THSCC Forums

I have been considering making my auto-X beater scirocco a switch hitter and Rallycrossing it as well.

First, it looks like street tire is the way to go as I might not be able to do some events with rally tires. (There are also not to many 13" rally tires and those are the wheels I have)

I plan to use the Dunlop SP60 and I searched and found a a thread saying these would be OK as a strret class tire(They are street tires) even tho the tread is pretty aggresive for an all season. (Present tires are R compound, no dirt action for them)

I also seem to remember that tall and skinny is the way to go. Is this correct? A 175/70 is better than a 205/60?

I was thinking about taking off the front antisway bar to let the suspension act more independently(keep the pulling tires on the ground) but leaving the rear bar on to keep the car from being pushy. Good Idea or leave it,. the front, on?

About the sun roof. The rule says secure. Does this mean fully closed or should I bolt it closed?

How hard is this on alignment? Will I need to buy a set of track guages to reset after each event or does every thing usually stay straight?

_________________
RedLanternRacing, builders of the fastest cars in last place.
Success is not an option.
1981 Scirocco, "Vera"

I can't comment too much on the setup question, except to say- whatever you run, you will have fun (watch out Rev Jesse Jackson!!!).


First question back to you would be- is the car lowered?? A car that is lowered much below stock ride height might have problems bottoming out, or getting caught in some of the ruts that inevitably develop on RallyX courses.

Don't worry too much about the tires- if you already own them and they have a decent tread-depth, run them!!

AFAIK, as long as the sunroof is in place and not flopping around, it's "secure". No need to bolt or strap it down.

As long as your suspension is in relatively good shape, rallyxing should not knock it out of whack (much).


Come on out, you'll be glad you did.


Did I mention the new Rallyx slogan "Whatever you run, you WILL have fun!!"....... ?



Bret

Cool- welcome!

Tall and skinny would be the way to go, IMO, on a gravel road with a firm base. There, the skiny tires would cut through quickly to the hardpan. But on our current surfaces, there is no hard base underneath, so I would recommend a wider tire to help stay on top.

Dunno. Sounds like a good idea to me, but try it both ways and tell us what you think.

Do our rules say anything about sunroofs, or are you looking at the SCCA rules? Just close it, that'll be fine.

I don't generally have to mess with the alignment on the Neon, but it has certainly happened that I've slammed a rut and knocked my alignment out, or in 1 case bent a strut. So I guess the answer is that it's as hard on your alignment as you choose it to be.

Hope that helps.

_________________
Carl Fisher

Be Cool to the Pizza Dude:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=4651531

Cool. Thanks for the answers. I am going to get a set of tires because I need to save my A032s anyway. I will also get the wider tires just becuase I am vain and they look better.
The car has H&R race springs on it and Bilstein sports. From the TireRack, reccomended for auto crossing, they did not lower the car much, mostly(I think) due to weight reduction done to the car. I will give it a try with the sway bar in place and see how it goes. It will sound just like a real rally car as the bar seems to be hitting the exhaust.
The sunroof has yet to fly off, so I will leave it be.
And. if the alignment goes out, well, I wanted a set of track guages anyway.

_________________
RedLanternRacing, builders of the fastest cars in last place.
Success is not an option.
1981 Scirocco, "Vera"

As somebody pointed out, best try and see what works best for you, but my CRX has a stock front sway bar and NO rear bar, and I can fairly easily induce more oversteer than I need in a RallyX.

_________________
Dustin Fredrickson
-- I'm a nobody --

Unless there's something really wrong or really right with the car, rotation is affected more by knowing what you're doing than by sway bars and stuff.

My experience on dirt has allowed me to set up my RS to do pretty much what I want it to do, when I want it to do it. If I didn't know what I wanted it to do, the car's superpowers would be worthless.

Before trying to monkey around with the car, come to the school (? - soon to be announced) and find out first hand what it needs.

FYI, I run the Neon with the stock ACR swaybars - 24mm in front and 16mm rear I think - and it rotates fine. I've thought about taking them off and seeing how it handles, but I haven't bothered yet.

_________________
Carl Fisher

Be Cool to the Pizza Dude:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=4651531

Removing the bar was more to let the front move independently. I will sign up for the school when it is announced.

_________________
RedLanternRacing, builders of the fastest cars in last place.
Success is not an option.
1981 Scirocco, "Vera"

Unless it's some huge afermarket bar, it won't make much difference. But if it's hitting the exhaust on the street, be prepared to walk around gathering up the pieces at a rallyx.

The basic recipe for a great rallyx car follows:

Reliable, sturdy, torquey stock car.
Feel free to remove lots of weight.
Don't lower it - and add underbody protection if it needs some.
Stiff dampers, stiff bushings & mounts for suspension & drivetrain.
Tall, stiff sidewalls on aggressively-treaded tires.
Supportive seats and CG Lock.

We've had people rallyx cars with super-stiff suspensions that lowered the car, and while they've definitely had fun it looks and sounds (bang! bang! go the bumpstops) too much like torture to me. Cars with worn-out dampers just oscillate over the big bumps and usually end up bouncing off the ground at some point. Not very safe. If your car is at stockish height, you have good dampers (which you do) and the springs aren't tarmac-stiff, it should be loads of fun. And if you want to remove the anti-roll bar during lunch at the rallyx (or school) to see what changes, you can use my garage.

To be honest, the clunk is a mystery. I have had the car on stands(actuating the suspension with a jack) and ramps. trying to rock parts, leaning on stuff with a crowbar trying to get something to move. It is either the sway bar unloads just a little and rattles in the bushing at one point in the suspension travel, or it is touching another part that moves quite a bit when the motor is running. Since it also does when I spin the tires on pavement, I think it is the exhaust contacting the bar.

I may put a skid plate under the front, something that can go on and off easy. I also need to get my intake up, so I am going to mod a spare airbox for that. I was thinking about some rock guards for the front fenders, to keep from ruining my paint. Ha, I kid, seriously, tho, to keep from throwing a lot of debris, I might salvage some old mudguards and cut them to fit the fender.

_________________
RedLanternRacing, builders of the fastest cars in last place.
Success is not an option.
1981 Scirocco, "Vera"