There seems to be more interest in RallyX and I've been getting questions about what front brakes I'm running in order to clear 15" gravel wheels, so I thought I'd start a thread where the discussion is all about RallyX car setup. Information isn't that easy to come by so hopefully this will help some people out.

And if you're new to the sport, just get some all-seasons or snow tires, and run in stock class. You don't need to be stupid like me and blow a bunch of cash on your car to have fun and improve your driving.

That said, here is a testimony to my stupidity -- what I've done to my Evo IX RS to-date -- and I run in M4 by-the-way:

Interior:
* Sparco Evo seats w/ Sparco aluminum side-rails
* Custom Sublime seat bases
* Works/Bell standard length Splash steering hub adapter
* Sparco steering quick release
* Sparco 375 steering wheel
* Gutted interior

Suspension:
* Hotbits DT2 double-adjustable coilovers. 55-250 front springs, 60-200 rear springs. (First number is N-mm second is length in mm, length doesn't include tender springs)

Brakes:
* Wilwood forged Dynalite calipers w/ 1.75" pistons, 32x298mm Wilwood rotors, Wilwood stainless steel front flex lines (Very similar to what's available from AMS with their "Lightweight Front Brake Kit")

Wheels/Tires/Hub
* Enkei ES-Gravel wheels - 15x7 35mm offset (Discontinued, supplanted by the RC-G4)
* Michelin 17/65-15 ZAL/R 81 medium compound gravel tires
* ARC extended wheel studs
* Kyokugen open ended lug nuts
* http://www.wheeladapter.com/ 10mm wheel spacers x 4

Etc:
* RallyArmor mud flaps (Flap material soon to be replace with 3mm polyurethane due to breakage in cold weather)
* Evo VIII rear wing

Brakes
The biggest question seems to be what to do in order to fit 15" gravel wheels to the Evo so you can run gravel tires. The OEM rear brakes clear 15" wheels just fine, so you have some choices with the fronts.

* AMS Lightweight Front Brake Kit: This is pretty much what I run

* Euro Evo RS brakes: These are 2-piece hydraulic/mechanical brakes as found on the RS in Europe. They're heavy, but they should work fine. They were the only homologated option until the recently homologated and uber pricey Brembos.

* A/P Racing: Many competitors in U.S. rally use the CP 3720 caliper for front brakes on Evos, and Cascade Autosport can build you a kit

* Alcon Advantage: EARS UK offers a kit based on the Alcon Advantage line of calipers, but I don't know much about it.

* Homologated Brembos: Really, really pricey. You can see them on the Ralliart Italy site.

* Custom: Can always roll your own.

Be aware that you might need to run a spacer, and attendant longer wheel studs to fit your 15" gravel wheels. I have to run a 10mm spacer to avoid caliper interference. Many teams run small spacers in Rally America from what I've read on Special Stage, and it's not a problem. Read about spacers over there if you're worried.

Suspension
There's a lot of choices out there depending on your budget, and if you're going to spend big bucks, I'd suggest getting opinions on http://www.specialstage.com/ before you write your check. Everything below is rally-specific, and there's probably some other options I'm not aware of:

Economical:
* Hotbits DT2
* JVAB Sooper *****in Bilsteins -- You can find out about these on Special Stage
* Tein HG

Middle Range:
* RS&SP -- These seem to be a really good choice for a middle range damper: sturdy, triple adjustable, well made, available HBS, about same price DMS. RalliSpec is the N/A distributor.
* DMS 50mm

Expensive:
* Reiger
* Ohlins GrN
* Proflex Jumbo
* EXE-TC

On the subject of suspension, here's recommended spring rates and sway bars from Ralliart's Mario Fornaris:

Reading
There's a bunch of good articles here: http://www.rallysport.on.ca/index.ph....details&id=65
Read ACP's article "Differentials: Why They Matter For Rally" before you waste your money on a Quaife for RallyX. The "Rally Driving: The Basics" is really good too.

