Buying a RWD for Rallycross. Advice much welcome!

In reply to Jerry:

Yeah this last weekend with DET SCCA I took FTD RWD with my rx7, the engine has been on its last leg for a year. I also beat AWD FTD too

It dyno'd at 132whp a few years ago, now it struggles to start. 4th out of 10th. Just add lightness and it equates to competitiveness.

ChrisTheSwede wrote: In reply to irish44j: So, I'm continuing my hunt for a starter Rallycross RWD... I just stumbled upon two BMW 318is (a '91 and a '95), both for a fair price, and I'm thinking that maybe I should give the little boxes from Bavaria a chance after all. Would you say the IS is a good base for Stock/Prepared? Thanks again for the advice, if you have any questions about Volvo 122s let me know.

I would say "yes." My car is an early 318 (with the wimpy M10 engine). I've swapped it to the M42 (the engine in the '91 318), so essentially I have a '91. We had a '91 318is that was pretty much stock running in PR last year and it did well. In stock stock a 318is would be one of my top choices for sure since it's pretty light from the start (~2500lbs).

If you found a '91 iS, that's even better since the stock suspension is better than the non-S model (should have bilsteins) and it has the sport seats which are way better than the non-sports. I'd go with the e30 vs the e36 318. The e36 is heavier without much more power, and a slightly better rear suspension geometry.

I like the e30 because they're so solidly built. Of all the e30s that we've had runnign locally (6-8 with multiple drivers in some events), none has had an major problems for 3 seasons now (apart from ones caused by the owners doing something dumb like forgetting to torque lug nuts, lol). If you like driving Volvos, you should like e30s. They have a similar solid feel to them.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse:

It. Is. Beautiful!

That one's from Belgium right? I'm not ready to start building on such a project right now, but if you ever stumble upon a rally prepped 122 for sale here in the states, make sure to let me know!

To ouchx100, thanks for the insight, it's worth a lot! Unfortunately I couldn't go myself, I have a 8 day old baby boy at home and they thought it was a bad idea for us to go stand in the dirt all day (whatwhy?).

To Jerry, yeah I've seen your car a lot online when researching the MR2s, it looks really nice! Send me a message if you don't end up selling it.

To irish44j. Thank you, that was exactly the information I needed! I'll make a decision now, hope to see you all on the track soon!

btw, I'd also say don't worry about classes. Get the 318is ('91) for a good starting point, and then mod as you want. That car can be competitive in any of the RWD classes and it's really easy to get parts off of other e30s if you want more power, stiffer springs, etc etc. Great thing about rallycross is that it's more about the driver, so there's no "silver bullet" car that's going to automatically be faster than everything else in the RWD classes (perhaps, until the BRZ/FRS becomes affordable to beat up). Locally we've had MR2s, e30s, RX7s and a variety of other RWD cars that all put up similar times around the course depending on driver. They all have similar P/W and all have the same traction issue in the back (except the MR2s, which have other advantages/disadvantages).

But I say that unless you're looking to win a specific class for some reason, just mod how you want the car to be and land in the class it lands in. Locally we have lightly-prepped PR and even SR cars that can run with the MR cars depending on the course and conditions. This isn't autocross ;)

Yeah you will see a rear wheel drive class with various configurations and basically have the drivers changes positions throughout the day and all will have totally different driving styles and totally different vehicle platforms/setups/power etc. Makes it pretty fun.

oh btw....

(owner is on here, sn "volvoclearinghouse"

Yeah, my Amazon isn't "prepped" really at all. The tires and the fact that it has no back seat probably technically mean it's a Modified car, but its just really fun to toss around in the loose stuff. As you may know, you can find beater-status 4 door 122's in the states for lunch money. They're easy to work on and really, really tough.

Congrats on the baby! We have one due any day- our first. I did a LeMons race about a month ago and have green light from Katie (wife) to do a rallycross or two once things kinda get settled here on the homefront.

