EXTREME WINTER CONDITIONS: PREPARING THE WRX STi
How do you prepare a car for an Arctic marathon of more than 7,000 miles at temperatures as low as -45 degrees Fahrenheit? Luckily for our team, with the proper preparation, all Subaru vehicles can handle harsh winter conditions.
The first and most important step was to replace the STi’s Bridgestone Potenza RE070 summer tires. Studless tires such as Bridgestone’s Blizzak LM-22 or WS-50 are good for normal winter use, but we chose Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2 studded winter tires to cope with deep, unplowed snow and glare ice. The Alcan rules allow a total of six tires; we carried two full-size spares. Given the limited choice of wheels that can clear the powerful Brembo brakes, we retained the strong and light BBS OEM wheels.
Extra underbody protection helps prevent engine damage from logs, rocks, stumps and bumps on the road less traveled. We replaced the plastic engine undertray with a Primitive Enterprises skidplate.
Most vehicles get stuck in snow due to being high-centered. We installed taller, softer WRX springs. This increased the ground clearance by more than a half inch, making the ride much more pleasant and the snow grip just a little better due to the extra compliance.
Lighting is a major safety consideration in winter rallying. We augmented the STi’s excellent HID/halogen headlamp system with Hella Rallye 4000 HID driving lamps (same as what Subaru WRC cars use) and Hella FF200 amber fog lamps, all fitted to a Cascade Autosport custom light bar. (According to the Arctic experts, amber fog lamps provide better visibility through drifting snow.) A high-mount rear fog lamp was fitted to alert following vehicles in poor visibility.
Synthetic transmission and engine oil was used to ensure lubrication at sub-zero temperatures. To lower the engine coolant freezing point, we increased our antifreeze mix to 60:40. Be careful, though: Using too much antifreeze can cause your coolant to turn to goop at very cold temperatures. A Subaru engine block heater [#A0910AS100, designed for the 2.5 turbo engine] and battery warmer [#J6010FS000] kept the engine and battery nice and cozy – and the car much easier to start in the morning!
Another addition was the turbo hood protector [#SOA 9300001], which we used to help keep our nose clean for photos!
FACT SHEET - 2004 ALCAN WINTER RALLY
WHO
58 participants from around the United States driving vehicles placed in five classes:
Class I – Passenger cars, using unlimited navigational equipment and computers.
Class II – Trucks and SUVs, using unlimited navigational equipment and computers.
Class III – Any type vehicle, limited to SOP mileage input, defined as original equipment odometers in the stock location. Acceptable equipment – slide rule, Stevens wheel, and/or electronic calculator; GPS unit. Unacceptable equipment – laptop computer, Curta calculator.
Class IV – Two-wheel drive vehicles, with unlimited navigational equipment and computers.
Touring Class – Unscored, but adhering to the primary route and schedule as the teams in the other classes.
WHAT
A rally as a grand tour:
TOURING SECTIONS with reasonable elapsed times made up 90 percent of the route.
TIME-SPEED-DISTANCE (TSD) SECTIONS of 10 to 40 miles – one point per second penalty for arriving at checkpoints early or late. Some TSD sections were surprises.
SLALOMS, closed-course races – one-point penalty for every second behind the fastest time of the day.
WHEN
February 18-26, 2004
WHERE
Kirkland, Washington to Anchorage, Alaska – crossing portions of Alaska, the Yukon and Northwest Territories (250 miles north of the Arctic Circle to Tuktoyaktuk, on the Arctic Ocean, where the frozen McKenzie River is the road).
300-HORSEPOWER SNOWMOBILE - WRX STi AT THE 2004 ALCAN WINTER RALLY
by Glenn Wallace
THE ALCAN WINTER RALLY – A BITTER TEST OF PERFORMANCE MACHINES AND RALLY TEAMS, RANGING 4,700 RUGGED MILES FROM KIRKLAND, WASHINGTON, CLEAR TO THE SHORES OF THE ARCTIC OCEAN AND BACK TO ANCHORAGE, ALASKA.
As much as I wanted to compete in the Alcan Winter Rally, after five years of scheming my goal seemed as remote as the racecourse itself. I’d sold my previous winter rally cars, and most of my friends were already making plans, including Sports Car Club of America Pro Rally heroes R. Dale Kraushaar and Paul Eklund in Subaru-sponsored vehicles (a Baja Turbo and Forester XT, respectively). But then I realized I had the perfect car in my garage: a white WRX STi. It had plenty of power as well as a “secret weapon” – Driver Controlled Center Differential (DCCD) – which might even compensate for my mediocre driving skills.
