Is A Rally Car Really Usable On The Road?

"Mikeado" (mikeado)
09/02/2013 at 17:14 • Filed to: Videos, Ford Fiesta, rally

It's no secret that rally cars - even WRC machines - are road legal, so that they can get from finish line to start line. But what are they like as road cars? The very English-y-named Henry Catchpole has a go in the very north of England, then at one of M-Sport's testing days.

The Fiesta R5 provides privateers with 90% of a WRC car's performance for 40% of the price. It's the futuuuurrrrreeeeee! As it turns out it's only the clutch and the lack of sound deadening that hampers the R5's suitability as a road car. But would you buy one instead of a supercar?

Yeah, I'd seriously consider it too.

DISCUSSION (100)

DasWauto > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 17:31

If I had the money, I'd definitely have one. I've always wanted to drive a rally cars on regular roads.

Dusty Ventures > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 17:52

"But what are they like as road cars?"

Kinda awful. The clutch is brutal, the lack of sound deadening means not only is the engine loud but every pebble that clatters against the underside of the floor is loud enough to interrupt a conversation. The ride is so stiff and bumpy you'll have to drink all your beverages out of a dippy cup. They rattle, they bang (especially the trunks), they squeak and make noises that make you worry something's about to fall off. With no air conditioning and only a defroster for heat they'll cook you in the summer and freeze you in the winter. Most door/trunk locks are removed and the hood release is replaced with hood pins, so security is an issue. The seats force you to sit bolt upright all the time and in most the pedal position will kill your leg and ass with an hour or so of highway cruising. Because the seats are mounted low visibility is compromised, and once you're belted in (which takes a good 60 seconds) you can't reach most of the dashboard, god help you if you drop something on the floor. Most have wind-up windows (because power windows are an electrical failure waiting to happen) or, even worse, a solid piece of lexan with a cat flap in it. Driving this is like putting a greenhouse on wheels. To top it all off about 1/3 of all rally cars have roof leaks so driving in the wet can become a miserable experience. Oh, and don't forget there's no radio of any kind. All in all they can be fun to take out for the occasional fun afternoon drive every week or so, I still grin like a child every time I take it out, but if you're driving it regularly the novelty will wear off quickly.

TurboSloth > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 18:38

I have always wanted a rally car as a road car. I know what I'm getting myself into, and I don't care. I still want it. They just look and sound so cool.

Bytemite > Dusty Ventures
09/02/2013 at 18:43

I could not care less. As long as all that makes the car 500 lbs lighter, HELL YES!

kenhitch > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 18:55

If it was a 2nd car, I'd go for it

Droid750 > Dusty Ventures
09/02/2013 at 19:00

Who is EVER going to drive this everyday ? If i have the money for this, i have another car already. Then i can laugh at all those "issues" and have the fun of my life every Sunday for a few hours.

cluelessk > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 19:11

I really think road legal is used rather loosely for WRC cars.

I know here we need to use factory airbags and seat belts. I'm almost postive most parts are "not for road use" or "only for offroad use"

Also rally cars would never pass smog tests.

Fuel_of_Satan > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 19:11

No.

The brakes sound like he's stomping a dead cat and feel like crap when cold.

The camera struggles to focus from the vibrations on idle.

He's wearing the biggest freaking earmuffs he could get his hands on and it's still loud.

5-point harnesses keeping him from looking around in traffic plus the hassle of doing them up in the first place.

A serious lack of ventilation for any weather unless you're getting 100mph+ headwinds through the roof scoop.

Oh, and relevant video of our Norwegian taxi's.

Dusty Ventures > Droid750
09/02/2013 at 19:24

Used rally cars start below $5,000, so I have had people genuinely ask me if one would make an acceptable daily driver. And when I said "regularly" I mean if you're doing more than say 6 hours a day or 12 hours a week it will start becoming a bit less fun.

Extreme case in point, I drove the rally car in a 90 minute parade on Saturday. Thanks to the amount of clutching I had to do and the weight of the clutch itself I'm still walking with a slight limp two days later.

