Originally Posted by Razathorn

Oh grief, what am I about to do here...





You don't even need the trick lightweight parts. If you have the skill to be at the top of mod, then you can throw any old properly geared 17.5 motor from the last two years in your car and clean up in stock, even with a beefcake car. At least that's been my experience: The reason people run stock is because they can't be as competitive in mod... period.

Driving ability doesn't reign supreme in stock. Differences in driving ability of those who remain in stock reigns supreme. There's an important difference, and that is that the people with the supreme driving ability are at the top of the mod classes, not stock. It takes exponentially more skill to drive mod fast than it does to drive stock fast, and the main reason for that is because the cars are actually going fast, the setups really matter, and the differences between good and great drivers really show up.

Whenever a stock guy asks me to drive his car and offer opinions on their car, my response is almost always the same: "Seems fine." I may point out some small thing they could change, but in reality, unless their car is a complete pile of crap, I adapt to it pretty quick and I'm off click'n off good laps. If they ask detailed setup questions like "oh I was going to try X and Y", I struggle to put it nicely, and I really am trying to be the right combination of honest and "not a dick", but it boils down to this: It really doesn't matter on the small stuff. Big stuff, sure... right tires, a setup that isn't completely broke, correct ride height, decent maintenance... but when it comes down to "should I run a 3x1.4 or 1.6 piston in the rear?" It doesn't really matter—it's totally personal preference. The car's just not going fast enough to really work the suspension that hard. The hardest the suspension works is when their car fails to clear a jump and gets it's bones rocked, and that's a roll of the dice.

If the fast mod guys step down to stock, and yes, down is the right word, people complain and moan about it. I've seen it happen. If somebody gets untouchable in stock, people start asking when they're going to "go mod" since they're so fast. So what you're left with is a group of racers that are all similarly matched for skill with a limited top speed. What do you do to get an advantage? You drop money on the best possible motor and electronics that pass tech and the lightest possible car. Then when people ask about the stock class, you provide the standard response about "less about speed and more about driving," even though it takes way more driving and setup skill to compete in the mod classes at the pace they're running. And that's the stock game in a nut shell.

Modern day offroad stock is a SPORTSMAN class. Some will admit it, some will not. Back in the 90s, the fast guys ran stock and the mod class was for goofs with too much power and not enough self control. The kicker is that STOCK OFFROAD is fun as hell. It's competitive. It's a blast. Don't knock it. I keep a 17.5 motor around just in case. Just be honest about what it is.

Wayne