Yet another RallyX Car Question

ojannen wrote:

Knurled wrote:

I don't disagree. My problem with modified is there is no minimum weight. If there was a heavy modified class with a 3000lb weight minimum, I would be all over it. Otherwise, I have to compete with an early 90s Legacy with a full STI swap, or the front half of a GTI and the back half of a Miata, or two thirds of a Porsche 944. For now, prepared gives me a finishing point on the car where it still has an interior, reasonable NVH, and air conditioning.

And you don't have to do any of that stripping to be competitive at all in Modified. In fact in a lot of cases I think it makes you slower since there's less sprung weight to control the unsprung weight.

Computers are getting shut down in 2 minutes, gtg

Knurled wrote: Yet people drive Stock and Prepared cars in, and tow Modified. And most cars that DNF are Modifieds. The only conclusion I can make is that most people who run Mod are modifying their cars all wrong...

Ohio seems to have fairly rough courses. Although, I think the real reason is a decent number of Modified class cars around here are already beaten to within an inch of their lives before being turned into rallycross cars.

I'm probably going to curse myself for saying this, but my Modified FWD Neon has driven home from every event it's been to. Admittedly, I've had two exhaust failures, but nothing that would keep me from getting home. I even won the class last year in two Ohio regions. Oh yeah, full interior, too.

eastsidemav wrote:

Knurled wrote: Yet people drive Stock and Prepared cars in, and tow Modified. And most cars that DNF are Modifieds. The only conclusion I can make is that most people who run Mod are modifying their cars all wrong...

Ohio seems to have fairly rough courses. Although, I think the real reason is a decent number of Modified class cars around here are already beaten to within an inch of their lives before being turned into rallycross cars. I'm probably going to curse myself for saying this, but my Modified FWD Neon has driven home from every event it's been to. Admittedly, I've had two exhaust failures, but nothing that would keep me from getting home. I even won the class last year in two Ohio regions. Oh yeah, full interior, too.

Sigh. I'll bring my street tires and the winch to the next OVR event.

I still want to know where everybody finds these cheap E30s. I guess I am too picky because I hate rust.

wae wrote:

eastsidemav wrote: I'm probably going to curse myself for saying this, but my Modified FWD Neon has driven home from every event it's been to. Admittedly, I've had two exhaust failures, but nothing that would keep me from getting home. I even won the class last year in two Ohio regions. Oh yeah, full interior, too.

Sigh. I'll bring my street tires and the winch to the next OVR event.

Eh, that's the advantage of us running the same model car, you can use my street tires

Cblais19 wrote: There's something simultaneously glorious and sad about seeing an ITR bouncing through the dirt.

It almost seemed unfair in that class....one guy has basically the best-performing stock FWD car ever made, while the other guys in the class were running an old Saturn and a Pulsar, lol....

Brett_Murphy wrote: I still want to know where everybody finds these cheap E30s. I guess I am too picky because I hate rust.

all over the place. Though it is admittedly getting a bit harder. And very few of them are "rust free" or in great running shape. Mine did have some rust under the gas pedal and in the battery tray, but no biggie. Look for the early M10 318i's...they are super-cheap on CL since nobody wants the old M10 engine with 100hp. But you're a swap away from having a 6cylinder in there (or M42 like I did).

irish44j wrote:

Brett_Murphy wrote: I still want to know where everybody finds these cheap E30s. I guess I am too picky because I hate rust.

all over the place. Though it is admittedly getting a bit harder. And very few of them are "rust free" or in great running shape. Mine did have some rust under the gas pedal and in the battery tray, but no biggie. Look for the early M10 318i's...they are super-cheap on CL since nobody wants the old M10 engine with 100hp. But you're a swap away from having a 6cylinder in there (or M42 like I did).

But the M10 is the cheap engine to put a Schrick 296 in and a set of Dell'Ortos (because orphan carbs are cheap compared to Webers) and make WAY more power than some scrody eta that is dead by 4500 and revs like you secretly replaced the oil in the K&N filter with Aunt Jemima. If I were going to buy a E30 tomorrow, it'd definitely be a 318.

I mean, yeah, I could probably have a 325i (note: not a frickin' eta, but an engine that loves to be over 4000) next week if the bank would be willing to spot me the $4k. But I know that car is mostly air, body putty, and undercoating where the control arm rear bushings attach to the body...

Hold on. I'm getting word from my Canadian friend (you don't know him) that using maple syrup as air filter oil makes the engine run pretty sweet. So cancel that analogy.

Knurled wrote:

irish44j wrote:

Brett_Murphy wrote: I still want to know where everybody finds these cheap E30s. I guess I am too picky because I hate rust.

all over the place. Though it is admittedly getting a bit harder. And very few of them are "rust free" or in great running shape. Mine did have some rust under the gas pedal and in the battery tray, but no biggie. Look for the early M10 318i's...they are super-cheap on CL since nobody wants the old M10 engine with 100hp. But you're a swap away from having a 6cylinder in there (or M42 like I did).

