A South American cruiser race instead of dreadnoughts

How would the South American naval race change if the participants bought eight-inch cruisers instead of dreadnoughts?

No replacement race is agreed. The eight-inch premise is disputed against six-inch, 9.2-inch, and mixed-battery alternatives.

The proposed South American race prompts a disagreement over how natural an eight-inch cruiser standard would be before the naval treaties. One argument favors six-inch rate of fire or 9.2-inch impact, while the reply points to widespread eight-inch armament outside Britain. Italian practice becomes the test case: checking the Garibaldi designs resolves part of the dispute by identifying a mixed battery of one ten-inch gun and a twin eight-inch mounting. Other variants used two single ten-inch guns or two twin eight-inch mountings. Japanese purchases provide a further example of differing calibers, with requests for 9.2-inch cruisers said to have given way to cheaper eight-inch choices. The exchange examines the assumptions behind the question without establishing how many ships South America would buy or how the replacement race would end.