who here daily drives their rally car?

[skittles11]

anyone here use their rally car as their daily driver? i dont mean like a non caged wrx thats used for rallyx every now and then, but like a full caged stage rally car? ive been wanting to stage rally for EVER, and this might be the only way i can afford it.

[82rallyrabbit]

Its never a good idea to DD you stage car. If the only way you can afford to have a stage rally car is convert your daily driver then you should face the fact that you can't afford it. Rally cars break and you're usually able to afford a lot less when you boss fires you for not being able to make it to work.
But honestly you should be able to afford a used rally car. Its a lot cheaper to buy one used than to convert one yourself. Find an old fwd mk2 VW thats been caged and already had the suspension sorted out. You'll save thousands of dollars and learn a lot more on a underpowered front-driver than a fully prepped STI.

[Duffurban36]

I advise you to do what 82rallyrabbit has said. Find something that is already built. I believe its Jon Burke that finds some killer deals on built cars. He linked me a mid-late 90s VW Jetta and it was a beut under $5000. I was intending on building my own car but it would be time consuming and costly especially at my age. Good luck though.

[albascoob]

I don't and I don't recommend it.

Affording to go rallying involves more than just buying a car.
You'll find a thread on this forum about the cost of stage rallying.

Oh, and we've all waited for EVER.

;o)

[carl]

i wasn't daily driving the car even before the cage went in, I definitely won't be now that it is. terrible, terrible idea imo

[2006wrxtracer]

Take a look on Craigslist or Ebay. I know a few people that have picked up dedicated track cars for under a grand. Most of the cars may only be pushing 100 HP, it's a great start and most come fitted with cages, sparco seats, and a few sets of dirt wheels. If you want to see what will happen to your head if you do fit a cage in your DD and get into a wreck, take a watermelon and drop it 20/30 ft.

[snicker]

I DD my rally x car but have been looking for something else to dd. I would never stage a dd. I don't think you could.

[Jard]

Awesome track cars:
Civic
Miata
Fox Body Mustang

Not so awesome track cars:
Impreza

[Draco-REX]

Awesome track cars:
Civic
Miata
Fox Body Mustang

Not so awesome track cars:
Impreza

:shocked:

[Jard]

:shocked:
Track like road track...rally is different. :)

[409industries]

Pretty sure that Marvin DD's his PGT car.

http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/hosting/imagehosting/R4_event2_2008/R4_event2_002.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa15/Jackson-Rally/Other%20Rally%20stuff/Rim_2006_foto_1.jpg

It's caged and the whole 9 yards...

[anaonbd]

Maybe what you're talking about is getting a stage car (or making one) and DD it. If that's the case then it's not the greatest idea in the world. It's not because it won't be reliable, in fact it's probably going to be more reliable than a standard DD because of the meticulous effort you have to put into it just to keep it running well.

but DD a rally car.. You have to remember there's a cage and a seat that won't let you move very much to look around for other cars and things on the road. The suspension is also not very much fun as it's a race car and needs to be very rigid to withstand the abuse of a stage rally.

Mitch at checkpoint gave a really good answer as to why you don't want to DD a rally car. Even though you probably aren't going to have DMS coilovers, the car is just way too uncomfortable to drive everyday because of the way it's setup.


And what everyone else is saying; don't use a rally car as a DD if you're planning on making them one in the same car. You break something on it, you need to go to work the next day, and well you might get fired for not being at work until the part gets to your house. If you make your DD at the moment into a fully prepped stage car, go out and buy another car for a DD.

[KevinWelker]

wearing out expensive suspension parts doing daily driving get old really quick as does the risk of getting into an accident when no insurance company would even return your calls if they see your car is a fully caged race car asking for collision coverage......

[saturn]

unless you treat every drive like you're IN a rally (wearing the proper suit, helmet, HANS device, 5-point harness, etc)... you'll at least bump your head and it'll hurt really bad (as said above). I don't know if your head will explode like a watermelon...

