RCE Street to RallyX BRZ

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by TeutonicShift89

Hey Andrew--got to thinking today:

What would be the difference functionally in doing RCE yellows on stock or bilstein struts for street work then adding an ADF 2'' lift spacer on top for "offroad" set up vs going with the rally X springs from the get go? If the yellows drop 30mm or so, then the 2'' spacer basically gives you the same "lift" the rally X springs were going for right? Would this be a viable modular set up for switching between different driving modes?

Sorry I missed this!

The main reason we want to do a rally x springs vs a lift spacer is more usable travel and a functionally improved car off the street. A lift spacer only gives you ground clearance...no improvement in terms of handling dynamics except arguably making things worse. No compression travel increase.

By having spring rates specifically designed for dirt/gravel/snow/roughroads AND a slight lift that increases travel, you actually increase the car's capability in those situations.

The Yellows would be far from ideal off road with or without lift spacers.

- Andrew

[Racecomp Engineering]

Got a delrin shift knob from Kartboy a while back and finally got around to making my own sticker. I like it. Had trouble finding anything else that I was really into, plus the Kartboy delrin is the right shape and weight for my preference. Just wanted a different sticker.



- Andrew

[TeutonicShift89]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Sorry I missed this!

The main reason we want to do a rally x springs vs a lift spacer is more usable travel and a functionally improved car off the street. A lift spacer only gives you ground clearance...no improvement in terms of handling dynamics except arguably making things worse. No compression travel increase.

By having spring rates specifically designed for dirt/gravel/snow/roughroads AND a slight lift that increases travel, you actually increase the car's capability in those situations.

The Yellows would be far from ideal off road with or without lift spacers.

- Andrew

Ok. Spacers are a bad compromise. So would coilovers (tarmac 2's?) be the ideal I'm looking for insofar as they provide the height adjustability to adapt to winter/offroad and warm weather applications? I guess just looking at rce springs (yellow or rally x or both) are $300 each and bilsteins are around $800, plus the LCA's to allow alignment correction bring up the total to around $1300. Then if I had a second set of springs and shocks for winter and swapped them out, there's added cost there. So I guess I'm just curious at what point some sort of coil over option becomes preferable (if there even is an option that fits that bill at this point).

I guess all this is adjacent to a comment of yours a while back that you would prefer rce springs and bilsteins on your personal car rather than a more exotic and expensive set up. So I guess I'm looking for some sort of gloss as to your thought process behind that.

[Racecomp Engineering]

My current plan is RCE SS1 coilovers for warmer months, and Rally X springs for winter with OEM shocks to start and maybe with Bilstein B6 next year. And to be fair, I could absolutely could run the SS1s year round without any issue whatsoever, but I'm starting to catch the rally-x bug bad...

It's not ideal because of added labor to swap systems and alignments, but that's something I'll deal with. I'll make it easier since I'll have complete assemblies ready to go with top mounts and everything for both options.

Tarmac 2s (and most coilovers not specifically designed for off road use) will be too firm for real off road use. You could customize them, and we have before, to do fairly well on rougher stuff. Longer and softer springs. Raising and lowering would still require an alignment each time. I would love to design an entry level rally-x capable coilover but one thing at a time. Almost all dedicated rally setups are very expensive.

For the money, RCE Yellows + Bilstein B6 is IMO still one of the best ways to go. It's easy and it's really fun. There's a little comfort in knowing how straightforward and simple your suspension is while still being awesome. That said, I do like my SS1s better, for only a little more money. The Bilsteins were backordered forever when I got my car and the SS1s were barely a thought. But they're awesome.

Hope that helps.

- Andrew

[Racecomp Engineering]

double post

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Tarmac 2s (and most coilovers not specifically designed for off road use) will be too firm for real off road use.

Bah, wuss. You don't need kidneys or teeth. And broken strut towers and bent suspension arms are ideal for max camber.

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

Bah, wuss. You don't need kidneys or teeth. And broken strut towers and bent suspension arms are ideal for max camber.

Ahhh the guy from Florida would know about not having all his teeth.

ROASTED.

- Andrew

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

Ahhh the guy from Florida would know about not having all his teeth.

ROASTED.

- Andrew

This from a guy with zero breweries in the town he lives in.

Although crooked crab is close and is a good spot to drink

[Racecomp Engineering]

Originally Posted by Dave-ROR

This from a guy with zero breweries in the town he lives in.

Although crooked crab is close and is a good spot to drink

I live in Baltimore, which is an insane town with lots of missing teeth and probably missing kidneys for that matter. But it does have some good breweries. Beers on me if you're ever in town!

I'll have to check out Crooked Crab.

- Andrew

[Dave-ROR]

Originally Posted by Racecomp Engineering

I live in Baltimore, which is an insane town with lots of missing teeth and probably missing kidneys for that matter. But it does have some good breweries. Beers on me if you're ever in town!

I'll have to check out Crooked Crab.

- Andrew

Our parent companies HQ is in Bowie so I'm up there a bit.. was last there about a month ago.

Bowie.. now that's a place.. the corner lounge is a decently cheap dive bar but it took a long time to get served. Seems common in Bowie

[Racecomp Engineering]

Literally just posting a picture of my dog.



But more updates coming soon. Been doing a lot of research and talking to the right people while recovering from my ACL surgery. Next phase of testing underway now that I'm walking mostly like a normal person.

- Andrew

[Racecomp Engineering]

So it's been a while...the last post was just when I was starting to walk/drive again after my knee surgery. I can run, the puppy can run a lot faster, and the car hasn't changed too much.

The car's focus has shifted to rallyx and I've spent the last year doing a lot of research as well as some testing. I've got a pretty clear idea of this car's final form and have started making/collecting parts.

We're doing a new RCE RallyX spring set to raise the car 15mm with spring rates designed specifically for gravel competition (though I expect improved handling on tarmac as well, it's not the primary focus). That's the next big step for this car once the pre-production set is in my hands. COVID-19 has of course complicated all of this but it's happening.

Other than that, I've been planning on replacing the rest of my OEM bushings. I have a set of Cusco front control arms that I might modify with Subaru STI Group N bushings and some RCE prototype endlinks that I've been experimenting with. I will do STI rear trailing arms and I'm looking into options for the rear upper control arms.

Other things coming:
STI motor and trans mounts
Brake pads (probably Ferodo 2500) and fluid change to Motul 660
15 inch Enkei wheels and gravel tires (Pirelli or Federal)
Bilstein B6 (after final testing on OEM dampers)
Pedders front top mounts
Maybe the smaller than stock front & rear Cusco swaybars

The overall goal is a STI Type RA or Spec C inspired build (homologation specials from the GC and GD and early GR eras). A little more than OEM+ and something at home on gravel or tarmac. Should be fun.

Anyway, here's Wilbur:



- Andrew

[Racecomp Engineering]

Oh yeah, I've also started a new instagram page for tech articles and the occasional bullshit. Check out the apex files here:
www.instagram.com/theapexfiles/

Lots of fun stuff like this:


- Andrew