Two Guys Rally

The Volvo Chronicles: Upper Engine Mount [ January 5th, 2009 ] By:Mark Ozimek

With a new year comes new car parts that need replacing! I probably mentioned it in the past, but I noticed that my upper engine mount on the S70 looks like someone took a chainsaw to it. As you can imagine, this isn’t a good thing. Worn engine mounts allow more engine vibration, which can lead to poor feeling shifting, accelerated wear on other mounts, and in the extreme case, weird handling quirks and reduced power.

To fix this, I got a solid polyurethane upper mount from iPd to replace the hard rubber OEM piece:

As you can see, the Volvo part looks somewhat abused… it was originally a one piece design! Installation was pretty simple, I only needed 13mm and 15mm wrenches, along with a hacksaw and screwdriver to cut out the retaining ring on the old mount (the alternative was a bushing press to push it out of the mount, something I don’t have).

Before and after shots of the engine mount in question:

After installation, I took the car out for a test drive. One thing that I found a lot of complaints about was the increase in cabin noise and vibration. Granted, I am hard of hearing, but I honestly can’t see why someone would complain about the nice growl that is added upon acceleration.

However, the noise was the second most noticable difference, right after the feel when shifting. The actual shift engagement feel did not change, but rather the way the power is transferred to the ground when the clutch is released. In comparison to before, it feels much more solid, and throttle response is slightly better.

Those are really the only two things I noticed. No changes in handling through turns, which makes sense because that mount is designed to not support any load from the sides.

The moral of this story would be to make sure you stay on top of any bushings, especially on car that is exposed to racing conditions. The higher road speed, bumps, acceleration, braking, hard shifts, etc, all wear down the bushings that much faster, and introduce slop into components that usually do best without any.

Happy New Year! [ January 1st, 2009 ] By:Charles Smith

Hooray! It is 2009. Happy New Year!

Hopefully you’re enjoying your new year! We all at TwoGuysRally are. It is going to be a good year. I know it because I just got a Helmet camera and that will enable some new camera angles for TwoGuysRally videos. Expect good things for the future.

I hope you all are making the best of your new years like I am: hot tub, champagne and fun!

A Witness Report: Drunk Driving [ December 29th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

So the holidays bring out the best in people. Thanks and giving, peace and goodwill towards men, and of course drinking. Unfortunately there are plenty of people who choose to get behind the wheel after drinking.

I had the unfortunate experience of witnessing the effect of a drunk driver on a stop light post right by my home. At first I heard what reminded me of clanging I-beams, then I drove around the corner and saw an econoline style van in a ditch (with significant dent/hole in its front) with a stop light attached to the side of it. So I did what any good Samaritan would do: I stopped and got out to see if everyone was okay.

Everyone was a man who stumbled up the hill/ditch on the driver’s side of the van. He was an older male with a moustache, some balding and lots of slurring (and not of the head injury variety). He said he was okay and no one else was in the car. He also asked me for a ride home (which I refused, of course). Boy was he drunk, or at least seemed it, because he fell away from my car when i locked the doors and dialed 911. Apparently he though it was a good idea to run up the street away from the accident while I was on the phone with the cops. They caught him just up the street after I gave a description to them (by the way eye witness reports suck, I claimed he had a Tan Jacket, but it was blue, however his pants were tan/khaki so that must be where I got confused)

At first I felt bad for the dude on what a shitstorm he got himself into, but then I realized: his van travelled across the point where I yield for traffic on that road and I would have yielded to that very van because of the direction he was travelling (and he only got there a minute or so before me). That would have ruined my night and car (and possibly life), so I didn’t feel bad at all about IDing the guy after they arrested him.

One interesting tidbit I learned that night: cop cars have TERRIBLE traction in the rain. Terrible. When I was in the cop car to drive by to where they arrested him in order to ID him, the officer lost traction right away and slid a bit. But it wasn’t only that cop that lost traction, every single cop that went around that corner did. I could totally out accelerate the cop car in the rain in my stock WRX. NEAT! (Observation: the cops may just be doing that for fun, since I bet they get bored just driving around all night.)

Anyway, what this reminded me of was how stupid it is to get behind the wheel of a car drunk. You already are in the, statistically speaking, most dangerous common situation. Adding alcohol will only make it even more so. So be safe out there when driving, especially around last call.

