10% faster ?

[totta Crolla]

If I can make my '86 10% faster I reckon I can have a good competitive car in my class.
The regulations for non homologated rally cars in the U.K allow for pretty much any modifications so to come 6th in class in a fairly standard car is a good start.
Money is tight right now but I have accumulated some parts over the years and I will list them together with the car specs. so maybe you could tell me what you think I should use.

I would really like to find a cheap GRP bonnet by the way !

Parts shown with a * are not yet fitted.

Fibreglass tailgate with perspex window *
Fully stripped out doors but no perspex yet *
All interior still fitted to car but Sparco seats and belts.
Heater to be retained
Smallport engine fitted using Bluetop ecu and sensors. Modded smallport inlet manifold. Stock airfilter. Tubular exhaust manifold and competition exhaust system.
Twin 45DCOE weber carbs, ready to fit with linkages and manifold etc *
CATCAMS 264in 260ex 9.5mm lift cams with underbucket shims *
HKS valve springs *
Cusco MFE ECU *
Freedom ECU *
Superchip ICON programmable ignition piggyback *

The Superchip Icon can allow ignition timing adjustment to the Cusco or stock ECU If I "lock out" the stock distributor to use it with the carbs.

Please also keep in mind that the car is used for tarmac rallying and the car that won my class over the weekend on one of the fastest rallies of the year was a 200hp 850kg Civic. It came a very creditable 2nd overall in icy conditions.

10% is a lot I know but I would like to do better than 6th in class !!

The car handles nicely and has plenty of grip and that is due mostly to the help and advice given by people on here so I thank you all very much.
Cheers, TC

[Slipangle]

How many hp does it have right now and how much do you expecti it to have when you have all the stuff fitted?

[alex-evo]

nice parts list, once they are fitted the car should be competitive

[Project D]

Lighten your car as much as you can !
If you can get 100kg lighter (~850kg) you can go faster (maybe not 10% but you have serious potential on this)
quicker acceleration, less fading on brake, etc...

Strip all your interrior and install FRP bonnet / tailgate + polycarbonate window.

Don't use perspex, it's very dangerous !
If you have an accident it will explode like glass and can cause serious injury !!!

For bonnet, take a look HERE
(240€/ ~£210)
He also sell polycarb' window (270€/~£235)

[NoHachi]

Before you start slapping parts onto the car, have you dialled in your current setup? I have never driven a single km in a rally, but I do some suspension work for a friend that has 30 years of experience under his belt. He has some pretty cool anecdotes of the stuff he did and tried to get his Volvo PV544.

Some interesting stuff: the rear was totally gutted and lightened..however, the huge volvo lump in front made for a now front biased car. So he drove the stage twice, once in front biased trim and once with a bag of sand in the trunk. The car was just as fast each time out. The better F/R ratio made the car easier to drive, negating any power/weight ratio gains available.


According to him, the basic scale of dividends is:
Invest most funds in the nut behind the steering wheel. Nothing makes you faster then more seat time and tuition.
drop weight (doing the cheap stuff whilst keeping a keen eye on your corner weights.)
Invest HEAVILY in the very best tires you can find..there is 10% in tires alone if your class doesn't use a control tire.
Invest in good suspension to handle said tires. Usually its best to contact the suspension guy that actually shows up on some of the stages to help tune. there is a lot of time to be gained by proper alignment (squaring the car), devellopment work with a pyrometer, getting all the slack out of your swaybars, etc.
Power is nice to have, but only from a dead reliable engine.. Best left alone if on a budget. Working on mechanical grip takes priority,

I'll see the guy again next weekend, I'll ask if he has any tips.

[Bean]

I have the same cams as you along with a megasquirt - as I'm on my way to Africa as I type I can't tell about the benefits yet as I wont see the car before the end of this year. I recon yoy should be able to push out aroun 130+ whp with your setup if you find someone who can map the freedom ecu properly.
For piece of mind and better reliability I will install underbucket shims with those cams although it would be possible to do without but at very high revs it's realy pushing for problems. (1sz lifters are only ¥1000 a piece through perfectrun.jp)
Invest also into some camgears as depending on your head work and personal preferences there is a lot to gain from a good setup and according mapping.
The 130whp is a very conservative guess with some headwork especialy in the valve/seat area you might push out around 145 - along with the tips above I guess you'll be looking at podium places if your driving matches.
Oh if you haven't already done this you might also want to have a look at your bushings and replace them if neccessary.
Good luck and I hope to be able to post some results from my setting once done if I find the means to test it. No idea if there is a dyno in Khartoum

[Project D]

Maybe Lyndon Galbraith can give you some tips
goulza22 [at] hotmail [dot] com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L16R2jXyeuw

[totta Crolla]

Great replies, can anyone suggest which combination of the above engine parts would be best though.
Sadly funds don't allow fitting of itb's

the car really does grip and handle nicely now and yes seat time is important and I was getting quicker on the 2nd day, dialing myself into the car.

as for tyres I was lucky enough to score some ex formula 3 Michelin wets that were truly stunning in the conditions so probably not much to be had there.

Lyndon does indeed look very fast !

[NoHachi]

If you run on Formula 3 handmedowns then there could be a fair bit left in the tires. The formula tires have a sweetspot that is good for around 1 event.. some say even less then that. After they've gone off they're no quicker then e.g. R888's. At least the slicks.. Do you run with a datalogger? Any data?

If you are still in the phase of learning then It simply doesn't pay to dump money into the car in terms of performance. Seat time and fresh rubber make you quicker. I cannot stress enough how important it is to have a reliable and running car to progress and learn. Budget tuning efforts can be a big risk! You need a tool you can rely on to work with.

For reference.. my friend the old rally guy now does timed runs on the nurburgring. All his clear laps are within 3 seconds of one another. Rain or dry (obviously running slower in the wet, but same consistency). Thats 3 seconds over 8 minutes and 22 kilometers or 6 tenths of a percent!! Thats what happens when you can consistently run a car at its limits, nailing each apex with a slight 4 wheel drift. I can't even do that on a playstation

The same strategy (seat time and a large supply of fresh rubber) has been deployed last year for a newbies shot at the dutch Max5cup. Result was a drivers and constructors championship in the first year.
Its also the reason I'm buying a more simple and reliable car and will be joining them on track for some drivealongs and tips. There is ~15% between an accomplished sporty driver and a pro. So enough scope for you to start kicking ass. As an added bragging bonus you get to say its a stock engine around the paddock.

Quote:Maybe Lyndon Galbraith can give you some tips
goulza22 [at] hotmail [dot] com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L16R2jXyeuw

Dear lord...that vid again. Awesome. Once you know how to drive similarly in a stock powered car..then the time has come to start adding power.

[totta Crolla]

I'm not ignoring Nohachi's comments about weight but does anyone know approximately how much 10kg's is worth in horsepower ?
I think it's about 1hp but maybe someone could confirm