miata for rally?
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776 Posts
Dan Edmunds ran his in at lease one CRS rally
in 1999 (Treeline). I also think he did some rallycrossing
with it too.
Really neat looking for a rally car, but I think it
was kind of a difficult build ?
(and not a lot of ground clearance ???)
That is the only Rally Miata I remember hearing of.
in 1999 (Treeline). I also think he did some rallycrossing
with it too.
Really neat looking for a rally car, but I think it
was kind of a difficult build ?
(and not a lot of ground clearance ???)
That is the only Rally Miata I remember hearing of.
Well I love my 944....... I have had it for the last 4 years and have spent so much time with it that i dont really wanna mess its up too much....... Also I dont think it would have much resale value as a 944 rally car? and also control arms, body parts and such are quite expensive so it could cost alot to rally it......
Another thing is that it just took me 3 mounts to get a set of the 1st over size pistons and i would hate to get tied up with a bad motor, and no parts.......
Another thing is that it just took me 3 mounts to get a set of the 1st over size pistons and i would hate to get tied up with a bad motor, and no parts.......
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512 Posts
didn't they remove the allowance in the rules for the factory hartop on the miata? I remember hearing something about them no longer being legal...
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Hey, That's MY car! It's still in my garage too. It was a converted showroom stock road race car that was basically an experiment. I didn't know how it would do, so I did not throw a lot of money at it until I discovered if it had potential. For example, I never put a limited slip in it. No lights either. And I ran it on someone else's old rally tires. With a bone stock engine. Even so, it went fast and I won a rallycross championship in it. Came within 5 seconds of a Pstock stage "win" on stage 3 at Treeline.
I was convinced, so I bought another car to do an all-out effort. That was just about the time this article was written. Unfortunately, I think Ole is right. I sat out a season and a half to gather funds. Thinking no one would care, the SCCA effectively pulled it's eligibility (2 years after I had sucessfully lobbied for it) because they fear convertibles. Funny that the Road Race department has no problem with it. Isn't this the same club? Don't they want to promote cross-over participation? That was me: a road race convert to rally. Was.
>Really neat looking for a rally car, but I think it
>was kind of a difficult build ?
>(and not a lot of ground clearance ???)
Not really. But I had to make up all the bits myself. No one sells a rally set-up for one of these. Rear suspension travel was a little weak, but I have a way to rectify that. Ground clearance is an issue too, especially in the rear. But it's not a huge obstacle. The biggest vulnerable component is the steering gearbox. It sits low and in front of the front crossmember. A good skid plate is a must.
>Called the performance rally office at the scca and was told
>that the miata is good to go for performance
>rally....................
Are you sure about this? Tell me tell me tell me!! I have assumed I got screwed. I'm pretty sure it's not true, because I talked to the SCCA rally board chairman and technical steward shortly after they voted in a "prove it" clause (aka the Dan Edmunds rule) in order to throw me a bone. They were going to ban it outright before I called at the 11th hour. Instead they wrote a rule saying anyone can run any convertible IF the manufacturer will certify that the factory hard top is as strong as a permanent steel roof would have been. That is a BIG IF. I work in the auto industry, and there is no way an OE is going to put themselves out on that legal limb, even if it's true. Did they back down??
>So it looks like i may go that route........................
If I can, I will to!
Dan Edmunds
Actual Size Sports
I was convinced, so I bought another car to do an all-out effort. That was just about the time this article was written. Unfortunately, I think Ole is right. I sat out a season and a half to gather funds. Thinking no one would care, the SCCA effectively pulled it's eligibility (2 years after I had sucessfully lobbied for it) because they fear convertibles. Funny that the Road Race department has no problem with it. Isn't this the same club? Don't they want to promote cross-over participation? That was me: a road race convert to rally. Was.
>Really neat looking for a rally car, but I think it
>was kind of a difficult build ?
>(and not a lot of ground clearance ???)
