spring break nationals!!!

[suckafree_Z]

im going to SBN for teh first time this year and i want to enter one of teh audio competitions, theres many different types and im not sure which one to enter! i have a 1990 Nissan 200ZX with 2 Alpine Type X's and it was installed VERY nice its a potential show car, and also its very loud and clean! i believe its THE DB competition but what calss? thwey have like 4 lightwiegth-heavywieght, im not sure!!! HELP ME

[GradeA_TireFryer]

post pics!!!!!

[TBSpyder]

post pics!!!!!


Yeah...post them in the "Post Your Ride" thread at the top of the forum and then put a link up here.


BTW, I have no idea what categories they have a spring break nationals, but I'm assuming they go by wattage and/or level of install.

[SickVette]

You can find all the needed info here.

http://www.springbreaknationals.com/

Give you a heads up though. SBN brings cars from all over the country. The big dogs come out to this show. Be ready to see some totally killer rides and have a good time.

[integralsgreen]

i would like to see some pictures....post um up

[TJElite]

You can find all the needed info here.

http://www.springbreaknationals.com/

Give you a heads up though. SBN brings cars from all over the country. The big dogs come out to this show. Be ready to see some totally killer rides and have a good time.

I was going to post something like this as well. I was an IASCA competitor and then a judge back in the late 80's. Daytona was THE show. Guys who could take 1st or 2nd almost anywhere couldn't take a trophy there. The competition is so tight, out of 400+ points possible, 1st and 10th place were sometimes only seperated by 20.

That being said, there is no better way to get better than competing, and going against the best is even better. Just don't get discouraged if you don't win. If the judges are any good, which most are, especially at Daytona, they will give you all kinds of tips. Make sure you listen. Even if what they tell you goes competely against what your shop, or your boys, or whoever told you. You don't have to do what they suggest, but more often than not, they will be right.

Go the the SBN website, and see what events they are having. Looks like this year there are 3 'loud' contests...DB Drag, Iasca bass boxing, and Meca. Each of these groups has different rules, and different classes. Most likely, your system will only fit into one class, so that part gets easy. Also on these groups websites you will usually find scores for previous events in your class. If you can't get close to these numbers, you'll most likely lose.

There is this perception out there that DB contests are easier to win than sound quality or installation contests, and its just not true. Its usually cheaper, as those installs usually look like crap, and sometimes sound like crap, but they get loud. These guys are masters, though. They know every trick to get that last 0.1db out of there system, including exactly what frequency to play, how long to play it, what RPM the engine should be at, what temps their amps should be at, what pieces of the interior to remove (I'm not kidding). If you don't know these things, especially what frequency 'burp' to play (almost no one uses music), you will be at a severe disadvantage. Find a shop with a good meter (we have one) and find out how loud, and at what frequency.

The one slight exception to this is Iasca bass boxing. This is done with actualy music.

There are also entry level classes for most of these groups. If these are going to be judged at Daytona, that's the way you should go. Unfortunately, if you have a wall, or extra batteries, etc., you may not qualify. These classes won't be 'walks in the park' either, though. Like I said, being a good DB competitor is not expensive, and even new guys with relatively small investments can hit big numbers.

If you have a real interest in your system, which it sounds like you do, I'd enter Rookie Iasca sound quality, if they have it. Your install will also be judged for everything from safety to creativity. This is where you'll learn. These judges are usually some of the most experienced, there are usually fewer entrants, and most of the other competitors will be like you...new and wanting to learn (as opposed to the arrogant pros who think they should win every time. :-). There is also a DB portion, so you'll get to do loud, as well.

Again, you may not win, but you have to start someplace. Take what you learn, and get better. Start going to local shows, and have fun. Some of my best days, and some of my worst days, have been at car shows.

