Re: Chassis Stiffening for Alfa Spiders

["Gowin, Lawrence" <Lawrence.Gowin@xxxxxxxxxx>]

"I'm not saying that any of those situations is the case, but the fact
that he asked about it doesn't in any way offer any quantifiable
evidence that it works.  It doesn't offer any quantifiable evidence that
it DOESN'T work either.  It's just an interesting anecdote, that can go
into the hopper of anyone considering the purchase of a stiffener.



The point of my post was in response to someone who asked why anyone
cared whether any quantifiable evidence of its effectiveness existed.
Your experience, while great, does not fall into this category."



I technically agree with Paul on this that multiple people saying that
the Spider chassis stiffeners work doesn't count as quantifiable
evidence in their favor.  By the same token, very few people put their
motors on dynos before and after engine rebuilds with all sorts of trick
components.  So if someone says their the car feels a lot faster after
replacing a tired worn out engine with a hopped up motor with everything
in spec, without before and after testing there is no quantifiable
evidence that they've made any performance gains.  By definition,
quantifiable evidence means there would be equivalent measurements taken
before and after a modification.



That said, it only makes sense that a proper rebuilt engine will make
more power than a tired one...and dozens of people who have improved lap
times in their Spiders after installing a chassis stiffener can make the
logical conclusion that the weight penalty added by the stiffener is
made up for with a more rigid chassis that helps their suspension work
better through the turns.  There are a lot of aftermarket parts that
feel effective because the car is louder or looks cooler but don't do
much of anything for the vehicle's performance.  I don't think the
Spider chassis stiffeners fall into that category, but I can't back that
up with quantifiable evidence.



Cheers,

Lawrence

'71 GTV



Lawrence Gowin

Level (3) Communications

lawrence.gowin@domain.elided

Telephone (720) 888-1234

Pager (888) 660-9482 Pin 6609482
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