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rally set up

9K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  Tuminatuh 
#1 ·
ok so i am looking to get into rally, starting with the rally cross. gonna get a new ride to dedicate to that. my question is what should i go for in terms of suspension (how should it be set up), what about wheels, weight, power, etc
input is appreciated
 
#2 ·
first, remove the sway bars.

budget will dictate this. the 1st i would do is a Limited slip differential and may a southbends rally clutch. but AT LEAST the differential. you won't run stage rally's for a while, but you will do a lot better in rally crosses w/ them.

the next is the wheels and brakes. you will want a 15" wheel which means sacrificing the svt brakes for a rally brake kit. then get some good dedicated rally dirt tires.

next, suspension. go w/ the standard hotbits 2 way adjustable or full canister setup. about a 4-600 dollar difference. IIRC, hotbits are 1700 for the pair.

seeing as how you have an SVT, you don't need to do anything else for power. if you really wanna, get an ORP/tune. but thats about it.

after you do those, you can start playing w/ adjustable camber/caster. i like 4* up front and 2 in the rear. but thats something you will have to play w/.

next you will play with poly bushings.

thats about the extent of what you will be doing w/o dropping 20-30k into the car.

leave the motor as it is. you don't need more power. in fact, in true rally, if ur inexperienced, power is what will seriously get you into trouble. the beginner rally guys, use alot of older 100-110 hp vw's. they are still extremely fast. but its cause they have car control and not power. do not get sucked into having a high hp rally car. cause unless ur a stake holder in DC shoes, ur prolly not ready for it! lol
 
#4 ·
well, it really sucks when you put 10k plus into a car, and its a piece of work and 2 miles into the 1st stage you wrap it around a tree. the general rule of thumb is, buy ur first rally car, and build ur 2nd after you know what you want!
 
#5 ·
To start in rallycross you actually need to do very little. Just about any car is capable of competing in this format. Fresh inexpensive shocks are helpful but not necessary. For tires an all season one with an aggressive tread pattern will work or use some cheap snow tires. Cooper (winter/weather master) are one of the better ones for Rallycross as they have two ply sidewalls and therefore a little less chance of rolling the bead off. No downside to using a rally tire but they usually throw you into a different class all by themselves. Use rallycross to develop driving skills like learning how to break the rear end loose when you want and how to gather it back up (aka the Scandinavian flick) and concentration.

Building a car for stage rally is a whole different ballgame and requires deep pockets. In the long run its initially better to buy a sorted used rally car (this advise coming from someone who built their first car). It's SOOOOOOO much cheaper!!!! I was convinced I could do it on a shoestring after the same advise given above was given to me. Guess what...they were right and I was very very wrong.
 
#8 ·
well i was not really planning on tackling full blown rally events just maybe some rallyx to start and get my bearings, the idea of taking even a mundane car stripping it out and making it feel like a god (as in just have some fun) on the dirt track is very appealing!!!
 
#11 ·
removing the sways will keep you're bite on the tires better on gravel, thus not lifting the inside tires. body roll will allow you to put the force on the tires when you need them instead of keeping the car level and sliding out from under you. When you remove them, you can bite on gravel better, IE, scandinavian flick, left foot brake in throttle, and the front 2 tires will grab harder. and it will allow you to control the rears better. If you run sways, you want smaller sways. not svt's. IIRC, dillon didn't have ways on his SVT. but i could be wrong. i just didn't remember him running them at LSPR.
 
#12 ·
There's another problem that needs to be addressed when you remove the sways. You need to figure out some way to reduce maximum suspension droop (far more important for full stage rally vs. rallycross but still a potential problem in the latter). Sways can usually do this but I agree that big sways are rarely needed and no sways (at least up front) are generally the way to go. You may need to consider using suspension limiting straps or cables. If you don't, things like springs can literally fall out of their seats or worse yet.... half shafts can fall out or separate! I had to put straps on the rear axle of my RX7 to keep the drive shaft from pulling out of the transmission.
 
#13 ·
For rally cross just run stock suspension until you get good, then look into switching. My subaru wagon does great on gravel with 04 sti struts prodrive springs and the stock tiny sway bars. Once you get to stage rally then you will be looking at modifying suspension geometry anyhow so don't sweat it for rallyX just go have fun and focus your driving.
 
#14 ·
You don't need to do much with an SVT to do half-way decent in RallyX... I'd say get some new shocks (just some replacement Ford Racing ones would do quite well), 16" wheels with some cheap mud/snow tires, and remove some weight.

There's no need for serious modifications if you are doing it solely for fun!
 
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