Road Rallying!

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

iv done a quick sarch but not found any thing!

in the new year i want to start road rallying,just not entirely sure how to get started. im after advice on the do's and donts for my car e.g what suspension set up (how low etc),tires (size,road tires or motorsport 1s) engine to use?

my car i will be using started of as a 1.9, it has a 6 point omp cage,309 beam and yoko a539 tires,i might pull the mi out as it not running and fancy using a 1.9 with 1.6 box so i wont be so embaresed being beaten by the more experienced 1s in theyr 1.6s!! any advice on anything will be much appreciated chheers

[weejimmy 1]

find out the regs of where you want to race, and build to that. its much easyer and cheaper than trying to find a catogory your car fits into after its built

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

find out the regs of where you want to race, and build to that. its much easyer and cheaper than trying to find a catogory your car fits into after its built

its the night events that are local to me i want to get into, wher would i look for regulations etc. dont want to start stage rallyin yet i know that gets very expensive!

one other thing i know you have to keep the rear seats etc so im after any weight saving tips that are not that obvious such as i know people trim down thyr doors inside , tips like that are always handy!

[philfingers 5]

Box

Go for a 4.44 CWP with a std 1900 gearset, this is the best option, 1600 option is a poor option as there is too much drop from 1st to second. Fit it with a Tran X diff if you can afford it. These are the biggest changes for the best money spent on my car. My CWP was £20 and I fitted it to the box myself, Tran X was £410 brand new, but s/h (never had bearings fitted to it)

 

Tyres

Gravel tyres are the best for Welsh events mostly. Part worn A035 Yoko's or Sp82/84/85 Dunlops. The reinforced sidewalls take some abuse and better grip on muddy whites too. £30 each probably

 

Suspension

probably junk the 309 rear beam, they're too wide to run gravel tyres. Std 1900 rear beam with bilsteins if you can afford it. Fronts best go for platform adjustable Bilsteins. Unfortunately they're the only thing that will last the pace. Unfortunate- because they're expensive, I sold a good pair for £320 for the fronts. You could do with plating the strut tops too.

 

Brakes

I think std are fine, run carbon lorraine pads on the front if you're heavy on the brakes or mintex 1144 or pagid fast road (like me) if you're not too hard on the brakes. GTi6 brakes add a lot of unsprung weight. Hydraulic handbrake is useful, not essential tho. Lockwire the rear pads in (as per PTS build manual), they slip out.

 

Guards

proper PTS (or copy) gravel guard and tank guards, again not cheap but you have peace of mind

 

Spots

lightforce lights are the thing, I was one of the first (along with Mantamad I believe) to have a set in 2004. Not cheap but way ahead of Cibie Apollo's I had before

 

Engine

I'm just putting an Mi16 in mine, but a std 8v with good oil pressure is far better then cams and heads and running a std 1600 box with no diff. Sort the box (as above) and the suspension, then bother with the engine if you feel you need to.

 

Shell

Cage, mount the seats properly, on rails which are reinforced to the sills and tunnel. Run the fuel and brake lines inside. Speare wheel inside and get a decent jack. Not much point in doing all the above and having a std one which takes 5 mins to wind the car up!

 

I started on std suspenion on my 309, the 4.44 CWP and TranX made the biggest improvements

 

Have a look here for some ideas http://s188.photobucket.com/albums/z143/oi...%20Rally%20Car/

 

drop me a PM with your email address and I'll send you the PTS build manual and the gearing calculator

 

Best thing is get along to events and look to see what people have done to their cars

 

phil

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

cheers thats an excellent reply! any 1 ever tell you your a top bloke?

[large 33]

First thing is to join a motor club if you have not done so. There are alots of people willing to help you start out. To start off i would just put a sump and tank guard on and get out and do an event (you might not like it).

Road ralling is all about navigation, a standard Gti is more than capable of winning an event. You always see the top boys waiting outside controls, so find yourself a good nav or someone who can read maps when in the car and is good at maths and stick with it.

[Slippy 0]

And check out the British Rally Forum as it has a section dedicated to Road Rallying HERE you will have to register if you haven't already but most stuff has been covered so well worth it

 

Be warned though Road Rallying leads to Stage Rallying and then your f***ed, sorry hooked

[philfingers 5]

Large and Slippy are both right.

Concentrate on safety, then reliability and then going quicker and you won't go far wrong.

