Planing to Autox in the future

Kesic

New member
So with being said the Sti is my first performance car i wanna make the most of it and get some of the auto x experience. What exactly should i be expecting when i first go out? I.E. technicality of driving, people you meet, modding for auto x
 

IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
expect to get beat by a civic hatchback. expect to drink alot of water. expect to have a blast romping around.

The best mod you can do for your car is more autox seat time. No part you buy will make you faster then more seat time or an Evolution Autox driving school.

the STi is a great car to autox, be sure to use the brakes to their fullest. Slow in Fast out. The biggest mistake is people going too fast into a slow corner. There is a HUGE difference time wise between 75% throttle and 100% throttle so when possible go full throttle.

Be humble, you're not going to be fast, find a fast guy and ask him to either ride with you or drive your car to see what it is capable of doing. Your car is faster than you are.

Other than that, get there early, bring a snack and bring plenty of fluids, oh and if you have an air compressor for your tires bring that and a tire pressure gauge.

Do you have any mods on the car yet?
 

Paul.c

New member
I would like to add to what teh clap said.

1. Water proof clothing. Poncho/rain suit. Frog toggs are great. Lightweight and easily packable.
2. Waterproof box. Something to keep all of your stuff from your car in while you are racing. I have a hatch so I carry a very large box.
3. Extra clothes. Expect the unexpected.
 

Kesic

New member
Haha alright. i kinda figured experience would be the priority in this. The advice on slow in fast out gives me a little more info on what to do when it comes

As of right now i got strut bars on, waiting to install the sways, and im planing on going stg 2 by spring for when it gets warm enough.

Any advice on tires to run though. i heard it really tears up your tires and was told to get cheaper tires for the track days.
 

IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
Dunlop z1 star specs, Bridgestone re11s, yoko ad08s, hankook rs3. Those are the tires I'd run for autox. You want quality sticky tires designed for autox/track days so they hold up to the higher heat. If you cheap out they will die and you'll be slow. Haha.
 

CamaroWRX

New member
If you've never autocrossed before, expect to get beat. Don't get upset when it happens, and don't get upset by the kind of car that beats you. My first event, I was dead last for the entire event. I was in a Fox-body Mustang that could run low 12s at the dragstrip, and I got beat by a Plymouth Sundance -- yes, a K car. True story.

The kind of people? It depends on how you present yourself. If you are willing to learn, asking questions about how to drive, and what pressures to run, etc., they will be really friendly. If you bring 20 friends that all want to ride with you, drift around the course, drive like an asshat on the roads leading to/from the event and generally act like a stereotypical ricer, they likely will ignore you at best, and at worst, the organizers might ask you to leave because you and your friends are a safety/site-retention hazard. My first event, I was too shy to talk to anyone. But no one really went out of their way to talk to me either, which is a shame. I've found that a lot of novices want help, but are too shy to ask for it. Most autocrossers are willing to help out -- either by letting you ride along with them (if the club/site allows ride alongs), or by giving you at least some set up advice on tire pressures, alignment, swaybar settings, etc. Some people won't give all of their setups away, but I'm not one of them, since I feel that autocross is more about the driver than the setup.

If you're in the NoVa/DC area, you should check out Autocrossers, Inc. events in Waldorf. They are very novice friendly, and have many SCCA National Champions in their ranks (myself included). Washington DC SCCA has events at FedEx Field. If you are elsewhere in Virginia, the Richmond/Va Beach area is served by Old Dominion region (ACU 4 is an awesome site on the beach; it's a hovercraft base), and SW Virginia is served by Blue Ridge Region SCCA (my region of record and where I started). There are some excellent regions in New York also.

I wouldn't worry too much about modding the car until you learn the ropes of driving. Probably the only things you should be concerned with car-wise are alignment and tire pressures at this point.

Good luck!

Karen
 

IGOTASTi

System Operator
Staff member
Great advice Karen ^^^^^^^^^^^^^! :thumbsup:
 
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