[320icar]

@Northish f#ck man I hope you had fun this weekend. I was suppose to be ice racing too but cancelled due to covid.

how did you do versus any subaru at the event? And yeah when it’s that cold the snow doesn’t stick to the ice and just blows off leaving sheet ice. Not fun on studless

 

[Northish]

@Northish f#ck man I hope you had fun this weekend. I was suppose to be ice racing too but cancelled due to covid.

how did you do versus any subaru at the event? And yeah when it’s that cold the snow doesn’t stick to the ice and just blows off leaving sheet ice. Not fun on studless

God it was so much fun. Full stop.

Fortunately for me the event wasn't timed; it's a just-for-fun deal hosted by the local Audi club but open to all. A good chance to blow off steam in a low pressure setting. The Subarus did well; there was one WRX and I couldn't close a gap on them when I would follow, but they seemed like a cleaner driver. Lots of BRZ/86/FRS folks that were doing surprisingly well considering the conditions and no studs. Two big surprises for me though were a newer Audi Allroad and my buddy's Trackhawk (of all things) on fresh Blizzaks. Both cars were gripping better than I was and not sure how. I wonder if had to do with weight or how fresh the tires were? I don't mind mind the OEM Alpins but I wasn't doing as well on the glare ice as I thought I should relative to their cars. My Alpins have maybe 7K miles on them so they don't have the same biting edges as new.

 

[320icar]

@Northish yeah I could never keep up with the wrx/Sti. I took 3rd a few times but the gap to 2nd/1st was massive. They are just super balanced, I find the RS is super rear bias regardless of drive mode. Every event people ask “can the focus go RWD like a GTR?” ThAts how tail happy it is compared to the mechanical style awd of subaru.

And I hear you about the blizzaks. My buddy came last year with a bone stock automatic crosstrek on blizzaks, absolutely blew me away. His launch was hard like he was on asphalt, versus my car on the oem winters =_=

 

[Barroux]

Good to hear about the Blizzaks I might try those out next year instead of the Nokian Hakka9 I’m running now (non studded). So you both were ice driving on the OE Alpins, I didn't even consider going studless at the events I attended since they strongly recommended studded and everyone had their tires studded. I ran on studded Hakkas and did very well compared to the WRX/Sti but we were all novice so perhaps comparing pros in Wrx/RS would be different.

On studded tires, which I would safely assume provided more ice grip, the RS seemed easier to modulate yaw angle by feathering the throttle than the guys in their WRX. But with more power and what seemed like more RWD type bias it was also easier to “cheat” some of the manoeuvers they were teaching us by giving it some extra throttle rather than using mass transfers.

My events were not timed either (one winter rally school day and another ice driving lapping day), in the lapping day novice group there was one guy noticeably faster with much cleaner lines and technique driving a new VW golf alltrack. Speed and control I think had more to do with driver than cars (and tires) at those events.

Events registration were full in a few minutes this year so I wont be going this winter, thanks for the pics and video @Northish those look great and seems like you had a lot of fun!

 

[320icar]

@Barroux definitely studless. I live in Vancouver, the mildest part of Canada. This weekend we got the only snow this year, maybe 2”? It’s already raining and will be gone by tomorrow. Studded tires would be nothing but a waste, especially since ice racing has been cancelled 2 years in a row now due to covid/Ice thickness.

 

[Barroux]

@Barroux definitely studless. I live in Vancouver, the mildest part of Canada. This weekend we got the only snow this year, maybe 2”? It’s already raining and will be gone by tomorrow. Studded tires would be nothing but a waste, especially since ice racing has been cancelled 2 years in a row now due to covid/Ice thickness.

Agreed even here studded is useless most of the time unless you live higher north and have a steep driveway to drive up everyday. Not much icing rain this year so far either.

I snagged a dedicated set of winter 18in OE wheels to put the studded tires on when I want/need them for events of worst winter months, havent put them on yet this year...just part of why I have 4 sets of wheels/tires for this car 😂

Back to some real FW action now!!

 

[Camper Van Someren]

@320icar

I’m gonna try my first rally-x in a month or two, and I think I remember you lost your black diffuser piece doing something like that?

If it’s not too hard I was thinking of taking it off and re-attaching. Is it held on by those plastic tabs/clips or by screws. Anything else you’d recommend to prep?

 

[320icar]

@Camper Van Someren No I removed my diffuser because of ice and snow, it would pack itself hard enough to to break the clips.

maybe in the general forum area, but I don’t think there is a way to remove the diffuser without breaking every. Single. Clip. That hold that’s thing on.

