I am considering going old school with a 1992 Peugeot 405 or 504. Kindly advise if this is a good starting point for my rally driving career. Photo/JEFF ANGOTE
In Summary
My first car was a 2003 Nissan Wingroad and I am grateful to God that I never landed in a ditch considering my “180 flat” driving.
I am considering going old school with a 1992 Peugeot 405 or 504.
Kindly advise if this is a good starting point for my rally driving career...
By Baraza JM
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First things first, your column inspires me a lot. I have always wanted to be a rally driver by the age of 35 — I still have 11 years but time is moving fast.
My first car was a 2003 Nissan Wingroad and I am grateful to God that I never landed in a ditch considering my “180 flat” driving.
I am considering going old school with a 1992 Peugeot 405 or 504. Kindly advise if this is a good starting point for my rally driving career...
Any reference to a good book or guidelines on how to be a master of the road will be appreciated because Google has not been much help.
Also, how economical are Peugeots, especially in fuel consumption and spares?
Lastly, did the J-Turn guys ever reply yet, which brings me to my last question. Can I try a J-Turn in an old car?
Thanks.
Nash.
Hello,
So you want to go rallying, eh? And in a Peugeot, no less. Not a bad place to start, if history is anything to go by.
The Peugeot 205 T16 was a Group B monster that gave us some of the best — but also fatal— episodes in the history of rallying.
A few 504s have also seen action in the world of time trials, and the 405 T16 etched its name in the record books in the hands of Ari Vatanen at Pikes Peak, Colorado, back in 1988. You should check out the video if and when you can; it is on YouTube.
However, there are some drawbacks... or pitfalls, whichever way you look at it. Getting a car, whether 504 or 405, is not that difficult; I had a 405, so there. The problem arises in getting a good enough one.
These are obsolete models, so most of them are getting a bit long in the tooth by now.
They were rust-prone, unreliable, and more often than not suffered twisted, bent, or warped chasses in the course of their lifetimes.
The car you buy, unless lovingly cared for, will introduce you to a painful phase of motor vehicle ownership that you do not really want to get into, especially now that you want to convert the vehicle into a race car.
Converting a new vehicle into a race car is not cheap, no siree, not by a long shot. You have to replace almost everything, save for the shell (body and chassis/monocoque/frame). You need to bump up engine power.
That is costly because you need replacement parts (pistons, camshafts, valves, ports, cold air intakes, exhaust, electricals) and maybe additional ones (forced induction: Turbochargers and/or superchargers). With this power comes the necessity of upgraded cooling systems to deal with the increased thermal violence under the bonnet. You have to improve lubrication also. You have to protect all these parts, since rallying is not always done on a superhighway.
You need new suspension. You need to lose weight (this may also call for replacing seats and instruments for lighter, more compact units, which are also expensive). You need aerodynamic addenda (wings, spoilers, splitters, diffusers). You need safety equipment: Fire extinguishers, additional sensors, roll-cage, four-point safety harnesses... Let me stop there, you can see where this is going; a massive bill, that is where.
So now you have bought your Peugeot, and you have shopped for parts. You have to build your car. The first step is to straighten out the vehicle, which will most likely not be in the exact same shape it left the factory in.
Not only is this yet another extra cost, there is the risk that it may be too badly misshapen to be properly straightened. This poses a danger to handling and predictability. Some parts (such as the roll cage and aero-parts) may not even fit in a warped car. What now?
If there are hairline cracks on the body (invisible to the eye), they might lead to the car falling to pieces on your first (or any subsequent) shakedown, even before it sees any real racing. And I do mean falling to pieces, quite literally.
A competition engine is a noisy, mean, nasty vibrations-generator that causes stress to the entire motor vehicle shell, hence the need for mounts and strengthening. What if your Peugeot gets shaken to death on its first shakedown? Can you imagine the frustration?
I am not dissuading you from going for it. If you want to be competitive in your Peugeot, you have to go for full power and all related mods, but if you do it in an old car that has not been properly (and hence extensively) modified, then you are taking huge chances.
Another way is to squeeze only as much power as you think the chassis will allow (which will not be much, in an old car) then rally just for fun. You will not win anything this way.
Long story short: This is an enterprise that is horrifyingly expensive, and presents too many unknown variables. If the make of car is not too big a priority, then there are options: Lancer Evolution, Impreza STi. Or maybe even a Golf GTi.... Or a slightly newer Peugeot like the 106, 206, or 306.
There are quite a number of books in the market on driving, but none focuses on the issue from a uniquely Kenyan perspective. I am currently working on that. As for now, to be a “master of the road” (as you put it) calls for defensive driving, which is a whole other course in itself. Just stick to what they told you at the driving school, and this is hoping that you went to a reputable one.
The fuel economy of these cars is not what you’ would call “excellent”. Most of them used carburettor technology. (Electronic Fuel Injection models are few, for cars from the early 1990s. You have to adjust your search from mid to late 1990s models to get EFI). Parts are also not very easy to come by nowadays. Cheers.
Dear Baraza,
I have this Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia, 2001, that has served me faithfully for some time now. But it has this one problem. It has a tendency to honk (or should I say hoot) randomly (unprovoked) when parked or in motion.
The first time I had this problem was about a year ago, two days after I had fixed a blazer car alarm. I have had the same experience twice now, the last one being yesterday when I had to cut short my lunch break because my car had gotten so “lonely”, it was “wailing” loudly outside the office. My colleagues wanted to swallow me alive.
Normally, when it goes off like this, I unplug the terminal, remove the horn fuse/relay, drive a bit without hooting and then buy a Sh10 fuse to fit back and I am good to go for a few months before it gets “lonely” again and starts to wail.
