Autocross in a couple weeks, need advice....

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CodeRedR51

CodeRedR51

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Hey guys. I just found out that an autocross is being held at a High School parking lot near me, and I want to attend. It's $20 for an all day test and tune, as well as a couple competitions. If anyone here is an autocross junkie :sly: , can you point out a few things that would help me? The car I will be using is in my signature below. Thanks!
 
Find out if there are any events near you that are specifically designed to teach driving techniques to beginners to autocross. The best thing you can do to improve your lap times is to improve your driving skills.
 
Fill your gas tank only halfway with 93 octane, and use some octane booster. Remove everything you can from your car, including the rear seats if you're experienced with getting them in and out (Although this will usually put you in a different class, it's up to you), stuff like the spare, jack, any tools you might have with you, etc. If it's SCCA they'll let you walk the course over before you race, make sure you take advantage of that as you won't know what the course looks like beforehand, so you'll have to plan your line that day.

Go prepared to do some work. They'll give you something easy since you're a new guy, but the way they keep costs down is through volunteer work by people attending.

I've never autocrossed, but I'm somewhat of a pit crew chief for my brother who autocrosses, so I know a little bit about it. Most importantly is to have fun, and don't wreck your car.

Edit: You might find this link helpful as well.
 
I've autocrossed with my Blazer before, not SCCA mind you since they don't allow SUV's in for some reason but they allow trucks. I poped out my rear seats, spare tire, jack, and junk laying around. Oh ya if they will let you pull one of your headlights off that the air intake is behind, this will give you better air flow to the engine, I doubt it will help with power in a great way but its a thought.

Make sure your tires are at the spec PSI, nothing like ruining your set of tires because they are under/over inflated.

Other then that I don't really know a bunch, I just did it at some local event.

One more thing before I forget, I'm 99% sure you will need a helmet of some sorts.
 
It's not being held by SCCA, just some tuner shop in town getting some people together. I think the guy said the Corvette Club had something to do with it too. I'll try to do everything stated above, but finding a helmet might be a challenge.... Maybe my grandpa has one since he builds dune buggies. 💡
 
:cheers: Have fun. :cheers:

If you want to do it again, try and pick up on things your doing wrong. Don't really get into too much of the technical things. Nothing against you, but your not that good of a driver yet. I've raced in a few autocrosses, and even won 2nd place in my class, but theres still a lot more I have to learn about driving before my skill surpasses my car's ability. I don't even bother taking out the back seat or filling up the gas tank to certain level. The most I ever do is throw on my Azenis and fiddle with their tire pressure, take out the spare and throw some water on the intercooler before the next run (even that was mainly for an ego boost).

If you have an air tank, bring it along and you can play with the air pressure on the tires. Remember, more pressure up front will decrease understeer, but be careful not to over inflate.

I would suggest going to the upcoming Rocky Mountain Solo School if you find you liked that experience. Lots of seat time compared to most autocrosses. www.rmsolo.org

By the way, where is this at?
 
Goomba
By the way, where is this at?
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Fruita High School in Grand Junction. I don't plan on pushing the car that hard, just spending the first few runs getting used to the course, etc. The guy I talked to about it said that you only shift out of second gear once. The rest of the run is spent in second.

RobcioPL: Why yes, I am. :sly:
 
Oh, and by the way. That pyramid of speed thing is stupid. I am a couple things on that list, and am in no way like what is says I am. PLUS, I happen to like Sport Compact Car magazine. :D Super Street on the other hand.... 👎 :yuck:
 
GT3man2001
Fruita High School in Grand Junction. I don't plan on pushing the car that hard, just spending the first few runs getting used to the course, etc. The guy I talked to about it said that you only shift out of second gear once. The rest of the run is spent in second.

RobcioPL: Why yes, I am. :sly:
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Thats pretty fast bud. Fastest I've really gone is to the end of 2nd, and thats about 65mph. Most autocross courses don't go above that mph, and I don't think most people shift out of 2nd. Although 60mph may seem like nothing big, especially in daily driving, its plenty quick when racing.
 
Hmm. If it is not officially sanctioned by a major car club (such as SCCA), I would check the course out EXTRA carefully to make sure there aren't any danger areas where an off-course excursion may break something or injure someone. You may think 65 mph isn't all that fast, but trust me, it's plenty fast to bend metal and then some.

Otherwise, Goomba had it pretty well covered. If it is your first time, just concentrate on remembering the course. Most newbies are very surprised at how quickly everything happens... even in 2nd gear. Your priority should be to 1-remember where you're going and 2-drive smoothly and begin learning how your car behaves at 10/10ths.

Do: Take a folding chair, some food, a lot of water and a good tire pressure gauge. An umbrella is handy in the summer. Dress comfortably, but in long sleeves. When you walk the course, remember any areas that may be rough or covered with sand or loose grit as old asphalt or concrete may have a lot of debris on the surface.

Don't: Spend too much time socializing or you will not get to walk the course and commit it to memory. Don't show up hungover from partying too much the night before ( :sly: ask me how I know) Don't try to over-drive the car the first time out. Accept that you will be slow. Speed will come with time.

Car prep: Tech your own car. Make sure the battery is secure. Make sure your brakes are in good shape and don't need to be bled. Ask others have already indicated, remove all loose items from your car. Check under the seats --you'd be surprised at the junk that can get stuck under them. Over inflate your tires by 5-10 psi. to reduce tread deformation.

That's about it. Go have fun.

BTW, that pyramid of speed thing is just some guy stroking his own ego. Funny but I wouldn't think too much of it. What he neglects to mention is professional drivers trump anyone who goes racing on his own dime. At the very top of the racing heap is someone who is paid to race.


