first autocross
06-07-2009, 09:36 PM
#1
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first autocross
so i finally found a autocross and i chased cones for the first time and i must say its the beginning of a endless conquest to the finish line! i ran 4 times today and im addicted!!!!! 
as far as how well i did i got completly dominated this other tc which only had springs and a exhaust beat my time by a whole 10 seconds....oh well all i can say is im a noob...hope to get better. other thing is when i got there in the morning i was asked at registration what a scion was....ehhhh for the first 3 hours i was the only one then only 1 more showed up...kind of depressing just 2 scions in a sea of vettes and miatas...0oh and yea im hella sun burned i guess i missed the memo about sunscreen... 
as far as how well i did i got completly dominated this other tc which only had springs and a exhaust beat my time by a whole 10 seconds....oh well all i can say is im a noob...hope to get better. other thing is when i got there in the morning i was asked at registration what a scion was....ehhhh for the first 3 hours i was the only one then only 1 more showed up...kind of depressing just 2 scions in a sea of vettes and miatas...0oh and yea im hella sun burned i guess i missed the memo about sunscreen...
06-07-2009, 09:45 PM
#3
It's OK, I've been the only Scion running in my region for at least the last 4 yrs. You get used to it.
Congrats on the first time though! Usually that's all it takes. Hehe... what class did they put you in? My guess is you should actually be in SM (Street Mod) because of the header. You can't delete a cat in the Stock or ST classes.
Congrats on the first time though! Usually that's all it takes. Hehe... what class did they put you in? My guess is you should actually be in SM (Street Mod) because of the header. You can't delete a cat in the Stock or ST classes.
06-07-2009, 09:47 PM
#4
Originally Posted by ValenciaS
nice lol , hopefully i can start autocrossing soon, im planning on getting a lotus elise maybe, not sure yet. The scion is a very good platform form for autocross in my opinion
It is a great platform for having fun (that's for sure) but not really a competitive platform in any of the classes it would be in. Not on a national level anyways. In it's stock class (HS), you can get smoked by Mini Coopers and Mazda 3s, and 20 yr old Honda Civics.
In the ST classes you have to contend with 20 yr old Honda Civics again... Grrr.
Beyond that is SM and you better have quite a lot done to be competitive there.
But like I said, it is an EXCELLENT platform to have some fun.
06-07-2009, 10:01 PM
#5
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they actually put me in ST....eh they tryed putting me in SP but they ended up putting me in ST i still dont know how all these classes work but i didnt care i just wanted to race. only thing is i need help with my sway bars i got the hotckis sways and i have both at the stiffest setting i learned today that wasnt a good idea some one told me to change it up but i need some advice from some one who has these and races.
06-07-2009, 10:16 PM
#6
I have the Hotchkis set and have the rear set to stiff and the front set to soft. Unless the people telling you that's not a good idea are also driving tCs, I wouldn't worry about it too much. If anything maybe change the front to the soft setting so you can induce a bit more oversteer.
Thing is you might just need to run a few more events and get used to your car before any changes make any difference for you.
I'm pretty familiar with the classing - at least for ST rules. I've been through there quite a few times to know what is and isn't allowed for my class. I run ST with mostly suspension stuff.
Thing is you might just need to run a few more events and get used to your car before any changes make any difference for you.
I'm pretty familiar with the classing - at least for ST rules. I've been through there quite a few times to know what is and isn't allowed for my class. I run ST with mostly suspension stuff.
06-07-2009, 10:21 PM
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kewl i think thats what i need i felt more understeer the car kept rolling i guess i was going way to fast....lol there were just points where i shouldnt of tryed going to fast....but alteast i got a feel for the car the first 2 rounds i dnf but the last 2 i knocked off 10 seconds so i guess i do just need practice
06-07-2009, 10:27 PM
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LOL this is too cool. I ran my first auto-x today too. I've always complained about not having power and my s/c setup was trash until I hit the track today. Sadly to say I have to much for auto-x. I wanted to go with a 10.5 psi pulley, W/M and tune but I'm going to stick with my setup now and get a tune.
I wanna get ***** deep in suspension tho. I noticed sometimes when I turned I couldn't get the front end to turn when I needed too thus running into cones and once got me to go off course. Also my breaks were spongy after my first run and I couldn't stop in time and ended up losing time because my brakes cought too late and I had to spend more time correcting it.
None the less that stuff is hella fun isn't it? My wife rode with me for the first pass and she didn't want to get back into the car LOL!
I wanna get ***** deep in suspension tho. I noticed sometimes when I turned I couldn't get the front end to turn when I needed too thus running into cones and once got me to go off course. Also my breaks were spongy after my first run and I couldn't stop in time and ended up losing time because my brakes cought too late and I had to spend more time correcting it.
None the less that stuff is hella fun isn't it? My wife rode with me for the first pass and she didn't want to get back into the car LOL!
06-07-2009, 10:27 PM
#9
Yup... practice is always the best thing you could do.