I drive my 08 WRX daily and it is modded for rally-x... suspension, wheels/tires, huge mudflaps, and exhaust with a tune. it's also stickered if that counts as a "daily driver rally car" ;)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/3039359395_b684e846dc.jpg


it gets lots of stares at the parking garage here where I work.

but driving a fully-prepped STAGE RALLY CAR every day... would be impractical at the least. loud, uncomfortable, hard to see (blind spots behind you from the cage), cold/hot, and you would attract WAY too much attention from law enforcement. not to mention, IF you get into an accident, sure YOU will probably be 100% safe (well, mostly) but your insurance company would probably drop you from being covered if you didn't already let them know you have a roll cage and all those other weird things (like coilovers, etc).

but I have to disagree again with people saying it wouldn't be reliable... it would probably be MORE reliable than most DDs, and MORE safe... problem is if you're planning to also stage it, as said above, you'll probably break it and then how will you get to work the next day? even though for now I only do rally-x... I've even considered this. what if I go out on Sunday and rally-x.... then I blow a tire or bend something... sure I can get the car towed, but how will I get to work? I can steal the wife's car... but that's not a very reliable backup plan. I'll probably end up getting an older Impreza some day for this reason.

if driving a stage rally car as your only car is the only way you can afford to do stage rallying... I would recommend you either look into getting a better job, or look into getting 2 cheaper cars -- have one dedicated for stage rally, and one as your daily driver. older VW Golfs are great for this. sure it's only 2WD, but it'll get you started. another cheap alternative is the old 90s Audi Quattro Coupe

http://www.minibusa.no/main_18107001134327462551c46.jpg

or an older Impreza

http://archerpelican.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/impreza500.jpg


... this way, like I said, if you break it, you can still drive to work in the morning.

[Galen]

I DD my car, and its caged (SCCA spec). It can be a PITA, but oh well. I keep the engine stock for the most part. If your running really high end rally suspension, you will probably be rebuilding it more than you like...

[2006wrxtracer]

I don't know if your head will explode like a watermelon...

If your car was to get T boned or you were to get hit head on and came into contact with a steel bar your head would be crushed. Correct me if I am wrong but also running a roll cage in most newer cars dramatically effects the function of crush zones on the car, meaning parts are not going to come off or shift as if they would on a car with out the cage.

[KevinWelker]

Crumple zones are in front of and behind the wheels, everthing in between is meant to be as rigid as possible to protect the occupants. Safety cages do not extend in front of or behind the wheels. Crumple zones in the passenger compartment would be kind of counter productive.

[skittles11]

i should have been more clear. im looking at options for racing right now, and im also looking at buying a new car. and i dont know if i can afford both at the same time. for a new car, ive been thinking about something like an evo, sti, swapped rs, or something similar, which would be around the mid teens. then a legit stage rally car is somewhere around the mid teens too. since my daily driver would essentially be the same as the rally car id get, but without a cage and all the other rally prep stuff obviously, i was thinking i might need to daily drive it for awhile before i got a real dd.
i could definatly afford a cheapo 2000 dollar civic or something, but i was just thinking that if i plan on getting both a new car and a rally car, id either have to drive the rally car for like 8 months, or buy a new dd and wait another season to start rallying.

im thinking ill just have to go with a cheap dd for a year or so until i can afford something nicer.

[paktinat]

im thinking ill just have to go with a cheap dd for a year or so until i can afford something nicer.


+1

Plus remember, you never want to rally something you are not willing to completely write off and walk away from.
If you can spend 15K on a rally prepped car and afford to ball it up on your first stage and take the loss, then more power to you.


(this is in addition to the terrible idea of driving a fully caged car on the street)

[SoCalBoomer]

-snip-

I DD my RallyX car (as much as I drive, being 3 blocks from work. . .LOL) and it does VERY well in both roles.

I would never DD a stage rally car - the lack of vision is a huge part of it. When you're stage rallying, you don't have to worry about cars next to you on the FWY, looking L/R at intersections and all the other stuff you do on normal roads. Visibility is lessened in a stage car, and if you get good seats with head bracing, you'll lose a LOT of side-side visibility (I'm thinking of JonO's car with the big "flaps" on the head section of the seat - he has to lean forward a bit to look to the side.

[noisycricket]

I daily drive my rallycross car when it's running, and the roads have no salt.

I don't stage rally. I picked the wrong parents for that :)

[sniper1rfa]

then a legit stage rally car is somewhere around the mid teens too.


Nah, if you buy a prepped front drive car (like the mkII VW's) it won't run you nearly that much. And remember that as a rookie you will only be able to run non-turbo front drive cars in rally america (or possibly non-turbo <2.5L AWD in open light).