 

[Barroux]

Confirmed I broke probably all but one clip when removing mine to swap to the euro diffuser.

Maybe if you had the whole bumper cover off you could help release the u shaped clips of the diffuser from their mating clip on the cover!

 

[Camper Van Someren]

Thanks. Maybe someone else ripped it off or maybe I was thinking of your snow and ice. I guess I’ll leave it on.

 

[320icar]

@Camper Van Someren i did rip off the lower bumper/ intercooler cover doing some hoodrat shït, that’s why we got damian to make the front splitter. Maybe that’s what you’re thinking of.

 

[Northish]

For what it's worth, I added the Verus rear diffuser plate partially to protect the OEM plastic diffuser from exactly what @320icar showed when ice racing. My first event the whole rear area got packed and it made me nervous things would start to break. This time around the Verus plate did seem to keep most of the snow/ice pressure off the OEM diffuser. But it also had the side effect of acting as an ice tray. Pulled about 50-lbs of snow and ice off the plate! It was in the negatives that day so I don't think the exhaust heat could melt it fast enough. I'm going to test it out on the ice again this weekend in warmer temperatures.

 

[Cimpala]

Owned for about 4 months now and took her on a 36hr round trip drive from MO--> FL-->MO

 

[Camper Van Someren]

 

[SUBAFST]

Those 17x8 braid?


16 Ford Focus RS Grey
Eibach Sways /Adamtuned Auxfuel Kit/ Cobb AdamTuned/ Dsc Sport Controller/ Radium PcV CC./ K+N air filter /Tema 4x4 30mm spacer/massive sway endlinks//Full Race IC// Tune Plus Turbosmart IWG/ E76/ NGK LTR7BHX (95605) 1-step colder Ruthenium Spark Plugs/UPR Cc breather// DynoJet 8-Run Avg (417.23wtq/399.26whp)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Camper Van Someren]

Those 17x8 braid?
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Those are team dynamics

 

[SUBAFST]

Those are team dynamics

17x8 +40? I’m looking to do the same and really like how you’re car is sitting. I’m gonna do the 1” spacer tho as it’s too low for my life. Lol what tire size. Do you think this car could handle with a 7” wheel and 225 w/ sticky tire or na. Currently running 235 ps4s and feel like it’s not enough tire grip. Going down in size wouldn’t help but I’m curious of your opinion running 17s. I want it to be like a gymkhana car in wet and well handling in dry or similar to stock


Like how you painted the bumper as well. Might do that when I paint or wrap matte black

16 Ford Focus RS Grey
Eibach Sways /Adamtuned Auxfuel Kit/ Cobb AdamTuned/ Dsc Sport Controller/ Radium PcV CC./ K+N air filter /Tema 4x4 30mm spacer/massive sway endlinks//Full Race IC// Tune Plus Turbosmart IWG/ E76/ NGK LTR7BHX (95605) 1-step colder Ruthenium Spark Plugs/UPR Cc breather// DynoJet 8-Run Avg (417.23wtq/399.26whp)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Camper Van Someren]

Thanks for the compliment but I’m not doing anything special. Wheels are 17x8 with 38mm offset so any difference you see is that extra poke from 12mm offset.

Tires are stock(ish) size 245/45R17 and suspension is stock.

I’d love to see a SG with body colored bumper cover. The big mouth is the only thing about the RS design that didn’t fit well with me.

 

[SUBAFST]

Thanks for the compliment but I’m not doing anything special. Wheels are 17x8 with 38mm offset so any difference you see is that extra poke from 12mm offset.

Tires are stock(ish) size 245/45R17 and suspension is stock.

I’d love to see a SG with body colored bumper cover. The big mouth is the only thing about the RS design that didn’t fit well with me.

Thanks for the details. I’m now definitely set on this setup in stainless or brushed on stealth grey. and I can some great tires in that sizing. I wish I could find a performance tire with 50 sideway. And this setup is .2 inches taller than stock setup. So I’ll be at an 1.5 or so lift with the spacer. Awesome. These details are what I needed.


16 Ford Focus RS Grey
Eibach Sways /Adamtuned Auxfuel Kit/ Cobb AdamTuned/ Dsc Sport Controller/ Radium PcV CC./ K+N air filter /Tema 4x4 30mm spacer/massive sway endlinks//Full Race IC// Tune Plus Turbosmart IWG/ E76/ NGK LTR7BHX (95605) 1-step colder Ruthenium Spark Plugs/UPR Cc breather// DynoJet 8-Run Avg (417.23wtq/399.26whp)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Camper Van Someren]

Here’s a shot from yesterday coming down from Silverton Mountain:

And my Frozen White self portrait