Tag Archives: xD

Rally Racing Ain’t So Easy…

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If you’ve been following the Sparco Rally xD team as much as we have, then you know that they have consistently placed podium finishes. As of the Oregon Trail Rally (May 4-6), they temporarily held 1st in championship points under the 2wd class. Good stuff! That’s not an easy task, mind you!

Consistency is key. If you follow these dudes on Facebook and/or Twitter, you’ll see that they completely rework the car after every event, going down their laundry list of items to check, making sure that all components are good to go or replaced if needed well before the next race. I must add that they run a very tight ship- only a handful of guys working on this car. They not only serve as pit crew and transportation, but I’m guessing also as entertainment for their driver and co-driver Andrew Comrie-Picard and Andrew Wimpey. Geez. That’s a lot of work!

After every three or four events, they normally send their custom HG dampers to us for inspection. In some cases, they go longer without inspection, especially when they quickly have to prep for the next event. As with anything rally, these parts take a beating! In our case, it’s normally exterior coatings that get blasted off by dirt and gravel. Minor concern, i suppose.

Before the Oregon Trail Rally on May 4th-6th, Crew Chief Philip Chase brought in the dampers for a quick check. Surprisingly, nothing to really change on the front dampers.

Jon a.k.a. Sir Smiles-A-Lot Inspects The Front Dampers.

But for the rear, he requested remote reservoir mounting (tank detached from damper body), rather than the external mounting (tank attached to damper body) to give them freedom to reposition the external tank and add some needed clearance in the wheel well. Since that kind of work requires complete damper tear down, we overhauled the rear dampers for them. Now they have the reservoir attached by way of a braided steel hose, allowing them to reconfigure reservoir arrangement (they still keep the reservoir close to the damper body, just upside down and a few degrees in towards the chassis).

Still, even with all this preparation and constant rebuilding, something is bound to go wrong in the world of rally. Case in point- the Susquehannock Trail Rally (June 1-3) proved to be the breaking point for the Rally xD. This time, a fatigued rear twist beam axle gave way, pulling apart the axle and the damper assemblies. Ouch! Seven consecutive events can easily do this to a car and its parts. But seven events is also a long time of service! Seems the xD ain’t no cheapo box, afterall!

Susquehannock is no joke. check out this video showing the driving conditions they face

Fortunately, the break was at the beam. So it looks like they’ll be able to repair the car in time for the next event. Also, it seems that our customized HG rear dampers may be able to be repaired, too! That’s testament to the strong twin tube structure of the dampers that can take a good amount of punishment!

Next up is preparation for Pikes Peak, then off to New England Forest Rally (NEFR). They’ve got some time to knock out repairs.

I wish them the best this season, as these hard-working guys continue to do a great job time and again. On our end, we’ll continue to do the best we can to make sure their TEIN HG dampers are in top working order!

Keep it up, guys!

For an econobox, this Rally xD is one tough shoe!.

There’s some good recap of the events at Rally America’s website

www.rally-america.com

And of course, the dudes at Sparco Rally xD keep their blog up-to-date!

www.rallyxd.com

You can also follow them on Facebook (Rally xD) and Twitter (@RallyxD)! Oh, and you can follow us on Facebook, too (TEIN USA, Inc.)!

P.S.- if you were to look up the Finnish term “Sisu”, I’m almost positive that you’d find a picture of the Rally xD team. Look it up!

2nd Place Win for The Rally xD TEAM!

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Congratulations to the Rally xD Team pulling a 2nd place win just beating 3rd place by a few seconds!

Even though the teams were faced with a portion of blindness  due to high speeds and dry weather, which combined created major dust clouds affecting some of the teams on day one of  The Rally of the 100 Acre Woods in Salem, Missouri which forced the Rally xD to fifth place on Day 1.

They eventually managed a second place finish but not without battling their way through the ranks.

Nice shot of their custom TEIN Suspension.

Good Luck on their next event! Keep up the Good Work Rally xD Team!

Rally xD Sno*Drift 2012

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January 27th 2012 saw the start of the Rally America Championship series, and the TEIN sponsored Sparco Rally xD is off to a great start.

The Rally xD team managed to nab a 2nd in class win in spite of the frigid temperatures of Atlanta, Michigan and the subsequent snowy/icy/slushy road conditions they faced.

Andrew-Comrie Picard and Jeremy Wimpey returned once again as driver/ co-driver, piloting the xD expertly against the likes of Fiestas and Focuses, and even some Evo’s and STi’s.

 

After the event was finished and the team returned to sunny SoCal, the Specialized HG Dampers were removed from the xD and brought to us for a tear down and refresh before the next event.
Close, in-house repairs are definitely an advantage when you need your products back ASAP.

