I'm an SCCA member and avid autocrosser for the last 3 years. I'm thinking of trying a few rallycross events later this year/next year in the SCCA Stock FWD class. My wife's current daily driver has been paid off for over two years, and we'll be buying a new vehicle for her later this Summer/Fall.

This is what I'll be working with - a 5spd 2002 Lancer ES with 150K miles on the odometer (which we bought new 7 years ago):



The car has a new OEM clutch, new brake pads and rotors. The stock wheels are 14x6" and came from the factory with 185/65/14 stock tires. She's been reliable to a fault and could take me to and from events while getting 35mpg's on the highway.

Looking over the 2009 rulebook, upgrades allowed in this class are minimal, and I'm thinking of the following:

• Light-weight catback exhaust (I'll probably use a muffler to keep it quiet for street driving)
• High flow panel air filter
• Snow tires mounted on the stock steelies - unsure of size (go down to 165 or up to a 205????)
• Non-adjustable KYB GR2 struts
• Front swaybar???? (go bigger or smaller - what's better for RallyX???)
• Engine & transaxle protector plate

This list of mods can be done for <1K. I really don't care if the car is competitive, I just want to have fun and kick up some dirt! I can't do anything until we buy the replacement, and the car may not be ready until this winter.

My current autocross co-driver from the DC region acquired a Saturn to run in this class and I have an open invitation to co-drive with him at a couple DC region rallycross events at Summit Point this year (hope to get some initial seat time this way).

Any experienced rallycrossers on here? I'm open to thoughts/ suggestions...

 

You want to be careful with steelies, I've seen them snap off just leaving the center and the lugs. Had a rim come flying down a hill at me after that happened once. Not a regular occurance but maybe you can find a set of used rims that would work better. OZ edition maybe.

If you're just there for fun then don't worry too much about the setup until you've run the car once, then figure out what your issues are as far as how the car handles. Skidplates are definately helpful but it depends on the course. I don't know about in the DC area but I would suggest at least a 3/16 thick piece. I know mine has saved the car several times. Some courses look smooth enough to run without them but even on those I've had hidden rocks clang up against it, especially if you go wide on a corner.

 

Awesome. Thanks for the info. Per SCCA RallyX rules, in the Stock FWD class I'll need to use a wheel the same specs as stock (14x6") within 9mm of stock offset. I can also convert my car to another trim from the same model year. As there was a an OZ rally edition available in '02, I could convert the ES model car to that and run the 15" wheels used on that model, but it may not be worth the expense.

I'll at least start with a skidplate, struts and snow tires. The original 150K OE struts are useless right now and should be replaced. Snow tires for 14" wheels are cheap (like $50 ea) and as you rightly pointed out, a skidplate is just good insurance. Interesting comments on the steel wheels - I figured they'd be rock solid and could take a beating.

Thanks.

P.S. Any advice on tire sizes - should I go up or down in size?

 

I've seen a car shed a steely at an event, so it happens. Get an extra steely and snow tire. Upgrade as cash allows.

The rest of your list looks good, you might want to talk to other stock competitors what snow tires work well and stay on the wheel. You probably want something like a 175 width tire, I'm only running 195 on my Evo.

Edit: Just noticed you're running 185, that should be just fine.

 

Gotcha - I'm looking into acquiring a second set of steelies. Good info on tire sizes. I was looking into 185 and narrower. Thanks.

 

Most of the time steelies work fine, so I'm not knocking them, but an extra couple would definately be a good thing. The one that snapped off and almost hit me at my work station was brand new, not old and crusty. In fact the car lost two on the same event.

I Second the 185, just make sure you put your tire pressure up enough that you don't roll it off the bead in a corner. That happens with snow tires. Happened to three seperate cars at the PSG rallyX in 07.

The other thing you might want to look at with the mileage on the car would be have your hubs, tie rods and important bushings checked and replaced if need be. Rallycross is rough on that stuff and having a tie rod or hub go mid course isn't much fun, I've done it.

You will have a good time, and that is paramount. As you get more resources and more practice then worry about the competition aspect of it, until then enjoy the dirt flying past your window.

