Could my very autox/track-oriented 'rolla be good at rallyx?

A local track is being redeveloped with a rallycross course, and as I spend more contiguous blocks of time DD'ing the AE92 the urge to put some smaller rims and higher-profile tires as street wheels on it rises. So now I'm thinking, can I kill two birds with one stone?

This car has 6" of ground clearance and rock-hard suspension and I don't want to change those things, I'd be willing to slap on skid plates, different wheels, and a Quaife if I could save up the money for it, but that's it. Would it be hopeless with the hard suspension? Would an open diff alone make it hopeless?

Don't be afraid to tell me it'll be hopeless, it's OK.

How stiff are we talking about? Assuming struts all around... 300 lb/in? 600 lb/in?

Edit: Are you running large sway bars? They can be easily 'deactivated' by removing an end link.

The more smooth and hard-packed the surface is, the less that too stiff of spring rates will hurt you.

The open diff does not make it hopeless.

Is it feasible to make a rally-X beater out of that parts car instead?

300+ lb/in with hard damping. In this car you can feel undulations in the highway that you didn't know existed.

Edit: Just running the stock rear sway bar which is fairly soft and probably very underworked with these springs.

Luke wrote: Is it feasible to make a rally-X beater out of that parts car instead?

I was actually thinking of stuff to do with that junker, I could do this but it sure wouldn't be competitive, it's been in at least one accident and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if the frame was bent. If only there was a Back 40 around here

300 plus what?

Just give it a try and see what you think. If your dampers are adjustable, soften them up.

We had a guy running super stiff gravel rally suspension all last season and he seemed to have a good time. I thought his dampers might have actually been bent or otherwise seized.

It can be somewhat course dependent, however, I'm going to say it is less than ideal. Most courses you really want a soft setup, Unless it is a firm well packed course, you likely won't be competitive. If isn't smooth, your kidney's will hate you. I don't think it will be a competitive setup, but more importantly you many find it just isn't all that much fun in that configuration. My opinion is that oem suspension rates, and a willingness to drive the car like it's a rental is the best scenario for success.

cghstang wrote: 300 plus what?

IIRC, plus or minus 50 depending on which end of the car we're talking about

I think I'll give it a try when the first event comes around and see how it does, I'm not aching to do it and I could always take my time to fix up the AE92 GTS donor I have as a rallyx beater and spine-friendly DD with what parts are left over.

What kind of rallycross are they setting up for? European, Global/X-Games, or SCCA style?

For the first two, it might not be too bad, actually sounds kind of ideal for the the X-Games type stuff. For SCCA rallycross, it may be a little stiff.

All I know right now is that the course will be entirely on dirt.

You didn't see the thread I had with a guy doing a rallycross in an SVT mustang? There are guys that take track-ready WRXs out onto the dirt sometimes, too. On the hard-pack courses, they're still fast. I've ridden in one on a rough course and it felt like somebody mugged me after we finished, though.

Throw some higher profile tires on there and you'll have fun. You might not be winning, but you will have fun.

http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/mustang-svt-cobra-at-yesterdays-rallycross/55843/page1/

Update: Think I've decided on a wheel setup: 195/60/14s on 14x7 rims. I also have the option of running 185/60/14 on this rim, I need to keep tire options open since the selection of locally-available tires is limited. Sounds good?

In reply to GameboyRMH:

Unless your current wheels are super bendy, just try it on the wheel/tire combo you have now.

Once you're hooked, get the 'right' tires.

I would go with the narrower tire unless the course is always going to be hard packed and dry.

^^ what he said. For rallycross on dirt you're going to want narrower. All the e30s around here run 185's on 14" bottlecaps (some on snow tires, a couple on rally tires). Your 'rolla is lighter than the e30s so the skinnier the better.

Hell, we have a 2nd-gen Golf running here and his tires look like they're 165's at most....knobby snow tires.

My current wheels are probably closer to brittle than bendy

These are going to be street tires as well, so even if I decide rallycross isn't working out I'll still use them. I imported Star Specs at immense cost and the worry of wearing them unevenly or getting a puncture is driving me nuts, and I could use some more sidewall for the street. Keeping them in a sealed container should extend their life too, the SPTs I had before turned to hockey pucks before they were worn slick.

Since skinnier is better I'll rule out (read: hopefully won't have to settle for) 195/60/14s, the new candidates are 185/60/14 and 185/65/14 (more meat, perfect!)

With the weather around here there's a 50/50 chance the track could be cracked-dry or a mudpit.

Found some pics of what 185/65/14s on 14x7s look like:

GameboyRMH wrote: Found some pics of what 185/65/14s on 14x7s look like:

same size tire is on my car:

e30 bottlecaps, ftw!! ^^