And another thing to remember is sometimes smooth is faster than fast.
If you feel like you're pushing too hard and screeching a lot, you may want to slow down just a tad and try to smooth out your run.
And another thing to remember is sometimes smooth is faster than fast.
If you feel like you're pushing too hard and screeching a lot, you may want to slow down just a tad and try to smooth out your run.
06-07-2009, 10:30 PM
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Yeah I watched the video's my friends and wife took and there are times when I shouldn't of let out so early and times where I braked to hard. I'm assuming it would be a faster time if you drove smooth and learned your cars limits... I can't wait until next time I go.
06-07-2009, 10:30 PM
#11
Originally Posted by TokenAsianGuy
LOL this is too cool. I ran my first auto-x today too. I've always complained about not having power and my s/c setup was trash until I hit the track today. Sadly to say I have to much for auto-x. I wanted to go with a 10.5 psi pulley, W/M and tune but I'm going to stick with my setup now and get a tune.
I wanna get ***** deep in suspension tho. I noticed sometimes when I turned I couldn't get the front end to turn when I needed too thus running into cones and once got me to go off course. Also my breaks were spongy after my first run and I couldn't stop in time and ended up losing time because my brakes cought too late and I had to spend more time correcting it.
None the less that stuff is hella fun isn't it? My wife rode with me for the first pass and she didn't want to get back into the car LOL!
I wanna get ***** deep in suspension tho. I noticed sometimes when I turned I couldn't get the front end to turn when I needed too thus running into cones and once got me to go off course. Also my breaks were spongy after my first run and I couldn't stop in time and ended up losing time because my brakes cought too late and I had to spend more time correcting it.
None the less that stuff is hella fun isn't it? My wife rode with me for the first pass and she didn't want to get back into the car LOL!
And as you noticed, sometimes power isn't everything you need. The driver is usually the biggest improvement. But as you noticed, suspension may also be a bit of a factor.
Your issue sounds like it might be two things... too much understeer - which causes the car to "plow" into corners and not turn. If you don't yet have a rear sway bar - it is a MUST. Though it could have also been caused by going into the corner a bit too hot.... so you need to break more BEFORE the corner and then drive through it and get on the gas hard on the way out.
06-07-2009, 10:33 PM
#12
Oh ya, as for your wife going for a ride...
The first time my g/f went with me, she said nothing during the run, but as I crossed the finish she turned and said "do we get to go again?!" And another racer was born.
She raced her Neon a few times but now will be racing her xD starting at the next even in a few weeks.
The first time my g/f went with me, she said nothing during the run, but as I crossed the finish she turned and said "do we get to go again?!" And another racer was born.
She raced her Neon a few times but now will be racing her xD starting at the next even in a few weeks.
06-07-2009, 10:34 PM
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I do have a rear sway bar set to medium settings. I'm sure that is my issue is too much of a lead foot LOL. I'll ease it down next time and try to be a little more conservative. I'm on a man hunt now for some better tread and maybe some coil overs. A good set of tread on stock tires would be nice too. Is there a official auto-x techs thread? It would be so nice to hear about peoples setup and how they handle. What settings worked out good ect, ect.
06-07-2009, 10:35 PM
#15
Hard to say how well you'd do... but there are definitely other autos that autox. Best advice is just to put it into 2 or 1 (or a lower gear - I'm not familiar with the tC's numbering) and go with that. Don't shift... just leave it in a lower gear.
06-07-2009, 10:35 PM
#16
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Originally Posted by daffy12
would it be worth it to auto-x if my car is an auto?
ive been thinking about it but dont know if it would be a good idea or not....
ive been thinking about it but dont know if it would be a good idea or not....
06-07-2009, 10:37 PM
#17
Originally Posted by TokenAsianGuy
I do have a rear sway bar set to medium settings. I'm sure that is my issue is too much of a lead foot LOL. I'll ease it down next time and try to be a little more conservative. I'm on a man hunt now for some better tread and maybe some coil overs. A good set of tread on stock tires would be nice too. Is there a official auto-x techs thread? It would be so nice to hear about peoples setup and how they handle. What settings worked out good ect, ect.
I think there are a few autox threads either here in Autosports or in the tC Suspension forum. Check either one and there are probably a bunch.
06-07-2009, 10:39 PM
#18
06-07-2009, 10:44 PM
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Originally Posted by ack154
Originally Posted by ValenciaS
nice lol , hopefully i can start autocrossing soon, im planning on getting a lotus elise maybe, not sure yet. The scion is a very good platform form for autocross in my opinion
It is a great platform for having fun (that's for sure) but not really a competitive platform in any of the classes it would be in. Not on a national level anyways. In it's stock class (HS), you can get smoked by Mini Coopers and Mazda 3s, and 20 yr old Honda Civics.
In the ST classes you have to contend with 20 yr old Honda Civics again... Grrr.
Beyond that is SM and you better have quite a lot done to be competitive there.
But like I said, it is an EXCELLENT platform to have some fun.
I agree, its all about the fun