I’ve been over to the Wuerth shop a few times and I’m seriously considering purchasing a stage II car with front brakes, Mendi E and Newstar V6, however I do have a few concerns;
First one, the engine cage hangs about 6” (if I remember correctly) lower than the rest of the car. Have any of you had any problems with the rear end dragging while on a normal dune ride? Does this lower engine cage tend to bottom too often when getting a small amount of air?
Second concern, do the back seats have enough leg room for two normal sized adults to fits back there comfortably?

Lastly, is there anyone with a Wuerth car willing to take me on a test ride in the local desert or wherever? I’ll pay for gas and lunch!

Really they should take you on a test ride & buy you lunch. if they want to sell the car anyway.

Well at least you got the take them out to lunch part down.

I'm sure there would be several people more than willing to take you for a test ride. It wouldn't take much "arm twisting" at all. In regards to your question of the drop in the rear, look at the attached picture. It is a pretty poor quality picture since it was taken with a 35MM camera and scanned but it was over 100' jump and I didn't hit!! I'm sure I could line up a test ride with you.

Does the cage hang lower because of the choice of motor, or does it with all motors? Personally I would be concerned with a rear cage that hangs lower than the rest of the car. I am sure that they probably install a good skid plate to protect the motor, however that 6 in drop should be looked at closely to see just how much rear suspension travel you really have. I am not familiar with these cars, so I can not comment on their handling. You really should arrange a test ride so you will have first hand knowledge if this is the car you want.

They probably would have if I had asked them, but I didn't. I was hoping to find someone that has had one of their cars for a while. I figured spending time with them talking about what they liked and disliked about the car would give me a bit better insight than spending it with the builder telling me how great his cars are.








Sandriggy, it would be nice if you could line something up. It doesn’t need to be any big deal I just want to see how it rides and how it fits the family.

Gas and lunch still stands.




Good question, I'll have to ask next time I talk to him.






They have already offered to do the skid plate, my concern is using that skid plate as a bump stop. The model I'm looking at has 22" of travel in the rear so It wouldn't be much of a big deal if I were to loose a few inches if that's all it took. Wait, I think I remember John (I think Wuerth's owner in John?) telling me he could install air bumps......or maybe that was Amplified? I can't remember now, I'll have to give him a call next week.


Thanks for all your comments everyone

Eric

***Edited for spelling, and I fixed the quotes***

The rear engine cage actually drops out 3 7/8" below the cab of the chassis; and it actually inclines to the level of the cab floor at the rear of the cage- this is standard for most engine packages (with exception of the LS1/LS6) mounted behind a Mendeola Transaxle. The reason for this is to provide better ride center ground clearance (for extreme ridge-bowl transitions) while maintaining 21 3/4 in. of rear travel and a rear track between 90 and 93 in. (depending on rear wheel offset). The LS1/LS6 engine package allows for significantly more rear engine cage ground clearance due to oil pan configuration. Not all Wuerth cars share this same engine cage arrangement. Our new "One" chassis is being designed with a different purpose in mind- desert pre-running/racing. For this particular model, we don't foresee too many razorback ridges to run. This new car is intended for harsh desert terrain and high-speed cornering with appropriate camber changes throughout cycle for optimum handling characteristics. Its design has a very low profile under carriage. The environment in which this new car will run also has few stipulations on whether or not it will fit in a Weekend Warrior. Rather than running on too long, the point is that the cars are engineered for their particular primary usages. Regarding lunch and a test drive: I'd be glad to buy lunch; and I'd be happy to arrange some ride time (when it cools down).

Steve Wuerth

Wuerth Motorsports

Thanks for jumping on here and clarifying things Steve, and sorry about getting your name wrong. I've seen too many buggies and their builders in the last few months, I can't keep them straight.

If I get the chance I call or stop by later in the week. I have a few questions.

Thanks again Steve, Jeff and......(I forgot your friend name?) for test rides. Both the wife and I love the car. From those that have not read my V8 or V6 post, I'm purchasing a car from Steve (Wuerth Motorsport) and hope to have delevery in time for a few trips before this coming season is over.

Eric