<VV> How Racing Helps Me on the Street

[N. Joseph Potts]

At the SECC meet March 27-28 in Mount Dora, Florida, I shared my first
experience of autocrossing with my daughter and Corvair enthusiasts from the
extreme southeast of the US. There, thanks to Schoolmaster Titus Stewart of
the Novice School, I learned something that enabled me to improve my 66
Corsa's performance in a way that's very helpful in the 24/7 autocross that
is everyday traffic here in South Florida.
     As I came out of the slalom, my engine bogged down in exactly the way
it does every time I go home from work and have to negotiate a u-turn right
outside my parking lot (and then accelerate as fast as possible to avoid
being creamed by oncoming traffic, which would no more slow down than I
would in their place). Titus, who has earned a place among the great
teachers of my life, took me aside and explained that I was experiencing
carburetion cut-out as a consequence of (a series of) hard turns.
     I'll take the credit for remembering descriptions of the vent-tube
carburetor modification from Bob Helt's Classic Corvair and other sources
(including VV), but Titus confirmed to me that it was likely to help.
     Was it ever! Like every 140, my engine has FOUR carburetors, and I only
modified two (the primaries), but yesterday evening, I came out of the
parking lot at work, pulled up at my u-turn, and waited for traffic to
clear. Then I cranked the steering over, went around, and floored it.
VROOOOM! I took off like a bat.
     So, I recommend the vent-tube modification, which I accomplished at
exactly zero cost, I recommend the Classic Corvair as well as VV, and I
recommend a little racing now and then to open your eyes to what's happening
to you on the street. But above all, I recommend a pro-active instructor
like Titus to call your attention to what you can learn from your
experiences.

Joe Potts
Miami, Florida USA
1966 Corsa coupe 140hp 4-speed with A/C and extended carburetor vent tubes