Suzuki Swift / Chevy Aveo Rally Cars

So while I was at Tall Pines a couple of weeks ago. I saw a yellow Suzuki Swift+ that was driven by Jim and Rebecca Stevens. The car looked well prepared and had a FourStar sticker on the cage. I am assuming it the same car or a sister car of the one that the Sprongel's finished 4th overall a couple years ago at the times.

Does anyone know anything about the prep or what came under the hood of this car? And also how it compares to what was offered in the US? The car in the US was called a Chevy Aveo5. Or at least I am assuming it was since everything except the grill and badges are the same looking at pictures on autotrader.

I believe all the US models have a Daewoo 1.6 dohc rated at 103 hp and 107tq. Driving them those numbers feel very optimistic. A 1.6 Accent feels zippy in comparison.

So far I've a few in the shop for normal oil change stuff and 3 withh issues. Alll 3 are at around 60k and 2004 models. #1-Throttle position sensor failing, buy a $400 throttle body to fix.#2- Water pump failed, replace wp,timing belt and head gasket. #3-Valve cover leaks shorting spark plugs. Replace gasket (available only from dealer but only $16.

The early ones also have a real cheesy thermostat , tstat and housing are all in one and plastic. The plastic actually erodes away loosing the oring seal. Replacement aluminum housing from dealer is nearly $100 but a very nice piece.

Reportedly like Hyundai in the fact you shouldn't push the 60k mark without a tbelt/wpump replacement. Failures are common and expensive. Many parts are dealer only.

I always liked the Metro, while not really sophisticated they were durable and reliable. I'm not sensing that on the Aveo or Suziki cars out now.

Yup, Stevens car looks to be ex-Sprongl. It was a production car, meaning that it was supposedly pretty stock under the hood. I think Sprongls got 2nd overall at PN with it one year. I like to think that it was Franks skill and the snow that made the little Suzukis fight above their weight. Bill Bacon had some very good results with them as well. None of those guys are big Rally Anachists, but all would probably love to tell you about the Suzukis.

---

Ted Mendham
www.rensport.net

I was talking to Frank about the cars when they were still in thier first year of running. He loved them. He said things like "I learn more in this car than I ever did driving the EVO" and "It's got 110HP, there's no need for a LSD - theres nothing to put to the ground anyways". They had the cars torn apart at tech after PN. I don't think people bleived the results were real. Frank's mom said "Nobody beats my Frankie in the snow!"

(I'm paraphrazing, but you get the point)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2009 03:07PM by Daniel Buehler.

Yep, Jim Stevens car is ex-Sprongle car. He also got the spares from the other car. In fact the ramining car was originally Bill Bacon's, but when Frank wrecked his car out west, he took over the Bacon car... the other shell was crushed.

So if you decide to build one Jim Stevens has lots of spare parts...

-Martin.

i owned a 2000 Daewoo Lanos Hatchback. cheapest car for that year believe it or not. i drove it till about 90,000 miles with the GM sourced 1.6 and blew the timing belt. i pulled the motor, installed a junkyard motor for like $300 over the winter. in the spring i took my sawzall and cut the roof off, removed carpet, removed ALL sound deadening under hood, both sides of firewall, floor sound deadening, ect... removed all plastic body pannels except doors and dash....... by the time i was done the car raised 2-2.5 inches and weighed next to nothing. i put a big air filter right at the intake.

i then drove my convertible, or converted, deawoo from NY down to Florida. drove it from NY to West Virginia. drove it to work every day for a few months. i even took it out durring the winter after snow storms, armed with snow balls. i would hunt down kids playing in the snow- stop- stand up on the seat and throw snowballs at them and drive off. great fun!

car pulled and revved like crazy. most probably due to the light weight.

decent motor. the tranny i blew all the sychro's out. grinded into gear for every gear but never failed. (quick shifting caused that)

fun motor, fun little daewoo.

ITS DAT WOO WOO!

lots of pictures: http://rides.webshots.com/album/318346332gmPAdR

brianallmotor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i owned a 2000 Daewoo Lanos Hatchback. cheapest
> car for that year believe it or not. i drove it
> till about 90,000 miles with the GM sourced 1.6
> and blew the timing belt. i pulled the motor,
> installed a junkyard motor for like $300 over the
> winter. in the spring i took my sawzall and cut
> the roof off, removed carpet, removed ALL sound
> deadening under hood, both sides of firewall,
> floor sound deadening, ect... removed all plastic
> body pannels except doors and dash....... by the
> time i was done the car raised 2-2.5 inches and
> weighed next to nothing. i put a big air filter
> right at the intake.
>
> i then drove my convertible, or converted, deawoo
> from NY down to Florida. drove it from NY to West
> Virginia. drove it to work every day for a few
> months. i even took it out durring the winter
> after snow storms, armed with snow balls. i would
> hunt down kids playing in the snow- stop- stand up
> on the seat and throw snowballs at them and drive
> off. great fun!
>
> car pulled and revved like crazy. most probably
> due to the light weight.
>
> decent motor. the tranny i blew all the sychro's
> out. grinded into gear for every gear but never
> failed. (quick shifting caused that)
>
> fun motor, fun little daewoo.
>
> ITS DAT WOO WOO!
>
> lots of pictures:
>
>

I like this guy .. LOL..