M
 
///M-Spec
Hmm. If it is not officially sanctioned by a major car club (such as SCCA), I would check the course out EXTRA carefully to make sure there aren't any danger areas where an off-course excursion may break something or injure someone. You may think 65 mph isn't all that fast, but trust me, it's plenty fast to bend metal and then some.
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Reminds me of this dumb kid that had a brand new WRX STi, lost control on the very first corner, and slammed the car sideways into a curb destroying two rims (cracked one totally in half, the other almost) and ruined the suspension on that side.
 
Ghost C
Reminds me of this dumb kid that had a brand new WRX STi, lost control on the very first corner, and slammed the car sideways into a curb destroying two rims (cracked one totally in half, the other almost) and ruined the suspension on that side.
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Poor car. STi > No talent bass clown.

Saw pretty much the same thing with a Z06 Vette, except it was the 2 front tires/wheels. Yeah, those mega-buck Z06 forged ones. :guilty:


M
 
Well, your sentra has really short gears, most likley your going to go into third
 
sn00pie
The pyramid of speed.

Have a look-see.
Click to expand...
Written by a guy who drives a PINK S2000 :rolleyes:
All he needs is a big wing, some vynils, and a sex change operation and he'll accomplish his dream of becoming Suki from 2 Fast 2 Furious ...
 
hey, just because his car is pink :yuck: does not mean it is nice. i have never been a fan of convertibles because they are just odd to me. they are ok but i would not want one but T-tops on the other hand :dopey: but anyways back to the off topic....topic. the S2000 is a very nice car and should not even be mentioned with that movie. anyways the color of a car does not make it any faster or slower (except black :) )

on topic-tell us how the autox goes GT3man2001
 
So the S2000 shouldn't be mentioned with that movie, but the Skyline GT-R, Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi EvoVIII, Dodge Viper, Cobra Mustang, BMW M3, Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari 360 Modena, etc. can be mentioned ?

Face it, there were a LOT of nice cars in that movie ... Unfortunately, a lot of them were riced-out beyond recognition :yuck:
 
I've been to a couple autocrosses with guys I know and they walked over the track like mentioned above as well as videotaped the race. This way, if you decide to do it again, and probably will, you can go over your mistakes/highlights and drive to you and your car's strengths if you happen to come across similar corners.

The first one I went to was for my 16th birthday and it was hosted by a Porsche group or something. The participants were: two 996 turbos, three 993s(one turbo and two c4's), '02 corvette z06, greatly modified '89 crx(trailer queen), '90 civic hatchback, and a '00 civic si w/ b18c engine swap and nsx calipers. The last two cars were my friends'. The z06 won by 2 sec. over the crx and the 993 turbo came in 3rd.

Good luck!! 👍
 
sn00pie
The pyramid of speed.

Have a look-see.
Click to expand...

Doug Hayashi is the biggest **** on the face of the earth. Always has, always will. 👎

As far as Auto-X is concerned, IMO, the only thing you really need is seat time.
 
I just put my Yokohama summer tires back on yesterday, so I am ready to go with those. Within the next week I am upgrading the brakes to brembo rotors and racing/street pads. Thanks for the advice guys! :dopey: 👍
 
GT3man2001
I just put my Yokohama summer tires back on yesterday, so I am ready to go with those. Within the next week I am upgrading the brakes to brembo rotors and racing/street pads. Thanks for the advice guys! :dopey: 👍
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This is my second year of autocrossing with the SCCA, and I always increase my tire pressure over my street PSI. I don't think you need to bother trying to fine tune your pressure (I use 42 up front and 37 in rear), but I would suggest you bring them up to high 30's or to 40psi. Just remember to put them back down when you're finished.

Other than that, don't worrry about much else. It's just a TNT anyway. Take a rider with you to help you find the course for the first few runs. Have fun. :D
 
Jmac279
So the S2000 shouldn't be mentioned with that movie, but the Skyline GT-R, Toyota Supra, Mazda RX-7, Mitsubishi EvoVIII, Dodge Viper, Cobra Mustang, BMW M3, Chevrolet Corvette, Ferrari 360 Modena, etc. can be mentioned ?

Face it, there were a LOT of nice cars in that movie ... Unfortunately, a lot of them were riced-out beyond recognition :yuck:
Click to expand...
Im not saying those cars are bad at all <8- P but that movie in general should not be brought up.

i really want to get my car running so i can make it to our local track (gingerman) or some local autox events <8- )
 
Well, I just ordered new brake pads and rotors from TireRack.com. Hopefully they will be in before next friday (payday), so I can get them put on before the event. :scared:
 
Good advice. It's a good idea to put more air in your tires so the sidewalls don't flex as much. You're putting a lot more pressure on them in an autocross than with daily driving, and you don't want them shimmying around.

My number one priority is always to figure out where to go. Learn how to read the cones (which side of the slalom, etc.) and how to look ahead of where you are. Ask questions if you're not sure. A little embarassment is better than getting a DNF because you didn't understand the cone setup. Secondarily, work on smooth driving.

I used to obsess over the racing line during the walk-through, and would disect every corner and figure out exactly where my car should be. But a walkthrough takes ten minutes. Driving it takes 30 seconds. Corners will go by so fast you didn't realize they were there. Once you know where you're going, then try to get it smooth.

And when your times look pathetic (as mine still do!) and you want to do better, realize that it's the driver and not the car. No offense meant by that, you may be a better driver than I. But I routinely get beaten by cars that my car theoretically should be able to beat. Driving technique makes all the difference.

Good luck and have fun! :)
 
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