# Building Streetable Sentra Rally Car..HELP!



## Magicman520 (Aug 26, 2003)

A few of my friends in centra new jersey are getting into rallying because a friend of mine had inherited 100 acres of land. I own a 97' gxe sentra with place racing intake and a magnaflow exhaust. I took my car on the "track" that we had bulldozed out and i loved the feel of the car off road...
I need the car to remain streetable but i would like to have some more fun with it off road. Plus...ive only got a little over *2 grand* to dump into this...
Im planning on...
13" rims with snow/rally tires (used rims new tires) 450+/-
Hotshot header (new) 400 shipped
Ebay Adjustable Coilover/front/rear strut tower bars 300 shipped
PIAA front light cluster ????
Cheap Digital Rally Timer ????
EBAY racing seats 600 for 2 front with brackets

how does that sound for your budget weekend screwaround rally car...? 
any ideas?


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## B11sleeper (Oct 15, 2003)

just be careful what you get off ebay. What year sentra?


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

If I was building a fun rally car project, I'd lay off the engine mods. That way, if you ever decide to put a cage in and go in a stage rally, you can still run production, rather than Gr 2, but that's just me.

Suspension upgrades are a wise idea, you may also want to get you strut towers reinforced, seam welded as a minimum.

As for lights, I'd buy Hella 500 Driving beams before I got anything from PIAA for a rally beater. They're a really good value. If you plan on getting into stage rally, they are adequate, so look at some of hella's other stuff, like the 1000 and 4000 Series, or the FF Series. They are all really good value for the money.

For a rally timer, If you want to run stages in the future, the cheaper computers are actually OK. The mre expensive ones have more features for TSD rallies, that aren't used on stage events. The Terratrip 303 is the most common model used, and includes Time of Day, Distance and TSD functions and should be good for all you need. but Brantz makes a good one too.

I personally wouldn't put real racing seats in a street car, especially one that's going to be rallied, I'd put in some deep buckets with good side bolstering that can still rcline though.

If you get rally tires, they aren't very streetable, so you'd want to lug them around. A lot of teams use theirs for only a few stages, so good deals on used ones can be found. Snow tires are OK, but they don't hold up to the abuse and can cut easily.

You can also find out if the SCCA or NASA holds rally crosses near you, try out those skills against real competition.


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## Magicman520 (Aug 26, 2003)

thanks for the advice...is there any specific size tire/rim you'd recomend? my only engine mods are an intake and a catback exhaust (basic breathing mods) just so i can get better throttle response...are there any decent suspension setups (shock/spring/strut bars/and or camber plate) that i can get without selling my right kidney? Where can i find hella driving lights? 
thanks


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

13's should be good, and most companies tend to only make a few sizes in 13", so your choices are limited. I think they're usually in the range of 165/80R13 to 195/60R13, and 175/70R13 would be ideal. What's the stock size on a B14?

They cost more, but you should go with Nissan OE steelies. OE rims tend to be stronger than Walmart or Pep Boys specials. Also, remember that gravel tires put down a lot of traction, you have to drive with care to avoid breaking stuff when they go from loose dirt to a solid surface. It looks cool, but you have to avoid wheelspin.

I don't know what's available for B14s suspension wise, but the Golf I co-drive in uses a Bilstein set up. You may also want to see what's available from ground control and Tein.

You can price and buy rally lights and computers from www.rallylights.com

Some recommended lights:
http://www.rallylights.com/hella/500.asp
http://www.rallylights.com/hella/ff200.asp
http://www.rallylights.com/hella/4000.asp

Pick the ones best suited to your budget. Driving beam is best, especially if you have only one set. Mount them above the bumper to minimize the risk of damage, I had a detachable light bar on my old car so I didn't have to drive around with them all the time.


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## Magicman520 (Aug 26, 2003)

i have Wallmart 175/70/13's on the stock steel wheel now...is that good enough?

Is there anywhere i can find the "three pod" light cluster that i see on alot of focus rally cars?


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## Felonious Cat Stalker (May 1, 2002)

Wal Mart Snow tires are used quite a bit as poor man's gravel tires. Their hard compound is more durable than premium snow tires, just keep in mind that they are more prone to punctures and debeading than a true gravel tire.

the rallylights.com site also offers light pods, they may be able to help you find an application for a B14,


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