The next Rally America event will be February 24-25th in Salem, Missouri.

Check back for more coverage and results of the TEIN sponsored Sparco Rally xD in future Rally America events.

(Pictures via rallyxd.com & scion.com)

The Car That Does It All

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Recently the Sparco Rally xD finished the New England Forest Rally (2nd in the 2wd class, and 10th place overall) also bringing this season of Rally America to an end.

This car has been covered many times on our blog, but each coverage brings with it different situations the car and crew has gone through, and one amazing constant.
That constant being how well this little car performs day in and day out.

(Watch the video and be amazed)

To be honest, when I first heard that an xD had been chosen as a rally car and that we would be making Specialized Dampers for the vehicle, I laughed inside (and a little bit outloud) all the while thinking that they must be dreaming.

Considering all the high end, rally bred cars there were in the market, “why go with an xD? Tein already has a plethora of offroad geared products for those other cars.” were my thoughts.

But seeing the “dream” car, with the help of the amazing team behind it, perform time and time again, against all odds, was truly a sight to see.

After every race the dampers would be taken off of the vehicle and brought in for inspection.

Seeing the video will show you how much of a beating the car takes (cracked downpipes, bent skidplate, oil leaks), here is a glimpse of the carnage the dampers go through as well.
(The powdercoating on the dampers has been sandblasted off to the bare metal and this is spite of the shields placed on the rear H-beam of the car.)

Look forward to another seasons of rallying next year.

FINAL ROUND of 2011 Rally America

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This past weekend was the final round (Rd. 6) of the 2011 Rally America series. TEIN sponsored Sparco Rally xD made the trip out to Maine for the New England Forest Rally. Andrew-Comrie Picard and Jeremy Wimpey returned as driver/ co-driver. The winning combo last drove the car at round 4 in Oregon to the 2WD class win.

At NEFR the newly improved xD faced a plethora of Ford Fiestas including 2010 2WD Chris Duplessis (who drove the xD last year), 2009 2WD Champion Dillon Van Way in another Fiesta and 2011 2WD Champion Wyatt Knox in a MazdaSpeed 3.

Since Oregon the xD has undergone major modifications mainly in the power department. Greddy tore down the motor and installed Carrillo forged rods and pistons to beef up the 1.8L. The fuel system was upgraded as well which netted a significant power gain. The 1.8L Scion xD now produces 200 WHP, up 35 WHP from the last outing. Not big by HP number but if you look at percentages that is a big difference.

Greddy engineers working on the 2ZR-FE.

Carrillo components help beef up the short block. Power is still left at a conservative 200WHP.

The HG suspension worked perfectly over the rough terrain and various sized jumps.

NEFR was a real test for the car and newly modified engine as it has some long stages, three 16 mile stages and one 19 mile stage. The crew tells me the motor ran flawlessly but there were other issues to deal with at every service. Loss of 3rd gear, a slipping clutch, damaged exhaust system, cracked wheel, punctured tires…

The crew working hard during service to inspect and repair the xD.

Some of the chassis modifications that Design Craft made prior to NEFR also paid off. This tubular brace was added to the underbelly of the car for added reinforcement against all the offroad abuse. Even with this, the oil pan took a hit. Without this who knows what would have happened to the oil pan.

At the end of the 2 day rally, the Rally xD finished second in class and sixth overall. OVERALL. Meaning against 4WD turbo STIs, EVOs and WRXs.

Left to Right – Kenji from Greddy, fabricators Gary, Len and Ben from Design Craft, Co-driver Jeremy W., Driver ACP, Team Manager Gordon, and Jason.

Look for a video soon.

The Little Engine That Could/Can/Will

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I seem to never get tired of this car. It’s proven to be quite a competitor in Rally America. In a sport largely dominated by high horsepower, all-wheel drive platforms, this little box has really held its own.

The team is relatively young in comparison to many competitors within the series, regardless of vehicle class. But their professionalism really stands out. We are more than happy to be a part of this team, as their suspension provider, as well as Philip Chase, our Marketing Director lending a helping hand as a Crew Chief.

And this team only seems to be getting better! Check out their up-to-date blog

http://rallyxd.com

As if running a rally team wasn’t enough, they make sure to update their blog with the latest information- rally events, vehicle development, as well as awesome in-car video clips and amazing rally footage.

Here’s one of my favorite pics of our suspension. I think it looks better with the dirt on it. How say you?

In case you’ve missed out on previous posts on this car, our HG damper kit was a custom setup, developed through our Specialized Damper Program which is also available to the public.

And with some newfound turbo power, they’ll sure to be hard to chase.

Testing at DirtFish Rally School in WA.

