Two Guys Rally

All Ready To Go [ September 5th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Mark and I spent the better part of the late afternoon prepping our cars for the rallycross tomorrow. The prep consisted of checking fluids, changing our oil (both of us needed it), checking air filters and cleaning the car out.

Tire pressures will be checked in the morning and filled/deflated to the correct pressure. That is one of the most important things you can do to prep for a rallycross and im leaving it for the morning of. I should really take my own advice, but there are only so many hours in the day. 

But now it is time for the rest part. 

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?

Rollcage As Performance Mod [ July 23rd, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Many people tend to think that roll cages only provide safety and some extra weight, but they’re forgetting something: what they can add is stiffness.

Because roll cages were mandated as required safety devices in oh so many racing leagues, clever engineers figured out that they could use them to make their cars better. I don’t know who did it first, but they decided to connect all the suspension points together with a tubular space frame and call it a roll cage. Suddenly the mass of tubes becomes a way to stiffen up the car’s chassis.

You might not realize just how much a normal street car’s chassis flexes under any sort of acceleration (0-60, cornering, braking, etc…). This flexing acts much like the suspension, in fact most go-karts depend on frame flexing as the suspension (also the tires). However this flexing in a normal car changes the geometry of the suspension which can make a car less predictable and much harder to tweak (suspension wise).

Connecting the points where the suspension meets the frame with tubing (aka roll cage) can significantly increase the stiffness of a stamped sheet metal frame. This will keep the suspension geometry closer to normal under hard accelerations and allow you to more consistently judge how your suspension is affecting your car. However in most cars, connecting the suspension points (strut towers) will require to send tubes through the firewall of the car. Do you notice the tubes going through the firewall on the Subaru US Rally Team car? You should not be intimidated by the firewall, cut through it and reseal it around the tubes!

So, if you’re going to add a roll cage, don’t just add it to be within your competition rules. Take advantage of the rules and stiffen up your car so you can better adjust your suspension. Also, it results in less deflection in the chassis, which Mark tells me means you’ll end up with “smaller cyclic loading” on it. That means you’ll have more use of the chassis before it fails from normal race stresses. HOORAY ROLLCAGE!!!

Things to Check Before a RallyCross [ May 8th, 2008 ] By:Charles Smith

Rallycross is an event where you can drive any car you choose on the dirt in a coned off course. It is analagous to Autocross but for the dirt. However, it is a motorsport, and there are things you should check on your car before you do a Rallycross.

Check Your Oil

Make sure your oil levels are in the normal range. Do not overfill your oil as it brings bubbles into the oil system (the oil gets churned up by the engine and foams) which will cause lots of stress on the engine’s bearings. Really old abused oil is not good for your cars engine for normal use, and that makes it even worse for motorsports use. The particulate that collects in motor oil can cause damage to your engine when being run real hard, so get fresher oil for those competitions.

Check Your Tire Pressure

Make sure your tire pressure is at the factory levels or higher (not above the limits of your tires!). The lower the pressure the more grip you get, sure that is great, but since this is probably your daily driver you don’t want to ‘roll a bead’. Rolling a bead means the tire’s bead comes off of your rim and deflates. This will probably damage your rim if it happens. In order to fill your tires up, most gas stations have tire pumps. I know Hess has free tire fill stations. While you’re down there make sure your lug nuts are nicely tightened to their specified torquing.

Check Your Coolant Levels

Running your engine hard means your engine has to be cooled even more than normal, so your coolant should be in the normal range and must have anti-freeze (helps with boiling in the summer!). If it does not, remedy it by adding coolant and the correct amount of anti-freeze. Read the directions on the anti-freeze when you’re doing this.

Remove Everything from Your Car

This is a good chance to clean your car of all those Taco Bell receipts and whatever else you happen to leave in your car (I leave a lot of bike tires in my car, currently there is a large orange cone too). Make sure you remove all the heavy crap from your car, like that toolbox kicking around in the rear, or your friends BMX because if you stop too fast in a Rallycross with a BMX in the back, that bike is coming to get you. I’m not saying that you should remove your spare tire or anything important, but if its in your car, make sure its secured.

Make Sure You Will Have a Helmet

Knowing you will have a helmet to compete in is nice (especially if it is yours), as it makes you less nervous the day of. Helmets are always required, if they’re not, I dont think you’re going to a real rallycross, let alone a safe one. So get your helmet ready, or make sure you can use and fit your friend’s helmet or at least make sure the organizers will have loaner helmets. Most Rallycrosses will have loaner helmets available

Prepare (at least) The Night Before

Preparing the night before allows you to actually be ready for the Rallycross in the morning, rather than scrambling to be ready that morning. So get together your shade tent, folding chairs, refreshments (not beer, driving+beer=no), food, tools, spares and what have you and put them in the car/transport vehicle. You can transport this stuff to the Rallycross in your car, just don’t race with it in there. Make sure your camera is charged and you have tape/film/space for all the neat photos/video you will record.

Get a Good Night’s Sleep

Sleep is a big part of performing well. You might as well be competitive if you chose to get up and haul your butt to the Rallycross, so sleep.

Eat a Decent Breakfast

I wouldn’t suggest McDonald’s breakfast or something that greasy as it will make you end up in the Porta-Potties. It might not normally for you but when I compete in things I get nervous before hand and that doesn’t help in that regard. So I like to eat toast and two eggs (sunny side up duh!) as that fills me up and lets me focus.

Get There Early

Showing up early only makes things easier on you. You wont be scrambling to finish registering, and you wont miss any safety meetings. You’ll get to walk the course for a longer period of time and it will keep you more relaxed.

Tape Your Cabin Intake Vent Closed

Taping your intake vents for the cabin (ONLY! Your car needs air!) shut will keep dust out of your intake filter. I know a few people over at DirtyImpreza.com do this because they’ve had many experiences where they would smell dust for weeks after the event. Only do this for the event, and only if it is really dry out. I would suggest using duct tape/ painter’s tape/ gaffer’s tape.

Check Your Brakes.

If you know how, check your brakes (bleed them if necessary) including brake pads, lines, rotors and all that jazz. You might be using your brakes a lot (depending on the course) and crappy brakes will end up in a crappy day. Most likely, your brakes will be fine.

So find your local Rallycross and go out and have a blast. It is the most fun you’ll have in your street car, I guarantee. I know Mark and I will be attending a few Rallycrosses in the Finger Lakes region (maybe even DC for me) this year. Hope to see you out there…relaxed and ready.