I need to know a starting point for my new circut racing car that is almost ready . I need to know the toe in for both front and rear as well as some camber and caster settings that may suit me . The car is a 76 bug with a close ratio box , 2332cc engine that should produce around 210 hp , 17x7 rims with full slicks , koni adjustable shocks all round , dropped spindles , 28mm torsion bars with adj. spring plates . The car has been gutted and will not have a roll cage and only 2 front seats , lexan windows have also been added . Any info at this stage would be appreciated as this stage its all new to me . I will post pics soon of the car as it is in its final stage of assembly , ROD.
Hello Rod,Ive just finished a beetle sports sedan. 69 shell on a 72 superbug floorpan , porsche 915 gearbox & type 4 2.3 with koni adj shocks.Im a bit unshure aswell ,im going O.5mm toe in on front and rear with 2.5 deg camber up front & 1 degree on rear,oh yeah im trying out the new a3so5 hoosier circuit slicks when they land from the US.Cheers Rich.
Hi Rod,
Have you given up the 1/4 mile for the track? more time driving I surpose than a quick few seconds down the quater.
Alan
RodPenrose ·
Alan , The new drag car is still progressing slowly , so I have the option now to do some track days and after watching some of the fast beetles run with the porsche club around ECR and Oran pk . I have just thrown together a 76 bug to have some fun in . This is all new to me and I dont know if I will even like going around corners fast . I have had some good advice and support from some of the beetle racers , so I will be at Wakefield Pk on the 9th of April to see if I can keep up with the other beetles . To answer your question , When I enter a major drag meeting the cost of the entry = $240 for 5-6 runs @ 9 sec ea , Than the cost of actually running the car will be around $1500-$1800 for the meeting . This cost is for wear and tear on the parts of the car that need to be replaced or refurbished after every meeting. So it is expensive to go really fast . ROD.
amazeer ·
Hi Rod,
Not entirely positive but I think you might find you have to have a roll cage in a sports sedan. All unregistered cars in circuit racing are supposed to have them. You might get away with it on a multiclub day but not in a championship series.
Chris Fraser
PS 2 seats? Do you need a co-driver? I'm available.
pringa8 ·
Plus the roll cage would add rigidity to the car, and therefore better handling. I'd suggest trial and error to begin with, plenty of practice days. I've played around with a few things like toe out at the rear, toe in at the front to get some extra turn. Don't know how that would go with the extra weight of the beetle body!
RodPenrose ·
Here are some pics of the car that were taken last week.Chriss I would think twice about being my co-pilot after seeing how I drive .I also have decided not to run any sort of roll over protection or cross bracing as the extra weight would slow the car . The aim is to put as much power in a car that weighs as little as possible and get it handling as good as possible . ROD.
If you're after handling, it would definitely help! Strengthens up the chassis heaps. Nice pics too, she looks good!
RodPenrose ·
Now for the bad news , Last Saturday afternoon I decided to take the new car for another test session and had a big oops. I had dropped the clutch at 5000rpm ,reved it to 8500 , hit 2nd and at 8000 saw the spedo at 120kph , shifted into 3rd and still accelerated hard for about 3-4 seconds until I was hard on the brakes unfortunatly locking a right hand rear wheel , which in turn put me into a spin that was only stopped by a mack truck parked on the side of the road.The good news is that I'm only sore and bruised on the inside , The truck didn't move and only ended up with white paint on it , however the bug is a little bit bent . So I think I may stick to something a little less hazardous , like drag racing.
RodPenrose ·
for sale 76 bug , hardly driven , needs wheel alignment.
amazeer ·
I'm foolishly brave. Last weekend I rode down huntley on a lawn mower without brakes. I found it had no brakes as I reached the esses. Didnt stop until I went over the bridge and out on the main road back to dapto. Hard to tell what speed I got up to, maybe 80-100km/h. I'm well qualified as a co pilot for rod penrose.
Just remember that there is a minimum weight, and people in fast volkswagens are known to create jealousy and protests. No scales at Huntley though!
amazeer ·
bit of bog....
1303 ·
Glad to hear you are OK, that looks nasty.
Circuit racing is great... I wouldn't let that put you off, there aren't any trucks parked on the side of the circuit so you should be fine!
I think with a little work that that car would now be great for circle track racing in a clockwise direction...you would hardly have to steer!
