We started with Kumho tires last season, but they let me down in the summer. I was unable to get any in the country even after calling Tire Rack and Kumho directly. *cough We contacted the Tabor Rally Team and they got us setup with a fresh set of Silverstone tires, which we ran in Prescott, and have had good luck with. They seem to be stiffer then the Kumhos and be up for a little more beating. Unfortunately they were almost $40 more a tire and it stretched the budget far enough that we ran them on the front of the car with the rallycrossed Kumho tires on the rear. Yes – mismatched tires… We’re no WRC team here.

After looking at the contingency programs, and reading reviews on the Hankook Ventus R201’s – we ordered some up from Todd Swift at Frisby Performance Tire. The tread pattern is certainly unique and designed for a wide range of surfaces. We got them in the hardest compound for two reasons. 1. They last longer. 2. It’s hot and it never rains here.

Bilstein 36mm inverted strut inserts with custom digressive valving. Yummy sounding – aren’t they? Next we’ll get some strut bodies built and get them on the car.

A fresh transmission is on it’s way and a small pile of boxes are filling up one corner of the living room. Normally this would drive the woman of the house crazy. Instead, Christine only asked what tire compound we should order from Hankook and moved the parts into a neat order by the door. ♥

I’m really stoked about what we’ll be able to do this year. We’ll be bringing the performance of the Neon up to it’s highest production level and pushing ourselves to finish and do our best.

< < Are these BEEFY or what?!

The Southern California chapter of Neon America had a meet on Saturday and we stopped by Tustin Dodge to attend. I will say that it was not exactly what I was expecting. For starters, they are really organized and we went over past and future events and club items. More like a board of directors meeting then a ‘parking lot gathering’. What can I say – I’m used to 200 people showing up to a park in CT and when the cops show up asking who’s in charge, they point at me…

It’s a small family crew that was quite welcoming and made us feel right at home. After recording the minutes, we all strolled over to the cars to go grab some fast food in the area. That’s when the talk turned serious and I wanted to get some Neon owners opinions on my upgrade path.

So I’m looking for a fresh transmission from a sport model with the 3.94 final gear. I’m going to install a Phantom Grip with the diff saver brackets (mopar 05134957AA), and a fresh clutch. While I’m in there I’ll install the solid bobble strut and new shifter bushings. For the engine I’ll get an MSD coil pack for better spark and try to get my O2 in a place that the exhaust + skidplates won’t crush it. I’ve also ordered stainless steel braided brake lines finally. I need to get down to the salvage yard to grab some more rear trailing arms and other spare parts for the bin.

Two weeks ago, we once again attended the CRS Rally School in Ridgecrest, CA, although this time in more of a volunteer capacity. I taught skid pad basics while Christine helped with suggestions at the co-driver class. We are by no means experts, but I think having gone off and run two rallies with the information gleaned from last year’s school, I can say that we offered a fresh reassurance that what they teach works. Quite well as a matter of fact.

Last weekend was the CRS awards banquet. We both enjoyed seeing everyone again, and loved chatting until midnight. We can’t wait to get back out there at the next rally. Our plan this year is to really kick it up. We’ll start with Rim of the World as our first rally of 2006.

The Rally Neon is in good shape. I installed a new Optima battery to replace the 5 year old Interstate I had in there. I have a growing to-do list of things I want to replace or upgrade. I’ll have articles covering them as I do more work. New suspension, a ‘fresh’ tranny, limited slip, and some more spare parts are on the top of my list.

This short music video highlights our 2005 season with lots of out-takes and little snippits that didn’t end up in the other in-car videos. It’s a fun fast paced overview of how dynamic this sport can be. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. I can’t wait to get fresh footage from my new bullet cam setup. It’s got a nice wide lens and it’s ready to capture so much more from the car and the road. I’m planning out my WRC favorites: foot cam, driver cam, roof cam, etc. Look for more this season, starting in May!

Great picture by Christopher Keach. Results can be found here!

Our friends over at Dirty e30 Racing have worked hard to put together a new rallycross venue near San Diego! If you’ve never done it – you need to get out there! You don’t need any special equipment. Just a car in good working order and a helmet if you have one. (If not borrow one at the event.) Show up, drop 45 bones and RACE ON DIRT! Full details and directions to the San Diego Rallycross available here.

2005 was a great year for the team! We had set our sights on a strong finish in the CRS rallycross championship and we will take home 2nd in class. We also finished our first and second rallies: Gorman Ridge – with a 20th overall and a great test of what the car was capable of, and Prescott – where we started to see the real speed of the car and a surprising 4th in class. We had a fantastic time in both and learned a great deal about ourselves and the car. Ze’Neon is a tough little car and has proven to be reliable, even while working through some initial problems.

The rally in Laughlin was a little too far out of our reach this year, so we will be there as volunteers! We kept within our budget and will be better prepared for the New Year, and we’re already looking at what rallies will be on the calendar for 2006.

I would like to thank all the awesome people we met this year that helped us and supported us at these events! They are: John Black, Ryan Tilder, Jay Farina, Cyndi Stivers, Kaiser Chen, Brian Driggs, Nicole Miller, Dave Wenzlick, Kim Stephens, Pete Morris, Leon Styles, Jeff Rados and Guido Hamacher! All the great competition from: George Doganis, Mark Anton, Lisa Klassen and Guy Sappington. Special thanks to all the organizers: Ray & Donna Hocker, Mike & Paula Gibeault, Michael Taylor, George Scott & the entire Gravel Crew. All our friends in NESIC, AZ2GNT, CRS, and Neons.org. All the support from our sponsors: rallydecals.com and Energy Suspension!

Have a great holiday season – we’ll see you in 2006!