Another rally thread

[ncampos92562]

So i'm planning to pick up a car for some rally fun sometime in the near future. I've always wanted to get into rally driving because i have a bunch of empty country dirt roads around me. But I'm trying to get some ideas for a car.

I'd prefer a rwd. But if you have other suggestions lmk.

So far I've been looking at E30's, lexus sc400 or 300, and older 240's.

I'm looking at a 2k price range because i'm not looking for a show car. I just want a car with a solid motor and drivetrain(ill get it up to maintience before running it). Then Ill deal with the suspension, cage, and harness. and exterior doesn't matter much since it's going to get dirty alot.

But just looking for some more opinions on other types of cars.

Thanks

 

[Gasolinebaptism]

an AWD DSM.

 

[Achelea]

Other thread pointed out that to compete, you need experiance in a 2wd before you can use an awd.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/hangout/365915-rally-racing.html

Look into what cars are good for learning. I'd go with a FWD DSM if you want to use an AWD DSM, or a really light car like a Honda or Hyundai, or even some Celicas

Or for RWD, try to find a second gen Celica, or most older cars, maybe even small trucks.

Reason is you need to learn to drive before you race effectively. Anyone can learn to drive fast cars fast, but some one that learns to drive a slow car fast can drive the faster car better because they know more of how the car reacts.

A perfect example is look at Hulk Hogan's son. He was driving a Supra and look what happened there. He didn't have the skill or experience for the power he had.

Have fun, and look up the rules for the area you're in to be sure.

 

[ncampos92562]

I;m not really looking to get into legit races anytime soon, just a fun thing to do a couple of times a month to get my skills up. Then take a couple classes here and there.

I'm just looking for more car ideas right now. I'd rather have the rwd over awd drive because it seems a bit harder to control, takes more time to perfect the technique I guess then an awd car. I'd like to learn that.

But I'm just trying to learn, because I don't know much about rally. So add what you can to help me out.

 

[Achelea]

Ah, Well, find the local group and check out their rules, and go from there. A car that might be legal in one country might be against the rules else where. Not to mention they would be able to tell you what is a good car to start with.

 

[lude000]

Hey I'm the guy who is going with a n/t eclipse I'm running mine mostly because I just picked up a non-running talon so instead of dirt tracking the eclipse I'm going to rally it a front wheel drive is great to learn on imho but in the end its your call so if you feel that a rear wheel drive will fit your driving style better go for it.

 

[kainam00]

RWD/AWD is not a good platform to learn on, as it makes it easy to acquire some bad habits... such as steering with the throttle (fun, but typically not fast). FWD is the way to go - if you can drive a FWD car fast, you can drive AWD/RWD fast... but not the other way around.

I would start with something FWD that is cheap and reliable. A FWD DSM, or a Neon would be perfect.

 

[ncampos92562]

RWD/AWD is not a good platform to learn on, as it makes it easy to acquire some bad habits... such as steering with the throttle (fun, but typically not fast). FWD is the way to go - if you can drive a FWD car fast, you can drive AWD/RWD fast... but not the other way around.

I would start with something FWD that is cheap and reliable. A FWD DSM, or a Neon would be perfect.

Cool, thanks. Anyone got any ideas for a light fwd to go for? All i can think of is, hondas and whatnot. If i can't find anything worth it ill just go with an NT dsm since I know the car.

 

[Scott McIntyre]

As Dmitriy said, Neon. They're cheap, plentiful, and surprisingly competitive! That would be my first choice.

 

[kainam00]

Cool, thanks. Anyone got any ideas for a light fwd to go for? All i can think of is, hondas and whatnot. If i can't find anything worth it ill just go with an NT dsm since I know the car.

Granted you can race pretty much anything, here is my list, based on what I've seen -

Older VW GTI or Golf
PRO: The most popular 2wd rally car right now. Light, powerful, reliable. Huge rally community, easily available rally specific parts. Lots of room inside for a cage.
CON: Oldschool mechanical/vacuum fuel injection and some other German stuff that's a pain to work with. Parts can be expensive and harder to get. Expensive, you probably won't find anything in decent shape for under $2000.

Ford Focus
PRO: Newish (no rust and less maintenance hassles). Great handling and good power. Very reliable. Lots of parts and know how in the community. Factory support and contingencies available. Lots of room inside.
CON: Can be relatively expensive to buy, a bit on the heavy side.

Dodge Neon
PRO: Cheap, durable, plenty of power and suspension travel. Great handling. Good/cheap aftermarket. Replacement parts super easy to get and cheap. Tons of replacement body panels at junk yards.
CON: Not the most reliable engines when pushed very hard. Not as much rally specific aftermarket.

Hondas (Pretty much limited to Civic, CRX, and Integra)
PRO: Lots of aftermarket parts, easy to work on, reliable, light.
CON: Lack of suspension travel, expensive to buy, not as much rally specific parts and knowledge as for some others.

If you're just looking for something to bomb down back roads for $2k, I'd personally get a Neon.

When/if you decide to move up to stage rally, spend $4-$7k on an entry level pre-built car (GTI or whatever you can find that looks complete and reliable, and is log booked), it will save you a ton of money vs. building your own.

 

[ncampos92562]

good suggestions. Thanks. I'm thinking I might go hillbilly, avenger struts and springs on a 2g NT. But from what I hear, it is way more lifted then stock, which might be more prone to a roll.
I'm thinking either that or the neon now.

And the car is just going to be for mobbing down back roads to get some bearing for how rallying is and whatnot. Then later I may start to get into some legit events.