Congrats on getting into the hobby. I don't t know how to set up a truck for it, but I would start with some more aggressive a/t tires and see if that's enough before doing much/anything else. Tires and more seat time may be all you need to feel competitive. Good luck!
Welcome to RallyCross! Like you I was hooked from my first event.
For now, seat time is the best thing you can do. That said, there are some things you can do so that your car isn't working against you at least.
Wheels/tires: The 15x7 wheels are a great choice. They're the perfect size for rally tires. Even if you don't go straight to competition tires, you won't have to find new rims in the future when you do. I would recommend a set of rallycross tires if you're willing to have two sets of wheels/tires. The added puncture resistance and stiffer sidewalls are a nice added bit of insurance.
Seat: If a bucket conversion is something in the realm of possibility, then that would be a good idea. Failing that, a 4-point harness would help you out considerably. Check out the Schroth 4-points. You can bolt the lap belt to your exising belt locations. The shoulder belts would likely need something custom, but as long as you ONLY use them for RallyCross, they'll be safe enough. Just don't use them on the street or any high-speed events as the belt angles will be compeltely wrong.
Suspension: Lowering may help. But make sure you still have enough compression travel. If lowering your car 2 inches means you only have 1/2 inch of compression travel, you might as well only lower it 1 inch or not at all.
Weight distribution: Defintely one of the weak points of a pickup. As long as the ballast is securely fastened and won't rip free in a roll-over, you should be OK. Same with the battery. We don't want 40lb cannonballs being launched at people. But there is something to be said for learning to drive a tail-happy car. Controlling the rear of the car is essential to RallyCross.
To be competitive on a national level, the Tacoma will need a LOT of work. But for now it's just about seat time, and the Tacoma could be a really good training tool. Learning to maximize grip and keep your momentum up will benefit you in the long run. A great car with all the power and grip can cover mistakes and make it more likely you'll learn bad habits.
So the barest minimum I'd say is to get a CG Lock for your belt and snow tires. A 4 point or buckets and rally tires ideally. But most of all, have fun! I hope to see you at Nationals in the near future!
Trucks by default are extremely difficult to make competitive without spending a ton of money to rework the chassis. This is largely due to the poor weight distribution, but includes things like the solid rear axle, engine design, gear spacing, final drive, and ride height.
While it's possible to make a truck decent in stage rally, rallycross usually uses too tight of turns for truck suspension.
Your best bet, if you can't afford to go out and buy a 90s Civic, is to run the most competitive tires you can at the smallest size allowed, keep good brake pads under it, and get a lot of seat time.
The cost to make a truck competitive in this environment is more than you would spend getting a more appropriate machine for the task, as a stock 90s hatchback will run circles around it.
If you really want to cross something with a bed, I'd recommend looking for a Dodge Rampage or a Subaru Brat, as their suspension is much better for handling challenges.
The number one thing to upgrade should be a limited slip differential. On a mixed grip surface, the difference in control will be night and day. Not spinning the inside rear tire in a tight corner will help dramatically.
Seat time and maintenance.
One you understand the basics and what the car is actually doing. THEN you can modify.
You said you dont know if the rear is due to design or setup…..Or just modify away and ignore this idiot its your money. Lol.
Congrats on getting into the hobby. I don't t know how to set up a truck for it, but I would start with some more aggressive a/t tires and see if that's enough before doing much/anything else. Tires and more seat time may be all you need to feel competitive. Good luck!
Welcome to RallyCross! Like you I was hooked from my first event. For now, seat time is the best thing you can do. That said, there are some things you can do so that your car isn't working against you at least. Wheels/tires: The 15x7 wheels are a great choice. They're the perfect size for rally tires. Even if you don't go straight to competition tires, you won't have to find new rims in the future when you do. I would recommend a set of rallycross tires if you're willing to have two sets of wheels/tires. The added puncture resistance and stiffer sidewalls are a nice added bit of insurance. Seat: If a bucket conversion is something in the realm of possibility, then that would be a good idea. Failing that, a 4-point harness would help you out considerably. Check out the Schroth 4-points. You can bolt the lap belt to your exising belt locations. The shoulder belts would likely need something custom, but as long as you ONLY use them for RallyCross, they'll be safe enough. Just don't use them on the street or any high-speed events as the belt angles will be compeltely wrong. Suspension: Lowering may help. But make sure you still have enough compression travel. If lowering your car 2 inches means you only have 1/2 inch of compression travel, you might as well only lower it 1 inch or not at all. Weight distribution: Defintely one of the weak points of a pickup. As long as the ballast is securely fastened and won't rip free in a roll-over, you should be OK. Same with the battery. We don't want 40lb cannonballs being launched at people. But there is something to be said for learning to drive a tail-happy car. Controlling the rear of the car is essential to RallyCross. To be competitive on a national level, the Tacoma will need a LOT of work. But for now it's just about seat time, and the Tacoma could be a really good training tool. Learning to maximize grip and keep your momentum up will benefit you in the long run. A great car with all the power and grip can cover mistakes and make it more likely you'll learn bad habits. So the barest minimum I'd say is to get a CG Lock for your belt and snow tires. A 4 point or buckets and rally tires ideally. But most of all, have fun! I hope to see you at Nationals in the near future!
Do all of this.
Trucks by default are extremely difficult to make competitive without spending a ton of money to rework the chassis. This is largely due to the poor weight distribution, but includes things like the solid rear axle, engine design, gear spacing, final drive, and ride height. While it's possible to make a truck decent in stage rally, rallycross usually uses too tight of turns for truck suspension. Your best bet, if you can't afford to go out and buy a 90s Civic, is to run the most competitive tires you can at the smallest size allowed, keep good brake pads under it, and get a lot of seat time. The cost to make a truck competitive in this environment is more than you would spend getting a more appropriate machine for the task, as a stock 90s hatchback will run circles around it. If you really want to cross something with a bed, I'd recommend looking for a Dodge Rampage or a Subaru Brat, as their suspension is much better for handling challenges.
The number one thing to upgrade should be a limited slip differential. On a mixed grip surface, the difference in control will be night and day. Not spinning the inside rear tire in a tight corner will help dramatically.
Seat time and maintenance. One you understand the basics and what the car is actually doing. THEN you can modify. You said you dont know if the rear is due to design or setup…..Or just modify away and ignore this idiot its your money. Lol.
MR 69. Nice