I rock race professionally but look to you for help

[Rock Racer]

I rock race professionally all around the country. I have a single seater LS1 powered rear engine buggy.  My buggy is light in our sport at 2900 lbs.  I want to go lighter.  Is there anyone that has built a four wheel drive car using your technology with the motorcycle engines? Can it be done?  I have 4 races a year that is 50% desert, 50% rocks for average of 100 mile race.  I need to turn a minimum of a 37" tire. 
Can anyone guide me in the right direction? Can I get the torgue needed? I want full independent front and rear and hoping I can get to the 1500lb or less mark.

Thank you, Lucky Dog Racing #2

[Nutz4sand]

A list of the rules you HAVE to follow would be a starting point.

That will help save guys from suggesting things that would work but not be legal in your class you wish to run.

Chances are good you can screw together a better setup.

[Rock Racer]

The only rules spec'd is that the chassie must be no less than 1.5", and then the standard safety items, fuel seats misc.  I mainly am looking to see if a street bike motor set up can be geared well enough to run a min of a 37" tire to crawl over rocks, and still be able to accomplish a top speed of at least 90. 
Our regular series requires us to run no less than 2500 lbs, however for this new series, we dont have a weight restriction.

[Nutz4sand]

90 MPH on a rock crawler suspension with 37 (min) inch tires?

You got to be a lil crazy to do that!

No drivetrain restrictions?

[chrishallett83]

How much money you got?

If the answer is "Too much", you could get these guys on the phone and order a low-comp one of these to drop a blower onto: http://www.h1v8.com/page/page/1562068.htm

[Dunebound69]

90 MPH on a rock crawler suspension with 37 (min) inch tires?

You got to be a lil crazy to do that!

No drivetrain restrictions?

I thought all members are nuts???

[BDKW1]

New V-max motor with a turbo. Run the drive shaft to a transfer case with reverse. QC front and rear diff's with 934 CV's. Easy money........

[fabr]

The gearing and such can be accomplished and I know of a guy  FINALLY approaching getting a busa married to a VW 091 transaxle that will accomplish the needed low gearing for crawling and the "overdrive" needed for top speeds. You're close enough that in less than 3 hours I can show you what I'm doing in person. I think it's what you need.  I'm in Coffeyville,Ks.

[Engineer]

How much wheel travel do you want for the rock crawling?  Do you want IFS or do solid axles do the job?  I assume if you are doing a combination crawling and desert racing that it is not extreme rock crawling.

1500 lbs might be a tough mark to reach considering that many of the busa powered buggies easily hit that mark with a FNR box.  Add in 4 wheel drive and 37" tires and you will have to be very careful on the weight.

How much ground clearance do you think is needed?  Power steering is probably a must have.  What about wheel base?

[Rock Racer]

Sounds like I finally found the right forum for these discussions and ideas. 
We want a min of 14" wheel travel.  IFS front and rear.  Like I posted, we rock race, its not a crawl, if you youtube:  xrra ram offroad    , you will see our short course racing.  The cars we are looking at building now will run a combo of a rock race, and a desert race.  King of the Hammers style racing.  Th rock racers dominate in the rocks in that race, and the desert cars our butts obviously in the deserts.  We want to build the best of the 2 worlds.  That is somewhat easy enough with a heavier car, but we want light as possible with IFS front and rear.  I have my note pad out, thanks guys, keep the ideas coming. 
If we get started on one soon, we will start a build thread. 
And by the way: yes sometimes we are a little crazy!! if you cant be, then why do it?? 

[Rock Racer]

90 MPH on a rock crawler suspension with 37 (min) inch tires?

You got to be a lil crazy to do that!

No drivetrain restrictions?

1.5" tubing is our only restriction for these on drivetrain.  In our comp rock race cars, we run a 40" Maxxis sticky tire, 106" wheel base, 20" belly clearance, 50 degree knuckles 3 link coilover suspension, single seat rear engine LS1 car,,,and yes 90 miles an hour is a bit of a handfull under those conditions.  Thats why we want to build it much leaner.

[BDKW1]

and yes 90 miles an hour is a bit of a handfull under those conditions.  Thats why we want to build it much leaner.

Right now your problem is unsprung/sprung weight ratio. Going with a bike motor it will only get father out of whack. IRS will help but a 37 on a beadlock rim is 110#'s by itself. 4 of those makes 440#'s on a 1500# car will handle like crap at speed no matter what you do. I would be concentrating more on cutting unsprung weight........

[Yummi]

Rock race?  Did somebody say Hammer Time?



http://www.kingofthehammers.com/

For those that don't know - click and learn....... 

[LuckyDog18]

Hello everyone, Im the one with the idea of coming up with a LIGHT racer. Rock Racer races with us and has been studying this i dea since I planted the bug in his mind this week. We just got back from two races in CA on sunday. The first was an exibition race in Agel Staium in Aneheim during Monster Jam, and the second was King of the Hammers. I came up withthte idea of stepping outside the box and coming up with a racer on the other end of the spectrum, just tossing ideas. I currently race a rear engine 2700 lb, LS1, Atlas xfer case, th350, soid axles ft and rr, single seat, 40in Maxxis, 425hp rocket. Our fastes car out there in the desert is a heavy IFS car. I was just bouncing ideas of a light independant car all the way around running a Busa motor in the rear coupled to a xfer case in the front.The goal is to keep it light as possible, less cooling than the LS motors, less fuel needs, etc. reverse is a problem as is power steering, we currently run a full hydro setup from PSC. To speeds in the Kink of the Hammers race were 125-135 mph! thats extreme so 90ish is more realistic. We also race XRRA which rarely sees 50 mph and The Colorado Hill Climb Assn which is races like Pike Peak which we see 90-100. Give us some ideas guys. Thanks

[Rock Racer]

LuckyDog18 planted this seed in my head and I havent been able to get past it.
We thank you for all your input and ideas here, keep them coming.  I hadnt thought about how a featherweight car would react with heavy wheels and tires.  Since its all planted weight-on the ground, i wonder how the car will jump around?