MrChaos said:In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
are you going to have a set or more of pre drilled hubs and rotors on hand at all events just in case something happens?
I would probably do what I did with the Merkur- replace what's on the car currently and keep the old stuff as spares. So yes, although it won't all be brand new. As an added bonus, unlike the Merkur, nearly every component on this car is the same on both sides so in a way I'll have two spares where previously I would have only had one.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:Clearly my intention deep down is to be the level of awesome that requires 40+ rally tires.
After seeing the tire rack in the parts room yesterday, it doesn't look like you have too much farther to go to reach that number. 
Maybe I'm not in the right mindset for this, but ~$1000 to never have to deal with spacers or modifying rotors and hubs, plus having awesome bulletproof rally wheels seems like the right choice. Yeah the extra up front expense sucks but the long term payoff in simplicity and reliability seems worth it.
In reply to dps214 :
I do still have to "modify" hubs with different studs no matter which way I go, because Subaru wheel hardware is made of cheese, but I see your point. I have destroyed a few wheels so far rallying exclusively on OEM takeoffs from other cars, mostly by either driving on a flat or hitting a rock really hard, and I don't have a good feel for whether the pricey rally wheels would have survived the same scenario or not.
If the rally wheels would survive the flat or rock hit, good investment. If not, it just makes that failure $200 more expensive. I can't say I've ever felt that I've lost time due to using OEM wheels, and I've never had a wheel failure stop the car.
Installed ground straps, started car. No check engine light, seems to run better, still taps in a way I don't like. It's in good shape to visit the dealer for the recall, I think.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:Installed ground straps, started car. No check engine light, seems to run better, still taps in a way I don't like. It's in good shape to visit the dealer for the recall, I think.
ima guess the tapping is one of the so called bad valve springs that have failed
In reply to MrChaos :
That would be amazing, wouldn't it? I think no matter what they're going to find whatever it is when they get it apart to replace them.
hopefully its a new longblock
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ said:I'm going to try and resist the urge to buy fun parts for it until the engine is sorted out. I will probably fail.
Oops.
Oh hell yeah!
Your bad as me!
Looking forward to your upper mounts. For reasons. I've seen it done a few times but I'd like to see how you do it.
That thing on the left is an AFCO 21 series shock, intended for big heavy dirt track cars. I figured I should just order one to measure it, but then one thing (Speedway 10% off) led to another (Sara saying "we're doing this anyway, right?") and now I have two of them with springs and what I hope is the correct (4-6) valving.
The 4-6 valving is both a) what I came up with by doing some math starting with the published gravel Escort setup, and b) recommended by AFCO for the right rear of dirt track cars in "rough, loose" conditions. Close enough to start with!
Speedway has had some awesome deals the last few months due to the covid.
i see you are trying to make me pick up a rallycross car.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
I think I'm probably going to do the whole thing out of sheet metal, designed with the intent to double as a cage backstay foot in the future. The alternative plan would be to use large diameter steel tubing like TRF does to form the main tower, and then cap it with the mount like so:
That's kind of what I thought. Difference being that I can use that style of shock both front and rear in my car because double A arm. Still watching to see how it goes.
Method Race Wheels is having a 15% off sale right now. Just saying...
https://www.methodracewheels.com/blogs/news/friends-and-family-sale
In reply to thatsnowinnebago (Forum Supporter) :
I know... but I just spent $50 on these instead:
There are a few factors that have come together in favor of these 15" VW Avus wheels (which I wouldn't have even known to look at without Ian, thank you!):
So with that, a test fit. Another thing I like about these is that, although the clearance is near zero, they will physically fit on the car without spacers- so if something stupid happens and I find myself missing a spacer, the likelihood of a stuck piece of gravel damaging the tie rod or caliper goes up, but the car doesn't get stranded.
I stacked some washers to approximate spacers- looks like a little over 10mm gets the tie rod clear and the caliper out of the tight part of the barrel- and bolted the wheels up.