But the M10 is the cheap engine to put a Schrick 296 in and a set of Dell'Ortos (because orphan carbs are cheap compared to Webers) and make WAY more power than some scrody eta that is dead by 4500 and revs like you secretly replaced the oil in the K&N filter with Aunt Jemima. If I were going to buy a E30 tomorrow, it'd definitely be a 318. I mean, yeah, I could probably have a 325i (note: not a frickin' eta, but an engine that loves to be over 4000) next week if the bank would be willing to spot me the $4k. But I know that car is mostly air, body putty, and undercoating where the control arm rear bushings attach to the body...

swapping one of the many $300 M42s out there into an M10 car is the easy button to an extra 40hp, and a lot cheaper and easier than dellortos and cam.

BTW, not that I much like the ETA myself (I don't) but you and Evan driving a turbo Miata were beaten by an ETA at East Coasts last year, as I recall (that car had many wins over years before it was recently replaced with a less rusty one). There is something to be said for torque all day long. M20B25 loves to be over 4k until you break a rocker, lol....

btw, there's a 325i in what appears to be good shape in this area for $3k if you want one ;) https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/d/bmw-e-speed-manual-sedan-doors/6239993054.html

Also another 325i for $3.5k

also an '84 318i for $1k

Also three different ETAs for under $2k (one for 750)

Also an M52 swapped e30 for $5k

Also an S52 swapped e30 for $11k

and another 5 or 6 that I didn't bother to look at.

The thing about when I was driving that Miata, is twofold. One, I can't drive with steering that slow. I am an RX-7 driver, and thus am not used to moving my hands more than an inch or two when having fun. Two, I am a naturally aspirated kind of guy, the powerband on a turbo engine seems to be more of an on or off kind of thing. You're not fast when 'off' so of course the 'on' option has to be activated. And five, they were my tires on the back and I liked the way it smelled like the burnout box at Norwalk when I got back from a run, so of course I overdrove the E36 M3 out of it

IOW, I knew I wasn't going to be competitive, so I was all there for the giggles.

Knurled wrote: The thing about when I was driving that Miata, is twofold. One, I can't drive with steering that slow. I am an RX-7 driver, and thus am not used to moving my hands more than an inch or two when having fun. Two, I am a naturally aspirated kind of guy, the powerband on a turbo engine seems to be more of an on or off kind of thing. You're not fast when 'off' so of course the 'on' option has to be activated. And five, they were my tires on the back and I liked the way it smelled like the burnout box at Norwalk when I got back from a run, so of course I overdrove the E36 M3 out of it IOW, I knew I wasn't going to be competitive, so I was all there for the giggles.

yeah I know your story with Miatas lol, but just saying that the ETA can be competitive (especially if it is converted to SETA / 885 head). That car ran like 6 seasons with 4 drivers at every event (in SR/PR/MR over the years) and couldn't catch Shawn Roberts (few can) but it did hang in there pretty strong.

Again, wouldn't be my personal choice but as easy as e30 engine swaps are, there's no reason to run away from an ETA car that can be "pretty good" at rallycross until a different engine is finally swapped in...

They (the guys with the ETA) also ran a full event with no oil in the sump at all (3-4 drivers). Didn't realize it until the end of the event. So they added some oil, drove the car home, and continued running it for a few more years haha....

irish44j wrote: yeah I know your story with Miatas lol, but just saying that the ETA can be competitive (especially if it is converted to SETA / 885 head).

I never said the eta can't be competitive. I said it's a boring POS of an engine. That doesn't mean it isn't competitive, it just means that it isn't any fun. Winning without having any fun doing it is kind of missing the point, although it does sound stereotypically German so maybe it's fitting for a German car.

There are four types of E30 I see here.

Really Expensive

Expensive

Convertible

Or absolute Junk

I've had multiple E30s in the past, and I like them, but maybe it is time to move up to an E36.

Make a trip up to the DC metro to drive one home! Prices up here are much more reasonable.

The carpet in that 325es by you looks awfully red, I'd be pretty worried about floor pan rust there.

If a good 89 or later 318is pops up, I may. The problem with that is getting eyes on the vehicle being so far away. I know that the GRM crew would help if asked, but I feel a bit weird about it, still.

It looks like there is a 318is slick top in NC, but, of course, it's expensive. I just miss the days of sub-$1000 E30s, and that ship has sailed. I never should have sold my '89.

It the Saabaru mentioned by the OP gone? CL ad is gone, and FS thread doesn't say.

Agreed on the E30 findings here. My findings have been the same as Brett's. I have a CL alert setup for E30, E36 and E46. People in NC think they are made of gold. I should just pick one up in NoVA next time I'm up there.

Once you come down south though, it feels dirty to buy a car from 'up north' where snow happens.

Whoops, forgot to update the thread. Yup, sold - some guy drove down with his very pregnant wife from western MD Saturday morning, took it for a test drive and handed over cash. Fastest CL sale ever?