After dyno tuning with John Reed of John Reed Racing, we were set to do a test day out near the Olympus Rally roads the weekend after. Unfortunately, a heavy winter storm pelted the Pacific Northwest just a few days before forcing the organizers to postpone the test day. Disappointed, yet understanding of the situation, I had to at least get the car out to see how it felt. Parking lot drifts anyone?
Alright, so I agree with the postponement of the test day. It’s meant for teams to prep for the Olympus Rally and snow and gravel rally tires really just don’t get along. While not the sensational debut I was looking for, it was still fun to get the car out nonetheless.
In lieu of some forest roads to stretch the car’s newfound legs, I called up DirtFish to see if it would be possible to spend a few hours slinging gravel… they thankfully obliged.
“Keeping the car cool was my biggest concern.”
The biggest concern for me was the cooling system. The car had mostly proven itself on the dyno as being able to run and deliver power without issue. It held the temperature, and despite the driveshaft failure (entirely my fault), the day went relatively smoothly. At the dyno, it was freezing cold out and each of the power runs was relatively short. It would be a different story entirely to have prolonged runs with various ground speeds to send air cooling down the motor. Prior to the shakedown, I hadn’t installed any air feed vents to the radiator. As a reminder, due to the increased size of the engine, I had to install the radiator in the back of the car similar to top-level rallycross or drift cars. I wanted to experiment and see how much venting I really needed. While I hoped for none, that proved to not be the case.
While the car did get a little hot, there was nothing egregious. Moving through a series of opening windows and roof vents, ultimately it took removing one of the rear door windows to keep the temperatures stable.
Probably one of the most common comments I receive on social media is how badly it’s going to handle with the “massive” V8 up front. If you remember from one of the previous build videos, the car clocked in with a 57% weight distribution. That makes it nearly identical to the weight distribution in its previous form. The only caveat is that I now have to run with a 50kg weight penalty in order to stay within the rules. This is ultimately a bummer as we all know lighter cars just generally do everything better.
Now DirtFish is not without its limitations. As a school, the roads are designed to keep speeds reasonable which means the roads are generally pretty tight. My car has always been fairly difficult to drive there owing mostly to the aggressive diff setup I like to run all around. I’d fail miserably at rallycross if I kept that setup. This causes the car to be a bit of a chore to handle at low speeds and sharp corners with the benefit of excellent grip and stability at high speeds. I was expecting the same outcome.
I did have one ace up my sleeve though. Previously I ran the Subaru’s center differential at full lock with only a cut out for when the handbrake was pulled. With the new Motec M1 ECU I am running with the Ferrari engine, I now have the benefit of greater control over the center diff. I came up with a “loose” map prior to the shakedown that would let the car favor far more torque distribution to the rear than I would normally run. It worked.
Overall I would say the car mostly handles the same as it did before except that I can feel that added weight while under braking coming into the corners. The best part of this setup however is the ability to control the overall power output. As a naturally aspirated V8, everything feels linear and you get exactly what you ask for. Need to go a little wider, add some throttle. Want to get a little tighter, ease off a bit and drag the brakes. The inputs are the same with any AWD car, but the fidelity is nothing like the turbo motor. With how aggressive the torque would come on, it was a bit of a guessing game as to what you would get. This is where left foot braking really comes in handy as you can dampen the effects, but that’s just addressing the symptoms.
“The power delivery is phenomonal!”
What you might be wondering is how much faster it is. I can say that it certainly feels quicker than the old version of the car but it’s not out of this world uncontrollable power. Sure, I hooned a bit during the shakedown video (who wouldn’t?) but I would say it just feels like what I want it to feel like. Consistent, smooth, and utterly fantastic. The new motor makes far less torque than the EJ25 did but makes up for it in high RPM horsepower. This results in a beautiful torque curve at the wheels that I just can’t wait to feel at the Olympus Rally in April.
Before I go, I need to mention the obvious; the sound. While it might not be everyone’s favorite, videos just can’t do it justice. Those spectating at the shakedown continued to bring up two observations. You hear the car twice. First, as it comes navigating through the course, and again as it echoes off the hills. Olympus and Oregon Trail Rally spectators will be treated to a symphony of flat-plane madness. The second…
If you’re like me, your favorite part of going to watch fireworks is not the sight, or even really the sound… it’s the feel. A few fellow DirtFish instructors got up close and personal with the action and reported feeling the percussion of the exhaust exiting the side piped exhaust as it came by. You’re welcome, but follow the rally marshall’s instructions.
See you all at the Olympus Rally on April 22-23! If you haven’t yet, check out my YouTube Channel and watch the F136 Build Series!
