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autocross?

lovebunny

can i lick your balls?
Dec 14, 2003
7,310
209
San Diego, California, United States
so san diego has a pretty good venue to try out autocross at qualcomm stadium. ive been looking for a new challenge for a while now. i think it would be a fun way to improve my driving skills and learn more about my car. i know a number of monkeys have raced before, what do you think?
 

stoney

Part of the unwashed, middle-American horde
Jul 26, 2006
21,520
7,069
Colorado
In slow, out fast. Just try to have a good time and learn your car, speed will come with experience.
 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,524
never did it but my younger brothers first car was someones weekend track car....looked like this...



funnest/scariest car i have ever ridden in.
 

Yelo

Monkey
Aug 3, 2008
290
1
Quebec city, Quebec, Canada
Just run what you brung at first and have fun, bump up tire pressure to almost max pressure of the tire (mark on the sidewall of the tire) to help not ridding the tire sidewall. See if you like it enough to invest more and if the case, go for a set of dedicated race tire like toyo RA-1 or something similar (hoosier got the best race tire to my knowledge but cost a lot more). Race tire is the most cost effective mod on any auto-X car....

But like I said, just go and have fun at first, learn as much as you can before modding your car or even trying to go fast and do a fast time around the course...
 

dante

Unabomber
Feb 13, 2004
8,807
9
looking for classic NE singletrack
Find the cheapest "extreme performance summer" tires on www.tirerack.com that'll fit your car, or the 2nd set of rims that you're planning on getting. I always assumed that the expense of racing specific tires wasn't in their actual upfront cost, but rather that they'll only last 5000 miles.
 

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
I used to Autocross a lot out here. It's a blast. I was actually thinking of getting back into it a bit this summer, but I think i'll be selling the car that i was going to race before the season starts.
When i was doing it, i had an 84 vw rabbit with a 97 jetta engine in it. I was in SM. That class is fun, but way hard to be competitive in. I was getting smoked by bimmers and civics with ITR engines in them.

Autocross is way fun. You'll learn a ton about driving. First, you'll find out how much you really suck at it. Then you'll start to figure it out a bit and it'll become a little more natural. I'm at the point where i can fly around a corner and correct the car if the tail pitches out without even thinking about it. I seriously think everybody should do it just to learn how to control a vehicle in emergency situations. I'm actually going to sign my step-son up for a race this summer since he just started driving.

If you go out, just do it for fun for the first little while. If you try to be competitive, you're going to have a hard time because the guys that are winning classes have everything figured out as far as the rules go with tire width, engine swaps into lighter chassis cars, corner weights, and damn good driving.

I was reading somewhere that the guy that wins the STS class had a civic (years ago) that was a base model, but he put an SI engine into it since the chassis was lighter. It was allowed since the engine was out of another model of the same generation. He then had some of those super light wheels and had a different spring rate at almost every corner of his car.

If i were to race again, i'd keep it cheap and race in STS. You can have a fun car in that class (bolt ons, intake, header, exhaust, sway bars, strut bars, shocks, coilovers, wheels, tires). Once you touch the engine or add some forced induction, it puts you in a harder class. I have a Chevy Geo 3 cylinder that i was going to run in STS this summer, but i got a different job closer to home so i'm selling the car. My plans were to just lower it with some coilover sleeves, then get some 14x8 wide steel wheels and some wide, street legal tires from tire rack. I think the widest you can run in STS is 225. My Geo actually handles pretty good for riding on 155's. It would totally be a momentum car. I just think it would be funny to race it and not be last.

Stock class would be good too, but if they do it out there like they do it out here, you'll be racing against cars that are on full race tires. That kinda sucks.
 

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
I love the look of a serious autocross car. All purpose. Here are a few from an event I went to early spring.




This weird one had a Subaru SVX engine in the trunk.






This car got the fastest time of the day.










This one had smaller diameter rear wheels to keep the gearing fast. Pretty crazy.




 

cannondalejunky

ease dropper
Jun 19, 2005
2,924
2
Arkansas
never done autocross but i did do a rally cross in my wrx here

its way more fun if its your first time :think:
just go out and have fun don't worry about where you place
 

drt_jumper

Monkey
May 20, 2003
590
0
Manassas Va
If you are going for the sake of having fun and learning how to drive your car properly then do NOT run with super sticky tires, DOT hoosiers, RA-1's, etc. Run what you normally would until you learn how to drive the car properly. Super sticky tires will hide a ton of driving mistakes even in cone smacking. I tell all of my friends who want to do track days and such with their cars when they ask what tires to run to run whatever they would normally. Race tires do NOT talk to you like street tires will, once you hit the limit of a race tire it is generally too late to save it. With street tires they will first wisper, then talk, then yell, then scream, once they have screamed and gone silent you are f'ed. As a matter of fact they are alot like women. They let you know where the limits are before you hit them. If you are a newer autocross or trackday driver stay with street tires so you dont crash your car...seriously. After you have drive on a properly shaved and warmed up race tire you will then be so disappointed with street tires. If you really want to learn how to drive your car at its limits, do a couple autocross's to meet people and learn about your car, then go to a dedicated trackday and you will have the time of your life.
 

kazlx

Patches O'Houlihan
Aug 7, 2006
6,985
1,957
Tustin, CA
See if you can make it to an event, even if it's not one you would race, so you can figure out how everything works and get a feel for it.

You will burn through tires.
 

DirtyMike

Turbo Fluffer
Aug 8, 2005
14,437
1,017
My own world inside my head
Wait a minute here.....

TJ did you get another car? Last time I checked if your going to race a car it needs to have compression in all cylenders??????

Sorry, I have had a few and finally clicked the thread here....... Come to fontana this weekend so we can heckle and drink beer
 

Leppah

Turbo Monkey
Mar 12, 2008
2,294
3
Utar
If you're looking at getting a helmet, check the SCCA rules first. When i was racing a lot, they had rules set in place that would only allow specific SNELL and DOT year helmets. I can't remember how they broke it down. You basically can't buy a piece of crap DOT helmet and expect them to pass it. If you're only going to race a few times, just borrow one of the loaner helmets. Just make sure you use a head sock or bandana on your head. I got ringworm when I borrowed one. I put on a helmet on one of the hottest race days of the year and it was all wet with sweat. Friggin nasty. I ended up getting ringworm on the back of my head. Not very pleasant.