Not really. But I had to make up all the bits myself. No one sells a rally set-up for one of these. Rear suspension travel was a little weak, but I have a way to rectify that. Ground clearance is an issue too, especially in the rear. But it's not a huge obstacle. The biggest vulnerable component is the steering gearbox. It sits low and in front of the front crossmember. A good skid plate is a must.
>Called the performance rally office at the scca and was told
>that the miata is good to go for performance
>rally....................
Are you sure about this? Tell me tell me tell me!! I have assumed I got screwed. I'm pretty sure it's not true, because I talked to the SCCA rally board chairman and technical steward shortly after they voted in a "prove it" clause (aka the Dan Edmunds rule) in order to throw me a bone. They were going to ban it outright before I called at the 11th hour. Instead they wrote a rule saying anyone can run any convertible IF the manufacturer will certify that the factory hard top is as strong as a permanent steel roof would have been. That is a BIG IF. I work in the auto industry, and there is no way an OE is going to put themselves out on that legal limb, even if it's true. Did they back down??
>So it looks like i may go that route........................
If I can, I will to!
Dan Edmunds
Actual Size Sports
I called the performnace rally office on monday and got a call back tuesday..... We talked about the car and I was told that i need a letter from an engineering house that the car with a cage was as stong as a coupe......... Welll it just so happens that i work at a engineering house! Also he told me that once the car is built and i have a log book they cant rule me out!
So i think im gonna go for it.......
call me if you would like to chat
586-873-2984 (cell)
So i think im gonna go for it.......
call me if you would like to chat
586-873-2984 (cell)
I have thought about this long and hard...... I cant see any reason to just run a car because everone else has done it, or there are rally parts for it......... Lots of people just like to run with the pack, some wanna do things a bit different!
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960 Posts
>I have thought about this long and hard...... I cant see any
>reason to just run a car because everone else has done it,
>or there are rally parts for it......... Lots of people
>just like to run with the pack, some wanna do things a bit
>different!
A properly done Miata would kick serious butt. Power to weight ratio would be awesome.
>reason to just run a car because everone else has done it,
>or there are rally parts for it......... Lots of people
>just like to run with the pack, some wanna do things a bit
>different!
A properly done Miata would kick serious butt. Power to weight ratio would be awesome.
Not saying there's anything immoral about your choice to develop a car with "dubious potential"... just like if some people like being tied up and whipped thats OK with me too. If you're having fun that's all that counts 
All I meant by the "logic" jab is that you are starting with the idea of what specific car you want and then planning from there, no matter what, instead of starting with the usual "I want to do rally now what car would be best" approach. Of course wanting to do rally in the first place is pretty illogical so I'll shut up now.
Skye
All I meant by the "logic" jab is that you are starting with the idea of what specific car you want and then planning from there, no matter what, instead of starting with the usual "I want to do rally now what car would be best" approach. Of course wanting to do rally in the first place is pretty illogical so I'll shut up now.
Skye
Is it the right tool for the job?
I didnt mean my comment of "dubious potential" to be an insult, I was merely pointing out the fairly obvious hurdles that car would present. I am just curious why choose a car that has built in disadvantages? If you look at a few things on the car in an analytical way without emotion, the very short wheelbase particularly, and compare it with SUCESSFUL WRC cars, you will see it has some hadicaps. Why saddle yourself with a car that will be disavantageous before you even begin racing? Do you really think that choosing a car with NO RALLY SPECIFIC parts is not a disadvantage?
I dont love cars, they are a tool no different than my torque wrench, and they do a job, no more, no less. I dont love the car I am building (XR4Ti), as a matter of fact I am starting to hate it. That does not change the fact that for my purpose, to be as competitive as possible (not just participate) with the least amount of $$, it is for me, the perfect tool for the job. But I dont love the car, I love competing.
I guess my questions are: Do you want to be competitive or just participate? Is your passion for Stage Rally, or Miata's? Have you chosen the correct tool to do the job you want to accomplish?