Toby

[03AcuraCLTypeS]

wow nice post toby... i know IASCA has a rookie class that year at daytona..im in it. spend a good chunk of change on the system too.. sounds sweet, however i didn't go completely sick tricked out looking stuff..i more went for something classy that actually looks pretty stock then u look at the trunk. and i still have almost my whole trunk as usable space.. the only question i kinda have is will the judges take into consideration that i was trying to not do anything completely sick and i was going for more of a stock look or do they jsut look to see how "sick and twisted" a set up u can do... there are also pics in the members ride section if u want to look at them and give me some feedback of what your personal opinion is

[TJElite]

Big D, I'll check out your pics, and if your ever up this way, I'd be happy to check it out in person, and give you some tips.

As for what the judges will or wont do, that's always a crapshoot. I haven't looked at an IASCA rule book in years, but back when I was judging, you declared each part of your car (underhood, passenger compartment, trunk/amp rack) as either hidden or highlighted, and scoring guidelines were different for each. Hidden systems were judged on just that...how well the components blended into the interior.

There are still different levels of hidden, though. For example, someone who just replaced factory speakers behind the door panel wouldn't get as many points as someone who built a whole new door panel, that looked factory, but better.

Again, I don't know what the score sheets look like anymore, but I would guess (hope) that much of the empahasis is still put on installation integrity (how well stuff is bolted down and protected), installation safety (proper wires and fuses), and sound quality. On the old sheets there were 'attention to detail' and 'creativity' points that were used to seperate the good from the great. There were only about 20 points to be had, though, so someone with great sound quality could beat out a guy with a killer install, but poor sound quality.

You also usually have a couple minutes at the start of judging to go over your system with the judges. Figure out what you are going to say. Make sure you tell them that your goals were to keep trunk space, not get too crazy, etc. If you can back up what you are saying, it will help. I.e., don't try to convince them that you kept the factory door speakers because they looked stock and were designed to work in that vehicle. They'll know you just couldn't afford to, or didn't take the time to replace them.

If I were still judging, using the old guidlines, many of the hot 'show' cars that manufacturers put out would not do all that well. Many of them don't sound all that good in real world situations (75db, doors closed, etc.). They also tend to use exposed speakers and wiring...works good for showing off product, but bad for longevity.

Unfortunately, I've seen cars with sick installs get good scores in areas they didn't deserve them. Particularly if this person or car has a big reputation. I have always done my own work, and used to hate getting beat by the guy who could drop $20k at a stereo shop, but that's life. As long as I focused on sound and installation quality, I could hold my own, and my install skills (and budget) got better. Like anything else, though, there is always someone better (or faster, or whatever).


Paul P. (can't spell his last name) who owns IASCA and puts on SBN is a great guy. I talked to him for quite a while last year about his goals for IASCA. He is very much committed to getting new people into this sport, and making it big again (Back when I was competeing, you could pretty much find an IASCA event within driving distance every other weekend). To do that, you have to make the new guys feel welcome, and make them feel like they have a shot. So, I think that judging, especially in the rookie class, will be fair and educational.

Again, ask questions. Know why you got x score, and how you can do better next time. Look at other cars, particularly ones that do well. While there will be stuff you can't afford to do right now (or don't know how), there will be lots of things that you can do. I'd also recomend that you buy the IASCA rule book. I'm sure each judging section is broken down, and explained. Most of it is just sound installation and audio theory...valid even if you never compete. Take the rule book and your score sheet to your shop (if you use one) and go over it with them. They should be happy to help...its a nice change from the guy that just wants to be louder than so and so, but only has $12 and 20 minutes. Most importantly, keep an open mind, and have fun.

Toby

[TBSpyder]

Very informative Toby, nice to see there's some guys on here who really know their shit.

[SickVette]

Good info Toby. I am also an old school competitor and IASCA judge.

03Acura...I have seen pictures of your system. I am going to tell you this from a judges stand point. From what I have seen in the pictures it is not alot different then what was competing in the 80's/90's. Hard to be certain from the pictures but it looks like alot of vinyl and vinyl that could be wrapped better. Your trunwould fit into the custom look and it is just not custom enough to compete against today's competetiors.

What is the RTA on your car looking like? How is the staging?

