Would rear window louvers be permitted for autocross?

Hi everyone,

One of the things I'd really like to add to my 84 GTI is a set of aluminum rear window louvers. Especially since I can see that there are brackets left over from the original owner having them. Sadly they did not come with the car.

Anyway, there is a nice set available on ebay right now but it has me wondering if they would be allowed on the car for SCCA Autocross. The window louvers look like this:

Would that pass inspection or would they likely tell me that they are a vision obstruction or could come loose while driving?

I don't want to buy them only to find out that they wouldn't pass inspection.

I will most likely be running STC once I get the car finished.

maybe could come loose …. but for the obstructed vision ? can't remember anytime I've looked out my rear window while autocrossing

wbjones wrote: maybe could come loose …. but for the obstructed vision ? can't remember anytime I've looked out my rear window while autocrossing

I've never looked behind me either, but I don't know how picky they would be so that's why I'm asking.

I usually do tech with one of the regions where I run .

I/we would have to look at how well it's attached, I don't think there is a hard and fast rule about rear window louvers like there is for hubcaps and center caps

I don't see why not, so long as they're firmly attached to the vehicle.

SnowMongoose wrote: I don't see why not, so long as they're firmly attached to the vehicle.

Yeah it's hard to imagine why they'd be banned, but they often are in wheel-to-wheel racing, where they're considered a vision obstruction - not so much for the driver, but for following drivers since they can't see through the car so easily.

I remember reading about a team that wanted to cut the sunlight entering the car and heating the cabin, but tint and louvers weren't allowed, so they used super-thin strips of tape to make a "Kanye glasses" pattern on the rear glass.

You never autocrossed in the 80's, did you?

I regularly work tech in our region and I wouldn't think twice about louvers. Maybe a little tug on them to make sure they don't move, but most likely they would have flown off on the freeway drive there if they were loose.

Contradiction wrote:

wbjones wrote: maybe could come loose …. but for the obstructed vision ? can't remember anytime I've looked out my rear window while autocrossing

I've never looked behind me either, but I don't know how picky they would be so that's why I'm asking.

I remember being told specifically NOT to look behind me at Solo School back in the day. Because the minute you take a glance to see if you really did hit that cone, your concentration is shot, and so is your run.

Of course they would be legal.

You're much more likely to hit a cone, shatter that cheezoid front air dam, and littler the course with fiberglass, sheet metal screws, POP rivets, and shabby galvanized metal "L" brackets from Home Depot, than you are to have the rear window louvers come flying off, skitter harmlessly across the track, and come to rest in the sand at the far edge of the landing strip/parking lot/tarred area behind the loading docks.

More likely, if it was a large SCCA event someone would protest you for illegal aero or something, if you were to actually be competitive.

Though at a rallycross, you could have the louvers attached with masking tape and you'd be fine, lol...

GameboyRMH wrote:

SnowMongoose wrote: I don't see why not, so long as they're firmly attached to the vehicle.

Yeah it's hard to imagine why they'd be banned, but they often are in wheel-to-wheel racing, where they're considered a vision obstruction - not so much for the driver, but for following drivers since they can't see through the car so easily. I remember reading about a team that wanted to cut the sunlight entering the car and heating the cabin, but tint and louvers weren't allowed, so they used super-thin strips of tape to make a "Kanye glasses" pattern on the rear glass.

Hmmmmmm, good (and bad) to hear this. This is probably good enough cause to pass on them then. I don't see myself competing in road racing in any regular fashion, but I do think that I may take it out to an HDPE event 1 or 2 times a year for fun.

I can see how this would be a distraction to other drivers too. I have following an SUV or even a regular truck in traffic. I can only imagine that it would be more of an issue on a race course.

Thanks for all of the feedback everyone. For the reasons that GameboyRMH mentioned I think I'm going to pass on these.

I like the look of them a lot but I don't want to do something that would exclude myself from any HPDE events I'd like to participate in because of them.

Woody wrote: You never autocrossed in the 80's, did you?

Touche. I was born in 1980 so I didn't. The car is almost as old as I am!

They take about 40 seconds to remove or reinstall as a general rule, since they almost always hinge on one end so you can clean the glass. Popping it off and setting it on top of your spare for the duration of the event hardly seems like a deal breaker to me.

irish44j wrote: More likely, if it was a large SCCA event someone would protest you for illegal aero or something, if you were to actually be competitive. Though at a rallycross, you could have the louvers attached with masking tape and you'd be fine, lol...

and that is the silliness/stupidity that is the SCCA … in a nut shell

^^ that was kind of my point

I ran a set exactly like those on my 84 GTi back in the 1980s with no questions asked, in many SCCA events including divisionals. The days when you could be successfully protested for using non-performance enhancing things like H4 headlight conversions in stock classes(don't laugh, it happened at Nationals way, way, WAY back) are long gone. Check with your region's tech people for HPDE and find out what they think, they can give you the best answers for your personal situation.