Two Guys Rally

Brake Sizing [ August 28th, 2008 ] By:Mark Ozimek

Tonight I’ll cover something a bit different: The size of brakes needed on different surfaces. There are various sorts of surfaces one can trek in a rally event, from pavement to ice and snow, and they all have different traction requirements.

You may be thinking “Well, why does this matter, if brakes can work on pavement, why not on snow?”

The answer lies in the responsiveness and feel of the brakes. A major determining factor in how much stopping power brakes provide is the swept area the disc. The easiest way to change this is to change the diameter of the discs.Pretty obviously, the bigger they are, the more area there is.

With more area, more torque is produced with the same amount of pressure on the pads, making the brakes feel much more responsive. While this is usually a good thing, being too responsive is not, and will end up being very tiring to drive.

So one option to make driving in low traction conditions, like gravel and ice, easier is to reduce the braking power by putting on smaller rotors and caliper hangers to move the pads in a corresponding distance. Since many cars and setups are very different, it’s hard to give actual numbers on how much to reduce the amount of braking power available. In addition, it is something that you need to experience and decide for yourself based on your own tastes in how your car feels. I know that personally, I like it when I need to brake like I mean it, and get very disconcerted when I drive a car with a very light feeling brake pedal. As a result, I’m sure the choices I would make in brake setup are different than those Charles would make.

An alternate idea, and possibly easier, is make an adjustable vacuum assist mechanism for the brake booster, although this will mean additional weight on both the chassis and wheels, as it allows you to run with the big brakes all the time.

Are You A Sponsor? [ August 27th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

If you like being associated with awesome people (me and Mark especially) and enjoy racing you really ought to sponsor us. Finally after four months of posting we have some results to show. Check that link out.

Even if you’re not in the market of sponsoring things (or us) you’re still awesome. Why? Because you’re reading this right now and that means you’re helping us. Those results we talk about come from you…reading and watching our stuff. So thanks for that!

If you would like to just plain help there are plenty of ways. First off, tell your friends about us. The life of sponsored people is determined by how much exposure they can get their sponsors. The way we have been trying to do this is to write interesting and useful articles (this is one that is only slightly so), but you can speed things up a bit by letting friends know. Secondly you could talk to us. Send us an email (twoguysrally…we use gmail.com, can you do the math? I know spam bots are worse at it than you) or leave a comment. I am pretty sure that talking to people is one of the best ways to get involved/help/sell/buy things. Talk to us even if it is to just say hi, we like new people.

5 Tools That Any Respectable Car Nut Should Have [ August 25th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Every job has it’s own tool but not everyone can afford that many tools (I know I cannot). So there are a few basic tools that I think every car nut/amateur racer should have:

• Jack and Jack Stands - While hydraulic lifts are neat, the cheap method of working on your suspension or under your car is a set of jack stands (with the jack to lift the car). They’re safe and affordable ($15-40 a pair).
• Ratchet and Sockets - While wrenches are useful, a ratchet with socket ends is much more versatile. You’re much better off trying to tighten a bolt in a tight spot with a ratchet rather than a wrench. Plus the time and annoyance that can go into using a wrench is better left far away from your car…it is going to be stressful enough. Also make sure you have a few different length extensions for those hard to reach spots.
• Slotted Screwdriver - I like to use slightly longer than is necessary screw drivers. You might have to reach through a hole to get a random screw. Slotted screwdrivers are also great for metal fasteners as they usually don’t accept Phillips heads.
• Phillips Screwdriver - Similar to the slotted, a phillips head has an advantage: the wedge shaped interface prevents the driver from slipping out like you find when not careful with the slotted screws. Problem is there is less metal in the head to carry the stress, and they have a tendency to strip if you are not careful.
• Tire Iron/Torque Wrench - While they’re not the same you should have one or the other to secure your wheels. Tire Irons come with your car (along with jacks) so you can put the spare tire on, but a torque wrench to tighten lug nuts is preferred. The torque wrench allows you to precisely tighten lug nuts (remember star pattern!), and that is better for your car.

