The Swede,, 5000 kilometer adventure rally

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Wed Dec 22, 2010 4:45 am

Hi everybody,,

It has been over a year since i posted on this forum, i´m building an adventure subaru for a 5000 kilometer winter adventure rally,
( http://www.arctic4x4experience.com ) i passed the motor vehicle inspection today with a blank paper ( not bad for a 28 year old car ) Now the fun begins..

Check out my new website

http://www.underdog-motorsports.com

I have some questions,

* What tire size would you recomend as the biggest for a standard brumby, i don´t wanna eat up my clutch,, it´s a 1983 model with Fwd, 4wd,4wd low gearbox.. ?

* Any problem with running the whole rally in 4wd low,, lots of long distance transportation,,?

Regards from Sweden
Linus

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:18 pm

Help please, you guys know the brumby..

Linus..

1111giles · Post by **1111giles** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:34 pm

Hi Linus !
And hello to you from England. I'm sorry that I can't really answer your questions directly myself as my MV is in more or less standard setup - but can I suggest that you look at this build up thread for 'extreme' MVBRUMBYBRAT guidance
showthread.php?t=4919&highlight=brumbyrunner

BTW I used to work for a Swedish company called System3R and I visited the Vallingby factory on occasions (Suburb of Stockholm).I have happy memories of great nights out in Stockholm City centre !:D

Best of luck with your build and please keep posting your progress on this site !

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:45 pm

yep, i know brumbyrunner, to bad i don´t have a turbo engine,, i will go with the EA 81..

hope some one can give me some answers,,

Nice that you liked Sweden..

Linus..

1111giles · Post by **1111giles** » Thu Dec 23, 2010 7:53 pm

kenshiro wrote:yep, i know brumbyrunner, to bad i don´t have a turbo engine,, i will go with the EA 81..

hope some one can give me some answers,,

Nice that you liked Sweden..

Linus..

EA81 ?? Wow what you are proposing to do will sure thing be a massive test for "our" engine ! Are you going to try and tune it up ? Mine has a weber and helps alot, some on here say 2" (50mm) exhaust helps as well.

Enjoyed Sweden lots......especially all the beautiful girls !:D hehehe !
It's very easy in Sweden for english speaking people - because most Swedes I met spoke better english than me !:-D Kinda helps......

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Fri Dec 24, 2010 7:09 am

Hi Linus,
I don't have any experience driving on snow and ice but I would think a simple 2 or 3 inch lift kit would be an advantage. Better visibility, more room in the mudguards, improved ramp-over/approach/departure etc.
I've used 185R14 and 27x8.5R14 tyres for years on EA81 powered Brumbys with no problems. You'll have clearance issues with those 26.5 and 27" tyres without a lift though.
I think you're best bet would be some local snow rally tyres on 15"rims. There are a few around 26" diameter, 7 to 9" wide. Maybe even studs?
The gearbox should be fine left in 4WD or low range in slippery conditions. You might like to consider a rear LSD as well.

Did you enjoy your trip to Baja? When are you going to enter?

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Mon Dec 27, 2010 4:51 am

the car has to be street legal so rally tires is out of the question, i will be using studless tires, these are the best in deep snow..

where to find rear LSD for 1983 brumby.?

brumbyrunner wrote:Hi Linus,
I don't have any experience driving on snow and ice but I would think a simple 2 or 3 inch lift kit would be an advantage. Better visibility, more room in the mudguards, improved ramp-over/approach/departure etc.
I've used 185R14 and 27x8.5R14 tyres for years on EA81 powered Brumbys with no problems. You'll have clearance issues with those 26.5 and 27" tyres without a lift though.
I think you're best bet would be some local snow rally tyres on 15"rims. There are a few around 26" diameter, 7 to 9" wide. Maybe even studs?
The gearbox should be fine left in 4WD or low range in slippery conditions. You might like to consider a rear LSD as well.

Did you enjoy your trip to Baja? When are you going to enter?

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:41 am

kenshiro wrote:the car has to be street legal so rally tires is out of the question, i will be using studless tires, these are the best in deep snow..

where to find rear LSD for 1983 brumby.?

So what maximum size body lift and tyre size does your local law permit?

Try ebay for LSD. Make sure it's a clutch type (also called mechanical and plate type) for best results. Don't worry about the model it's from or the ratio, so long as it's an R160.

spike · Post by **spike** » Mon Dec 27, 2010 12:12 pm

id go with an aftermarket fuel tank too, get more range and better weight distribution.
LSD in the rear, maybe even convert it to run an EJ gearbox.
I wouldnt advise running 4wd low, simply cause of the fuel use and reving the engine, high is what i rally in
Id also make sure that your engine is serviced well and has all the engine preheating gear on it.

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:10 am

brumbyrunner wrote:So what maximum size body lift and tyre size does your local law permit?

Try ebay for LSD. Make sure it's a clutch type (also called mechanical and plate type) for best results. Don't worry about the model it's from or the ratio, so long as it's an R160.

