New Guys Long intro Thread Looking at Stalker or IRS Based Locost

[sciff5]

Goodafternoon all, and thanks for having me here. I'm new here and have been lurking for a while, and trying my best to SEARCH for answers. I dont know if I have a ton of specific questions in this first thread. I just want to introduce myself explain what I'm looking to accomplish and hear from the experts here if a Locost would be a good fit.

 

I would put this in an intro thread section but didnt see one.

So as you can tell from my title I've identified the Stalker and it seems to fit most criteria, other than maybe the cost and well the whole bumpy New England road thing but I'll get to that a little later.

First off I dont want to open up a can of worms talking about IRS Vs. Solid rear axles but I would like to hear from folks with experience with either on the types of roads you may find in New England.

 

Right now I currently have an Ls1/T56 swapped into a 1989 Mazda Rx7. I would like to reuse the ls1 in another chassis and always thought it would be a good fit for the stalker, knowing the ls1 is lighter than the supercharged V6s they are currently using.

Having visited their site recently and noticing they are now offering a bolt in ls1 setup.

The stalker may be a perfect solution as it meets most of my criteria, which are mainly performance related

 

My Current Ls1 Rx7 is a good performance platform, and I race it in anything and everything I can. I run it in about 5-10 autoxs a year, 5-10 Test and tunes at the drag strip with a couple bracket racing 11.50 index events, A couple circle track events and a couple HPDEs a year along with about 5K road miles. I even drive it to work in the summer when the weather is perfect.

Problem is, it never fits any rules for any classes so the car is never competitive, and I never really believed in classes anyway. My goal for the Rx7 and future projects is to go as fast as possible on track, while driving the car to and from the track, and that goes for the drag strip as well as a road course.

 

To get an FC Rx7 to the point where its running FTDs its generally got to be very extreme and even then it still wont compete with similarly extreme cars running better newer suspension designs ect and be completly unstreetable.

 

So from what I've read the Stalker and Brunton automotive's general concept of simple and effective track weapon (no more complex than it needs to be unless it makes it significantly faster) is in line with my general line of thinking.

I am a guy who is all for whatever works and generally no more complex or expensive than that.

Talking about expense, cars are money pits and I dont care to spend more than I have to but I also dont want to wait a half decade to build a locost from scratch.

 

So the Stalker Pros are pretty good

- Strong track record many FTDs and top car at kit car challenge decimating the Factory Five cars that are built one town over from me

- Relativly low cost

- Good looking cars

- Built for the Ls1

The cons I see

- In LoCost terms it is expensive

- A solid rear axle from a truck used in an oversized gokart less than half its weight I can only imagine has got to create not only an unstable but down right dangerous ride on a bumpy new england curvy road through the woods and mountains at anything more than the speed limit..

Now I am not condoning wreckless driving but enjoying an open top super lightweight sports car on a mountain road is a driving experience that would be a shame to be without in said car because the car is constantly upset.

Not to mention I'd like to get into hillclimb events which are essentially timed solo races up the craziest mountain roads you've ever seen, massive frost heaves and all.

 

So I appologize for all the buildup but I am looking for some opinions from stalker owners or others who have experience with similar setups. I essentially have no issue with a stick axle mainly because they are the fastest locosts out there, and if theres 1 IRS locost faster than a stalker theres prob 20 that are slower at the track and with my lack of fab and design skills I would most likely be one of the later 20.

I would lke to hear from others with a stick axle, stalker owners preferred or similar setups. I am also open to completly changing my focus and going in a different direction. I have also looked at the Dedion rear suspension setup.. keep the simplicity of a stick axle while reducing the unsprung weight.

 

 

I can imagine with about 400whp and 400wtq a stick axle will probably get the power to the pavement better, again given smooth conditions. The real problem may be with this platform is keeping it oiled under exteme cornering forces, and it makes enough power that the car will hit speeds in just a few seconds of full throttle that it would approach dangerous speeds given the locosts brick like aero profile and front end lift.

 

I know John Meyers is on here and would love to hear more about his setup because thats what brought me here.

 

Thanks in advance guys for any help/advice

[midgetracr]

Sciff,

 

I like and share your approach. I had very similar goals as my Stalker has evolved. In addition, I have always believed that Classes are great for excuses but do not determine the best builder or driver. “Let’s just get it on and see who is fastest” makes a lot of sense to me.