While there are all sorts of fancy tools, this list should get you going in the right direction. I am curious to hear if you have any key tools that I forgot to mention. So what tools do you use often?

Gorman Ridge 2008 Results [ August 22nd, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

I know I know, we’re slow at reporting the news (infact this should have been a Sunday night post) but we have been busy. Anyhoo, the USRC/NASA/CRS competitors aren’t that well known (when compared to the big finishers in Rally America) so showcasing a few of them is great for the sport. Plus if they ever do become the next big thing we can claim we knew that years before. Hooray!

The USRC also has all sorts of classes so I’m going to mention these guys in terms of overall standings rather than class standings:

First place was taken by Jeff Regester/Duncan Smith with an overall time of 1:11:53. Unfortunately I know next to nothing about Jeff Regester and have no idea who he is. The internet is a barren landscape when it comes to him, besides the few pictures of his Subaru. Also searching for a name like Duncan Smith is a bad idea on the internets (but my name is FARRRRR worse in that regard, I even live near a park with my name). Duncan, the co-driver, could be running for congress… I’m not sure. I’d love to learn more about these winners.

Second place was secured by Brian Scott/John Dillon with a time of 1:13:55. These two guys like to self promote more so than Jeff/Duncan. Either way, they came in second and will be back to upset first next year (hopefully).

Third place was stolen by an open class two wheel drive car run by Bill Holmes/Sean Gallagher with a time of 1:14:47. I find this amazing. They came in third with a rear wheel drive Ford F150 in a sport dominated by all wheel drive Subarus (at least in the States, in Europe it is currently Citroen). I find it amazing how they managed to get a higher center of gravity car with what is known as a harder to control drivetrain (on dirt at least) into third place. At least they won their class in this event let alone beat some other open all wheel drive class cars.

Seemed like a pretty neat race with way different results than most people would expect. Honorable mentions (from us at TwoGuysRally) go out to Rallynotes‘ Kris and Christine Marciniak, Eli and Mindy from Tommy Gun Rally and finally Keith Jackson/Jon Burke of the new DirtyImpreza Rally Team. The final pair had just started building their car five weeks prior to the event and happened to finish on time. Good for them!

Basic Things To Do Before a Rallycross [ August 20th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

You can participate in Rallycrosses (aka RallyX) across the country if you’re a legal driver and you have a car to use. Practically every region of the United States has a competition for amateurs that includes cones and dirt/gravel. So if you want to try your hands at Rally or are thinking about getting involved check to see if there is a RallyX near by.

Either way there are a few things you should do before raceday regarding your car:

• Check Your Oil - checking your oil should be somewhat common, but if you plan on putting your car through the rigors of Rally you should definitely check the levels and the quality. If the oil is degraded/worn out change it. If there isn’t enough, add some more.
• Empty Your Car - get all the crap out of your car. This does a few things, first of all it makes your car safer and second it removes dead weight (yea sure receipts from Taco Bell aren’t that much). Things flying around in your car will only make the day less enjoyable and distract you.
• Check Your Air Filter - RallyX is dirty. Engines don’t like dirt, infact they break when dirt is introduced into them. Check your air filter and make sure to either clean/replace it. You don’t want any of the dust kicked up by other cars to get into your engine, that could cost you thousands to fix.
• Check Your Tire Pressure - your tires are going to take a beating when driving hard, so keeping them AT LEAST at the minimum pressure is required. I would suggest going a couple PSI above recommended (but below maximum) as this will keep the chances of you debeading your tire low. Debeading is when the tire comes off of the rim slightly and all the pressure is lost damaging your wheels and tires on most surfaces.
• Check Your Coolant Levels - Oil isn’t the only part that helps cool the engine, your radiator does quite a bit of work too. Make sure your coolant levels are up to where they should be, and make sure you have anti-freeze in there. Anti-freeze lowers the freezing point AND increases the boiling point of water. So even during the summer you should have it in there.
• Get Some Rest - While you might be excited the night before, try and get some sleep. Racing is mentally exhausting so you should come well rested.

