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WarPig
Rallycar
preparation goals are similar to that for road racing… as far as the
fulfilling the quest for performance is concerned. However, critical
differences are evident in that rally cars are built to withstand real
world driving conditions. Our racing takes place on public roads - the
good, the bad, and the very ugly! On the other hand, road racecars
compete in controlled environments that do not simulate the real world.
Not surprisingly, the imposition of a racing design on a streetcar
usually creates an unruly beast of a vehicle that can't really do
anything right. By comparison a rallycar is always within its element.
Long-term durability is the major design focus of a rally vehicle.
Events may last for several days and nights and cover anything from icy
gravel roads, or smooth asphalt, to bumpy desert trails. The car has to
go the distance! The durable car that finishes will always beat a faster
but fragile hotrod.
Given that rally cars must traverse public roads they must be kept
street legal -at least by some measure, anyway. It is therefore the
nature of the sport that our tuning methodology easily crossover from
rally to street application. The following specifications document what
we have done to the US Rally Team's Rabbit GTI -also known
affectionately as the "Warpig".
| Dimensions &
Specifications Track: 63.25" Wheelbase: 94.5" Weight: 2150 lbs Chassis: A1 type Volkswagen Rabbit GTi, partial seam weld, 12-point welded cage, integrated 8-point front subframe and diamond plate 3003 aluminum skidplate, upper stress bar Engine: Audi water-cooled 4 cylinder 8-valve (produces est. 150hp) Bore: 82.50mm Stroke: 92.8mm Displacement: 1984cc Connecting Rods: 159mm Gundrilled Ported and polished solid lifter cylinder head High-tension racing valve springs VW Motorsports G-grind cam Ported intake manifold/ Audi 5000 throttle body Audi mapped knock sensor ignition Transmission: 5-speed close ratio with 3.89 final drive, Quaife Torsen limited slip differential, VW Motorsports hard rubber mounts Front suspension: Bilstein HD strut inserts revalved to rally spec with progressive rate springs, stock front 16.5mm anti-roll bar, polyurethane upper bearings Rear suspension: Bilstein HD shocks high-rate springs, stock 19mm or 24mm Scirocco 16v anti-roll bar Steering: manual GTi rack with polyurethane mounting bushings, steering column extension Brakes: 22mm mastercylinder, Front: 10.1" Scirocco 16v rotors with dual piston calipers, Carbotech Panther brake pads, Rear: stock drums with fly off hand brake Tires: Silverstone S505 tires mounted on 6"x 14" Audi 4000 rims Lights: 2 Hella Rallye 4000 Halogen (euro beam pattern), 2 Hella 500 (fog pattern), 2 Hella H4 headlamps |
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| LATEST
MODIFICATIONS (updated 5/20/2000) Knock sensor ignition: -no more need for race gas! At $5 per gallon and chronic unavailability where we compete, sweating about fuel got old quickly. Besides we can always throw it in when we have it. Suspension: Progressive rate springs -are an absolute must! I can't believe how much more controllable the car is at all speeds and on all surfaces. These custom-wound units are two times stiffer than stock and also raised the car up about 1". The offer gobs of vital suspension travel. Rough surfaces never felt so good! Re-valved Bilsteins -for $55 each you really do get "brand new" dampers. I had Bilstein revalve mine to about double their normal rate. The ride is actually *smoother* then before. Go figure... Transmission: The Quaife differential is absolutely phenomenal. I just can't believe how much power you can put down around turns and in a straight line. The car feels like it has AWD; I swear! Not only can I hardly get the front to understeer on dirt, the back end is much grippier, too. This threw me for a loop until I realized that the increase in front grip was transfering more weight to the back and thus increasing the traction back there. Good gravy; the Quaife rules! RULES!!! Lightened flywheel -the Warpig's Audi motor now goes like a raped ape. It always made prodigous power but now it revs faster than the old 1.8 liter. Throttle response is similarly enhanced. |
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| NEXT STEPS: Development of the car is really coming along now. The major project now is keeping all the dust out. So, we'll be getting aggressive with the silicon caulking and the Mig welder. A roof mounted air scoop will also bring in cleaner/cooler air rather than the nasty muck that comes in through the windows. Cockpit temperatures have often exceeded 100°F partially due to the heat radiated up from the exhaust tubing. Judiciously placed thermal insulation will go a long way to keep things tolerable as the Warpig does battle. |
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