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EA subies as race cars "rally for dummies"

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I know that some of you are very into rallying your subes. I really don't know anything about rallying as far as the rules go. I also don't know which cars make good compettitors. I love to watch rally racing on tv, and I used to love to try to drive like those guys in my 4wd d/r 86 GL wagon on the fire roads in the mountains of VA when I was at JMU.

I was just looking at the pics from a rally out west. It seems to me that most of thee cars are pretty affordable. But I also couldn't help but notice that most of them, in stock form, on flat, dry pavement are faster than a stock EA sube.

So, my queston is, does an ea sube stand a chance? Do you get a handicap? What sort of mods can you make and what class will that put you in?

Thanks.

-Jack

 

ps, does anyone rally a wagon (not an imprezza or legacy)?

Brat's are cool cause they run (or did last I knew) in truck class. Nothing in the truck world can compete.... there are some supercharged durango's with 350 HP that can give em a run, but largely it's totally unfair as the Brat is a car with a truck bed. :grin:

 

GD

  • Author
Brat's are cool cause they run (or did last I knew) in truck class. Nothing in the truck world can compete.... there are some supercharged durango's with 350 HP that can give em a run, but largely it's totally unfair as the Brat is a car with a truck bed. :grin:

 

GD

 

What about a plymouth rampage or a vw rabbit truck? Would it be legal to put the turbo dodge omni powerplant into the rampage and race it that way? These are the type of things I am curious about. In sailboat racing everyone has a handicap and if you change certain things about the boat it affects your handicap rating. Some seeingly slow boats do real well because thye have high handicaps and are rule beaters in thier class, sort of like the Brat.

What about a plymouth rampage or a vw rabbit truck? Would it be legal to put the turbo dodge omni powerplant into the rampage and race it that way? These are the type of things I am curious about. In sailboat racing everyone has a handicap and if you change certain things about the boat it affects your handicap rating. Some seeingly slow boats do real well because thye have high handicaps and are rule beaters in thier class, sort of like the Brat.

 

You could, yes - since truck class is basically unlimited you can modify anything you want. But the rampage, and the rabbit would still be eaten alive by the Brat - neither are 4WD - let alone D/R.

 

Interesting that you mention the rampage - saw one just the other day. Weird vehicle, and from what I understand a huge peice of junk. Too bad, they look neat. The Rabbit is work horse for sure - especially with the diesel.

 

GD

  • Author

I don't doubt that the rampage is crap. And the rabbit truck is slow and gives up the short wheelbase that would seem to make a rabbit such a good race platform.

How much does 4wd help, esp 4lo? When would you go into low range?

well the 4 lo in the 4-speeds give you a lot more bottom end, plus it gives a closer ratio transmission. 3k rpms in 4-lo = 30 mph which is about the highest speed on a rallycross course if I'm not mistaken.

Truck class in rallycross is a thing of the past. SCCA in their inimitable wisdom:rolleyes: has queered the deal with new classes. Check the thread in meet/greet about the new regulations. My Brat will now run in Prepared AWD (one class up from stock and one down from modified). No provision made for engine displacement or weight. I'll still run with what I brung but SCCA's attempt to "open the sport to newcommers" will likely fall on its face since you will need to spend $$$$ to field a car that's competitive in class. And if the newcommers don't stand a chance of placing, they will not return to the sport.

Brat's are cool cause they run (or did last I knew) in truck class. Nothing in the truck world can compete.... there are some supercharged durango's with 350 HP that can give em a run, but largely it's totally unfair as the Brat is a car with a truck bed. :grin:

 

GD

  • Author

So is it a pipe dream to think that I can go out in an early 80s coupe and have a good time and maybe win a race or two without seriously tweaking the engine?

So is it a pipe dream to think that I can go out in an early 80s coupe and have a good time and maybe win a race or two without seriously tweaking the engine?

 

Have a good time? Absolutely.

 

Win a race or two? Eh, depends.

 

Remember, skill of the driver counts as much if not more than the car :-)

 

-=Russ=-

so there are no rules regarding engine size....so that means my EJ22 is legal in that class?

 

~Josh~

So is it a pipe dream to think that I can go out in an early 80s coupe and have a good time and maybe win a race or two without seriously tweaking the engine?
Syonyk is correct. You can still have a good time.....and the skill of the driver means a lot. My oldest son took 2nd overall at one rallycross with an '82 Brat, single barrel carter-weber carb, bad shocks all around (as a matter of fact he won the Truck class two years in a row without ever taking less than 1st in class). I'm not nearly as good, but I think I'll come in ahead of at least 50% of my "Prepared" class in the upcoming season. I do so enjoy coming in ahead of cars that have triple my horsepower and cost $10K or more than my car.

Depending on what else you've modified, you might still be legal in Stock AWD class. Check the regulations for what's allowed and what's not.

so there are no rules regarding engine size....so that means my EJ22 is legal in that class?

 

~Josh~

  • Author

How many classes are there and how are they divided? Do they seperate the stock cars by thier horsepower to weight ratio?

How many classes are there and how are they divided? Do they seperate the stock cars by thier horsepower to weight ratio?
Check the thread in the meet/greet section for the regs and you'll get all the details. But there are three classes: Stock, prepared, and modified. And each class is divided into RWD, FWD, and then 4(A)WD. What's allowed in each class is spelled out in the pdf.

Sorry duplicated post; firefox isn't as easy for me as IE. Besides this computer is so slooooooooow........

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