Okay, so I'm going to a rally-x in Palm Beach in a couple weeks, and thought maybe I should do a bit of prep to ensure a good outing. I'll be driving the 3+ hours there, no tow vehicle, no support crew (though a guy local to the event has offered worst-case-scenario assistance if needed).

Pretend I'm an idiot... what do I need to bring, what prep should I do, what should I not do?

Tips and advice much appreciated.




BTW, the car is an XR4TI, Spax springs and "adjustable" dampers, 17x7 Team Dynamic wheels with 215/40 ContiProContacts, Rapido sway bars, 3.15 BMW E36 LSD (thanks as always Sean!), Cossie IC, Saab 900 radiator w/dual fans, Cossie turbine housing, 3" exhaust, blah, blah, blah... runs good and cool.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/2011 01:22PM by worked_xr.

BTW, I've mounted my air intake and filter in the passenger wheelwell/bumper area. Should I relocate it to the engine compartment to avoid dust/dirt/gravel/mud. It's got a rather basic-halfass splash guard on it, but maybe I should make something more enclosure-like?

I would not worry too much about the air filter unless there is standing water. Same prep as you would do for an autocross, all fluids, nothing loose ect. Don't over drive the car, slow down to go fast ect. The few rally crosses I have done seem to be a bit tighter than an autocross. You would be better off with some more compliant tire/rim combo, like a 15" with some all seasons. Those Conti's will hook up in dry packed stuff, but not be zoo great in loose, and absolutely useless if they water the track.

Have fun!!

Thanks Sean. My search continues for a cheap set of 185/65 M+S in 15s (~$100 is my limit), but haven't lucked into any. I still haven't found any cheap Saab wheels either, but I do have that set of Enkei mesh wheels laying around. And really good advice about not over-driving the car, especially 3 hours from home. I have complete confidence in the car, but I'm not always so confident in my own ability to not do something completely stupid (afterall, there were those 50 gallon drum and dirt ditch/embankment incidents at the last rally-x I did).

Should I add a couple tow-eyes for good measure? Wanna recommend some?

Lose the swaybars.

Really? Car is pretty darn balanced with them with very very mild understeer. How would removing the sway bars effect the car at the rally-x?

They work by lifting one wheel or the other, connecting the 2 sides of the car.. which is usually fine on tarmac but lifting wheels on loose surfaces ain't for the best. Traction being more important than bodyroll, I took the advice of others and removed swaybars and watched stage times go down. I don't see how a rallyx would be different. If anything a rallyx might rut out more than a stage road and having max suspension compliance may be even more important.


How's yer skidplate?

What skidplate? No, seriously, do you think I need one (or two or three)? It's an SCCA event, and they claim that their courses are designed with regular street cars (and novices) in mind. I've been considering adding a skidplate or two in anticipation of getting a bit more serious about it, but I thought I'd go without for this event.

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worked_xr
What skidplate? No, seriously, do you think I need one (or two or three)? It's an SCCA event, and they claim that their courses are designed with regular street cars (and novices) in mind. I've been considering adding a skidplate or two in anticipation of getting a bit more serious about it, but I thought I'd go without for this event.

Sump guard if its gunna do anything is going to take some fabbing. Just the mounts gonna take fabbing.
Its for serious ROCK impact..
You'll be o sandy dirst, or dirty sand.
Don't worry.

Concentrate on finding some tires with some voids and square shoulders.

Or groove some.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Just got back from a kickass two day rallycross thingy four hours from here.

You're going to be sitting in a hot car for eight or nine hours of drive time, and you're going to be standing in the sun or sitting in a hot car for six or seven hours of rallycross time. Fluids, fluids, and something to eat too. (I didn't)

Have at least a half-tank when you get there. (I did!)

Don't forget your damn pressure gauge/spare oil and water and have a (filled) air tank if possible. (I didn't)

IMO, if you don't have good springs/shocks, leave the sway bars on. Cars get all squirrely when you take those off and don't make up for it. Squirrely and then it gets extra dicey when the suspension bottoms out, which will happen even with the swaybars on unless you're running on a pool table smooth surface that doesn't degrade.

Don't worry about speed. Worry about not hitting shit. That's why a dicey/squirrely car is bad.

The Megasquirt box in my car turned into a Sortasquirt after I fried the PWM transistor. Car ran like dogshit for a few runs, then it became towrope powered. I hopped into a Civic that was not technically legal for my class, but nobody cared so I ran it. HOLY MOTHER OF GOD THAT CAR WAS FAST. Stripped out EG Civic with some sort of B-series engine. Pulled like a sack of angry gorillas. But what it had in scary-good acceleration it was equaled in just plain scary handling. Steering was slow, back end was way too light, and I wasn't ever sure if the car was going to rotate, plow, or spin when applying the brakes. (Did I mention the SLOW steering?)

The funny part: The two drivers of that car jumped into a completely stock 2.2l Cavalier (suspension failure in the Honda) and the runs they made in that maybe 90hp turdbox were faster because the Cavalier would go where they wanted it to go instead of kinda hoping and praying that it would be sort of going the right direction when they mashed the go-pedal.

make sure screws holding your air filter assembly for the weber are tight else they might get in your engine . ask me how i know.

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Gravity Fed
make sure screws holding your air filter assembly for the weber are tight else they might get in your engine . ask me how i know.

Say Alex, how do ya knows?

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

No one mentioned a couple of spare tires. I know at the Boise Rallyx's there seems to be at least one flat an event due to debeading. I'm not sure how common it is at other locations though.

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shiza
No one mentioned a couple of spare tires. I know at the Boise Rallyx's there seems to be at least one flat an event due to debeading. I'm not sure how common it is at other locations though.

VERY common.

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

That's what the air tank is for.