There was talk of a navigators class running in Ross on Wye on the forum recently, might be worth a look. The British Rally Forum

 

phil

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

i think i got a few choices of motor clubs round here il check em out, any 1 on here belong to 1? the closest is lampeter or llandysul.

had a bit of luck today where i was working met this bloke whos got a few 205 and rallys them, gonna try do a deal! hes after a mi engine and 309 beam and he got a non sunroof 1.6 nice and standard seems like the ideal base to get started with!

any ideas what sort of price the gaurds will set me back? sounds like a sensible first mod.

cheers for all the help

[philfingers 5]

full price about £200 for a good sump guard and £100 maybe for tank guards. Try AB Motorsport or West Mids MS. Not cheap, then the right kit never is. Come up on ebay from time to time

 

phil

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

full price about £200 for a good sump guard and £100 maybe for tank guards. Try AB Motorsport or West Mids MS. Not cheap, then the right kit never is. Come up on ebay from time to time

 

phil

cheers phil just found those manuals you sent me gonna heve a good butchers through them! iv seen peter lloyd rallyin do a 6 mm sump guard for £125, are these up to the job and thick enough? any 1 recomend them?

[Slippy 0]

Some uards for sale HERE down your way ish as well

[large 33]

I have the Peter Lloyd rallying sump guard and the tank guard and have had no problems. Llandysul is a good club so i hear, If you speek Welsh this is a big help in your part of the world. If you are looking at the Peter Lloyd site have a look at some of the other stuff for the 205 i.e the Challenge spec suspension .

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

I have the Peter Lloyd rallying sump guard and the tank guard and have had no problems. Llandysul is a good club so i hear, If you speek Welsh this is a big help in your part of the world. If you are looking at the Peter Lloyd site have a look at some of the other stuff for the 205 i.e the Challenge spec suspension .

thats the 1 thing thats puttin me of going there not being able to speak much welsh! im learning tho i got some bilstein suspension on my other car which i might be swapping over to start with but the springs on the front are really low so think il change them,i got a couple of sets laying around so just gonna c which set sits the highest just until i can afford a tidy set up.got to get selling a few more things a get the stuff together bit by bit.

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

Some uards for sale HERE down your way ish as well

 

hey thats a good site il have to stick that on favourates, and maybe slap some stuff up there for sale to!

[large 33]

180Lb springs from Peter Lloyd £50 for 2 .

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

180Lb springs from Peter Lloyd £50 for 2 .

 

that sounds like a tidy price! do they fit standard type shocks? not coil overs or adjustable platform types as mine are the standard type

[large 33]

I am running challenge spec bilstein (look like a std type of shock) so i would think they would be fine but give them a ring and find out.

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

I am running challenge spec bilstein (look like a std type of shock) so i would think they would be fine but give them a ring and find out.

nice 1 cheers il give em a bell:D

[Jonny_205 0]

I;m building a road rally car too

 

Lots of good info on www.205cup.com

 

Cheers John

Edited December 13, 2008 by Jonny_205

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

I;m building a road rally car too

 

Lots of good info on www.205cup.com

 

Cheers John

il have a look at that, had some really good advice of aled (205wrc on here) top bloke really nice car hes got,if he ever offers any advice take it,he knows what hes talking about what you starting with?1.9 or 1.6?

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

right now my brains working over time and it hurts! got a few options just cant make up my mind.basicly i got 1 nice mi16 and 1 rotten 1,theres a 1.9 gti available near by and a 1.6 gti available!both similar price, im not sure whether to get a new 1, but then which 1? iv always prefered the 1.9s but the 1.6s are more favoured for rallyin.but i got this mi16 sitting here so why dont i just use that? im not that fussed on winning i just want the most fun!

no matter what il be strippin the rotten 1 so iv got a cars worth of spares but selling the engine to fund a few parts, guards first then hopefully a diff if a good sh 1 comes up,just need to work out which car to use!!

whichever 1 i end up doing il do a full build topic in the project section i cant wait to start i just need advice on which 1 to start with then i can get stuck in!

[large 33]

Get a licence from the MSA put a sump guard on the mi and get out there!

[bensonmi 4 2 Cars]

Get a licence from the MSA put a sump guard on the mi and get out there!

 

 

thats the way im thinkin right now!! is there such thing as havin a car too nice to use??

[large 33]

yer my mate has a mk 1 Escort, mint! But then again he can drive.