Rally Cross

[Squatting Dog]

I almost say no to 4wd, because it does dull the steering.

-Greg (aka squatting dog)

 

[MTUH3]

I covered this on fb as well with squattingdog. at 6k pounds ditching the rear seats and tailgate aren't going to do anything, same with the battery. Moving things like that in a wrx works because that is much closer to a 50/50 weight distribution front to back. With your 70/30 split for the truck, which is probably close to 75/25 nothing is going to shift that distribution towards the back other than weight. (im ballparking the distribution, dont take that as set in stone)

If you cant modify anything, just go out and have a blast. You may not be competitive with a wrx, but who cares. Go big or go home and just have fun.

And by the way, this question went un-answered on fb. Wheres this rally at? Depending where i might come up to support you.

---------- Post added at 09:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:36 PM ----------

With the cast iron block, the raptor will never be light.

It is a Rallycross event, so it is in Marshal, MI at an old horse track

---------- Post added at 09:03 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:02 AM ----------

Are you on the stock setting for the shocks? Can you remove the block from under the leaf springs and still be in the stock class?

Good question. I think removing the block would bump a class. I can however put the front coils at any setting. But I assume lowest setting, which I am at now, will be the best

---------- Post added at 09:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:03 AM ----------

ok first things first. this truck is going to understeer AND oversteer like crazy. because of the weight distribution you are going to have to start your turn and slide earlier than you would a rally car. the problem you are going to run into, is that the back will slide out fairly easy since there is no weight back there so you can rotate very quickly, but because of the front end weight, the truck will want to push you to the outside of the turn. so it will be very easy to do one or the other. second, you should learn to left foot brake to start your turns. third, remove the lock on your e brake so it does not lock in place. you want it to return once you let off the brake pedal. this is usually used in extreme tight turns, but because it is a foot activated e brake you do not want to be messing with the release lever coming out of a turn. fourth, finding the apex of a turn and gas/brake timing is critical. you want to be facing the exit of the turn just before you reach the apex. this allows you to be wide open throttle as you are exiting the turn. fifth, as stated above, disable any traction control you can. this will definitely mess with your drifting technique. sixth, there is a reason for these drifting techniques, it is to set yourself up for the turn. it is all about weight transfer, you are not just sliding around a turn for show. the slide is allowing you to get the correct angle of approach and exit in a turn. remember, sliding around a turn is NOT the fastest way around it. the more power to the ground and less wheel spin , the better. you want to be on the gas sooner and on the brakes later. seventh, PRACTICE a lot and get used to how the truck will handle on many different surfaces. dirt, gravel, grass, shallow mud, going from tarmac to dirt, and from dirt to tarmac, etc. once you get these basics down, it just comes down to how well you can apply them in a race.

Thanks CSC, great tips. I am at least comfortable with left foot braking. I always thought my S-10 4x4 was a rally car when I was in college. It wasn't, but it was fun pretending.... I have always been more comfortable with a 4wheel drift than a 2 wheel drift, don't know why, but I just feel like I could set the truck up better. Slow is Fast, at least that is what they say on Top Gear

I am still figuring this truck out too, hence the need for some advice, so we will chalk the weekend up to "learning." Later in the year, the group comes back to this track and it will be interesting to try and apply what I learned from the first go around and see if there is a time improvement.

Good thing we are suppose to get some snow in the next couple days here.... time to try and practice.

Here are some of the details.

Event Location: Calhoun County Fairgrounds
Street Address: Fair Road
City: Marshall
State or Province: MI
Postal/Zip Code: 49068
Driving Directions
From Detroit: Take I-94 to Exit 112, turn towards Marshall. Turn Left at the first light then follow the sign to the Fairgrounds.
From Chicago: Same as above!
From Ft. Wayne: Take the Marshall exit off I-69. Go through the traffic circle then turn right at the third light.

 

[Sitdown]

Awesome, I'm less than 3hrs from there, so think ill make the trek and drag some others along too

 

[Off Road WannaBe]

ok first things first. this truck is going to understeer AND oversteer like crazy. because of the weight distribution you are going to have to start your turn and slide earlier than you would a rally car. the problem you are going to run into, is that the back will slide out fairly easy since there is no weight back there so you can rotate very quickly, but because of the front end weight, the truck will want to push you to the outside of the turn. so it will be very easy to do one or the other. second, you should learn to left foot brake to start your turns. third, remove the lock on your e brake so it does not lock in place. you want it to return once you let off the brake pedal. this is usually used in extreme tight turns, but because it is a foot activated e brake you do not want to be messing with the release lever coming out of a turn. fourth, finding the apex of a turn and gas/brake timing is critical. you want to be facing the exit of the turn just before you reach the apex. this allows you to be wide open throttle as you are exiting the turn. fifth, as stated above, disable any traction control you can. this will definitely mess with your drifting technique. sixth, there is a reason for these drifting techniques, it is to set yourself up for the turn. it is all about weight transfer, you are not just sliding around a turn for show. the slide is allowing you to get the correct angle of approach and exit in a turn. remember, sliding around a turn is NOT the fastest way around it. the more power to the ground and less wheel spin , the better. you want to be on the gas sooner and on the brakes later. seventh, PRACTICE a lot and get used to how the truck will handle on many different surfaces. dirt, gravel, grass, shallow mud, going from tarmac to dirt, and from dirt to tarmac, etc. once you get these basics down, it just comes down to how well you can apply them in a race.

Do you have any websites or places to read up on these techniques iv been wanting to teach myself this stuff. Are these tips you gave is it the same principals for trucks and rally cars? For when I try researching this stuff


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[The Car Stereo Company]

its mostly trial and error. i spent many hours actually practicing these techniques. all the reading i did when i first started way back when, didnt help as much as i thought it would. the actual experience of feeling the vehicle move was the most important part and where i learned the most

 

[Off Road WannaBe]

Ya the trail and error is the problem I haven't found a wide open space yet to play around got lots of logging roads around but they either have steep 3-4ft ditches or trees on the side so my errors could be costly. Ill do some reading find a starting point.

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[The Car Stereo Company]

i found that my time in pismo helped the most. it allowed me to learn to slide the vehicle, but because of the soft sand, it also slowed me down very quickly if i lost control. if you have any sand dune areas close to you, i would recommend practicing there first.

 

[Off Road WannaBe]

Thanks for the tip there's no dunes here where I'm at and it illegal to drive on the beaches but I'm sure I can find some sand pits to play in.

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[The Car Stereo Company]

i often talked to businesses with large parking lots. i asked them if i coud practice my driving skills at night when there were no people or cars around. half of the time i was told no, but then the other half said yes. i offered to spend time picking up garbage out of their lot in return for allowing me to use it. when they told me yes, i can use their lot, i always called the local police department and told them that i had permission to use this particular lot and let them know what i was doing and at what time. quite a few times the officers on patrol would stop by just to watch and talk to me until they got a call. i met a lot of cops....... (which helped when i got pulled over in the future) this was well worth driving around for an hour after i was done picking up random pieces of trash in their lot.... that was now completely covered in tire marks.

 

[MTUH3]

Great Tip CSC