Originally posted by Zac C:
I would agree with this assessment. My experience has been that at any given competition, 75+% of the field will show up with a car closer to the 'complete basket case' end of the spectrum than something that is well sorted and smooth to drive. It could be something as simple as just not getting the car done early enough to get much testing before comp. I've also seen many cars with poor throttle response, terminal rear toe compliance, and/or alignments so jacked up you wonder how the car is driveable at all.
Large design decisions like tire or engine choice generally aren't what prevents the team from being competitive.