Whats the difference in S Tub and Non S tub

[Austinhill]

We are looking at getting into Pro Mazda and wondering the difference in the two tubs.
Thanks

[Jamesbe]

From what I understand the non s bend had issues with the tub cracking near the front suspension or something.

Also some tubs were originally s bend and some were updated.

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[mikey]

The S-bend tub was introduced after a few years of the series. Practically speaking, there is no difference between an original tub that was updated to have the S-bend vs one that came with it.

The "S" refers to the transition of the under nose to the floor area of the car in the center of the tub. The original cars were more 90 degrees in that area. The problem was the kids running the cars at low ride height and then running over the center of high curbing they were smacking the tub and cracking it. The "S" was meant to mitigate taking a hit to the tub in that area.

I had a 2004 original, non-S-bend tub and never hit anything. From a performance perspective, there is no difference. The upgrade was a bit costly. The non-S-bend tubs are "thought" to be worth less so you can sometimes find a better deal on an original car. S-bend or no S-bend, always inspect the tub for cracking regardless.

Personally, I wouldn't allow this feature to sway my decision between two cars if a non-S-bend tub car is available and is cleaner with a fresher motor and gearbox. Those will be your major cost factors.

Good luck in your search, PFM is a wonderful car, a lot of car for the money, and undervalued because they have been kind of orphaned in the world of racing. SCCA classes them as FA, so you can do ok regionally but unless you're a pro in hiding you're not winning any national races against well-driven proper FAs. I wish more of the cars would come out of hiding.