class 9 vs class 5

[dezertrdr]

which class do you guys think its better? and whats the difference of racing each one? trying to decide on one of those 2 classes

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[tapeworm]

Class 9 costs less but requires a lot of transmission maintenance. Cars are easier to work on because the body comes off.

5-16 is a more comfortable ride but engines cost more and so do parts. The car will require less maintenance but working around the body is frustrating sometimes.

I wouldn’t say one is better than the other because they are both aircooled Vw classes. Pick one and commit to it and you’ll enjoy racing in either class.


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[Dezert00Taco]

Can’t you run the same motor in a 9 car as a 5-1600 these days?

 

[Bro_Gill]

You can, but you are giving up power comparing the 9 car pump gas motor to a high compression 5-1600 motor. The low compression 1600 motor being run in SCORE for 1600 and 5-1600 and 11 is not an option for 9.

 

[copers]

We run in clas 5/1600 and reach third place in the last Baja 1000 with a low compression engine, pump gas; with the new rules on carburetor it´s possible to run against high compression engines and be competitive at a lower cost in the engine.

 

[R. Gross]

We have (2) 5/1600's and back in the day they were a drivers car and alot of our top drivers in the faster classes today like PAB started out in 5/1600. The old saying was that if you could keep that short wheel base / high roll center on it wheels, you could drive anything. The rules back then were that "everything was to remain stock unless noted within". Sometime during the 90's & 2000's the rules were starting to change with the interpretation that 5/1600 meant that the (5) was it had to be a bug body with operable doors but the (1600) meant it could run anything a 1600 car can run. So in comes bypass shocks, power steering, 930 CV's and axles, disc brakes, etc which were never factory stock on a VW. Once the tech directors let the class slip there was no way of going back. Of course those things are nice, but they come with a cost to keep up with the Jones's. The cars are alot nicer with those improvements for sure.
I co-drove with a friend in his 9 car a few years ago and to me I thought my sternum was going to split. Those guys are tough or I am just old and spoiled now. If you are going to pick a class, I would suggest the smoother ride of a 5/1600 over the weight and ease of working on a 9 car. My .02 cents

 

[GBRACER]

We race 5-1600 I would do that any day over 9,
You should be comparing 9 and 11

 

[tapeworm]

We race 5-1600 I would do that any day over 9,
You should be comparing 9 and 11

The only time an 11 car will keep up with a 9 car is on the highway so that’s not a good comparison.

9 and 5-16 seem to run about the same speeds as the limited SxS in SNORE. Those cars will be much more plush than a 5-16 or a 9 car but more expensive too. Of course you can make payments on the UTV as well to “finance” your racing habit.


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[mrmatt]

I feel it kind of depends on what ur purpose is...are u looking to run a full series or select races? Which series, which races? are you looking to just go out and have fun and not get the crap beat out of you as bad?
If you want to race score races or just have fun and pick and choose big name races and not get the crap kicked out of you...I say 5/1600.
If ur looking to race a full series in say MORE I would go 9 car. Car counts are good and very competitive. 5 hasn't had very high car counts there. If u want to race SNORE I think 5 has a relatively consistent car count there where 9 has been fairly low except for rage and bap.

Bang for the buck I think 9 is the way to go unless ur intent is to race Baja or something like that....9 cars can be fast and over recent years have been very competitive with 5....but for a 9 car to keep up with fast 5 cars be prepared to drive the wheels off it and get that crap kicked out of u!

a well built 5 is going to be more comfortable and is faster as a whole. I would not see a 9 car keeping with the top 5/1600 in a mexico race.

I race 9 myself. I have never driven a true 5/1600....but I can tell you I would much rather race 5/1600 in Baja.





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[Wendell #527]

Class 5 is a whole nother class than 5-1600. Worlds apart. I will assume you meant 5-1600. 5-1600 would be my choice except if you want to run in MORE. In MORE I would rather run in class 9. Racing against all those 9 cars for the whole MORE series would really be fun. There are tons of entries. Your kidneys would get a work out, but it would be a blast.

 

[offroadracer516]

516 With a good driver will walk all over any class 9 field. Its a 1600 car in a baja bug body.

 

[Bro_Gill]

It's just taller with a higher center of gravity and a 20" shorter wheelbase, so yeah, just like a 1600.

 

[offroadracer516]

It's just taller with a higher center of gravity and a 20" shorter wheelbase, so yeah, just like a 1600.

We own both. We race both. I stand by what I said. Have you raced a new 516 with all the bells and whistles on it?? They flat get with it.

 

[copers]

Class 9 and clas 11 are the same, only that class 11 have body and class 9 doesn´t.

And Class 5/1600 and clas 1/2 1600 are the same, the diference is the body; otehwise they are the same.

Saludos!!!