Parts
Here's some of my favorite places to lust over rally parts:

USA:
* Davenport Racing: http://www.davenportracingusa.com/
* RalliSpec: http://www.rallispec.com/
* Checkpoint: http://www.cp-racing.com/
* Sube Sports: http://www.subesports.com/
* Cascade Autosport: http://www.cascadeautosport.com/
* Dentsport Garage: http://www.dentsport.com/
* Libra Racing: http://www.libraracing.com/
* Rally Classified: http://www.rallyclassified.com/
* Compomotive USA: http://www.usacomp.com/
* Susquehanna: http://www.rallylights.com/
* Rally Innovations: http://www.rallyinnovations.com/

Canada:
* Four Star: http://www.fourstarmotorsports.com/
* Rocket Rally: http://www.rocketrally.com/

Overseas:
* Demon Tweaks: http://www.demon-tweaks.co.uk/
* Station Garage Arnside: http://www.stationgaragearnside.co.uk/
* ADR Motorsport: http://www.adrmotorsport.com/
* Rally Nuts: http://www.rallynuts.com/
* EARS Motorsport: http://www.ears.co.uk/
* Rallycarsforsale.net: http://www.rallycarsforsale.net/
* Ralliart Italy: http://www.ralliart.it/
* M-Tech Composites: http://www.m-techcomposites.co.uk/
* RallyTech Composites: http://www.rallytech.co.uk/

 

Nice info and write up ... jsut started looking into this today.

 

Great write up.

 

Good list of rally resources - glad to see Checkpoint on the list!

Do you know who offers the front brake upgrades? I'm looking for something for stage rally, so the dynalite calipers won't work for me, but I'm hoping not to shell out $3k for new front brakes.

Will the rear stock brakes clear any 15" wheel, or are there only certain ones that will fit?

I'm planning on replacing my stock booster & MC with a Willwood dual master cyl with balance bar, so if I could find a good set of front brakes that would match with the stock rears, that would be terrific.

Dave

 

As mentioned, before the Brembos were homologated, the only game in town was Euro RS brakes, and those were good enough for all those GrN cars in the PWRC. You can get Euro RS brakes for all 4 corners for less than $3K.

Stock rear brakes clear 15" wheels no problem.

But if you're selecting your own master cylinders, and are including a balance bar, I don't see why you couldn't get the balance where you want it no matter what front brakes you choose.

But you should talk to Cascade, Dentsport, VT Sportscar, Slowboy Racing and possibly RalliSpec. The first 4 have all built competitive Evos for SCCA ProRally/Rally-America. Tell them your budget, and I'm sure they can hook you up with the best brakes for what you want to spend.

I'm just a RallyX guy, for something as important as brakes I'd consult the experts. How's that for delegating responsibility?

 

One note on Proflex.

Please be very very careful with how you source these. We bought a set for our rally car and paid dearly for them. We did not bother to tear them down when we got them and ran a full season prior to getting into them to find out they were all mismatched and more than a bit out of sorts.

We thought it was just the poor VW chassis and rear suspension geometry but after getting things rebuilt the car actually drove well. Go figure.

 

Another brake setup that i have seen on a couple rally cars in Rally America.. Are Subaru Calipers. If you really dont care that they say subaru, its an option.

I use the mudflap material from susquehanna motorsports. i have been told of a person in southern california that can get the jdm evo rs brakes (evo VI i believe) for a fairly reasonable price.

Rallyinnovations.com now has light bars for our cars if your into that kinda setup. its not on their website yet, just email them...

 

Any idea if these are bolt-in affairs, or if a bunch of fabrication is required?

Thanks,

Dave

 

Okay, I asked AMS to give the Evo crowd an affordable front gravel brakes solution:

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/sh...35#post5283935

Chime in over on that thread if you'd be interested in their small brake kit, but with calipers more suitable for hill climbs and stage rally.

 

Kick ***! Hopefully they will look into it.

I've heard the willwoods don't use dust boots on the calipers? Any truth to this? If so, have you seen any premature wear as a result?

Thanks,

Dave

 

The Wilwoods don't use dust boots, and I've had zero problems with them. The heat you're going to throw at your brakes is going to turn any dust boot to carbon anyway, so I don't think having them would help you anyway.

I got some used Euro Evo RS brakes that had been on a stage rally car, and the boots were just a burned up memory.

 

awesome thread i love rallyx but i also love track im still on stock suspension because i cant decide lol

 

Nice write up for getting started.
I checked out a couple of the vendors sites and saw a few of them offer Peltor products.
I work for Peltor Communications doing technical service and we offer a bunch of stuff for communications for rally applications between driver/co driver and pit.
I just wanted to let you guys know if you have any questions about any of our stuff to let me know. We do NOT sell direct, so you still have to go through a vendor, but I will still answer questions. I can NOT give ANY pricing.

 

This is the best thread I've found on this site by far. Cheers to you Wheelgap! And thank you for such a good writeup and list of resources!

 

I got tired of waiting for some one to come up with something so I built my own.




On a side note.... Awesome thread!! Very informative as I am one of the ones who has asked what you are running for front brakes. Talked to cascade a few times but not too sure how much I want to fork out yet. Thanks a million.