Also remember that you stand a good chance of wrecking the car on your first stage, so a big purchase would be a terrible idea. You might not even like rallying, even though it looks cool. :)

[paktinat]

I don't stage rally. I picked the wrong parents for that :)

This is going in my sig. :mrgreen:

[409industries]

No plans here to DD my stage car. That thing is a bitch to get in and out of, and its going to be loud as hell inside.

[Galen]

^^ at least you have door crosses, not nascar style (like me). Its such a PITA to get in and out of that I am thinking about getting door crosses made and installed instead.

[UP2MTNS]

No plans here to DD my stage car. That thing is a bitch to get in and out of, and its going to be loud as hell inside.

yeah, but how fun will it be to show up to NASIOC car meets in that puppy!!

[KevinWelker]

been there done that, no one says you can't bring it to meets, you just don't want to drive it every day!!!

Stop complaining that it is going to be loud, our car is not loud, even with a straight pipe for a muffler it is decent unless under load. Once you get it on gravel it is a different story........

[409industries]

been there done that, no one says you can't bring it to meets, you just don't want to drive it every day!!!

Stop complaining that it is going to be loud, our car is not loud, even with a straight pipe for a muffler it is decent unless under load. Once you get it on gravel it is a different story........

Oh yeah, i never said i wasn't going to take it to meets! Gotta show those street queens that there's more to Subarus that just your daily shennagins.

Don't get me wrong, ill be loving the loud clatter of gravel hitting bare metal, that's just something that on a daily basis would really get irritating ;)

[me_jimmy]

i dont think i would be able to keep myself out of it if i had one

[Gravel Crew Rally Team]

Pretty sure that Marvin DD's his PGT car.

http://www.dirtyimpreza.com/hosting/imagehosting/R4_event2_2008/R4_event2_002.jpg

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa15/Jackson-Rally/Other%20Rally%20stuff/Rim_2006_foto_1.jpg

It's caged and the whole 9 yards...
Yes I DD my car! And I love every minute of it. To me it is the best way to promote our love of rallying to the public. I swear that I am at every gas station, liquor store, or any random parking lot for a good half hour talking to people about rallying. The car is actually pretty comfortable except for the part of not having any A/C. But by driving my car everyday it allows me to concentrate more on driving instead of going balls out on stages. Yes I have taken some chances on stages but fortunately things worked out for the better. I find knowing that I have to keep the car in one piece has developed a sense of "to finish first I must first finsh." I have finished all of the rallies I have entered except for 1 day of my very first rally, and that was due to a clutch failure, that happened to be a test piece. Lesson learned on that one. I would say go for it and build a DD rally car. But that is my opinoin, you must be the one to finally decide what would be best in your situation.

[Galen]

I bet the sponsors like you DD'ing your car to :)

[Gravel Crew Rally Team]

That is actually a selling point to some of my sponsors. They do like it when I roll up to some of the car shows wihtout having to take it off of a trailer. It also allows people to see the parts on my car and see what rallying can do to a car.

[katnip]

it's not practical but can be done. when the local PD told me to take my RS off the road because of the 4 month expired inspection sticker and CEL, I started driving the rally neon to work every day.
now you need to understand my husband is 5 11 and I am 5 2, so I have to drive it with 2 pillows behind my back. :jack: rather amusing, but in a pinch it came in handy.

[westy2005]

I drive my stage car atleast 2 days a week to work. I have another car, but choose to do this since its not kept in a garage, out of the elements, etc.....

Nothing wrong with DD'ing it at all, and in fact it would give you a better feeling for the car (did me). I enjoy every minute of it, and feel more confident when pushing it on my RallyX course. Like Marvin said, "To finish first, first you must finish" and making it a DD will make you more likely to follow this saying.

There are a few downfalls to DD'ing a stage car however, in my case...no gas gauge (damn cell..). Others could be suspension, exhaust, ease of entry and exit...etc....

It all lies in your hands, though!

[RA Limited]

i think the biggest issue with DD'ing a stage rallycar would be putting too much wear/use on high-end suspension (DMS, etc) or living with the cage.

I, like many of my friends over here, DD a stupid ****ty car with lots of inconveniences. Mine isn't caged, yet, but i've got a fixed bucket and stiff-ass suspension, along with a loud fuel pump, fully open exhaust, and no A/C. I've got a buddy w/ a stripped Civic EG6 that has a full WRC-style Recaro and a 10-point cage w/ door-bars. He loves it.