ChrisTheSwede wrote: To Jerry, yeah I've seen your car a lot online when researching the MR2s, it looks really nice! Send me a message if you don't end up selling it.

And the buyer backed out. Interested?

In reply to Jerry: I'm sorry to hear that. But yes, please send me a message here with your number or an email to kristoffer.bergqvist@gmail.com

We have done quite well in a NB Miata. We run in the stock class with little modifications. OE Bilstein HD shocks, Hard Dog roll bar, OE hard top, and snow tires. I have not been the fastest car yet, but I am typically top half and I usually only get beaten by my dad (co driver). Miatas also did very well at the SCCA nationals this year.

Before this we ran a 95 Dodge Dakota. It was a lot less exciting mostly due to an auto tramsmission, but i think it would run with the Miata. The steering ratio is much faster on this truck than others out there, and power is smooth.

I have run against mustangs (new and old) and power for them is an issue. When they press the acellerator 50% of the power goes to wheel spin. A miata is so under powered it is very easy to modulate power and prevent wheel spin. It is also very forgiving to applying too much power on corner exits.

Here is a link to what we have done: MostlyMiata.net

miatagofaster wrote: We have done quite well in a NB Miata. We run in the stock class with little modifications. OE Bilstein HD shocks, Hard Dog roll bar, OE hard top, and snow tires. I have not been the fastest car yet, but I am typically top half and I usually only get beaten by my dad (co driver). Miatas also did very well at the SCCA nationals this year. Before this we ran a 95 Dodge Dakota. It was a lot less exciting mostly due to an auto tramsmission, but i think it would run with the Miata. The steering ratio is much faster on this truck than others out there, and power is smooth. I have run against mustangs (new and old) and power for them is an issue. When they press the acellerator 50% of the power goes to wheel spin. A miata is so under powered it is very easy to modulate power and prevent wheel spin. It is also very forgiving to applying too much power on corner exits. Here is a link to what we have done: MostlyMiata.net

OT: Matt, have you guys heard where the Dixie challenge is going to be this year? I'd love to make it down there if it's not too far south. I was planning to go 2 years ago in Tennessee, but it coincided with an enduro race we were doing - and then last year it was way down south out of my distance...

It has been a few seasons since I regularly competed in rallycross, but in my experience, the surfaces were almost always so traction limited that the biggest variables in terms of competitiveness were driver and tires. Beyond driver and tires, there the next variable seemed to be size/weight. Depending on the course and the day, really well driven little hatchbacks (Rabbit/Golf, Protege, etc) could sometimes challenge for FTD. With RWD you won't be topping the time sheets overall, but I wouldn't worry too much about running a small underpowered car. My Corolla with a 112hp 4AGE could still spin the wheels even with a limited-slip and rally tires; power wasn't an issue, my lack of driving ability was always the weak link!

I would also say that getting an affordable car to get out there and do it is the first order of business. Which one is best? The one nearby which you can afford and is in decent shape. The folks with the cheaper rough-around-the-edges cars and a "the car is a tool to get me out here having fun" attitude always seemed to get the most out of the sport. I would chuckle when sometimes someone would show up and unload the car they spent a year building from the trailer, bring several sets of tires, run mid-pack with furrowed brow, grill other competitors about which remote-resevoir dampers were best, and grow ulcers over the decision to drop another 2psi from the tires or not. At least around here a few years ago it was a different scene from roadracing or competitive autocross.

Am I missing something here? Aren't starlets fwd?

daeman wrote: Am I missing something here? Aren't starlets fwd?

No, RWD. Though a few years ago I looked at one and my research basically said "parts are hard to find" so it was a no-go for rallycross for me.

Ah, right, your referring to early 80s starlets, we didn't have them in Australia, only the later fwd ones. Did you guys get ke70 Corolla's? Just as a thought.

I know you said no Mazda... How about Datsun/Nissan? You can Frankenstein L,Z and ka series engines which gives you plenty of options.