Thinking of picking up an older Elantra Options

[nicksta43]

Thanks to Bobzilla always recommending Hyundia on another board I frequent, we stated looking into them and when it was time to buy we picked out a 2012 Elantra. We both love the car, it's my wife's car but we take it on trips so I get to drive it occasionally.

Anyway I drive an older BMW that is in the process of getting prepared for paint. This car is eventually going to become more focused on autocross and less on daily driving.

I 've been keeping an eye on prospective replacements for dd duty with a slight twist. I really want to try my hand at rallycross.

So how would an older model Elantra handle the occasional rallycross? I would have to travel a good bit to attend so that would limit my participation. So the main focus of the car will be getting decent fuel mileage on my 60 mile per day commute. I would still have the BMW just in case something breaks on the car at an event.

I was just wondering what everyones thought about this is? Also any first hand rallycross experience would be greatly appreciated.

[mlumz]

Not sure about rally crossing with an elantra, but know it can be done. It's done in Europe and Korea a lot (I think).

It's a great car with great mpg (about 35mpg on the highway).
For a circuit, you will need to do a bit of upgrades to make it happen but i think an XD or XD2 (2002-2006) would make a great choice.

[Silentwolf]

Been done before
02 XD GT



And lest i forget its been done to several sisters (GK/GK2/GK3 tiburon pretty much identical to XD/XD2 Elantras)
07 GK3


03 GK



IRRC, the Elantra/XD GT was FWD but the Tibs were converted to AWD using Sante Fe and Tuscon awd parts.

[nicksta43]

I think there is a miss understanding about what rally cross is. I 'm not talking about stage rally or "global rally cross ". Scca rallycross is ran very similarly to an autocross except instead of being ran on a paved parking lot it's ran on dirt or gravel. Classes are usually broken down between. Two and four wheel drive cars and are further broken down between stock and modified.

What I need is a fairly robust vehicle that can take a little abuse occasionally. Be common enough that replacement parts aren't crazy expensive and can pull down decent mpg 's during the week. It shouldn't be that much more abusive than autocross.

[sed]

An xd will do fine on rally or dirt courses. Stock they will body roll and brake fade quick but a gt with about 1k in mods is a fun little car to drive to the track, beat up and drive home. You wont be setting lap times but youll have fun safely and affordably

[Blupupher]

Well, I know Bob will chime in, but an XD/XD2 will do nice.
You can do a Sonata front brake upgrade (details are somewhere here), Tib rear sway bar, front strut bar (and a rear if you pick up a hatch), some new struts and springs, clutch valvectomy and short throw shifter if you get a manual and tires and it will handle much better than stock, but will not affect daily driver duties much.
Plus you can find them for pretty cheap and they get decent mileage (I got ~32 mpg on my 30 mile all highway commute with speeds between 60-75 mph).

[sed]

Well, I know Bob will chime in, but an XD/XD2 will do nice.
You can do a Sonata front brake upgrade (details are somewhere here), Tib rear sway bar, front strut bar (and a rear if you pick up a hatch), some new struts and springs, clutch valvectomy and short throw shifter if you get a manual and tires and it will handle much better than stock, but will not affect daily driver duties much.
Plus you can find them for pretty cheap and they get decent mileage (I got ~32 mpg on my 30 mile all highway commute with speeds between 60-75 mph).

Which will cost about 1k :}

[Silentwolf]

Nick,
I meant it more as a "if they have done this with them, then a lil rally-x will be fine" However, the amount you get out of it, depends on the amount you put in.

Suspension and brakes are a must. (Struts (Tib), springs (H&R), sway bars, strut bars, Sonata rotors n Tib Calipers --- or you can go 5lug)
Then Exhaust n intake plus solid shifter setup.

[Bobzilla]

Here's my thoughts on XD prep for Rally-x:

Start with a sedan. Don't bother with the hatch, too much body flex and weight in the ass end. Swap the springs for STOCK Hatchback GT springs (extra coil in the rear, half coil in the front, gives ~.25" lift), Tib 18mm rear sway bar, Hawk HPS pads and stock rotors. I'd also suggest a rear drum car because you can easily adjust brake bias with the ebrake ( ) and ease of maintenance long term. This setup gives you max suspension travel, decent body control and a great ride for a daily.

That's just my two cents.

There's a lot od reasons why the XD chassis can handle the abuse. The main one is look at the weight. 2880lbs on SCCA's scales empty, half tank of fuel and no spare/jack/tools/liners. The front subframe is a complete perimeter piece that boxes the whole engine/trans/suspension. the front strut towers incorporate the firewall into them. The rear subframe is a monster piece that the lower arms connect to (much stronger than needed). The upper strut mounts in the rear tie into the rear quarters, the rear shelf and the back seat. The body is a solid piece that can take a lot of abuse.

Being a macstrut suspension, there aren't a lot of parts to break. The parts that do are readily available in the aftermarket and online dealers. They are cheaper than Hondas/Toyota's for maintenance and as long as you maintain it, it'll run for friggin ever.

[nicksta43]

You make a very well reasoned case. Exactly the info I was looking for. Thank you.

My search for a decent XD has just intensified.