del105 said:
I really helps me know where I am in the RPM range without looking at the guages.
Agreed, but I am finding this is not a problem with the stock exhaust (as it is on other cars I have driven).
I am now mainly trying to shave off weight and yet stay within the rules and not be so loud that the car is a pain to drive in my neighborhood... and not lose power.
Removing a rear view mirror is indeed a bad thing at Nationals. As is removing the silly sun visors (Miatas have been protested for this IIRC).
Rules are rules at the serious level of Nationals. And always keep in mind that it's not that it's all that much of an advantage to not have 3 ounces of plastic...but it's a slippery slope. If it was legal to remove a fuse box cover, than why not an entire shroud? And if the shroud was legal, why not 20 pounds of bodywork?
But as Stan noted, locally this is not going to be an issue. I started this thread (and should have noted that) for National drivers. Locally or regionally, most people will not care. But at Nationals, there is a lot riding on the line. People invest thousands of dollars and a year of time. It can make them crazy.
It should also be noted that even at Nationals, a very large percentage of people will not file a weenie protest. But it only takes one.