car but then was used on the normal roads afterwards)

[blah]

Originally Posted by 666fast Like mandgam3 said, you need to elaborate a bit. Most racecars are built from road versions. There are exceptions though, like the Saleen S7. Built as a race car then retuned for road use. The onyl reason for a road going S7 is to meet the homoloation rules. Every now and then, a company takes a racing engine and detunes it for a street car. The Carrera Gt's engine was a race engine with no home. (Thank you Cayenne :x ) The Ferrari F50's engine is a detuned Formula One engine. and have they ever changed the strucutre of a car for street use? I honestly don't know, but if a car was designed as a race car first, then most likely. Depends on the series the car is running in.

i know nothing of the cayenne Problem? What exactly happended? Also Steve Saleen is my hero.

[sameerrao]

Originally Posted by blah Originally Posted by 666fast Like mandgam3 said, you need to elaborate a bit. Most racecars are built from road versions. There are exceptions though, like the Saleen S7. Built as a race car then retuned for road use. The onyl reason for a road going S7 is to meet the homoloation rules. Every now and then, a company takes a racing engine and detunes it for a street car. The Carrera Gt's engine was a race engine with no home. (Thank you Cayenne :x ) The Ferrari F50's engine is a detuned Formula One engine. and have they ever changed the strucutre of a car for street use? I honestly don't know, but if a car was designed as a race car first, then most likely. Depends on the series the car is running in. i know nothing of the cayenne Problem? What exactly happended? Also Steve Saleen is my hero.

Porsche had a limited budget which could cover funding the Cayenne development or racing in Le Mans. They chose the Cayenne...

[blah]

Awwwwwww God damnit that is not very Porsche like at all.

[666fast]

Originally Posted by blah Awwwwwww God damnit that is not very Porsche like at all.

Thats what I said. Whatever though, it's pumping millions into Porsche. Just gotta hope they don't lose their reputation is all. Some say it's already gone.

i'm sure the race cars were built first, but the intention was for a road car.

The race cars were built first. The S7's were being penalized for a while because of they hadn't sold any street S7's yet. Not sure what the situation is now.

[IgotWRXed]

Ferrari F50 GT

actually, probably not, i just like posting pictures of it and looking at it

[Paco]

Originally Posted by FordGTGuy when cars are converted do they always take the specs down by restricting the engine? Or just most of the time? and have they ever changed the strucutre of a car for street use?

These are 2 different questions. The answer to both of them is: Yes.

In some race classes you'll find (road) cars with detuned engines. At Le Mans, for example, they restrict cars which haven't met homologation requirements (+producing a certain amount of roadcars). Same goes for GT races. In the Netherlands we have the Dutch Supercar Challenge (DSC) where restriction is based on hp/kg. So, in one particular race class you'd have E36 M3's driving around with around 250 hp, wilst their street output goes to 286/320 hp.

The second question is about converting race cars for legal road use. That question has been answered. Most cars don't drive around with a roll cage, for example.