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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Best 4 x 8 Autocross Car?

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April 8, 2009 7:22 a.m. jimbob_racing HalfDork

I towed a solo vee behind my Sidekick Sport for a while with no problems. The car weighed 800 pounds without me in it and I had a custom aluminum trailer made that weighed less than 600 pounds so I was towing/hauling less than 1500 pounds when I added a few spare tires, gas and tools. The trailer never had brakes and it never needed them. The truck never strained and stopped fine with ABS engagement only once on a wet off ramp just as I was almost stopped.

Of course the people that claim you need a 3/4 ton truck to tow ANYTHING where aghast when I would pull into hillclimbs and autocrosses with this combo.
April 8, 2009 9:45 a.m. pinchvalve UltraDork

The problem with a Shifter Cart is I am near Beaver Run, and we autocross there. They have a great cart track and you see layouts over there where no expense was spared just to race carts. Everyone would ask why I wasn't running with the cart guys, and where my enclosed trailer was and why I didn't have fancy leathers, etc etc etc. I think they are amazing, but not my cup of tea.
April 8, 2009 10:15 a.m. ignorant PowerDork

didn't say shifter kart. Get a TAG or KT100 sprint kart. The key is sprint kart. Yeah you'll be slower but you'll be out of the leathers crowd and still faster most cars available. KT100's can be had very cheap with full kit as people are moving up to faster karts.
April 8, 2009 12:46 p.m. SVreX UberDork

jimbob_racing wrote:

I towed a solo vee behind my Sidekick Sport for a while with no problems. The car weighed 800 pounds without me in it and I had a custom aluminum trailer made that weighed less than 600 pounds so I was towing/hauling less than 1500 pounds when I added a few spare tires, gas and tools. The trailer never had brakes and it never needed them. The truck never strained and stopped fine with ABS engagement only once on a wet off ramp just as I was almost stopped.

Of course the people that claim you need a 3/4 ton truck to tow ANYTHING where aghast when I would pull into hillclimbs and autocrosses with this combo.

I don't think you need a 3/4 ton truck to tow ANYTHING. I don't really care what you tow with. I just think it would be wise to stay within the rated towing capacities of the vehicle (which is I believe is 1000 lbs. for the Sport).

Not doing so is reckless and potentially dangerous. Advising strangers online to do so is downright irresponsible.

If there is EVER ANY failure (for example, some bonehead stops short and you rear end him) it is very possible you could be sued and lose (because it is really easy to prove that your stopping distances were reduced beyond the design limitations of the vehicle). If that happens, your insurance company may not cover you.
April 8, 2009 3:59 p.m. SupraWes Dork

1)Drive street car to event on street tires.

2)Remove loose items

3)Have fun

4)Load loose items

5)Repeat!
April 8, 2009 5:05 p.m. JG Pasterjak Production/Art Director

This thread reminds me how I've always had the hots for a F440/F500.

jg
April 8, 2009 5:06 p.m. pinchvalve UltraDork

Well, I do that now and it is great. But keeping the car street legal can get in the way of speed. Besides, a Formula V LOOKS like a race car, no question about it. They don't seem to ever go on sale, but I am going to keep looking.
April 8, 2009 5:16 p.m. Apexcarver UltraDork

JG Pasterjak wrote:

This thread reminds me how I've always had the hots for a F440/F500.

jg

I would be quite happy if you got one as a magazine project car...

get car, go through a writeup of teardown inspection that (at least I feel) should be done on any new racecar, getting safety together, idiosyncrasies of the class and getting fast with it, what it is like autocrossing vs road racing...

it would be a really good view of what it takes to get into basement level open wheels. (and its something i have contemplated as well)
April 8, 2009 5:23 p.m. DILYSI Dave UltimaDork

I just hate the sound of a 2 stroke and CVT combo. The performance of F mods is impressive, but I'd kill myself if I had to hear that any more often than I already do.

Now, F600 (A move that is afoot to allow 600cc bike motors in an F500 chassis) interests me greatly.
April 8, 2009 5:24 p.m. Tyler H Dork

Guys that bring open-wheeled cars to autox /track days always seem to be gluttons for punishment. They are ALWAYS broken, and/or break when they get there. The guys that I see drive to the track/course, race, drive home are most often in Miatas.

Race cars will be race cars, which is to say they are high maintenance, fragile and expensive.
April 8, 2009 8:34 p.m. JThw8 SuperDork

Tyler H wrote:

Guys that bring open-wheeled cars to autox /track days always seem to be gluttons for punishment. They are ALWAYS broken, and/or break when they get there. The guys that I see drive to the track/course, race, drive home are most often in Miatas.

Race cars will be race cars, which is to say they are high maintenance, fragile and expensive.

I autocrossed 2 different Formula Vees across multiple seasons and ever only experienced one mechanical failure and that was my fault by wiring a tach light wrong.

And I didnt spend hours on them between events, usually they just stayed on the trailer until it was time to go again.
April 10, 2009 9:26 p.m. pinchvalve UltraDork

Solo Vee

Well, here is the answer. For no more htan $3500 I could have the car and the trailer as a package. Looks to be in great shape. Who knows, maybe I make a lowball offer and see what happens.
April 10, 2009 10:59 p.m. jimbob_racing HalfDork

pinchvalve wrote:

Solo Vee

Well, here is the answer. For no more htan $3500 I could have the car and the trailer as a package. Looks to be in great shape. Who knows, maybe I make a lowball offer and see what happens.

I think Solo Vee can run a 1600 engine so this looks like it's just a Formula Vee with wider wheels and wouldn't have as much power as it could have. I also think it's a bit heavy. When I ran mine I seem to remember having to be at 1000 pounds total for the car and driver and I was around 800 for the car and I was under 180 so I had to ballast a bit to be legal. Still, it doesn't look that bad. Drive up for a weekend to look at it and see if you can run it at a local event to try it out.
April 10, 2009 11:05 p.m. skierd Dork

A third for an F125 kart. You simply can't go faster in autocross for any less money. Or more for that matter, they beat AMod last year at Nationals...

Fancy leathers? I've never seen a leather kart suit, only cordura. Only reason people are going to ask why you aren't running with the kart guys is because you'll be beating the pants off of everyone once you can drive the damn thing. Hell, having beaverun close by is even MORE reason to get a kart.

One small problem... sprint karts are 55" wide at the back tire. Build a raised platform or a box on that 4x8 trailer. ;)
April 11, 2009 12:14 a.m. xci_ed6 Reader

SupraWes wrote:

1)Drive street car to event on street tires.

2)Remove loose items

3)Have fun

4)Load loose items

4.a) load car to flat bed courtesy AAA

5)Repeat!
April 11, 2009 8:15 a.m. sachilles Reader

rl48mini wrote:

a mini (as small as they are) is 10' long bumper to bumper and just about 4 and a half feet wide. A little too big for the 4 x 8 trailer.

Yep, you need a 5x10. I use a 6x10 for mine. No room to spare.
April 11, 2009 11:10 a.m. Apexcarver UltraDork

xci_ed6 wrote:

4.a) load car to flat bed courtesy AAA

BTDT
April 11, 2009 7:00 p.m. pinchvalve UltraDork

The trailer is rated at 900 pounds cargo load, so that really takes it out of the running as an option anyway. One of the local clubs won't allow the Solo Vee anyway because everything has to be street legal. Something will fall into my lap eventually, until then I will keep hauling firewood and the quad with the trailer and chasing SFFTD in the MR2. (sixty fifth fastest time of the day)

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