Ready for the Olympus Rally to start in Ocean Shores, WA. New driver Andrew Comrie-Picard (ACP) and co-driver Robbie Durant.

We wish the Scion rally team the best in their efforts in 2011! Oregon Trail Rally starts tomorrow at Portland International Speedway.

Rally xD at SnoDrift 2011

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I just got back from the first round of Rally America – Sno*Drift. The event is held about 4 hours North of Detroit in Atlanta, MI. The area is beautiful and the people are friendly BUT the weather is really cold. Coming from sunny and warm Southern California means that I am used to 60 degree Winters with an occasional rain storm. 10-20 degree temps and wind chill put most of the California based team into survival mode.

2010 2WD Champions are back in a new Scion xD.

2010 Champion Driver, Chris Duplessis getting ready for battle.

2010 Champion Co-Driver, Catherine Woods who is usually is all smiles is in competition mode.

The xD was already in Detroit when the crew arrived to Michigan as it had been on display at the Detroit Auto Show the week prior. If you cannot tell this xD is not the same as the car that was run last year. This is a brand new xD which was built just before SEMA. It only had 50 miles on the odometer when the Rally started.

The brand new car needed a thorough tech inspection.

The engine remains almost stock with the only additions being a TRD drop in filter, aftermarket header and Greddy exhaust. The transmission has been upgraded with a Quaife differential which was installed only two days before the event. Coilovers are a custom application HG which have 2-way damping force adjustment. Light weight Volk CE28 wheels and BFG snow tires round out the performance mods. This new car is lighter with various carbon fiber body panels, lexan rear windows and chassis weight reduction. Seats, belts, steering wheel, in-car comm., helmets and driving suits are all Sparco. The guys at Design Craft Fabrication did a great job building the car and getting it ready for the event.

The rally started on Friday in the early afternoon. After the first 6 stages Chris and Catherine pulled out a solid lead in the 2WD class. There was only one service during day one in which the xD came back missing both light pods. Going into the night stages the service crew scrambled to get the recovered pods back onto the car but only 1 made it back on in the limited service time. The lights only lasted about 5mins until the relay blew out forcing Chris to drive with only the OEM lights. A flat tire on stage 7 put Chris and Catherine about 10mins behind the 2WD leader at the end of day one.

After day one the service crew repaired all damage, checked over the car and made preparations for day two. Luckily the folks at a nearby resort allowed the crew to use their heated garage.

On the start of day two Chris and Catherine were determined to make up the lost time and fight for the top podium spot. The next two services went smoothly and the only damage to the car was cosmetic. Chris’s skill on snow and ice served the team well as he was able to make up about 9mins. in 7 stages (truly amazing). There simply were not enough stage miles for the xD to make up all the lost time.

The Rally xD finished in 2nd place in the 2WD class which is a great finish considering this car had ZERO testing.

Great job Gordon Ting and the crew of the Rally xD.

Photos courtesy of Duane and Joey of the Octane Report. See more event coverage at the OctaneReport.com

SEMA 2010

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TEIN returned to SEMA this year after a one-year hiatus. Our booth was more focused on TEIN and SuperPro products.

A gamut of TEIN products were on display which included our new STREET BASIS damper (more info. on this in a future post).

TEIN coilovers were used on some high profile booth vehicles and on a few feature vehicles.

TEIN FEATURE VEHICLE

Abe Ko’s LS430 sitting on FLEX Sedan coilovers, special order from Japan. These coilovers feature a maximum drop of 4.5 inches. Coupled with the Platinum VIP Cup Kit this LS is literally on the ground. Full feature on this car and suspension system in a future post.

LEXUS BOOTH

0-60 Magazine GS450H Racer featuring custom Super Racing Coilovers and dual EDFC.

SCION BOOTH

Scion booth. 0-60 Magazine built Scion xD Rally v.3 using Specialized Damper.

Crawford 2011 Scion tC with Super Street coilovers. More on this car later as it will be running at Super Lap Battle on 11.10.10.

HONDA BOOTH

Honda Tuning Magazine built Honda CR-Z sitting on Mono FLEX coilovers.

Wraptivo Honda CR-Z with Super Street coilovers.

MACKIN BOOTH (RAYS WHEELS)




TEIN authorized dealer RallySport Direct built Subaru STI Sedan. One of the first modified STI sedans in the US. Featuring Mono FLEX coilovers and some aggressive TE37 SLs.

DC SPORTS BOOTH

DC Sports collaboration with Import Tuner Magazine. More on this car later as it will be at Super Lap Battle Finals with Tarzan Yamada behind the wheel.

There is no stop this week as we prepare to go to Super Lap Battle Finals at Buttonwillow Raceway. One of our engineers and a couple staff members will be out there supporting TEIN users.