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Warpig rally research report (long)



Peoples, for the last month I've been frantically putting the Warpig
together for it's first ProRally in almost 2 years. I apologize for
"disappearing" and from managing the Mk1 Scirocco bodykit project, for
instance. I'm happy to say, though, that we finished the event last
weekend with no significant mechanical problems. I'm also thrilled with
the way that some of the untested improvements worked out. Here's a
breakdown of what I changed and the results:

Engine management:
Knock sensor ignition -bad throttle switches caused major problems until
I replaced them at the midnight hour the night before the rally. Once I
did, the engine ran sweetly with no need for 104 octane mixed
racing/pump gas that I used to run.

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 2x
stiffer units  also raised the car up about 1" above stock and promote
gobs of suspension travel. Landing jumps never felt so good!

Revalved Bilsteins -for $55 each you really do get "brand new" dampers.
I had mine revalved to about double their natural rate. With linear rate
springs I think I'd be hating life. The ride is actually *smoother* then
before. Go figure...

Swaybars -are back to the stockers. I first ran nfb, then just the rear,
and now both front and rear. The re-installation of the front controls
the camber change up there nicely and actually increased the grip a bit.
The exception was on very tight corners on pavement and very sticky
tires. Methinks I'll experiment with a stock Scirocco 16v rear bar (24mm
vs 19mm)to see what happens...

Transmission:
Quaife differential -was absolutely phenomenal. I just can't believe how
much power you can put down around turns and in a straight line. The Pig
felt like it had AWD; I swear! Not only could I hardly get the front to
understeer on dirt with application of 145hp, the back end was 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; that thing rules!
RULES!!!

Lighting:
Hella 4000 -I put 2 driving beams on a custom lightbar just inboard of
the headlights. They're wired so that they only come on with the
highbeams -as per rally specifications. Wow, those things live up to
their "flamethrower" reputation. I'd still like another one to put in
the middle of them, though. Or, maybe I'd make it a pencil beam for
illumination waaaay down the road.

Hella 500 -compared to the 4000, these things are like little bitsy
toys. However, they are relatively tiny and cheap. So, I stuck them
under my bumper and pointed them down and out -perfect for lighting up
the ditches on the sides of the roads and the apexes of the corners.

Next on the agenda is a hood scoop for cold air induction, a roof scoop
for fresh air in the cabin, sealing of the chassis to inhibit dust
entry, and thermal protection on the exhaust tunnel to reduce cabin
temperatures.
--
Scott F. Williams
NJ Scirocco nut
SCCA ProRally driver
Hotrod Rabbit GTi

Check out our rally team's website!
http://www.usrallyteam.com



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