I didnt mean my comment of "dubious potential" to be an insult, I was merely pointing out the fairly obvious hurdles that car would present. I am just curious why choose a car that has built in disadvantages? If you look at a few things on the car in an analytical way without emotion, the very short wheelbase particularly, and compare it with SUCESSFUL WRC cars, you will see it has some hadicaps. Why saddle yourself with a car that will be disavantageous before you even begin racing? Do you really think that choosing a car with NO RALLY SPECIFIC parts is not a disadvantage?
I dont love cars, they are a tool no different than my torque wrench, and they do a job, no more, no less. I dont love the car I am building (XR4Ti), as a matter of fact I am starting to hate it. That does not change the fact that for my purpose, to be as competitive as possible (not just participate) with the least amount of $$, it is for me, the perfect tool for the job. But I dont love the car, I love competing.
I guess my questions are: Do you want to be competitive or just participate? Is your passion for Stage Rally, or Miata's? Have you chosen the correct tool to do the job you want to accomplish?
RE: Is it the right tool for the job?
I rally a FWD P car, but I have a Miata with the crank keyway prob sitting around, and I periodically muse about what sort of a rally car it would make.
Here's some of my musings (just the prose - no verse yet...)
First off, Hot Bits sells rally suspension for Miatas.
Secondly - it's not a Golf - meaning it won't look like the majority of clubman cars whizzing by. Is a new Beetle a good starting point? (think power to weight) There's an exposure issue - being able to provoke a response.
Rally-specific parts? Who's running rally-specific parts? You don't have to run Fords with Group A parts to have fun - or to be competitive.
I don't think ground clearance is going to be that much of an issue - I run my NX2000 at near stock ride height for most of the rallies I go in. I started off running it high (thinking: rally = must go high) I was surprized at how much easier my car was to drive at the lower height. Naturally, I find the rougher events require a bit higher ride height.
The short wheelbase is going to make it twitchy but I still believe it would be pretty quick. With the PPF, huge sills and the hardtop installed, the car is just as stiff as many of the hatchbacks being run.
Yes. There is something to be said for running a car that is different - the motivations of people involved in rallying are highly varied. I personally do it for fun. For pure, unadulterated, spine tingling, boost of endorphines, hooping and hollering fun.
Logic? WTF?? Most of us spend a substantial portion of our disposable income to abuse our cars in the woods and then spend more money so we can fix them to abuse them again... Logic eh? If my family, friends and colleagues knew how much time & money I spend on this fool's errand, they'd think I was ...illogical.
IMHO the Miata would be a lot of fun and I think it would be competitive in Production.
Build your Miata. Have fun.
Robin
I rally a FWD P car, but I have a Miata with the crank keyway prob sitting around, and I periodically muse about what sort of a rally car it would make.
Here's some of my musings (just the prose - no verse yet...)
First off, Hot Bits sells rally suspension for Miatas.
Secondly - it's not a Golf - meaning it won't look like the majority of clubman cars whizzing by. Is a new Beetle a good starting point? (think power to weight) There's an exposure issue - being able to provoke a response.
Rally-specific parts? Who's running rally-specific parts? You don't have to run Fords with Group A parts to have fun - or to be competitive.
I don't think ground clearance is going to be that much of an issue - I run my NX2000 at near stock ride height for most of the rallies I go in. I started off running it high (thinking: rally = must go high) I was surprized at how much easier my car was to drive at the lower height. Naturally, I find the rougher events require a bit higher ride height.
The short wheelbase is going to make it twitchy but I still believe it would be pretty quick. With the PPF, huge sills and the hardtop installed, the car is just as stiff as many of the hatchbacks being run.
Yes. There is something to be said for running a car that is different - the motivations of people involved in rallying are highly varied. I personally do it for fun. For pure, unadulterated, spine tingling, boost of endorphines, hooping and hollering fun.
Logic? WTF?? Most of us spend a substantial portion of our disposable income to abuse our cars in the woods and then spend more money so we can fix them to abuse them again... Logic eh? If my family, friends and colleagues knew how much time & money I spend on this fool's errand, they'd think I was ...illogical.
IMHO the Miata would be a lot of fun and I think it would be competitive in Production.
Build your Miata. Have fun.
Robin
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