cost report, how real is it?

[Travis Garrison]

You realize of course since all the points are based off the cheapest car, you just cost yourself points. Why do that? You don't have to lie, but deliberately bumping up your cost seems a little silly.

[Sam Zimmerman]

The cost report teaches you that machining custom parts is much cheaper than buying off-the-shelf items. Remember that when you get a real job. Your boss will love you for it.

The cost report is BS. Instead they should have the teams turn in a complete drawing package, BOM, and manufacturing plan and base the score on whether the car could be manufactured by an outside source based soley on this information. The first two items you are already doing anyways, the third wouldn't be too tough. To hell with cost, it's a prototype.

[Hoosier Daddy]

parts is much cheaper than buying off-the-shelf items

I will fully admit that when I was around I did quite a lot of fudging on my cost report.

Oddly enough the scores weren't even close to the Top 10. Teams with carbon tubs, Ohlins, MoTeCs, BBS wheels had better scores. And we recieve no appreciable penalties ...Go figure!?!

I just didn't play the "game" well enough. Although I learnd a few more tricks and the next year's score was better...

[Garlic]

Only 30 points is (or at least was) actual cost. So you can have a very expensive car and still finish in the top 10 in the cost report, if you ace the other stuff.

[Matt Herset]

To have an cost report that reflects an honest build in almost impossible. To get points in the cost report section of the competition, you have to use black magic to get the numbers right. If a team is in the low ten thousands, then they are either not pushing their limit on engineerng, or they are are fudging their cost report. No if ands or buts about it!!!!

[ben]

We won the Cost event at FS in my final year. It was an exercise in fiction.

The cost report is BS. Having said that rather than moan, find someone with dubious morals and play the game...

Ben

[ttk3]

I viewed parts of this years preliminary cost report. I was amazed at some of the times for production but once I got it explained to me it made sense. ...In a twisted way.

[A Reinke]

It's been a while since I've looked at the rules specifically, but when I did the cost report for three years, the cost report was supposed to be of the end 'product'. One of one-hundred race cars built by a fictional company.

~Adam

[jwill211]

The cost judging is total BS, I was shocked by the results of it. Our team finished around 70th, and we built the entire car dirt cheap cutting as many corners as possible and doing EVERYTHING in-house due to the lack of school funding and hard to find sponsorships. No CNC, no trick parts, either bought used, on sale, or made with a bridgeport, lathe, or hammer and dolly. Next year we are just going to have to play the game, honesty is not rewarded in this segment of the competition.

[JerryLH3]

Remember, price is only 30 points of the cost score. So, the lowest priced car doesn't necessarily win the cost competition. The other 70 points come from the manufacturing process discussion at the event, how well you did your process descriptions, etc.