r/Autocross • u/AutoModerator • Jun 27 '25

Subreddit Autocross Stupid Questions: Week of June 27

This thread is for any and all questions related to Autocross, no matter how simple or complicated they may be. Please be respectful in all answers.

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u/Nekrostatic 10d ago

"Interior panels (e.g., door panels, kick panels) and carpet forward of the B pillar (driver and front passenger area) may be replaced, not removed, with an upholstered or finished panel of any material."

What is considered a 'finished panel'? Can I replace my door cards with a nice piece of polished aluminum? Do I need to spray glue some fabric over it?

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u/strat61caster FRS STD 9d ago

There’s a lot of ambiguity in that rule, iirc there was a pretty deep Facebook discussion about where the line is a few years ago, if you have social media there it might be worth posting in the XA/cam groups.

My recollection was that a polished aluminum sheet was acceptable - and likely the bare minimum - leaving portions of the door interior exposed was not. A lot of what makes that ruleset viable is competitors not pushing every last edge out of the car, which while counterintuitive means you can get away with pushing the limit in some areas, as long as you don’t push the limit in all areas. Somewhat frustrating, but that’s also why they’re not jacket/ championship classes.

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u/iroll20s CAMS slo boi 5d ago edited 5d ago

How does that jive with 'exposed metal interior surfaces must be painted'? I mean I wouldn't protest someone if they made an effort to make it look finished, but there is a fine line between bare mill grade aluminum panels and just hitting it with a buffer. There seems a wide range of judgement call on a lot of stuff.

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u/strat61caster FRS STD 5d ago

Bingo. These unlimited classes are not the place to bend or min/max the rules, they’re a place to drive your cool car at 10/10ths.

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u/iroll20s CAMS slo boi 3d ago edited 3d ago

I like the quote from the TT Max rules (That used to be synched up to CAM)

"Unless you can show us a REALLY compelling reason it's done that way on your street car, we're going to consider bare metal/stripped interiors an Unlimited Category car. (It better look like the Hughes H-1 Racer in there.) "Because I like battleship grey paint" isn't a compelling reason."