Merry Christmas! [ December 24th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

I’m spending time with my family, hope you all are enjoying the holidays! Have a fun time.

Happy Holidays! [ December 24th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Happy Holidays from us here at TwoGuysRally. Whether its Chanukah, Christmas, Kwanza or what have you, enjoy yourselves and be safe. This season has a spike in drunk drivers and weather related accidents so be more alert on your drives.

Last Minute Gift Ideas: RainX/IceX washer fluid. It’s good until 0 Farenheit. I could have used that on my drive back home as my washer fluid froze for the two hours the trip was below 10 degrees. Plus the rainx solution has some sort of lipid in it (wax) that makes water bead up on the windsheild.

Another idea is a Seat Belt Cutter / Window Breaker. Sometimes seat belt buckles get stuck and doors won’t open. It’s cheap and easy and may come in handy (hopefully not necessary).

Happy Holidays! Have a great time, I know I am.

A Tip for Driving in Loose Conditions [ December 22nd, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Since I’ve been doing quite a bit of driving in the snow I figured some of you might have too. I have some tips but today’s tip is: the right most pedal is your friend.

Brakes are nice but if your car is oversteering hitting the brakes will most likely bring your car into a full spin (weight transfers to front wheels). Keeping on the gas will cause your car to straighten, as the weight transfers from the front to the back wheels. This of course assumes your front wheels are pointed where you want to go.

I’ve seen a few people in the past week slide unexpectedly and continue going in a straight line, only to hit the brakes (instinctual, I empathize) and go off the road. If only they calmly pressed on the gas a bit and steered where they wanted to go.

There is an exception: really powerful cars that are RWD/AWD. Really powerful cars have the tendency to lose traction in the loose stuff because of the right most pedal. However, coming off of the gas completely will cause more harm than good stability-wise, so you should learn to left foot brake. But that’s for another post. Good luck out there and keep safe.

Motorsports: A Sad State of Affairs [ December 18th, 2008 ] By:Mark Ozimek

The world of motorsports is in a sad state of affairs these days. I guess the economy is picking off teams left and right. The latest casualty is Subaru as they announced their withdrawal from the WRC. Oh we must really be in a recession when Subaru withdraws from the league that put them on the map.

But Subaru isn’t the only casualty, Suzuki withdrew from WRC also. Although for them it may have just been too big of an expense for too little of a return. However other leagues aren’t immune from this economic recession. Honda recently announced their withdrawal from Formula 1 AND the AMA(motorcylce racing). Porsche and Audi both widthrew from the American Le Mans Series.

While all this is sad and upsetting to the world of motorsports, there is a silver lining: it gives the amateurs a chance. While it may seem like amateurs and privateers get struck even harder by the recession, but their income is a little more stable than the advertising budgets of the factory teams. So there is hope for us all yet! It may just be a big enough shake up to make your way into the sport.

Do you know of any other teams/pillars of the sport that have been eaten by this economic recession?

So You Think You Can Rally? [ December 14th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Apparently, a rally school in Florida is hosting a Rally competition akin to the succesful formula of American Idol/So You Think You Can Dance. However, there is no audience voting (or at least there isn’t yet). But for $350 + trip fees to florida gets you a shot at round 1, then if you make it to round 2 another $350, but for the following 3 rounds (if you make them) you pay nothing. 

The Prize? To compete in a NASA Rally Race with a fully prepped car and team, plus free instruction. That’s pretty appealing and makes me want to go.

Unfortunately the $350 + fare totals about $800+ for round 1.  Since round 2 is at a different date I would expect to plunk down another $800+. To get to the finals is about $400-500 for each round (even though they are free). That total is, conservatively, $2800. Sadly that is cost prohibitive for me (also it interferes with something more money is spent on: University). So maybe I’ll hear about you winning the competition, or at least participating. Either way it is a great deal if you make it to round 4.

Snow: A Precious Commodity [ December 12th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

So it snowed a bit here in Rochester and the snowfall beckoned me for a little late night driving. I grabbed the video camera and set out for my first drive on snow in the all seasons this winter. There’s even some footage of it on YouTube! Hooray:

Link for you RSS peeps.

Remember be safe and keep warm! I’m so excited for the upcoming winter (it’s still technically fall!).