Westfields in Barbados and some electric stuff...

[gee_fin]

Jim Gould from 7Spot was kind enough to take the time to discuss my time with Westfields and the evolution of Westfields in Barbados with me. Interview here -

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HviNb4LpPfY

 

Group can be joined here :-

 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/SevenSpot

[Richard (OldStager)]

thanks for posting, i recall seeing some old photos and stuff ages ago on your car, certainly not your average rally car , thats another youtube vid lined up for tonights entertainment.

[Richard (OldStager)]

not watched it yet, but given i know what sort of events you did, can you remember the rough ride heights you had for the gravel type stages, i have something similar planned if it all works out and was unsure what to do about the susp.

[gee_fin]

6 hours ago, OldStager said:

not watched it yet, but given i know what sort of events you did, can you remember the rough ride heights you had for the gravel type stages, i have something similar planned if it all works out and was unsure what to do about the susp.

 

The original car was way way way too low (for rallying in Barbados), obviously, as it was setup for UK sprint circuits, had about 3" ground clearance. Actually ended up bottoming out so much the box separated from the bellhousing during it's first rally... We went stiffer with more clearance in the next iteration and were going for 5-7" ground clearance. It really depends on the roads though, back then the roads were better than they are now, no way I could run the car on them now, tarmac is too broken. The gravel event was actually smoother than the road in most places as well so clearance was less of an issue there.

One Eureka moment, once I went to 'proper' rally cars, was shocks though - running my first set of 3-way Proflex (compared to Avo/Bilstein/etc on the Westfield) was an eye opener. The difference is night and day. Instead of spending money trying to eek out 5bhp more I should have just thrown it all at a set of Reigers or similar. The way decent suspension can handle rippled/broken tarmac and settles instantly after a jump is truly mind-blowing. 
 

[Richard (OldStager)]

thank you, i do have nitrons, but fear i wont be allowed to use those, anyway besides which as you have stated ones like that are designed for smooth tarmac, which is why i need to have a good think before i go for this.

I am bound to have more questions once i have watched your video, sorry about that, lol.

[gee_fin]

1 minute ago, OldStager said:

thank you, i do have nitrons, but fear i wont be allowed to use those, anyway besides which as you have stated ones like that are designed for smooth tarmac, which is why i need to have a good think before i go for this.

I am bound to have more questions once i have watched your video, sorry about that, lol.

 

Nitron are decent enough, but for road/track really. The difference between a Nitron and Reiger is still pretty large, 1000quid vs 4000quid is a fair leap. But all depends on the final idea. I ran Nitrons on the turbo-Busa for road/track/drag and zero issues with them. If I was building another car to rally here, it would be Reiger, Proflex or XTC. My suspension choice would be pretty much as important as my engine choice tbh. 

[Richard (OldStager)]

that was great, and a good plug for wscc as well.

i will pm you if thats ok, as i will bore the membership senseless otherwise.

[Kit Car Electronics]

Thanks for posting that, a really good watch!

[Geoffrey Carter (Buttercup)]

I enjoyed every single minute.