 

[tapeworm]

516 With a good driver will walk all over any class 9 field. Its a 1600 car in a baja bug body.

If you go back and look at past results from both the classes they are within a minute of each other for the overall at both BAP and RATR. The times have historically proven to almost be dead even with one class or the other a single fart ahead between winning times for the overall. Facts are facts brother, the times prove they are very similar in speed but completely different in comfort.

I guess the best way to put it is if you want to race by yourself, meaning single seat, choose a 9 car. If you want to race with a co-rider, choose a 5-16.

 

[Bro_Gill]

Oh yeah, a 5-1600 is just as fast as a 1600 buggy. Be real. The wheelbase alone makes them much slower in the desert. The higher center of gravity makes them slower every where else. Oh, and lets not forget weight. Just because you can bolt the same parts on them does not make them the same speed wise. Put yours side by side and take off at the same time and tell me who is in front in 1 mile, let alone 100.

 

[harleys dad]

If you go back and look at past results from both the classes they are within a minute of each other for the overall at both BAP and RATR. The times have historically proven to almost be dead even with one class or the other a single fart ahead between winning times for the overall. Facts are facts brother, the times prove they are very similar in speed but completely different in comfort.

I guess the best way to put it is if you want to race by yourself, meaning single seat, choose a 9 car. If you want to race with a co-rider, choose a 5-16.

you need to go back and look, Robby in his very first race driving a 51600 passed 35- 40 class 9 cars leaving 1 single 9 car in front of him at BAP on 1 day starting behing 18 51600 cars with the car running bad the first few miles on lap 1 Jeremy has beat the pants off class 9 in the same car. You need to go back and look as you say as the car gets raced very little but when it does class 9 is no competition at all. at Rage a couple years ago Jeremy started last passed all 17 or so 51600 cars and 20 odd class 9 cars and was the first car back after lap 1. like I say class 9 has nothing but a few inches of wheelbase on a good 51600 car or should I say a short 1600 car with a body on it. The drivers in 51600 is where the the cars seam close untill a bullet gets into the 51600 and uses everything the car has. Jeremy has cost himself twice hitting rocks and over tightening lug nuts, had to drive a entire lap with a rear flat 3 guns could not get the wheel off in the hot pit no one had a lug wrench his co driver ran 1/2 mile to our pit to get a lug wrench and lost the weekend by less than a minute. All facts and the 2 front 51600s were way out front on 9 they sent both out on a extra lap

 

[offroadracer516]

If you go back and look at past results from both the classes they are within a minute of each other for the overall at both BAP and RATR. The times have historically proven to almost be dead even with one class or the other a single fart ahead between winning times for the overall. Facts are facts brother, the times prove they are very similar in speed but completely different in comfort.

I guess the best way to put it is if you want to race by yourself, meaning single seat, choose a 9 car. If you want to race with a co-rider, choose a 5-16.

The first time I raced our 516 was Bap 2013. That's one race after my first full 1600 race rage 2012. Still an amateur lol I drove sunday at bap started behind 30 class 9's. Passed over 20 of them on the road and only got beat by the lead car that started on the front row with zero traffic or dust. Where as the traffic never stopped for me. 40 seconds was the gap. My brother Jeremy in our 516 at rage 2015 Did a 01:05:30.278 on sunday. The lead 9 car was 01:08:30.061. The weekend would of been won easily if not for a tire put on too tightly. That's 3 full mins off the pace in one day for class 9. Fast lap saturday was 14:54 for our 516. Fast lap for class 9 was 15:08. My brother and I are both WAY faster then we were back then. A shame I didn't have the luxary of starting mixed in with the class 9 likes they are doing now. I would of been gone easily. Again our 516 has the same exact parts our 1600 does. There is no way a class 9 dune buggy is going to keep up with any top 516 driver. Its been proven over and over.

 

[offroadracer516]

Oh yeah, a 5-1600 is just as fast as a 1600 buggy. Be real. The wheelbase alone makes them much slower in the desert. The higher center of gravity makes them slower every where else. Oh, and lets not forget weight. Just because you can bolt the same parts on them does not make them the same speed wise. Put yours side by side and take off at the same time and tell me who is in front in 1 mile, let alone 100.

I am being real. I would fully attack most stuff in our 516 that I do in our 1600. Tell me what experience you have to tell me other wise? You racing ether class? The 516's you raced are night and day different then the new updated micro stub,disk brakes and power steering trophy bugs we have today.

 

[Bro_Gill]

And you will still be behind the 1600 car at the end of that mile, 10 miles, etc... You guys always were winning every race until you broke or over tightened a lug nut and then a 9 car won...again. Listen, not saying you can't drive (that seems to be the basis of every argument you want to make about being faster than everyone out there until something breaks) and you haven't had good finishes, but right now, show proof that the 5-1600s have been beating the 9 cars in the desert or the shortcourse races.