Hmmm...So that's how we got here-triangular thinking about a box. Thanks for clearing that up, Jake.
Well, I can't tell you how the previous rulesmakers came to their thinking, but, the rule was: stock ECUs, then, chipped ECUs, then, (and i guess the thinking at the time was that some ECUs needed piggyback boards,) anything that fits in the unmodified box with stock harness.
Well, the net net on that was:
Some uber expensive ECUs were small enough to fit in certain stock boxes. Some cars had larger boxes. Some cars had tiny boxes. Some had boxes with vacuum lines, others had various extra holes. So, essentially, we had a rule that was open ECUs, for some of the people. Some were screwed no matter what, and some could buy $$$ their way into power.
Choices boiled down to
-rescind the rule to an earlier version. (which had it's obvious drawbacks of alienating those who took the rule in good faith and spent the $$$, as well as running into current and futere tech isses, such as limp modes, etc etc. Some problems were easy-ish for brainiacs to solve...sometimes. Or impossible for even the best firms. And the technology would of course, grow more complex in time.)
-Go back to completely stock. See above for drawbacks.
-Open it up to some 'spec' ECU. Tough to do with such a large category,, etc etc.
-Open it up to all, with certain limitations.
Because of several reasons, and the advent of cheaper, essentially DIY ECus, the latter was chosen. Member input was pretty strong, and clearly in favor. many felt it was the 'lesser of evils"
I was totally against it early on, based on the post classification 'comp adjustment' aspect, but that was worked out via the ability to reweight cars. Classifications going back as long as I have been on board have been based on the assumption that cars will have gains due to ECU mods, but, the ability of those cars to utilize alternate ECUs wasn't known, or accounted for. In other words, all cars were assumed to have gains, whether they could or not.
Afterall this is SCCA 