[lollygagger]

Took part in my first autocross yesterday and I have to say I had a mess more fun than I could have imagined. Even working the track was a blast. Anyway my best posted time was a hair over 63 seconds. I was wondering if there were any techniques that work best while running these, less power....more power, anything. I did notice a lot of understeer, however, and is there anything to compensate for this? Anyone put a larger rear sway in? Also, planning on coilovers this summer. Here's most of the times from what I remember:

Evo X 56.6
Cooper S 59.6
MazdaSpeed 3 (1st Gen) 60.3
WRX wagon (GGA) 61.2
3000GT VR-4 62.4
MazdaSpeed Protege 63.3
My Stock SI 63.5
Accord V6 Sedan (CM6) 64.7
Volvo 850 66.8

 

[Slip_Angle]

Took part in my first autocross yesterday and I have to say I had a mess more fun than I could have imagined. Even working the track was a blast. Anyway my best posted time was a hair over 63 seconds. I was wondering if there were any techniques that work best while running these, less power....more power, anything. I did notice a lot of understeer, however, and is there anything to compensate for this? Anyone put a larger rear sway in? Also, planning on coilovers this summer. Here's most of the times from what I remember:

Evo X 56.6
Cooper S 59.6
MazdaSpeed 3 (1st Gen) 60.3
WRX wagon (GGA) 61.2
3000GT VR-4 62.4
MazdaSpeed Protege 63.3
My Stock SI 63.5
Accord V6 Sedan (CM6) 64.7
Volvo 850 66.8

You did well and most importantly had fun.

Just fyi but when you get experience you should fit between the Cooper S and the MS3 with respect to times.. Of course there are tons of variables but generally speaking this is what I've seen locally.

 

[the trabe]

Awesome. Glad to hear you had fun! I think you're on the right track with the swaybar. You have a 17mm solid according to the swaybar sticky (thread). I should mention that while waiting for moog endlinks for my progress knockoff swaybar, I drove a few days without my rear sway on. I had a 15 mm solid (2003) but I honestly noticed almost no difference. Don't take my advice as fact however. Mustclime has lots of good information regarding sway bars as well as articles of people who are very successful without even using them.

What tires do you have?

 

[lollygagger]

On my EM2 I swapped the stock rear sway with an RSX base sway and I did notice cornering gains. My tires are a hodgepodge of anything that fit. I bought the car and went to my dad's buddy's scrapyard to get them . They're completely safe and have plenty of tread on them, but they're nothing performance. They're probably all-season, but I was contemplating getting strict summer tires, as I have a set of snows.

 

[Zzyzx]

right now, seat time is the best place to spend your $$$ and time.


so keep going to events and keep learning, leave tuning the car to when you can tell the difference between an actual tuning problem and driver error....

 

[togueep3]

right now, seat time is the best place to spend your $$$ and time.


so keep going to events and keep learning, leave tuning the car to when you can tell the difference between an actual tuning problem and driver error....

Not to mention, one wrong modification and you just put yourself into a class where you live at the bottom of the time sheets.. ie say adding a carbon fiber hood will instantly pit you against fully prepped, turbocharged, hoosier shod miatas.

 

[jjthug88]

which autocross track you go to?? i been thinking of going to poconno raceway. i only got intake, motor mounts, rear sway, and cpillar bar(i think that this thing doesnt do shit except make my MDMA sticker look cool). ps. rear sway makes a world of a difference i got the progress 22mm rear sway + tie combo.

i just hear if you run autocross on a near stock car, things just start breaking and it gets expensive haha

 

[lollygagger]

This was at my college at RPI. We run three a semester. I've also learned that tire inflation is key for steering. All good info, thanks fellas!

 

[Zzyzx]

i just hear if you run autocross on a near stock car, things just start breaking and it gets expensive haha

the only thing that gets expensive about autocrossing with a stock car is buying new R compound tires all the time... The car its self can easily take it, its the tires that take all the abuse (read lack of camber adjustment).