"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
05/17/2015 at 22:32 • Filed to: None
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"Jayhawk Jake" (jayhawkjake)
05/17/2015 at 22:32 • Filed to: None | 3
| 7 |
Have you ever seen one of those charity basketball games where old pros go out and play a relaxed game of basketball to support feeding the cancer stricken homeless?
You see their names on the list of participants and remember what it was like to watch them play. You tell your friends you’re going and swap stories about their best plays and greatest moments. You go to the event, eager to see your favorite old player shoot a ball again. Then you watch as he slowly moves around the court, clearly bothered by his arthritis. There’s flashes of brilliance as he drains a deep three reminding you that he used to be king, but you can’t shake the fact that he’s old and past his prime.
That’s what autocrossing my 1990 CRX Si was like: watching an old retired pro play his sport one last time.
Note that I said my 1990 CRX Si. Mine is riding on the stock suspension. As far as I know even at 135,000 miles on the odometer the struts, shocks, and springs are all the ones that a Japanese factory worker placed on the car 25 years ago. The tires are cheap all seasons, one of the tie rod ends needs to be replaced, and the brakes probably need to be serviced.
That’s not to say my CRX is in bad shape, it’s in fantastic shape for relaxed driving around a city. But autocross pushes suspension to the limits, and if it’s old and worn it shows. Good tires also make a HUGE difference, and these tires are really only good at keeping you from crashing and not much more.
The way I would describe the car at autocross is mushy. The throttle was fantastic, the D16A6 is a remarkable little motor. The car itself seems quite nimble, the diminutive size making it easy to thread through tight spots and the fantastic visibility making it easy to get close enough to the cones to hear them zip by. The steering doesn’t feel as tight as I’d like out there, the body roll is significant, the brakes aren’t exactly carbon ceramics, and the tires made the whole thing feel quite loose.
Here’s a video of my best run:
Despite the shortcomings I still had a good time. For comparisons sake I rode in a 1989 CRX Si prepped for STS last week, and that thing was incredible . From the passenger seat it felt like a go cart with sharp and flat cornering. The CRX can be a fantastic autocross car, and I’d love it if the next owner of mine took it that direction. As for me? I’ll stick to my Sonic at autocross and save the CRX for weekend cruising.
Birddog
> Jayhawk Jake
05/17/2015 at 22:37 |
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I missed the AMA.
Will you will me your CRX?
SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> Jayhawk Jake
05/17/2015 at 22:47 |
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Very good driving there!
very smooth and quick hands. Way to drive slowly (smoothly) in a hurry
RyanFrew
> Jayhawk Jake
05/17/2015 at 23:09 |
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Nice run. I hope you keep it stock - you have a rare car in your hands and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it spike in value before long (maybe they already have?). Weird course, by the way. I’ve never seen a course with a big circle of cones in it like this one.
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Jayhawk Jake
> Birddog
05/17/2015 at 23:13 |
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No, but I’ll sell it to you
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Jayhawk Jake
> SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
05/17/2015 at 23:13 |
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Thanks!
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Jayhawk Jake
> RyanFrew
05/17/2015 at 23:14 |
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The circle was fun. Sort of an offset figure 8.
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Birddog
> Jayhawk Jake
05/17/2015 at 23:56 |
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Looks like I need money for a bad Idea again..