More Rallycross Newb Questions (lifted Datsun content)

How important is ground clearance, and what would you do here? I can level it by cutting the front springs, fab a spacer block for the rear, or just send it as is? Rear shocks are easy to reposition for height (just drilling holes).  

Lower bumper/air dam/lower half of front fenders will become ...removable... soon. Thinking up a skid plate, fender well plastic, and mud flaps right now. Open to any tips for a successful rallycross in MR.

1" rear lift

2"-3" front lift

Did I accidently the world's first leveling kit for a Datsun? The Carolina Dat? By the way, this is still under Challenge budget.

Here is just the rear lifted. Obviously going to be a problem for the front fenders.

Autocross mode for reference:

i mean you are likely going to be dragging the front fenders and bumper at the lower front height. As for skidplates, 1/8th steel or 3/16 alum imo.

that area is going to get mangled imo. everything else should be fine. the high front would likely help it to get less mangled but that area in front of the tire will still likely get hurt the most.

If that section were removable instead of part of the front fender it would be safer to run without the lower part of the bumper.

I'd lose the airdam, but bear in mind that stock STis and Minis and CRXs and Miatas are regularly rallycrossed, and the rules specifically require that courses be navigable by unmodified vehicles without risk of damaging them.

From a performance perspective, I'd put the suspension wherever it sits with the suspension in the middle of its stroke, and go from there.  If this results in the car sitting tail high and nose down, then you can afford to level it because running out of droop travel in the front helps steering response mid corner and corner exit, and you never want to run out of droop travel in the rear.

Thanks guys. I have ideas on how to split the fenders and make the lower front fascia removable. 

I'm also a little worried about wipers. The whole assembly is missing, because Challenge car. Guess I could just wipe down between runs? 

I would not worry about them.  I have only ever needed them once in 15 years of rallycrossing.

If dust is an issue, dust blows off of dry glass.  If rain is an issue, the event usually gets cancelled.  If mud is an issue, wipers just make it worse, you can see around mud clods but wipers smear things horrendously.

The only time I ever needed wipers, I drove through a deepish puddle on a still-wet part of the course that was on a gravel road, and splashed water on the windshield.  Very rare event. 

yea wipers seem to be region specific.

Wipers are definitely region specific.  Up here we've run in the rain, we've run on courses with mud puddles to splash through, etc.  One day I went through over a gallon of washer fluid de-mudding the windshield during runs so I wasn't running blind. 

Re: ride height - as low as you can go without damaging the car or high centering on ruts.  Depends heavily on the course.  My Neon had a slight lift over stock, but the skid plate was probably a bit lower than the stock position of oil pan.  I definitely “surfed” over dirt a few time with that setup.

Re: windshield - a thorough cleaning and a coating of RainX before any event should help, regardless of the weather.

If it was raining hard enough to get the windshield muddy, I'd pack up and go home early unless it was a national level event.  Mud events suck, they turn into a contest of cone avoidance rather than driver control.

Knurled. said:

If it was raining hard enough to get the windshield muddy, I'd pack up and go home early unless it was a national level event.  Mud events suck, they turn into a contest of cone avoidance rather than driver control.

Isn't cone avoidance a contest of driver control?

RE the first post, I'd go up an inch in back and reset the shock travel accordingly.

If you don't have wipers, have a tire-sprayer sized (gallon +) spray bottle back at grid and rags with which to clean the windshield with.  Rainx before the event helps too.

It only takes a small area that drys slowly to create a puddle for you to snag once with your front tire and cover the windshield in mud.

That said, if you DO have wipers, but don't have washers, DON'T USE THEM.  Otherwsie you'll turn a partially mud covered winshield into a full covered windshield.

Knurled. said:

If it was raining hard enough to get the windshield muddy, I'd pack up and go home early unless it was a national level event.  Mud events suck, they turn into a contest of cone avoidance rather than driver control.

All depends on the mud.  When it's shallow, watery mud puddles on a hard packed clay and gravel surface, it doesn't turn into a slide fest, it's just messy.  If it's nasty, thick muddy dirt, then yeah, it becomes a whole different game.  We get both up here depending on the site and the day.  Usually more of the first type though. 

Knurled. said:

If it was raining hard enough to get the windshield muddy, I'd pack up and go home early unless it was a national level event.  Mud events suck, they turn into a contest of cone avoidance rather than driver control.

And tires.  Don't forget tires.