In Sweden, it is permissible to change the dimensions of the tire and rim. If there is a switch to a dimension which is not part of the car's approval it´s at your own risk. Conditions for the change are that:

Tires and rims have free space at the maximum suspension movements and steering.
Tires and rims are covered by the vehicle's fender.
The change of tires and rims do not affect vehicle handling negatively, such as the capacity during braking, steering and hydroplaning.
Otherwise, the tire and rim shall be sized for the car's maximum axle load and speed capacity.

not a problem really,, the staff at the event told me that it´s ok for me to change my tires to whatever i wanna run, the police won´t mind as long as it is regular winter tires ( studded rally tires is a BIG NO ).. And that they don´t stick outside of the fenders..

i will use 20mm spacers to change bolt pattern to 100x4, the rims i will use have ET 50,, so slightly wider track width ( if i´m correct 17 mm on each side )..Picture shows 5 bolt rims

I have installed new wheel bearings in front, the car already has an engine preheater for the nights, installing double optima gel batteries, it will have a new clutch ( ordered )..

The big Q is what tire size i can run,, i like to be on the safe side as for clutch and gearbox stress,, and still go up a few sizes for clearance and traction in snow.

Linus,,

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:38 pm

So no body lift then? Bummer.

Shame you were forced to run the rim spacers to get the rims you need. Are they steel? You need to keep a close watch on them as the nuts can work loose and, hidden behind the rim it's impossible to tell. The steel ones are better than the alloy spacers but they can all let you down. I would never use them on a comp car if I had a choice.

I know an un-lifted Brumby will have enough clearance to run 185/70R14 which is only about 24" tall. You could try to squeeze in a 185/75R14 or 195/70R14 or 205/65R14 which are a bit taller but that's about it before you'll need to start trimming the sheetmetal fenders.

My advice it to find out if you are permitted to fit a body lift because they are well worth it and then run 185R14, 195R14 or my favourite, the 27x8.5R14.

brumbyrunner · Post by **brumbyrunner** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 11:43 pm

In this pic my Brumby has 3" lift and 185R14 Goodyear Wrangler.
It's fairly loaded so the rear suspension is sitting a bit low but you get the idea.

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 5:41 pm

Was thinking of using 195-65-15, studded winter tires kumho kw22,,

aprox 25" tall, nice tire pattern for a small tire,, road legal also..

I could go with studded general tire grabber AT2,, 27" tall..

not as god in snow but still legal as a winter tire, the pro is that it´s bigger,,
tire pattern as the BFgoodrich All Terrain, but softer rubber, and studdable.

still worried about it beeing to big,, stress issues on the transmission/driveline,,

see pictures of the tires

spike · Post by **spike** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 5:49 pm

brumbyrunner wrote:So no body lift then? Bummer.

Shame you were forced to run the rim spacers to get the rims you need. Are they steel? You need to keep a close watch on them as the nuts can work loose and, hidden behind the rim it's impossible to tell. The steel ones are better than the alloy spacers but they can all let you down. I would never use them on a comp car if I had a choice.

I know an un-lifted Brumby will have enough clearance to run 185/70R14 which is only about 24" tall. You could try to squeeze in a 185/75R14 or 195/70R14 or 205/65R14 which are a bit taller but that's about it before you'll need to start trimming the sheetmetal fenders.

My advice it to find out if you are permitted to fit a body lift because they are well worth it and then run 185R14, 195R14 or my favourite, the 27x8.5R14.

my wheel nuts work loose anyway.
the problem i have with wheel spacers is that they can cock on the studs, wheel nuts go tight but the wheel isnt really on the hub. also this can bend the studs and cause them to break which sucks in the middle of a race or rally

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Sun Jan 16, 2011 8:43 pm

Check out my website for updates,, i´m painting the car right now..

http://www.underdog-motorsports.com

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:07 am

Finally painted,,

Linus,,

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Thu Feb 10, 2011 10:22 am

The adventure begins 12/2,,

Man i have to small tires.. Pictures of my car tomorrow..

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:24 pm

Jihaaaa finished on third place overall,, i will post pics and write about the adventure on my website, just wanted to show you my adventure brumby,, updating my website in a couple of hours, remember this is not a race car,, next one will be for sure..

Linus,,

Pav · Post by **Pav** » Wed Feb 23, 2011 11:46 pm

Nice, that's a sweet lookin brumby, and congrats on placing 3rd, did you have any troubles along the way?

kenshiro · Post by **kenshiro** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 4:21 am

It was tough keeping it warm inside the car, -25 to -38 degrees celcius every day,, also got some vibrations on the last day of the adventure, it started when driving about 80 km/hour ( 50 mph )

other then that it was fine,,

Pav wrote:Nice, that's a sweet lookin brumby, and congrats on placing 3rd, did you have any troubles along the way?

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The Swede,, 5000 kilometer adventure rally

The Swede,, 5000 kilometer adventure rally

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