Of course if you get the chance to actually open the car up and properly drive it in anger, even if only once or twice a year, that alone is enough to justify ownership ;)

Vin > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 19:29

"Is A Rally Car Really Suitable On the Road?"

YES.

It's a rally car.

Loud enough to make people move out of your way.

Those mooches who constantly ask for a ride (everyone has at least one) will never ask again after one ride.

Dusty Ventures > cluelessk
09/02/2013 at 19:31

Kinja'd!!!

You'd be surprised. No air bags, 5 point belts, gravel suspension, registered in Rhode Island. We had another one that also had no cats. The car Ken Block is using is essentially an M-Sport WRC car and its registered in Utah

Kyd302 > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 19:39

I would buy one just for track days. I mean how cool would it be to run down retired GT3 an GT2 Porsche's around the local track in a FIESTA!!!!!!!! My Sti holds it's own against the Z06's an Zr1's on the track but the Fiesta would destroy them.

cluelessk > Dusty Ventures
09/02/2013 at 19:45

I still think if someone wanted to be a dick they could pull all those cars off the road in between stages. There is a difference between registered and legal.

I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 19:54

I just don't understand how they shift gears....Anyone? / Thanks

Dusty Ventures > Bytemite
09/02/2013 at 19:58

You made me curious, so I checked.

Stock Fiesta ST: 2700 lbs
Fiesta WRC: 2650
Fiesta R2: 2270
Fiesta R5: official weight TBA, likely 2400-2700

kennyvb > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 20:01

Well, that looked fun.

Dusty Ventures > cluelessk
09/02/2013 at 20:06

They are both registered and legal. They even go annual state inspections just like every other car. A few years ago during a rally in New York a few state troopers wrote tickets for half the rally field, for everything from no air bags to illegal belts to noise to illegal lights. Most of the competitors took the tickets to court (a few lived too far away for the trip to be worthwhile) and every single ticket taken to court was thrown out.

dmtactical > Fuel_of_Satan
09/02/2013 at 20:12

Everything you said basically describes driving my old 91 Mazda truck, and that was a blast to drive everyday. The only difference is a softer seat, and suspension designed to handle at 50mph instead of a 100 makes the ride more bearable. Also 95hp but that's all you need if you plan on driving below the legal speed limit.

4wsprelude > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 20:16

I used to own a rusty falling apart 91 Honda Prelude. dropped 1.5" all around with I/H/E and Hi flow cat. I tried it with my friends TenzoR 17' wheels and boy... Does it rock. You could feel everything with it. all the little bumps and jerks. Thrashed that car to work and back everyday and it was amazing. Getting one hour in that car was all I needed to get my fix. Loud, rattling, rusty, and jittery. I did do a 6 hour drive in it and it was horrible. By the time I got out my hands were trembling like I had parkinson's disease, ears were ringing, and my face was tired from the grinning. I had fun in it but too much is too much.

I would drive a rally car to work and back if I had a choice. I would thrash it to work and back so much. Just make sure it has short gearing and low HP or else I will get in trouble.

Droid750 > Dusty Ventures
09/02/2013 at 20:19

I see, but i was talking about the Ford Fiesta R5, which i don't think starts at 5000$. Plus, even at that price, you've GOT to have another car, there is no way your only car can be a rally one. That would be madness, and one would deserve all the problems you described above.

Jayhawk Jake > Dusty Ventures
09/02/2013 at 20:24

Do you think it would be possible to find a compromise, or should road cars and race cars stay separate. I mean, I suppose a tuned STi would be a rally car for the road, but it's still a road car, it still feels like a road car. What aspects, if any, are there to a rally car that would be live able day to day but still special enough to be different?

Dusty Ventures > Droid750
09/02/2013 at 20:34

You're right, the R5 is over $200k, but I wrote my comment in regards to the original title question: "Is a rally car really usable on the road?" And like I said, people have asked about faulting rally cars before (I even know some that do daily their rally cars), so I wrote my comment in large part to prepare/warn off anyone thinking of taking that route.