So get out there and go Rally! I know Mark and I will be attending the Finger Lakes Region SCCA RallyX on September 9th. Hopefully we’ll see some of you out there. We’ll be taking pictures and video of the event.

What do you do before a Rallycross?

Mistakes Not To Make #1 [ August 19th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

There are some mistakes that anyone is bound to make at some point in a racing career. Those mistakes can either cost you time or, at the worst, a crash. Today’s is Forget to Look Ahead.

Looking ahead is not some cheesy term about how bright the future is, but a more practical EYEBALL oriented piece of advice. It means looking further along the track/road than you first would think you should. It means looking past corners as you enter them and onto whatever landmarks you can. There are a few bad things that occur when forgetting to looking ahead:

• Makes Everything Seem Faster - objects that are closer to you seem to be faster when compared to objects that are further away (Mountains vs Trees vs Telephone poles on a highway/train). Feeling fast will more likely scare you than speed you up. Scared people also like coming off the throttle and pressing on the brake even if they should not.
• Fatigues Your Eyes - Looking close to the car requires more eye movement, when compared to looking far ahead at equal speeds, in order to fixate. Keep in mind, you shouldn’t be fixating, I was just using that as a point.
• You Drive Where Your Eyes Are Looking - It is hard to fight that you will drive where your eyes are looking (hence why you keep your eyes on the road). So look where you want to go, forgetting this could make you end up in a place you don’t want to be.

So dont forget to look ahead, even on the road. Look where you want to go, not where you’re going or where you have been. I bet that could even work for a life metaphor. (Soon TwoGuysRally will be a lifecoaching website and not a rally site </sarcasm>)

Loeb Wins Again! [ August 18th, 2008 ] By:Mark Ozimek

The WRC was tearing it up through the beautiful German countryside near Trier over this past weekend. The course has an interesting variety of surfaces; back-country roads that are covered in leaves and dirt on Friday, concrete roads on Saturday, and asphalt on Sunday. Through all this, the terrain varies from being in the woods to out in large fields to being in an old city. If you haven’t gotten a chance to watch the race, I highly recommend finding a way to watch it as soon as you can.

So what happened? Well, Loeb managed to snag 1st place in the first 13 consecutive stages! By the end of stage 13, he had a 43 second lead over Sordo in second place, who managed to stay in second place overall throughout the race, aside from temporarily losing it to Hirvonen in stages 5 and 6.

By the end of the rally, the podium was taken by Loeb in 1st, Sordo in 2nd and Duval in 3rd. Unfortunately WRC hasn’t made their official highlights video, but this one is pretty cool, and shows the German scenery well.

Suspension Setup Basics [ August 15th, 2008 ] By:Mark Ozimek

I’ve heard that a few of our readers would like to know a little more about things like camber and toe, and the effects the basic suspension settings have on vehicle stability and control. Before reading this, keep in mind that the optimal setup for any combination of car and road can vary a lot. This is just a guide to help understand what three settings do:

1. Camber
2. Toe
3. Caster

There are many more variables in the suspension setup, but these three seem to be the most easily changed, and have the largest effect when tuning the car.

Camber is the angle of the wheels from vertical when viewed from the front. Negative camber means the top of the wheels is closer to the center of the car than the bottom. Positive is the opposite, with the top of the wheel further away than the bottom. The measurement is degrees off from vertical.

Usually the suspension in a car is designed to decrease camber as the suspension compresses. This way, when the body rolls as it goes through a hard corner, the outside suspension compresses and pulls the top of the wheel in, the inside decompresses and pushes the top of the wheel out, counteracting the roll from the body, keeping the tire closer to perpendicular with the road.

The main idea behind changing the camber angle is to maximize the tire’s contact patch for when you need it most. Typically it is set slightly negative to maximize traction during hard cornering. The downside is less traction when traveling in a straight line.