Front:
Tie rod:
Caliper:
Rear:
Caliper:
I may end up needing wheel scrapers but we'll see, these actually have pretty decent clearance all things considered.
the main thing that concerns me with the twins is the engine reliability. The subaru people in the local regions rallycross and going through tons of engines. on their 4th or 5th engines in their cars. I know there seems to be a decent increase of 350z's at least in the close regions, since they can be had cheap and though they might consume oil, that is normal for those engine. The weight penalty might be worth it for reliability.
In reply to MrChaos :
I looked pretty hard at the 350/370z for this- and while I wouldn't hesitate to use one for rallycross, the suspension design is horrible for stage rally. Aluminum links/uprights/subframes, very little travel, heavy for their size, no thanks.
The Subaru engine worries me too, but it's easier to swap an engine than it is to correct all of the weaknesses of the Z chassis when it comes to suspension travel and durability.
If you guys want I can actually make a post detailing the other rwd cars I considered prior to picking this one, and why I ultimately didn't choose them.
In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
sure that would be nice, and iirc the g35's and g35x's have steel subframes iirc
I am also considering a 2011 or newer mustang.
OK. To understand the driving factors here, first you have to know what I want- so here are the big ones:
What I'm trying to do here is set myself up to have a reasonably competitive car that I can just drive the piss out of and not constantly be chasing issues like I did (and still do) on the Merkur. If I have to replace an engine here, a suspension link there, no big deal as long as it's all somewhat consistent.
Here are other platforms I looked at before winding up on the FRS/BRZ/86:
RX8- Cheap, good amount of interior space, front suspension geometry not terrible. But the rear suspension is a short travel disaster, and the suspension attachments to the body are all tiny and flimsy, and the brakes are too big to fit in a 15" wheel, and I honestly think the supply of these cars will dry up in 5 years once all the cheap ones have finally been scrapped.
S197 Mustang- Cheap, good amount of interior space, simple suspension design which is all steel and relatively easy to reinforce, looks like V6 brakes can fit a 15" wheel with some experimentation. Ultimately I decided not to go this route because heavy and (relatively) high powered cars eat tires and break components, I still think it could be a viable option if you have a large tire budget or aren't feeling particularly competitive.
Earlier Mustangs- Lighter than the S197 but garbage suspension geometry and they're getting harder to find in reasonable shape.
FB or FC RX7- Another really strong contender but they're short on interior space and getting harder to find parts for.
350/370Z- Cheap, drivetrain seems pretty strong, but oh god the suspension. Yeah, you can replace stuff with steel but take a look at the front uprights with that crazy long swan neck thing and tell me you trust that to land a jump a couple dozen times.
Genesis- See previous entry.
318ti- I thought pretty hard about this but when it comes down to it, I just don't like BMWs very much. This is an actual good option that I skipped just because of personal preference.
Other BMW platforms- Dumb when the 318ti exists, since e30s are getting more expensive and the newer stuff suffers from the same weight and suspension problems as most other newer things.
F-Body, GTO, Other Muscle Car Platforms not mentioned- Heavy. Really, really heavy.
Various trucks- Potentially a good option, especially if you're happy not being competitive and running A/Ts instead of rally tires. Not what I want right now.
Metric Chassis GM- Another one I actually really considered, since the dirt track world has developed every component imaginable for these. Same consumables problem as the other V8 stuff though, and probably not really what I'd enjoy driving.
Cool Older Small Things- Celica, Corolla, Datsun, etc. The problem here is that, while the formula for prepping this general type of car is pretty well spelled out by the many rally Escorts in the world, it's all going to be custom stuff grafted to a shell that will only get harder and more expensive to replace. Still cool, maybe some day, but when it comes down to it I want to rally a lot, and rallying an awesome car less is... less.
MR2- I like these, but not for stage rally. It's hard to fit in one with a cage, and the only competitive one I've seen crashed a LOT.
XR4Ti- I don't really like driving mine, why would I want another?
Volvo 240- These used to be "the answer" but I really think they're going to be very hard to find in a few years.
These are just what immediately comes to mind, but I've been chewing on this question for years so if there's another car you're looking at feel free to ask about it.
In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
So the s197 II's are what i am looking at right now. aka the 2011-14 mustang. still solid rear but with the better engines.
also the off chance i find a cheap G-body el camino
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