[ReverendDexter]

So, in the most recent autocross here in SR, I gained ~3.5 seconds by doing one simple thing that I knew to do, and just wasn't: using my ABS. I dropped from 57 seconds down to 54 just by making sure I wasn't hitting the brakes until I had to do it hard enough to feel the pedal modulating on me, and eventually got down to a low 51 seconds when I again remembered to look more than a turn ahead.

So, in short, just because you know to do something doesn't mean you're doing it.

[BWAL]

deedeedee

[ReverendDexter]

I was feelin' pretty good by the end of the day though - my metric has been a guy in an LT1 Z/28 that supposedly has full race suspension underneath it. My suspension is stock other than bilsteins, and I'm running on ragged Kumho ASXs (allseason mud&snows) to his Goodyear Eagle F1s; as it sits right now he's running about 1.5 seconds faster than me on these ~50 second courses.

I'll be interested to see what happens when I finally put some more suitable tires on.

[BWAL]

i'd like to try autocross sometime

[ReverendDexter]

It's a lot of fun. You might also like what I think is called "ProSolo" - it has two mirrored tracks and runs a lot more like a drag race, with pairs of competitors running at the same time. I've never been anywhere that did that paticular format, though.

I'm pretty lucky in that the area I'm in the autocross is cheap ($30 for the day), and you get a LOT of runs (8-10). I've heard that in more populous areas you'll pay $50-60, and be lucky to get 4 runs of a 30-40 second course.

[fairlane_68]

Shameless plug:

Look into the SCCA. It'll open up a lot more doors for you if you haven't joined. Some events you don't even have to be a member. Be careful though...once you get to enjoy Solo and Auto-X, you may get to the point where you want to do more, and before you know it, you end up taking a perfectly good street legal car and stripping it out, installing a cage, spend countless hours and money ona race engine and flashy paint, just to rub fenders with other racers who got bit by the same bug.

But damn, it's one hell of a rush!

[ReverendDexter]

Originally Posted by fairlane_68 Shameless plug: Look into the SCCA. It'll open up a lot more doors for you if you haven't joined. Some events you don't even have to be a member. Be careful though...once you get to enjoy Solo and Auto-X, you may get to the point where you want to do more, and before you know it, you end up taking a perfectly good street legal car and stripping it out, installing a cage, spend countless hours and money ona race engine and flashy paint, just to rub fenders with other racers who got bit by the same bug. But damn, it's one hell of a rush!

Yeah, I'm looking into maybe doing a CMC car here in the next year or so. AS is a little more money than I'd like to spend on a car that has a chance of getting put into a wall.

I don't care too much for SCCA autocrossing, to be honest. Had an AE86 Corolla SR5 with mud&snows that got upclassed to hell because I put in the $100 set of poly bushings instead of the $450 set of rubber ones. They're just WAY to anal for my taste for those kind of things.

[fairlane_68]

Originally Posted by ReverendDexter Yeah, I'm looking into maybe doing a CMC car here in the next year or so. AS is a little more money than I'd like to spend on a car that has a chance of getting put into a wall. I don't care too much for SCCA autocrossing, to be honest. Had an AE86 Corolla SR5 with mud&snows that got upclassed to hell because I put in the $100 set of poly bushings instead of the $450 set of rubber ones. They're just WAY to anal for my taste for those kind of things.

Yeah...I've heard about the crazy things that region pulls out there. Different here in OK...Auto-X and Solo events damn near carry my region for the whole year. NASA's a good organization too, but I don't like the American Iron classes. The cars tend to turn into dirt-track cars with different bodies, and the money spent will put you in the poor house. AS on the other hand, is different. Fellow AS'ers just want someone to run with instead of the GT1's and whatever. If you look hard enough, you can get a rolling chassis AS car, minus engine, for dirt cheap. One car just sold for $3500 in Michigan, another on ebay sold for $3300. There's an ITE Mustang Cobra in Arkansas that's now AS legal, for $13K, turnkey...needs nothing. I paid $3500 for my car, and I have to build it to race it. The current AS rules are alot looser than what they were...and Edelbrock makes a head just for us!

WHichever way you go, just get involved...it's too much fun to miss out on.


P.S.: The chances of being put into a wall are slim and none...you're more likely to hit a squirrel on the track. Big crashes are extremely rare.

[ReverendDexter]

Originally Posted by fairlane_68 Yeah...I've heard about the crazy things that region pulls out there. Different here in OK...Auto-X and Solo events damn near carry my region for the whole year. NASA's a good organization too, but I don't like the American Iron classes. The cars tend to turn into dirt-track cars with different bodies, and the money spent will put you in the poor house. AS on the other hand, is different. Fellow AS'ers just want someone to run with instead of the GT1's and whatever. If you look hard enough, you can get a rolling chassis AS car, minus engine, for dirt cheap. One car just sold for $3500 in Michigan, another on ebay sold for $3300. There's an ITE Mustang Cobra in Arkansas that's now AS legal, for $13K, turnkey...needs nothing. I paid $3500 for my car, and I have to build it to race it. The current AS rules are alot looser than what they were...and Edelbrock makes a head just for us! WHichever way you go, just get involved...it's too much fun to miss out on. P.S.: The chances of being put into a wall are slim and none...you're more likely to hit a squirrel on the track. Big crashes are extremely rare.

To be honest, I'm looking at CMC 'cause I already have just about all the parts that are allowed... just need a good "coupe" chassis to put 'em on I have two 'verts sitting there, but I really don't want to race a 'vert... I'd rather be a little lighter with a little less allowed power.

[fairlane_68]

If I'd have chosen to join NASA instead of SCCA, I'd do the CMC also...it looks like a really fun class...they race classic mustangs too! I'd love that, but NASA is barely present in Oklahoma. I can't afford to go running all over the place...SCCA just uses tracks that are closer. When I move back to VA, I may join then, and maintain my SCCA membership.

[fairlane_68]

I picked up a camera mount so I can video my driving and go back and see what I do wrong. $20 with shipping on Amazon.com:

Amazon.com: Panavise 809 CCTV Camera Window Mount: Camera & Photo

Amazon.com: Panavise 809 CCTV Camera Window Mount: Camera & Photo

[screaming_pc]

haha

[zack065]

i always turn off abs

[silver_fbody]

too bad my old bimmer doesnt have abs, do you have any videos man?