Toby provided alot of good information. Keep in mind you will be going against the big dogs with big money in the systems.

Toby....when is Paul going to make IASCA bigger? He has owned it for how long now? 5 years or more? IASCA is all but dead and the rumor mill is saying he is at fault for that. I judged IASCA several years ago and talk about a piss poor event...horrible. He schedule SPL contest at the same time cars were going through the RTA...not that bad except he had the RTA outside and the SPL contest 100ft away. I had guys coming through the lanes with the low end off the chart and they only had 2 8's in the car. I have zero faith in him doing anything that is not going to line his pockers. SBN is only about the money to him. You are right..that show was the place to be. Now it is near pathetic.

[TJElite]

Good info Toby. I am also an old school competitor and IASCA judge.

Toby....when is Paul going to make IASCA bigger? He has owned it for how long now? 5 years or more? IASCA is all but dead and the rumor mill is saying he is at fault for that. I judged IASCA several years ago and talk about a piss poor event...horrible. He schedule SPL contest at the same time cars were going through the RTA...not that bad except he had the RTA outside and the SPL contest 100ft away. I had guys coming through the lanes with the low end off the chart and they only had 2 8's in the car. I have zero faith in him doing anything that is not going to line his pockers. SBN is only about the money to him. You are right..that show was the place to be. Now it is near pathetic.

I hear you, and I don't know the answer. Paul basically bought IASCA at its lowest point. I think he has brought it back some, but I agree its no where near where it needs to be.

His focus is primarily on getting regular car audio customers into the fold. His theory is sound...the foundation of what makes a system more competitive (sound quality, install quailty, safety, etc.), and what a normal audio customer should look for in their own system, are one in the same.

Its kind of a zen riddle...we need to get new people into the sport, and show them how much fun competitions can be, but to do that, we need more competitions, but to have more competitions, we need more people.

Randy, you probably remember when IASCA started to die. One thing that killed it, imo, was when they let show organizers deny pro entries, and then later, consumer entries (creating novice only shows). The logic was that pro's and even seasoned consumers already had their shops, and had spent their money. The show sponser had little to gain by hosting these guys. I always disagreed with this. I believe that seeing these pros and high level consumers is what turned the spectator into the next competitor. And what better place to start than the shop he is standing at.

Perhaps the biggest problem is in Paul's workload. I don't know what else he does (other than soundcrafters), but he seems overwhelmed. During our conversation at SBN last year, he told me about his new 'IASCA certified shop' program, which I think is very good. Problem is, a year later, I still don't know any more about it, nor have I heard anyone else talking about it.

Or maybe its money. Even though SBN has become somewhat of a bust from a competitor turn out perspective, Paul had probably 20 times the paid exhibitors there last year, vs. when I was going in the early 90's. Last year did see a big drop in spectator turn out, though. The timing, and the City's desire to run every tourist out of town, didn't help. But maybe there's more to it than that.

Oh, Big D, listen to what this guy says. I may know my sound quality, and install foundations, but I'll pass the torch to this guy on installation creativity and execution. Sickvette is a SUPER fabricator. If you've thumbed through a car audio mag recently, you've probably seen his Vette in the Stinger ad. And he does all his work himself, in a fairly modest home shop. We should build a car together, sometime

[03AcuraCLTypeS]

Thanks for the info from both of you.. and thanks for the tips...personally i dont think its too bad an install to be going into the rookie level competition with..however i do know where your comming from on things looking different then a few years back however something i have noticed from the past few years of following cars is a lot of the installs are getting away from fiberglass and paint and going back to stock vinal look..and i was going for something that looked as stock as possiable..but we will jsut have to see what the judges this year think of it..also there really isn't a whole lot of points on the creativity side of things like i had seen in the old rule book, most of the rookie class stuff is based on install integrity and SQ.. but i guess u never know what the install judge will like until you get there..i would love to have you check it out sometime TJ, however i dont roll up that way very often.. we will just have to see sometime if it is possiable..i would love to get any tips and information you guys have