Need Advise on what to do for my first auto x this weekend.

"Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ" (doge-supreme) 08/08/2014 at 01:34 • Filed to: None

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just finished stripping out the back seats and all the trim, carpeting and stuff from my trunk in order to shed some weight from my BRZ. Checked all the fluids the brakes and all the important stuff. Anything else I should do for prep, and some tips on driving would be super helpful. Thanks in advance.

 V8 Rustler > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 01:36

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Torque your wheels?

TheVancen- In Pursuit of a Greater Payday and Car Parts > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 01:49

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dont stuff your car into a ditch.

Big Daddy Handsome >  V8 Rustler 08/08/2014 at 01:50

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yo... what

WRXforScience > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 01:52

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Must classes do not allow you to remove the back seats. The SCCA classing with put you in a prepared class just for taking them out (with fully prepped and caged race cars).

Added 3-5psi to each of your tires, and chalk them if you can (draw a chalk line on the side up to the tread to measure roll over). If the chalk on the sidewall is rubbed off add some air, if not you can let a little out.

Make sure to have sunscreen and water, you will be outside all day in the sun (the surface will radiate heat so the effective temperature is always at least 10°F higher than ambient).

Have fun and look ahead (big key to getting faster). The farther ahead you can look the faster you can be.

Make sure to have enough gas, start with around 1/3-1/2 a tank to avoid fuel starve during hard cornering.

Make sure to ride with an instructor and have one ride with you (if you can rife before you drive you will be much faster).

YSI-what can brown do for you > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 02:02

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Tire pressures, make sure fuel is in the tank(around 1/2 to 1/3). If you are mostly stock then you are good to go!

M3charles > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 02:22

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walk the track as much as you can, if you can. Do it like you're driving in your car, i.e. place yourself between cones where you would be if you were in your car.

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > WRXforScience 08/08/2014 at 02:49

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Not worried about being put in another class they're dumping all the toyobarus into one big group for this event.

Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ > YSI-what can brown do for you 08/08/2014 at 02:51

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doesnt matter if the car is stock or not since its part of the big nw subaru meet theyre dumping all of the toyobarus modified and unmodified into one class instead of breaking them up.

YSI-what can brown do for you > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 03:10

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I am just talking about set up. If you have adjustable coils you would have to adjust those. There are probably a few other things you can do, but not on a stock car.

For a stock car, tire pressures is all you can do.

Bullitt Ride > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 08:16

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Top tip: Don't come flying out of the gate like you've got something to prove. I've seen it a lot at auto-x events where some bro shows up in his modded car and thinks he's an amazing driver. He then proceeds to plow a shit load of cones over and spend his first 3 runs getting lost on course... and usually some old man in a stock Honda Fit ends up posting a faster time than him.

Do your first run at 6/10ths or 7/10ths so you can focus on getting the course layout down and figuring out where you need to position your car in the tricky sections. After that it's just a matter of continually stepping up the pace each run, by your 3rd-4th run you should be putting down some decent times

briannutter1 > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 10:01

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Other than taking a tire pressure gauge with you and knowing your tires will grow about 4lbs after a run; you're going to be plenty busy just trying to keep from getting lost in the cones. Probably watch some youtube runs to get an idea of pointer cones. Do not subscribe to "slow is fast". Keep that car dancing. Understand that autocross is like golf...you're always searching for the perfect run. You need to sacrifice .01 second here to be .03 seconds faster there. Find the mini-straights and make sure you sacrifice the corner before to ensure you're pointed down the straight well before the apex cone so you can apply power longer. You will be given a choice on entering the slalom and it's usually best to do it from the outside of the last corner as you'll be plenty busy recovering from that. When going through a sweeper, don't try multiple apexes...look far ahead into the curve and keep your wheel angle steady....this keeps you at multiple average g.

briannutter1 > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 10:08

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Some excellent replies here. When walking the course, remember you're not riding a motorcycle. You are seated far to the left of the car. That means you're close to the cone when you're going to the right of it, but 9 feet to the left of it when on it's left. Have one of the top guys drive your car with you in the passenger seat. You will be amazed at what they can do with your car (especially in the braking zones) and you'll automatically be faster the next time out.

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > Doge_Supreme drives a BRZ 08/08/2014 at 11:14

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That's pretty cool about putting all the 86s into one class. I usually aim to beat the rest of them in my class, but I run stock anyway.

One great thing I learned last weekend at an event is that you have to let the car push a bit. Like when you're launching, max tire grip occurs at something like 10% slip. We have momentum cars, so go a little faster into the corner than you think it can. It will slide a bit but then come back in line.

When braking, stab them hard and come off it.

I launch at around 4000 and floor it. Fast shift into 2nd and leave it there for the rest of the event. Unless you have some really slow corners, downshifting and then upshifting is slower than being out of the power band for a bit.

Last, sometimes I find it uncomfortable while wearing a helmet in the seat since it it pushes my head forward. If you experience this, try turning the headrest around. That is allowed under SCCA rules, but removing it is not.

Have fun!

smashthegas > Santiago of Escuderia Boricua 08/08/2014 at 15:24

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Honestly (for me at least), shaving out 5-10 lbs by removing carpeting, trim, etc. won't make as much a difference as you think. The only thing I do is take out 40 lbs worth of spare tire and tools. You make make up much more time learning the course, the best line, and braking points than worrying about how much your car weights. My car with handling and power mods has been outdriven by stock 2.5L Imprezas, Minis, etc. In autocross, 90% of the time, driver > car.