 

Tell us more about your RX7/LS 1. Is it injected? Which VCM and tuning software are you using?

 

I seriously doubt if your New England roads are worse than my Illinois roads. As most people know, my Stalker has had many mods to its chassis, driveline, suspension and engine setup.

 

No car including the Stalker is perfect. This includes the multi zillion $ Formula 1 missiles. Each year the F1 builders find new ways to improve them. From my perspective, the Stalker is an excellent product that was a great place to start from. I have attempted to build the Ultimate Hi Performance Seven. I am pretty sure that it is Americas Fastest Seven. My Stalker’s race results speak for themselves. In addition to winning GRM’s UTCC and Run and Gun multiple times my Stalker has run a ¼ mile at 9.94 seconds and 141.5 MPH.

 

To your questions: I think the GM LS series engines are a great combination of low weight, high horsepower, wide power band, reliability, docile driveability and low cost. My LS3, even with a steel NHRA legal bell housing and Tremec TKO-600 trans weighs less than the cast iron Supercharged V6 and T-5 trans in a Super Stalker. It also makes well over 500 HP at the crankshaft! As a crate engine from GM it came with a 24 month 50,000 mile warranty. The only negative of the latest LS engines is that it is difficult and very time consuming to tune the stock GM computer for good power and drivability when the inlet and exhaust tracts are modified to fit an aftermarket application. Brunton has done this for the V6 engines but I don’t think that they have accomplished this for the V8 yet. Because the latest LS engines use a different type of Mass Airflow (MAF) sensor and Gen IV engines have a different method of calculating VE’s, this is a formidable task.

 

Re the IRS vs. solid rear axle question: IRS may offer lower unsprung weight. This is good and can be beneficial on bumpy roads. Total weight may or may not be lower than a solid axle. The negative to IRS is that it is difficult to keep the tire patch flat to the road as bumps occur and the car leans when cornering. It is obvious that if the tire patch is not flat on the road when stressed, traction will suffer. If the tire is not in contact with the road there is zero traction. The F1 designers use IRS with very limited suspension travel. F1 tracks are also very smooth compared to real roads in areas that get cold in the winter. Therefore F1 cars do not need much suspension travel.

 

Ride quality is pretty much a function of spring and shock stiffness plus available wheel travel. Not IRS vs. solid axle. My approach was to increase available wheel travel and carefully tune shock valving and spring stiffness. The result is a car that actually rides better than my Lexus IS-350 and handles beautifully. Note that an IS-350 is Lexus’ version of the BMW M3 and is sprung pretty stiffly.

 

I do not think that a T56 trans is the best choice in your application. It is heavier and will not shift as quickly as a TKO-600. With a 3.23 rear end gear my Stalker has exceeded 170 MPH on track. That 170 MPH is with the removable wing set at MAX downforce and max drag. With a 3.08 or lower gear it would run way over 180 if you had a long enough straight. Without the wing it would go even faster. If you want the better fuel mileage of the 6th gear, you should buy a Prius not a Stalker. On the other hand you already own the T-56.

 

I have no experience with LoCost. Other builders also offer quality products.

 

In summary I think a modified Stalker would be an excellent choice for your stated goal “to go as fast as possible on track, while driving the car to and from the track, and that goes for the drag strip as well as a road course.”

 

You could certainly build a Stalker that would more than fulfill your goal. I think that would be an excellent choice. On the other hand you could simply purchase mine. It already does everything you asked and is for sale.

 

John Meyers midgetracr@sbcglobal.net

[sciff5]

John thanks for the reply. I shot you a PM with a few more specific questions but I dont know if it made it through. I'm not new to forums but I'm new to this forum and even though I hit send, the message doesnt show up in my sent items.

 

Anyone else have any info or input. I know I said a mouthful so thanks for bearing with me if you made it this far.

 

-Josh

[midgetracr]

Josh,

 

Did not see your PM. Please try again. Note that midgetracr is spelled without the second "e".

 

John

[midgetracr]

Josh,

 

Did you see my two PM's?

 

John

[sciff5]

Hey John,

 

Got the PMs just been visiting my family in Jersey for thanksgiving with limited access to the Internet.

 

When I get back tomorrow lets talk if your around. I am going to be on a 5 hour drive home so I'll have some free time to chat.