Cheers Paul
bat69 ·
Man thats a big hit. Ive seen some massive prangs and thats up there. Another 6" to 12" towards the front of the car and I think you would be a little more than sore and bruised...
Craig Torrens ·
wow......................so what did the cops say????
If is WAS for sale, I'm sure there would be takers for some of those parts!!
fastnuf ·
Oooops.......!!
fullnoise ·
Hi Rod,
I'm glad you're okay. The wreckage looks frightening.
I was looking forward to seeing and hearing your car on the track.
CYA CT
hellbugged ·
fullnoise wrote:Hi Rod,
I'm glad you're okay. The wreckage looks frightening.
I was looking forward to seeing and hearing your car on the track.
CYA CT
likewise here
VWCOOL ·
For a base handling set up, use some Whiteline adjustable cars set at mid-stroke, with 1/8-inch toe-in, 2 1/2 degrees negative camber and 6 degrees of castor on the front (use a 10mm shim under the botton torsion bar tube) and 2 deg neg camber on the rear with toe set at 0. Then play with bars' adjustment on a flat track like wakefield
After you fit a a new floorpan and shell
Damn dude that musta hurt
[ Edited on 14-2-2006 by VWCOOL ]
pringa8 ·
Ouch! Very nasty. It's amazing how people can pull up so well when you see cars like that! Just part of the business though, unfortunate is it is. Keep on keepin on, you might even want to try Formula Vee!
RodPenrose ·
Thanks for the support and u2u's form every one concerned .Pringa8 In 1990 I purchased a Makin formula vee rolling chassis and transplanted my 2276cc street engine to compete in hillclimb events . The thing was like a rocket ship until the rear suspension broke and sent me up side down spinning across the finish line . That was my first race car and only bad accident until last Saturday .In hindsight it was stupid to put 160hp in a car that was designed for 40hp . Also I realise that it was stupid to test a race car on a public road regardless of how well you think it goes or stops , with no helmet or adequate roll over protection . ROD.
pringa8 ·
Well, maybe not stupid, cause even my rear suspension broke under the strain of cornering, only using the standard 1600 engine! Thankfully I didn't flip even though I was going through the kink at Oran Park! If I could throw something in with a bit more guts I'd love it!
Yeah, testing is probably best left to the track. Hindsight is always 20/20...
Craig Torrens ·
maybe stupid Rod.........................but you must admit its FUN!!!!
The big fella upstairs doesn't want you just yet.😀
BrisDubba ·
Thankfully Rod you made the disclaimer in the end that it was a stupid thing to do on a public road- I was already shaking my head at the 'no roll cage theory- imagining Craig Lowndes and the V8's trying the same... one would wonder as to the brains of your 'supporters'.
But that said, am glad no one was hurt- this time.
david777 ·
Serious question...How much help would a roll cage be for going side on into a Mack truck?
There seem to be a few different designs out there. What is most useful in a beetle?
vw54 ·
Rod
Stick to a straight track will you.
pringa8 ·
david777 wrote:Serious question...How much help would a roll cage be for going side on into a Mack truck?
There seem to be a few different designs out there. What is most useful in a beetle?
The roll cage is mainly designed to protect the person driving the car, so it would help a lot! I think Rod was very lucky on this occasion (I think he'd agree:P). The car still would have been stuffed though anyway, just to a lesser degree. Roll cages are invaluable.
No idea what the best idea for a beetle would be though.
2443TT ·
Holy Crap! God must really like you Rod... you were very lucky to walk away from that.
I saw a question earlier... what did the cops say?
A better question would be .... What did the wife say ?
Reminds me of what happens when you try stoping my bug from speed without properly warming up my bendix asbestos brake pads.... they get a little grabby. Not locking a wheel but enough to make the car want to change lanes. I spent $500 on new brake pads for a christmas gift for myself so that won't be happening again...
Hey all I need now is an engine with cylinder heads, a new gearbox and a pair of turbos... I'm told it will arrive eventually...
Cheers,
Type3Sicko ·
Nahhh mate! That will buff right out! Glad to hear youse didn't hurt yourself too much...take the donk out and start again...rememberwhat it felt like to hit 8 grand on the straightaway? well you just keep doin that till someone waves a chequered flag...gotta love VW racing, it keeps you in the poorhouse. Good luck with your venture...