The Alcan requires two drivers for the ice racing along the way, so I called my good friend Greg Hightower. It was a short conversation: “I’m taking the STi on the Alcan,” I said. “I’m in,” he replied.
DIFFERENTIAL MAGIC
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Subaru’s engineers easily could have omitted the switch and thumbwheel that allow the driver to manually control the amount of lock of the center differential – the transmission computer (TCU) is smart enough to apply the correct amount of lock in most driving conditions.
However, a high fixed amount of lock preset is an advantage when accelerating hard on ice, snow, or slick pavement. From a rally driver’s perspective, predictable acceleration and braking are paramount; manual mode can provide that predictability.
PRACTICE MAKES GIGGLES
To warm up to the snowy driving conditions, we traveled with the Subaru team to Vancouver and the renowned Thunderbird Rally, usually the most popular TSD (Time-Speed-Distance) rally on the continent.
Practicing on Barnes Lake, we quickly discovered what an amazing car the STi is in winter conditions. With the DCCD on full lock (100 percent), it launched in second gear like a rabbit at a dog race! A fellow from an ice-racing club told us the crazy, purpose-built ice racers were hitting 100 mph on the long-course straight. The STi easily reached 90 mph on the short-course straight, going flat out over some scary ice heaves.
My previous five years of “T-Bird” racing involved wide eyes, sweaty palms and digging snow – but the STi made driving effortless. We spent the weekend giggling like schoolchildren as Greg and I won the event and Subaru took the team prize.
THE 2004 ALCOAN RALLY ROUTE MAP AND ITINERARY
1. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17
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6. Sunday, February 22
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THE ALCAN COMETH
The first ice-racing venue on the Alcan was the Gold Pan Raceway at Quesnel, British Columbia. My heart sank when I saw it: a 10-foot-wide channel plowed through refrozen snow, extremely solid and slippery as an oval luge run. A fast impact with either bank could be terminal.
Taking it easy on my first run allowed me to get the feel of the bumpy track. With the DCCD locked, I had plenty of grip and acceleration. The quick-ratio steering helped me keep the STi on course. My second run was faster, but coming out of the final corner at full throttle I clipped a snowbank and lost precious seconds. I downshifted to second to pull myself back onto the track, but my fast run was ruined. However, Greg had decent times to put us in fourth place for the ice slalom. Paul placed first with two blistering runs in the Forester.
Our second ice-race venue, at Fish Lake near Whitehorse in the Yukon, was a superbly laid out technical course of four corners and two hairpins – and the slickest ice track yet. If it were a quarter-mile drag strip, we would have cleaned up. But ice racing is as much about technique as it is about grip. Greg put in two fast times, while I put in a slow time followed by a blazing run. On the final hairpin, I applied too much e-brake and throttle lift. On the ice, this was overkill: I went past the intended 180 into a slow 270 which I deftly turned into a 540. The crowd’s applause was small comfort, but Greg’s times were hot enough to earn second place behind Jake Engstrom and R. Dale in the Baja.
At Big Lake, outside Anchorage, the final ice race figured heavily in the overall results. Every team was going for broke.
The course was a large, oval track with a pronounced crown. As I walked the track with Paul, he described a crazy plan to bounce from corner to corner. Determined to avoid my prior disasters, I planned to stay on the inside of the crown and keep the car balanced. Both of my runs were perfect, with the car 45-degrees sideways around the entire track at full throttle and all four studded tires loudly chewing up the ice. My satisfaction waned when Paul produced two amazing, gyrating runs in the Forester – each more than five seconds faster than mine!
END OF THE ROAD
During our travels I was frequently asked, “What’s the STi like to drive?” My reply: “Like a 300-horsepower snowmobile!”
Greg and I were ecstatic to be first in our class, but even happier to discover we were the top Alcan rookies. And Subaru won the Alcan trophy for highest-placing team – a fitting tribute to its vehicles’ impressive winter capabilities.
SUBARU RESULTS AT THE ALCAN WINTER RALLY
| Vehicle | Overall | Class | Ice Racing |
| Forester | 3rd | 1st | 1st |
| STi | 4th | 1st | 3rd |
| Baja | 6th | 3rd | 2nd |
For more about the Alcan Winter Rally and other driving events, visit www.challengedriving.com and www.alcan5000.com.