Positive camber causes more wear on the outside edge of the tire, while negative camber causes more wear on the inside edge of the tire.

Toe is the angle between the wheels and the car’s centerline when viewed from above or below. Toe-in means the tires point inwards, ie front of the tires are closer to the car’s centerline than the rear of the tires. Toe-out is opposite, with the front of the tires out and the rear in. The measurement is degrees off from parallel with the car’s centerline.

Toe mostly affects straight line stability and turn-in response. Toe-in improves straight line stability, negating the effects of things like surface irregularity, bumps, crosswind, and generally makes the car want to travel in a straight line.

The downside of this is that the turn-in response is reduced. Consider that the inside tires must travel through a smaller radius when turning than the outer tires. When turning with toe-in, the inside front tire will have a smaller angle of turn than the outside tire, meaning that it wants to go through a larger radius, and is fighting against the outside tire during a turn. As the weight is transferred to the outside tire, the effects of the inside is reduced.

Conversely, with toe-out, the car will be unstable at high speeds, anything that transfers weight to one side of the car will make the car want to turn in that direction because the tire is pointed outward. Keeping this in mind, it seems a contradiction that toe-out improves steering response. Remember what I mentioned before about the inner and outer tire’s turning radii. With toe-out, the inside tire tries to turn a tighter turn than the outside tire, which is exactly what we want. This way, the tires aren’t fighting against each other until the weight transfers to one side.

However, just like camber, any toe away from 0º increases wear on the tires; Toe-in causes more wear on the outside edge of the tire and toe-out causes more wear on the inside edge of the tire.

Caster is slightly more difficult conceptually, and it only applies to the steering wheels. The angle between the axis upon which the wheel turns and vertical is caster. The best example I can think of is a bicycle. The front wheel rotates about an axis that is not vertical, but is angled so that the axis of rotation is in front of the contact patch. When viewed from the side, positive caster means this axis of rotation is tilted backwards, the top is towards the rear of the car and the bottom is forward. Negative camber is when this axis is tilted forward.

What does this do? Well, when the contact patch is behind the steering axis (Positive caster), the wheels want to travel in a straight line, and will have a tendency to center when turning. As you would expect, the opposite is true with a negative caster, the wheels want to turn away from going straight and more in the direction that they are currently turning.

Negative caster was used a lot back in the 70’s and earlier to make the feel of the steering lighter, since less force is needed to turn if the wheels want to go in that direction. The problem there is that negative caster gives some instability when going in a straight line.

Almost all modern cars have positive caster to improve stability and ease of driving at speed. Although the steering wheel will be more difficult to turn, power steering helps that.

Gorman Rally 2008 - This Weekend [ August 15th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

The 2008 Gorman Rally starts this weekend, Saturday, August 16th. A combo NASA/USRC/CRS event there is a lot of variety in what you’ll see out there. Only 25 teams are entering but only 9 of which are Subarus, which is not what you normally see in an American Rally.

NASA is a nice change to watch compared to Rally America. The rules are different so you will see competitors with different setups and very different cars. I know of at least one Ford F150 competing, which I don’t think would fly in RA. Chrissie Beavis (most famous for co-driving for Tanner Foust) will be driving, not co-driving, a VW Jetta in the event.

This event usually pops up all over YouTube and Specialstage, so keep a look out. I think DirtyImpreza is sending two cars out into the event too, just one more thing to look out for (at least for me). I’ll be watching intently from the other side of the country.

Oh Yea! Loeb Finally Won Finland [ August 13th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

This is not news, but Loeb finally won Finland. There was a win that was eluding Loeb and I bet he loved this win more than many others. Unfortunately the famous stage ‘Ouninpohja’ was dropped this year because Petter Solberg was too fast four years ago. Either way, watch this highlight video of the event:

Link to the video for you RSS people, and there are more of you! That reminds me, it is FREE to subscribe. There is even an email option in the menu, enter your email and subscribe to this site’s updates for free.