Best Car/Platform for Building a Pikes Peak Hillclimb Car?

[Galaxander96]

Hey Guys,

I want to eventually compete in a future iteration of the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb (PPIHC) in, for lack of a better term, a custom built JDM tuner-style car where I take a normal, stock car like an Subaru Impreza WRX or Nissan 240SX, etc. and perform race modifications to prepare it for the PPIHC in 2020 or 2021 (2019 entry window is long gone). I'm not trying to break records or anything, but I still want to build a decent hillclimb car that is pretty quick up the mountain.

Back to the question in the title, what car and/or platform meeting my preferred criteria would be a good option for building a JDM tuner style hillclimb racer? Ideally I would want something that is somewhat reliable, somewhat affordable, (although I am willing to spend a little more money if it's gonna be that much better) plenty of aftermarket tuning options, easy to work on, and very capable depending on the way the car is setup.

I look forward to your suggestions!

-GX96

 

[Tornado]

Up can't be too different from down.

 

[Galaxander96]

View attachment 816886



Up can't be too different from down.

That's interesting, but can you explain why that would be a good choice for building a hillclimb racer? I don't follow. Also, that's a Cadillac, not exactly what I had in mind when writing my original forum post.

 

[KinLM]

Id take a good look at the rule book. It isn’t easy to even get in; I believe you have to have some former experience of some sort.

Also keep in mind that you are going to LITERALLY be building a race car; that means a full roll cage, fire suppression system, no door locks, etc. This is all in the rulebook I believe.

I only mention this because it adds up in price, a LOT. It also means you’re going to be doing a lot of work and throwing most of the existing car away. So it may be cheaper to get a “base model” of some car and swapping better parts in, versus buying a higher trim model (WRX, STI, etc) and.. still having to swap better parts in.

Either way, good luck! Pikes Peak is an amazing hillclimb even at pedestrian speeds. I can only imagine how it would be at the limit!

View attachment 816886



Up can't be too different from down.

So can I take jabs at you for posting your car here the same way you did at me in the other thread? With the sarcastic “we are soooo impressed by your Cadillac” comments to boot?

 

[Joey D]

You can't just enter the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, you need to submit an application and then get an invitation. Testing is something like $1,000 per day and for the actual race day, it's something like $1,500 - $2,000. Plus you need to transport all your stuff to Colorado and pay for lodging somewhere. There's also a limit on the number of cars and motorcycles, I think in the past it's been 100 but I'm not sure what is it for 2019 and beyond. Still, previous competitors get precedence over rookies. I'm not saying you can't do it, just keep realistic expectations.

With that in mind, I'd look over the rule book for this year and determine which class you want to run in. I'm guessing it'd be Time Attack 1, which is mostly a stock car. You need a fairly stout roll cage though, along with other safety equipment too. There's not much in the way you can do when it comes to anything else if you're going for that class. Given the road surface and the altitude, you're going to be better off with something turbocharged and AWD.

 

[ImaRobot]

So can I take jabs at you for posting your car here the same way you did at me in the other thread? With the sarcastic “we are soooo impressed by your Cadillac” comments to boot?

Considering it's a joke, I don't know why you'd even want to go that far.

 

[KinLM]

Considering it's a joke, I don't know why you'd even want to go that far.

I don’t think the OP took it as a joke, though.

 

[Galaxander96]

Id take a good look at the rule book. It isn’t easy to even get in; I believe you have to have some former experience of some sort.

Also keep in mind that you are going to LITERALLY be building a race car; that means a full roll cage, fire suppression system, no door locks, etc. This is all in the rulebook I believe.

I only mention this because it adds up in price, a LOT. It also means you’re going to be doing a lot of work and throwing most of the existing car away. So it may be cheaper to get a “base model” of some car and swapping better parts in, versus buying a higher trim model (WRX, STI, etc) and.. still having to swap better parts in.

Either way, good luck! Pikes Peak is an amazing hillclimb even at pedestrian speeds. I can only imagine how it would be at the limit!


So can I take jabs at you for posting your car here the same way you did at me in the other thread? With the sarcastic “we are soooo impressed by your Cadillac” comments to boot?

Yeah I'm I'm definitely gonna take several close looks at the rulebook, plus I know that such a thing is very expensive any way you slice it.

Yup, I figured it would be a full blown race car, that's kinda what I had in mind. I was thinking along the lines of a civic hatchback and doing things like installing turbo and/or supercharged K24 (maybe twincharged?) And adding all the other fixings like racing suspension, brakes, tires, full roll cage, etc. Something like that...

 

[ImaRobot]

I don’t think the OP took it as a joke, though.

It doesn't make that post not a joke, though.

 

[KinLM]

Yeah I'm I'm definitely gonna take several close looks at the rulebook, plus I know that such a thing is very expensive any way you slice it.

Yup, I figured it would be a full blown race car, that's kinda what I had in mind. I was thinking along the lines of a civic hatchback and doing things like installing turbo and/or supercharged K24 (maybe twincharged?) And adding all the other fixings like racing suspension, brakes, tires, full roll cage, etc. Something like that...

Sounds good. Just keep in mind what @Joey D said; it isn’t an easy process to get in. It definitely requires past experience in other forms of motorsports if nothing else, I believe. I don’t know the exact details but it’s definitely something you’d have to plan years and years in advance.

Personally, I would look at what is required in order to even get an invite, and then work your way there slowly by getting into other forms of motorsports, etc. Just like the mountain itself; start at the bottom and slowly work your way up until you’re at the summit, so to speak.

It doesn't make that post not a joke, though.

Fair enough, I will leave it here.👍

 

[Galaxander96]

You can't just enter the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, you need to submit an application and then get an invitation. Testing is something like $1,000 per day and for the actual race day, it's something like $1,500 - $2,000. Plus you need to transport all your stuff to Colorado and pay for lodging somewhere. There's also a limit on the number of cars and motorcycles, I think in the past it's been 100 but I'm not sure what is it for 2019 and beyond. Still, previous competitors get precedence over rookies. I'm not saying you can't do it, just keep realistic expectations.

With that in mind, I'd look over the rule book for this year and determine which class you want to run in. I'm guessing it'd be Time Attack 1, which is mostly a stock car. You need a fairly stout roll cage though, along with other safety equipment too. There's not much in the way you can do when it comes to anything else if you're going for that class. Given the road surface and the altitude, you're going to be better off with something turbocharged and AWD.

That is definitely some great and sobering info, but it's in no way discouraging to me. Kinda reminds me of what's required to enter Le Mans as a driver; definitely need that invitation. Can't just walk in with your racing license in hand and stuff lol

 

[Tornado]

So can I take jabs at you for posting your car here the same way you did at me in the other thread? With the sarcastic “we are soooo impressed by your Cadillac” comments to boot?

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/search/5022754/?q=RoMXlc1vuRs&o=date&c[node]=7

Post it in all those threads too, for the sake of consistency. It will definitely won't look like you are just working through your own insecurities in response to an obvious joke race car suggestion for a car I don't own anymore.