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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » Can I RallyX my Trooper?

Dec. 16, 2011 6:22 p.m. Tom Suddard SonDork

Well, this is a fairly straightforward thread. I'm wondering both if I'll be allowed to, and if it's a good idea to rallycross my Isuzu Trooper.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/i-finally-got-a-rednec...

I have experience rallycrossing, and I'd be driving very conservatively.

I'm only considering this because our new rallycross Mercedes can only be driven by two people at an event, and I'm number 3. The Trooper will most likely be coming along anyway, as it's doubtful that the Mercedes will make it to the event and back under its own power.
Dec. 16, 2011 6:25 p.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

Shouldn't be a problem. I once rallycrossed a Lincoln MKX...
Dec. 16, 2011 6:26 p.m. ddavidv SuperDork

If I ran the event, I wouldn't let you. Maybe if it had a full cage...
Dec. 16, 2011 6:44 p.m. Maroon92 SuperDork

Tom Suddard wrote:

Well, this is a fairly straightforward thread. I'm wondering both if I'll be allowed to, and if it's a good idea to rallycross my Isuzu Trooper.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/i-finally-got-a-rednec...

I have experience rallycrossing, and I'd be driving very conservatively.

I'm only considering this because our new rallycross Mercedes can only be driven by two people at an event, and I'm number 3. The Trooper will most likely be coming along anyway, as it's doubtful that the Mercedes will make it to the event and back under its own power.

BTW, it can only be run by two people IN ONE CLASS. Just swap the SR magnets for a set of PR magnets and you should be good.

(basically just move up a class).
Dec. 16, 2011 6:57 p.m. Toyman01 SuperDork

ddavidv wrote:

If I ran the event, I wouldn't let you. Maybe if it had a full cage...

This. To high of a CG for me.
Dec. 16, 2011 6:57 p.m. integraguy SuperDork

Yikes, a tall, easily rolled SUV...sounds like the Isuzu version of a toppling Explorer.

Were they still selling Troopers when ESC was mandated on ALL new SUVs?
Dec. 16, 2011 7:34 p.m. Tom Suddard SonDork

Ok, sounds like you guys are thinking the same way I was, I don't think I'm going to go through with this.

There's a guy that runs a lifted cherokee (which gave me the idea), but even that is much shorter than my Trooper.
Dec. 16, 2011 7:36 p.m. Tom Suddard SonDork

integraguy wrote:

Yikes, a tall, easily rolled SUV...sounds like the Isuzu version of a toppling Explorer.

Were they still selling Troopers when ESC was mandated on ALL new SUVs?

Nope! Isuzu had given up by then.

And the way I heard it, the new law only says that new SUVs have to meet certain handling requirements, with or without electronics. ESC isn't required, it's just the easiest/cheapest way to get an SUV to meet the requirements.
Dec. 16, 2011 8:42 p.m. N Sperlo SuperDork

If it were not in good condition, I would have no problem with it, but do you really want to risk rolling it? I don't even take my F150 off the road... often.
Dec. 16, 2011 8:44 p.m. Vigo SuperDork

sounds like the Isuzu version of a toppling Explorer.

Thats kind of backwards.. troopers were tipping over years before explorers existed.

IIRC the trooper, along with the samurai, were front and center in that old consumer reports bitch-fest about rollovers that happened in the 80s.
Dec. 16, 2011 9:56 p.m. Tom Suddard SonDork

N Sperlo wrote:

If it were not in good condition, I would have no problem with it, but do you really want to risk rolling it?

I was considering taking a very, very easy few runs, just because it's the vehicle I'll have there. I don't want to roll it over! My gut feeling was that it's a bad idea, but my dad spurred me on (surprising, I know...).

I don't think I'm even going to try to run the event in the Trooper, I'll just move up a class in the Mercedes and run it.

N Sperlo wrote: I don't even take my F150 off the road... often.

I have no problem taking it off-road regularly, but I draw the line at abuse. It's entirely possible to take an adequately prepared vehicle off-road all the time and not hurt it. I enjoy seeing the scenery of Florida, but I don't spend my time trying to cross boulder-riddled mud holes with lesser trucks stuck in them.
Dec. 16, 2011 11:34 p.m. Brett_Murphy Dork

A bunch of guys were running Wranglers and Cherokees at the last rallycross I was in.

They were modified all to hell for some sort of offroad trail racing, though. They were also surprisingly fast.
Dec. 16, 2011 11:42 p.m. mmosbey Reader

I have seen, somewhere on the interwubs, a series of photos documenting some reportedly successful rally-xing of a Vehicross. There is a lot of engineering in common, right?
Dec. 17, 2011 5:22 a.m. Per Schroeder Technical Editor/Advertising Director

The Vehicross is wider and a little shorter than the Trooper. It also looked tippy as berkeley when I saw one rallycross about 5 years ago at Ft Meade.

Anecdotally (and probably in reality) Rallycross has a higher incidence (per 100 cars) of rollover. There is actually quite high cornering forces in the ruts--and the the jerky/spiking cornering loads tend to 'trip' a car.

The good news is that they tend to be softer rollovers and your truck would totally look butch with some rash on the roof. :thumbsup:
Dec. 17, 2011 5:57 a.m. Luke SuperDork

I've "rallyX'ed" (i.e. at a non sanctioned event/ just dicking around off-road) the 4-cyl/manual trans version of that car (Holden Jackaroo), and it felt stable enough.

If the organisers allowed it, I don't see any harm in a few easy laps.
Dec. 17, 2011 7:35 a.m. eastsidemav HalfDork

I'd say it depends on conditions. If its a sloppy mudfest where no one can build up speed, fine. Otherwise it'd be real easy to tip it over.

I've seen an s10 blazer run in the mud. It worked out since it was more likely to slide than tip if you tried to take a corner fast.

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