Volvo 244 on ice?

[BradlyW]

A general query, I picked up a 1990 Volvo 244 (NA) with a 5 speed manual transmission. Would it make a viable ice racer? They're decently lightweight 2800-2900 lbs before being gutted. I ask because I have one I got with another 244 in a packaged sale. I love the idea of using an old brick for racing. 

I've never done any wheel to wheel racing but it's something I want to work my way into, might be a few years in the future but might shape what I do with this car. 

[Mike]

Normally I would say your Volvo “brick” would potentially be a great ice racer however currently our Fire on Ice racing series does not have enough RWD cars to warrant its own group/class and everyone else is currently running FWD cars. 
A suggestion I would make would be for this year to bring it out to our events and run it in the streetcar class with the hotlapping sessions. This requires no special preparation to the car and allows you to get the same amount of track time as the caged cars. This will give you an opportunity to learn and practice your ice racing skills while you decide if it’s worth proceeding with preparing the car for door to door action. 
Feel free to post any additional questions you might have for others to chime in on as well. 
 

Cheers. 

[BradlyW]

I hadn't thought about that. I was at the open hot laps last winter with my Lancer (was so much fun!), this year I'll be attending with a recently purchased Subaru, the Volvo didn't quite get ready for safety this winter so maybe I'll get that out next winter. 

Thanks for the advice, looks like one day I'll have to consider adding a cheap FWD car to the lineup. Or buying one of the used racecars that pop up on the forum here. 

[Jim Eh.]

Not confirmed yet but there may be a race ready Echo coming up for sale.

[BradlyW]

Hmm, maybe. Not sure I'm ready at the moment. No trailer/space for a not street legal vehicle. 

Since the ice racing is all FWD how would my 05 Lancer Ralliart be as a dedicated ice racer? 162 hp/162 ft/lb torque, very slick 5 speed, responsive throttle, 2800 lbs. Fairly common for parts and shares many with the base Lancer. I did ice lapping in it last winter and was a blast.

It's currently my daily driver but it's starting to rust out so thinking what to do when it's ready to retire.

[Mike]

Hi Bradley, I am sure your Lancer Ralliart would be an awesome ice race car. Having said that, the bigger question might be how competitive you would like to be with the "pack" of other ice racers. Currently most of the other ice racers are running horsepower cars ranging from 110hp to 140hp your car would definitely be one of the higher horsepower cars. We have been trying to maintain a cap around 140hp to help with both reliability and competitiveness however it is also worth noting that most the other cars are a fair bit lighter (and older) than your Lancer so it could possibly end up being pretty close in the end. We definitely don't want to and won't turn away any new racers however just be aware that if it turns out your Lancer's performance is deemed significantly faster than the rest of the group be prepared for our race officials to mandate a weight penalty be added to your car (the additional of a specific amount of weight ballast bolted to the floor/firewall of the car). Cage it up and come racing!

 

[BradlyW]

Thanks Mike! Likely ice racing will be my first exposure to wheel to wheel racing so I don't know how competitive I'll be. It'll be great to just get out and start doing it. That said the car is still my daily driver haha (It now gets threatened with getting gutted and caged every time it breaks on me). So I'll have to think about what I want to use for daily and what for racing. 

I'll keep an eye on the forums/online ads for viable cars or built race cars too. What's the general weight people look for before doing weight reduction? I know a lot of the cars are small hatchbacks but those are getting harder and harder to find, especially in manual. 

Strange question but has anybody ever raced a "street legal" plated car? Or is it pretty much required to trailer/dolly it around. That's been the biggest hangup for me, transportation and storage of an unregistered car. 

[Mike]

Currently the older Honda civics are the most popular within our club and these weigh in around 2100-2300 lbs however as you point out the older small light hatchbacks are becoming more rare. The reality undoubtedly will involve more modern and heavier cars joining in as things evolve each year. 

For the door to door ice racing we have not had any caged and street legal licensed cars show up to race but that doesn’t mean you can’t be the first. 

 

[BigKahuna]

We have this Crx for sale with tons of aftermarket goodies and guaranteed to be competitive 204-228-5115

[Rare Snake]

On 1/27/2021 at 10:13 AM, BigKahuna said:

We have this Crx for sale with tons of aftermarket goodies and guaranteed to be competitive 204-228-5115

One of my favorite cars out there!!

Edited January 29, 2021 by Rare Snake
Takes me 2 days to realize I can't spell.