 

Sounds good. I actually had the car checked over earlier this Spring by my mechanic as I was considering letting my 16 year old daughter drive it - I replaced the driver's side wheel bearing and both inner tie-rods at the time. However, I ended buying her a volvo instead.

I'll see what other wheels are available for the car in a 14x6" size. I care more about strength than anything else. I'm not even sure what the stock offset is on the wheel???

Btw, what do most rallycrossers do with their front swaybars? Run the stock one?

Thanks.

 

I have the stock swaybars but I'm running an Evo. I've seen some guys in Front driver run stock and some upgrade but I couldn't tell you what works better. I would start stock and go from there.

 

Thanks - I guess I'll talk to a few competitors when I'm out there and see what they say.

 

I personally can't understand why the rules were written the way they were. Stock Auto-x classes allow the use of race rubber, and IMO, rally-x should be the same. Snow tires on dirt are just plain unsafe, as you run the risk of de-beading tires if you run into a rut going sideways (which can roll a car). It happened recently at a Colorado event, and I'm willing to bet if the guy had been on rally tires the car might've stayed right-side up. The suspension on that particular car was also terrible as it wallowed more than a boat when turning.

If there are guys rallying in your area, hit them up, as you can often get smoking deals on true rally tires.

The suspension and skid plate sound like a good starting point. Have fun!

Dave

 

Dave,

I'd have to agree. I'm definitely going to pump up my tire pressures into the high 30's/low 40's to reduce the risk of a de-beading a tire. I'll keep my eye out for cheap snow tires. The Bridgestone Blizzak's seem to be the best from the reviews I've read.

Agree on suspension. I don't want to roll this car, and I feel running the 150K mile OE struts would be like rolling a dice. The KYB GR2's should hopefully reduce the rate of body roll enough to make the car stable on course. At least this is a car that if total it, I could walk away w/o batting an eye.

Looking forward to getting out there!

 

I'm sure someone in the Lancer forums here can tell you the offset, I wouldn't be surprised if it's +38 like the Evo, we might share the same spindles.

For the Evo, I run the OEM swaybars because if you look at the Ralliart specs, they recommend swaybars pretty much the same size as OEM for gravel.

Many people with FWD cars like yourself run no front swaybar and the OEM rear. This should be easy to see if you prefer this by just unbolting the front swaybar end links. Try and event with it connected, try an event unhooked, see which you prefer. You can try no sways too if you want to see what that is like, might be kinda understeer-y unless you're LFB-ing your way around the turn.

 

While I'm a huge blizzak fan (I work at the driving school they sponsor ), I think you'd tear them up so quickly, rally tires would end up being cheaper. If you're sold on snow tires, my recommendation would be to take a look at the Hankook I-Pike tire. I picked up a set of these a few weeks ago when it looked like our rally sprint was going to turn into a mud-fest since I didn't have any rally mud (paddle) tires. They've got nice open blocks and pretty soft tread, but nowhere near as gummy bear as a blizzak.

If cost is a major concern, consider that a set of used rally tires usually runs ~$200 or so and they'd easily last an entire rally-x season. If you went the blizzak route, you might need two sets to make it thru a season, and I think blizzaks are more than $50 each in a 15" size.

Oh...one more thing: If your local events tend to feature tons of tigh hairpins, you might consider getting one of the "drifter guy ebrake buttons" so you can yank the ebrake and have it fall back down.

Dave

 

Interesting. Well the "basic" Lancer ES model I'll be running has no rear swaybar. So I'll probably just stick with the stock FSB and make adjustments as I get more comfortable with how she handles.
I'd love rally tires, but they aren't allowed in the SCCA stock rallycross classes. So snow tires are the most competitive way to go. Definitely not sold on the Blizzak's. I'll definitely take a look at the Hankook I-Pike's! Thanks.

 

I ran winterforce for 2 years on my sa class Audi coupe. It won ner championship 2 years in row. Never a punchure or a debead at 48 lbs. Car regularly would have been on the podium in m4. There is a difference between snow tyres and ice tyres. Warren