David

Hazardous Toys inc

Daniel Buehler Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> "I learn more in
> this car than I ever did driving the EVO" and
> "It's got 110HP, there's no need for a LSD -
> theres nothing to put to the ground anyways".
>
>
>
> Edited 1 times. Last edit at Dec 4, 2009 by
>

Very cool statement ...

I had to to go low car racing and old motorcycle racing ...Do to family and customers ... Man I wise I would of done that at 19 years old ...Really upped my skillz's....Slow cars you can't give up .. And if you make a mistake in a slow car your race is over ..Pray for down hills and really work at getting it right on up hills ..

Old bikes you never give up do to the fact there always trying to kill you ..

David

Hazardous Toys inc

brianallmotor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> i owned a 2000 Daewoo Lanos Hatchback.... in the spring i took my sawzall and cut
> the roof off, removed carpet, removed ALL sound
> deadening under hood, both sides of firewall,
> floor sound deadening, ect... removed all plastic
> body pannels except doors and dash....... by the
> time i was done the car raised 2-2.5 inches and
> weighed next to nothing. i put a big air filter
> right at the intake.
>
> i then drove my convertible, or converted, deawoo
> from NY down to Florida. drove it from NY to West
> Virginia. drove it to work every day for a few
> months. i even took it out durring the winter
> after snow storms, armed with snow balls. i would
> hunt down kids playing in the snow- stop- stand up
> on the seat and throw snowballs at them and drive
> off. great fun!
>
>
>
> fun motor, fun little daewoo.
>
> ITS DAT WOO WOO!
>
> lots of pictures:
>
>

This would only be more perfect if it had a big red Rally Anarchy symbol spray painted on the door.

You know, I've always thought that the Aveo looked like a great little candidate rally car.

---

Grant Hughes

NoCoast Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You know, I've always thought that the Aveo looked
> like a great little candidate rally car.
agreed, i once got my ass handed to me by a Geo Storm 16v, that thing was sick. just saying.

I liked the SX4 when I was thinking of a P class killer. Then I realized nobody races P class...

There's also that Nissan Versa, the $9,990 sedan version. I still don't get how the hatch is $13k, much like the Fiesta hatch is a $2,000 markup over the sedan version. I mean really? I don't want to pay 2-3k more for the same car...

I'm not even considering a purchase of a Fiesta anymore. I don't want to spend $17k (after what I feel are essential options + tax and delivery) on a small car.

BillyElliot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There's also that Nissan Versa, the $9,990 sedan
> version. I still don't get how the hatch is $13k,
> much like the Fiesta hatch is a $2,000 markup over
> the sedan version. I mean really? I don't want
> to pay 2-3k more for the same car...

pretty funny given the fact that all the automakers constantly complain that hatchbacks just don't sell in the US because people don't want them...

---

____________________________________________________________-

One. Class -- 2WD

www.quantumrallysport.com

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Quantum-Rally-Sport/281129179600?ref=nf

BillyElliot Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I liked the SX4 when I was thinking of a P class
> killer. Then I realized nobody races P class...
>
> There's also that Nissan Versa, the $9,990 sedan
> version. I still don't get how the hatch is $13k,
> much like the Fiesta hatch is a $2,000 markup over
> the sedan version. I mean really? I don't want
> to pay 2-3k more for the same car...
>
> I'm not even considering a purchase of a Fiesta
> anymore. I don't want to spend $17k (after what I
> feel are essential options + tax and delivery) on
> a small car.

The 9,990 sedan is a price point car. It has no A/C, no ABS, etc. The hatch also comes with a 122HP motor vs. the 108HP in the 9,990 car. If you get the sedan is at similar equipment level to the lowest hatch which is the "S" the price difference is $50. It would be nice to see a completely striped hatch as well but maybe people who buy small hatches are more up market than the sedans. Seen with the popularity of the Mini and Fit.

The Fiesta pricing is nearly identical to the Fit which doesn't seem to have any issues selling as a hatch.





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/09/2009 10:26AM by Andrew_Frick.

Frickin auto makers just have their heads up their asses. Honda, VW, Mini, Kia, Hyundai, Ford all manage to sell hatchbacks just fine.

At some point THEY decided that station wagons were no longer needed, especially in the smaller import line, so we got mini vans. Toyotas you couldn't find the motor in, Nissans that burned to the ground, Aerostars (whoohoo) and so on. Now we have tall mini vans with long noses...hmmm, look a lot like station wagons.

Other than the price Mazda should get an Emmy or something for the Speed3. 30 years from now some kid will be out in the street with one, roof cut off, fenders rusted to the max and laying down football long burnouts until the torbo blows...