[odi]

I will start driving my rally car to the shop once a week probably. It is the only fwd car in the household and I am tired of being rusty on the stages.

I have dirt road detours :eek: I can take. They are public though, so gotta go slow.

I have seen people dd their rally car and it seems to work fine. I actually would like to build a production class car and dd it. But I always have a car for back up.

[TylerSti]

Hahaha I make my wife drive my Rally cross wrx. Solid bushings suck driving to work, so I drive our Tacoma. She just drives around town but still very funny and turns heads.

[rubberbiscuitt]

Alex(d1337sti) does the 70 mile each way commute in the green fwd Impreza everyday, well until the snow began to fly... this friggen climate of ours- fwd + highway tires or rally tires isn't a good snow commuter. The rally car gets way better fuel economy than the sti.
________
HONDA SH150I (http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Honda_SH150i)

[409industries]

Alex(d1337sti) does the 70 mile each way commute in the green fwd Impreza everyday, well until the snow began to fly... this friggen climate of ours- fwd + highway tires or rally tires isn't a good snow commuter. The rally car gets way better fuel economy than the sti.

I'm starting to think that once fuel prices go way back up again, the RS might not be such a bad idea when compared to the high prices of driving the gas guzzling STi! :shock:

[kreitz3]

I used to DD my RallyX car, but as for now it's just my DD. :(

[biggreen96]

Wearing out $$$ suspensions is an easy fix. Just take it off and throw on stock stuff. Changing struts is only like a 2 hour job if you have a friend, probably less.

If somebody is poor enough to need to DD their stage car, then they most likely can't afford nice seats with head wings so that helps with the vision problem.

Stock seat belts could be fitted quickly enough too, and taken off for the rally weekend. I mean you need to spend a day or two going through the car before and after a rally, these things would just become routine.

Of course you would take off the rally rubber and fit all-seasons you stole from the pile behind the tire shop.

And hitting your head on the cage? The bars have to be fitted with safety foam which has to be softer than the stock plastic covered metal B-pillar. I sit so far back because of my long legs that in a side impact my head IS going to hit that. I am thinking about fitting something to soften the blow.

[saturn]

if you're that broke, how would you afford the entry fees?

[sniper1rfa]

entry fees are usually the reason for being broke.

[carl]

And hitting your head on the cage? The bars have to be fitted with safety foam which has to be softer than the stock plastic covered metal B-pillar. I sit so far back because of my long legs that in a side impact my head IS going to hit that. I am thinking about fitting something to soften the blow.
have you ever actually held a piece of FIA rollbar padding in your hand? it is about as soft as a 2x4. no, i take that back, a 2x4 is softer. the padding is designed to be contacted while wearing a helmet, if you hit it with your mellon, it would only be slightly less traumatic than hitting the steel bar. We were debating taking a length of my padding last night to use as a softball bat

[snicker]

LOL!! Very true.

[rallylife]

i dd my car and i have that padding on my cage but i take the sacrifice u only live once:lol:

[LukeD]

have you ever actually held a piece of FIA rollbar padding in your hand? it is about as soft as a 2x4. no, i take that back, a 2x4 is softer. the padding is designed to be contacted while wearing a helmet, if you hit it with your mellon, it would only be slightly less traumatic than hitting the steel bar. We were debating taking a length of my padding last night to use as a softball bat
the expensive dual durometer stuff is nice though :)

[saturn]

I think I would DD my car if it was a stage rally car... even if I had another car. why? it would be lots of fun.

- all that noise... hearing every rattle, bump and rumble of your engine
- getting a better feel for your car on more surfaces
- all the attention (positive AND negative)

I would probably at least wear a helmet though...

[deviantek]

3 or so days a week ill drive my evo around to make sure the engine stays conditioend and doesnt sit all the time. my evo is full caged and its a stiff/loud ride.... but I love every minute of it. I have the cage padded in all areas near the driver/co-d. yeah driving w/ 5-point belts are a bit of a pain to look around in, but its doable.... cage doesnt get in the way much. I do all that while being RHD... no biggy. However getting it in a traffic accident would be unfortunate. That's a risk you have to take if youre wanting to drive it on the streets.