I have taken it to some electricians who claim it may be “rain water” that is causing this. Some say that it could be the alarm system that was not fitted properly because when the horn goes off, the alarm does as well and the parking lights also flash rhythmically. I had the alarm disconnected but the problem has persisted.
What do you think could be the plausible explanation for this problem? Alarm system? Short circuit somewhere? (I hate the way they literally cut those wires to fit these alarms which do not stop those “brothers” from breaking in anyway). Is this unique to Mitsubishi cars? How can I solve this problem once and for all?
On another note, I have fitted this car with size 15 rims inon ground clearance. What are the advantages and disadvantages of this? I am using the normal size 15 tyres as well.
George.
Greetings,
That must be the alarm system that has developed a mind of its own. I am not very good at electrics and electronics, but I think re-installing the system should help with the problem. Just make sure that this time it is done properly.
The rim size is different. But what about the total tyre size? Is the circumference of the whole tyre the same or is it bigger? If it is bigger, there will be a drop in acceleration ability, but you will not notice it. I promise, you will not. You are okay with the 15-inch wheels.
Dear Baraza,
Thank you for the good job you are doing, and thank you for your feedback on the Ford F150 and the Toyota Tundra.
The reason I said the Toyota 4Runner performs badly on desert terrain is because the front shocks just cannot handle it. I believe this make of car has a poor steering rack kit because I have seen most lose their ball joints and also once they get stuck in the sand, it is a nightmare to get them out .
Second, I would like you to expound on the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which falls on the J 150 platform. This car is effective on rough desert terrain but when it is turned into an armoured vehicle it falls to pieces, from the doors not locking properly to the vehicle dragging in speed due to the weight, as well as non-stop noises from the rear suspension. The car is very stable even at 170 kmp/h, but at times it feels as if the parts want to fly from the chassis.
Andrew.
Interesting factoid about the 4Runner. What year model is it? There are similar claims about the Landcruiser 100 Series, that the front suspension and ball joints are weak, making it a less capable off-road vehicle than its predecessor.
Since most owners never take their vehicles to extreme conditions, they rarely notice, but the real off-road enthusiasts who push SUVs to their limits express dissatisfaction with its setup.
This is blamed on the then new independent front suspension and also then new rack-and-pinion steering. Both were meant to improve road manners, but there was a tendency for the front suspension to hit the bump stops in the IFS-equipped 100.
Stronger aftermarket wishbones were developed to prevent cracks developing. Other issues were the front differential centres breaking in both IFS-fitted (100) and live-axle (105) models, and cracks developing in the exhaust manifold of the 2UZ-FE engine. Is this the same sort of circumstance that the 4Runner is facing in Afghanistan?
The armoured J150 Prado you refer to seems overloaded. Armour-plating a car adds an inordinately large mass to the existing gross vehicle weight, and unless done by the manufacturer, it may present problems like the ones you mention.
It seems the body and chassis lack the torsional rigidity to cope with the additional weight (in some cases, the plated doors can weigh an astonishing 65kg) causing the doors to sag off the hinges and thus not shut properly, to the car starting to warp or curve along the middle and eventually crack. The J150s suspension is soft. I know this from road-testing it, so with the vehicle being that heavy, the shocks and spring may hit the bump stops every time you go over a bump, hence the noises.
This is why you see some cars (mostly European) are preferred for armour-plating while others are avoided. The bigger Landcruiser 200 is a more popular base car for this exercise rather than the Prado.
Hi Baraza,
My father insists that Subarus consume a lot of fuel irrespective of their engine capacities. Is he right?
Also, between the Toyota Fortuner and Prado TX (new and old models), which is better in terms of comfort, off road ability, handling, and fuel consumption and which one would you recommend?
Chris
Hello,
No, I am sorry to say your father is not right. Not all Subaru models are thirsty, and he disproves himself further when he says “irrespective of engine size”. I would go into elaborate discussions and present arguments to the contrary but I have done this far too many times to repeat myself for the umpteenth time.
However, let me now put it this way: Subaru now builds diesel engines, one of which, when fitted in the Legacy, took part in a Top Gear competition where they tried to cover 1,000km on a single tank of fuel. It managed the feat, though it came in last.
So, no, Subarus do not “consume a lot of fuel irrespective of their engine capacities”, as you father says. The only thirsty ones (relatively, though) are the turbocharged petrol high performance variants and the likes of the Outback and the Tribeca.
I think I have dealt with this Fortuner vs Prado matter before. The Prado is more comfortable, less thirsty (for the diesel-powered ones), and handles better than the Fortuner. The off-road debate depends on who is driving and how bad the terrain is, but it is a close match which the Prado will eventually win in short wheelbase form. So, the Prado is the better vehicle overall.
Dear Baraza,
I own a year 2000 Toyota Prado and it is a lovely machine except for the side to side swaying, which my mechanic told me can be rectified by installing airbags in the rear coil springs. Do you think they will solve the problem? The rear and front bushes have been replaced. If so, where can I get them?
Secondly, can you install a supercharger in the above machine or know anyone who can do it and at what cost?
Munyonyi.
Hi,
How does your mechanic propose to install those airbags? It is not as easy as he makes it sound and it may not even be entirely possible. The solution is to either lower the car, install coil-over suspension, or fit stiffer springs and shocks, but air bags... I do not think so.
If the vehicle is petrol-powered (especially with the 3.4 litre V6 engine), then yes, supercharging it is easy, but not necessarily cheap.
You will have to import a TRD (Toyota Racing Development) supercharger and associated parts from Japan, then have one of the several tuning shops around install it for you.
I know just the right people to do the work, if you are serious about going ahead with it. Like I said, it will not be cheap.
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