In fairness, the most basic rally car does do better as a daily. Some, for example, run stock clutch and a softer suspension. They'd have a better time. Though noise, seats, belts, and temperature are still major issues

Bytemite > Dusty Ventures
09/02/2013 at 20:41

Im liking that R2 weight figure. I wish there was a 1700 pound car with about 90 horsepower...man that car would be the most fun you can have on the street without breaking the speed limit.

Bytemite > Dusty Ventures
09/02/2013 at 20:44

That roof scoop...

Not-my-forte > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 20:44

I used to live down the street from ken block in utah and he would daily his fiesta rally spec. He would drive it to and from events in montana and colorado. Although it had plates the city we live in has very loose S&E testing and when I mean loose it means we have no emissions testing. I would hear him leave every day and see the car around town all the time.

Beldrueger > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 20:47

I used to drive my rally cars on the road quite regularly in the late 90's. I also daily drove (on sunny days) my fully caged miata with no heater, A/C, no top of any kind, etc. The rollcage safety is deceiving, because without a helmet on, a cage isn't so good for the skull.

I think driving a rally car on the road regularly is half the fun. Your average hot rod is much less practical.

bandi53 > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 20:55

I had to drive a '93 Group A Cosworth Escort rally car to "Parc Expose" at a rally once, about a 70 mile trip on highways, and then through a city. As awesome as I felt, it was hell... especially negotiating a crowded metropolis in a car with a 5 speed dogbox and a clutch made out of what I can best describe as some very grippy rocks.

Flicking on antilag while waiting for the lights to change next to a Prius was fun though.

ICantStandNewJalopnik > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 20:57

Whatever Ford- and your 2-door Fiesta deliciousness. I'm about to buy my first Ford (Focus ST) for a track car since 1994. (Explorer 2-door Eddie Bauer.) Yeah, I'm off-topic. As a Rover and Jag guy, Ford, keep it up. Fiesta R5. How awesome. It's a little harsh for the street.

You know, I will go back on topic. The younger you are, the more these kinds of cars are great. Us older guys (36), they're just too harsh. Humans go from babies, to mature, then back to babies. I see I'm getting more fragile as I get older.

Dusty Ventures > Jayhawk Jake
09/02/2013 at 21:04

Now there's a good question. Race exhaust, for starters. It'll give a hard ride, as I said, but you could conceivably stick rally struts on your daily. It's probably no worse in terms of ride than a high end sports car, and it's probably more comfortable than the super duty tow rig. You could run the Braid/OZ/Speedline wheels, and if you do a lot of dirt driving the gravel rally tires, just don't drive on them in winter. You could, conceivably, pull airbags and run race seats and belts as well, so long as you're willing to deal with the limited range of movement (and aren't wide in the posterior). Engine tune/modification is a option as well so long as you keep in mind the more you do to it the shorter it's lifespan between rebuild/refresh. Those are the things that immediately come to mind

tetsu_no_usagi > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 21:04

I've been pondering on whether a track-built car - like a LeMons/Chump racer or something you built specifically for track days, like a MEV Exocet with something very hot under the hood - could work as even a secondary commuter car, something you could take to work on nice enough days (nice enough that the non-hardcore would consider taking motorcycles in) and your main was broken, or you just had a wild hair to do it. I think it'd be similar to the above - lack of sound deadening plus race cats equals very loud ride; no creature comforts to speak of and very uncomfortable on top of it due to all of the safety features; and if you've built it seriously enough, very brutal application of power to the road to control.

I didn't see it in the video, that R5 is a sequential gearbox, and most of those lack reverse gearing. Does the R5 have a reverse gear? - Strike that, I watched it again, and saw it does. Sequential gearboxes are very fast shifting, but most of them don't have a reverse gear, especially those stolen from motorcycle drivetrains for cheap power and fast shifting, but that makes them very unpractical for daily driving - gotta always park where you can drive forward out of the spot, which is very rare in modern parking lots, at least if you don't want to walk more than 100 yards just to get into any store.

JSWBlueS13 > Mikeado
09/02/2013 at 21:10

Kinja'd!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Where's the doubt?