Who's switching cars next year?

[Reijo]

That antenna can't weigh much ... might want to check with the SCCA/SEB on that one and get a waiver on it.   I would think of that as more cosmetic than anything.

How do I do this?

Go here:

https://www.crbscca.com
Make sure you mention this is a Canadian car that is not quite like the US car ... and include some photos if you can.....documentation is important.  If you have a shop manual or even sales brochures that show the car as-is, they would be helpful etc. etc.

Good documentation is key.  You could even mention what the difference is in weight etc. ...

Does the Sirius radio come std. in the US? ... but not here? ... sounds like it might have been a cost-saving measure for Cdn. models ... or god only knows I guess.  Why do they cal it GS here ... Probably marketing.

Reijo

Reijo

[MurrayPeterson]

There are differences in all three trim lines between Canada and the U.S., including the names.  For my purposes, I wanted the Canadian GS model, which is closest to the U.S. Club model.  However, there are two differences:

Club (U.S.) comes with Bose stereo system, GS (Canadian) does not.
Club comes with Sirius radio, GS does not.
2017 GS comes with blind spot monitoring system, Club does not.

So, our car has radar units in the rear bumper as well as lights in the rear view mirrors, but it is missing a few speakers (I think) and a shark fin antenna on the trunk lid.

I really cannot tell the SEB about the weight differences, since Mazda does not publish this info.  I think that I will just have to place myself at the mercy of my competitors.

[Reijo]

Interesting differences.  I guess you can argue that the blind spot monitoring system probably more than makes up the difference with the Sirius radio ... but don't know about the Bose stereo system which probably comes with heavier speakers ... but probably not more than a lb or two at the most I would think ... if that.  I guess you could look up the overall specified weights of the two models and see if there is any difference...

R

[MurrayPeterson]

As far as I can see, it amounts to about 4 lbs difference.  It's not a huge deal -- I'll take my chances at Packwood, since that is a much more laid back event, and just look for a co-drive in Lincoln instead of showing up with a car that is protest bait.  Sucks, but not much I can do at this point.

[PedalFaster]

I discovered that the club model (GS in Canada) has a Sirius (shark fin) antenna on the trunk lid, while our car does not.  That is a bit concerning, since it probably could be protested at a U.S. National event.  Comfort and convenience doesn't cover removal of body bits

That would be a protestable item, but it would be a weenie protest. In the past, I've seen people deal with these kinds of situations by taping the offending part to the car. In your case, purchase the missing shark fin and stick it to the car with painter's tape (if it's just for the event), or attach it more securely with glue or permanent double-sided tape.

That would still technically be protestable, but a) it would be a mega-weenie protest, and b) a reasonable protest committee would likely rule against you but assign you a 0 second penalty.

I'll take my chances at Packwood, since that is a much more laid back event, and just look for a co-drive in Lincoln instead of showing up with a car that is protest bait.  Sucks, but not much I can do at this point.

I would just take the car to Lincoln. Weenie protests, while not unheard of, are quite rare even at Nationals, especially if you're not on or close to the podium.

[MurrayPeterson]

I would just take the car to Lincoln. Weenie protests, while not unheard of, are quite rare even at Nationals, especially if you're not on or close to the podium.

Ah, but I plan on getting onto that podium

[NickST]

Thinking about a new car for next year, how do you you guys think the new Audi RS3 would complete? I would guess that weight wise, it would be similar to an S3. I don't even know what class it would end up being in.

[Apex Carver]

Thinking about a new car for next year, how do you you guys think the new Audi RS3 would complete? I would guess that weight wise, it would be similar to an S3. I don't even know what class it would end up being in.

I would say either AS or BS.

BS because the M2, RS4, RS5 etc are in BS but it could be AS as the S3 is already in BS. I see that the TTS is in AS so I could see the RS3 being there.

[NickST]

Is the S3 competitive at all? I haven't ever seen one run

[MurrayPeterson]

Is the S3 competitive at all? I haven't ever seen one run

I don't know, but my guess is "not".  If you haven't seen it running at any national level events, it is usually for a good reason.

[Reijo]

Audi's just seem to be very heavy ... nice cars but ... and expensive to maintain

[Midnightsky]

Thinking about a new car for next year, how do you you guys think the new Audi RS3 would complete? I would guess that weight wise, it would be similar to an S3. I don't even know what class it would end up being in.

Try the Focus ST yet? If not Id consider taking one for a test drive.  Im guessing you have outgrown the Fiesta ST, its just not "grown up" enough for myself, the shoulder room is terrible, the interior is terrible, no LSD, not a popular choice for those who can afford such things as an RS3.  Heck if your spending RS3 money why not consider a Focus RS? Or a Golf R?

[NickST]

At the moment I am only really looking at the M2, the TTRS, and the RS3. The RS3 is awd and has more space, so it is the best DD of the bunch.

Audi's just seem to be very heavy ... nice cars but ... and expensive to maintain

I've watched S4's run, and put down good times, but they look really heavy. I think they are somewhere between 3800~4000lbs. The S3 Iis only about 3400lbs by comparison, and I think the RS3 is going to be a couple hundred pounds lighter than that.

In terms of maintenance, My Audi SUV is just about to hit 50K and the maintenance costs has been similar to my Honda SUV so far. It feels as solid and reliable as the day I bought it. The only thing so far that might cost me more is I have to replace the windshield at some point, and that is more because of the rain sensing wipers.

[JamesTCallaghan]

At the moment I am only really looking at the M2, the TTRS, and the RS3. The RS3 is awd and has more space, so it is the best DD of the bunch.

Audi's just seem to be very heavy ... nice cars but ... and expensive to maintain

I've watched S4's run, and put down good times, but they look really heavy. I think they are somewhere between 3800~4000lbs. The S3 Iis only about 3400lbs by comparison, and I think the RS3 is going to be a couple hundred pounds lighter than that.

In terms of maintenance, My Audi SUV is just about to hit 50K and the maintenance costs has been similar to my Honda SUV so far. It feels as solid and reliable as the day I bought it. The only thing so far that might cost me more is I have to replace the windshield at some point, and that is more because of the rain sensing wipers.

Reverse staggered tires on the RS3 give me a bad feeling about understeer.

[NickST]

Reverse staggered tires on the RS3 give me a bad feeling about understeer.

I hope once they start getting delivered this summer they show up at some AutoX events. I think they will either be really good, or really bad, lol.