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So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 10:20 pm
by bk7794
I did a quick google search and came across this site. http://www.cartct.com/

Though I still really don't know where to begin.

Before I get too involved in this I wonder what wear and tear will look like for my car. I know tire wear will be increased and potentially brake wear but I wonder what else suspension wise.

So basically to sum up, what kind of vehicle wear and tear will this cause and where can I begin?

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:57 pm
by Rope-Pusher
Tires mostly.
You only take maybe 5 laps at an autocross, so there isn't a lot of wear and tear.

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 12:50 am
by potownrob
rims (and tires) & drop 8) :twisted:

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 10:17 am
by AHTOXA
Actually, I wouldn't lower the suspension.

From watching the videos, I always thought that autocross was confusing as to where the line was and where I was supposed to go. Having not seen any in person, I may be under the wrong impression here.

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 11:03 pm
by bk7794
AHTOXA wrote:Actually, I wouldn't lower the suspension.

From watching the videos, I always thought that autocross was confusing as to where the line was and where I was supposed to go. Having not seen any in person, I may be under the wrong impression here.
Yes, I agree with you. I am a bit worried about that but I assume maybe once you get on the track it'll be easier to tell where to go.
potownrob wrote:rims (and tires) & drop 8) :twisted:
Also plan on keeping it stock. Kind of just want to have fun.
Rope-Pusher wrote:Tires mostly.
You only take maybe 5 laps at an autocross, so there isn't a lot of wear and tear.
Good to hear. I was kind of pondering what kind of problems I would run into but aslong as you're not really trying to win it, it's sort of low demand on the equipment?

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 9:01 pm
by Rope-Pusher
^If you show up early, you may get an opportunity to walk the course and become mower familiar with it before you drive it.

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 10:22 pm
by AHTOXA
Yeah, I would hate to be the one out there collecting all the cones. With my car.

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 3:59 pm
by 94Corolla5Speed
I'm quite late to this, but after a season of autocrossing, I can share my input:

Tires will definitely be chewed up, especially if you are aggressive with the throttle or like to slide. If your tires are prone to overheating (like mine are) get a little garden sprayer from home depot and wet your tires after every run. It helps you grip since your tires cool down and keeps them from spitting out hot chunks of useable tread.

A helmet is a great thing to invest in. Just knowing you have your own and you don't have to use a sweaty loaner helmet is great. The local Miata club even allows DOT motorcycle helmets so I got my silly red helmet from Amazon for $20 and use it solely for autocross with the club. Your local rules may vary. If you need a Snell helmet, they start at about $150.

Bring lots of food and water, plenty of sunscreen and an umbrella. The umbrella helps for rain and shine since on really hot days it's nice to have some shade while working the corner.

Take out your floormats and everything that will get thrown around from the interior. This is not only helpful to your time but could also help prevent dangerous things flying around inside the car.

As long as you don't launch, the only thing you will wear/break is your tires and possibly a tiny amount of brake pad, but nothing more than a few hard stops on the street. Autocross is very nice to your car mechanically, again, providing you don't launch hard out of the box. This is assuming you have nothing that is about to break, like a worn or nearly broken suspension part. As long as your car isn't falling apart with rust and is well taken care of, autocross is fine for it. Check your fluids before and after and you'll be set.

Lastly, HAVE FUN. For me, it wasn't about the competition (ok, maybe just a little at the end of the day when I'm a few thousandths away from first in my class :lol: ), it was about just having a blast with my car and seeing what it could do.

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Sun Dec 15, 2013 11:12 am
by gizmo
hey, it's cool that you're looking into autocross. i came in 60th at a national competition in 2007.

first i would verify that you won't void your insurance policy. it's possible that if they got wind of you autocrossing, they might deny any claim, even if it stemmed from something unrelated to autocrossing itself.

i doubt hitting a cone would screw up your paint.

if you run a slushbox, if it was anything like my parents' old galant, it might help you find how many licks it takes to get to the end of your transmission pop / torque converter pop.

i know with the stock car, bolts are loosening all the time. it's actually amazing how many CRITICAL bolts loosen up after a single 10 mile race. quite scary to think that i've gone 100,000 miles without ever worrying about critical bolts on my street car, and I can't go 10 without having them fall off on the stock car. we've had the sway bar come loose during a race, a shock come unmounted, the fuel pump come loose, intake manifold. i think that was mainly it.

so while i doubt you'll need to check your bolts regularly, might be a good idea. probably a good idea for people with general street use only too!

you'll get used to the cones really quick.

definitely get a gopro if you can afford it. being able to review the tape i find very valuable. you learn way more off the track than you do on it. in fact, you learn almost nothing on the track. you don't have time to think in the past. only be in the present. to do otherwise would be to fold time back onto itself. i'm paraphrasing from someone way better with words.

if you're looking to improve your car's setup to help with times, start another thread, we can help with that too. (it's quite easy to ask your car where it's lacking in grip, quite hard to figure out how to remedy it).

ross bentley wrote a book on autocross but i didn't particularly find it useful. i think bondurant has one too; i've never read it but i thought his karting book was phenomenal.

hope that helps.

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 10:31 am
by bk7794
I am late to re-respond to this thread. But very interesting points. I have not checked the insurance policy for autocross. I did not even know they could deny you a claim. What should I do to find a club around my place that does autocross? I've tried googling it but it really did not lead me anywhere insightful.

Comical my college has a car club but the club has too many other activities that make it feel like an owners club rather than a car club...

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Mon May 26, 2014 9:02 pm
by Rope-Pusher
See if SCCA is sponsoring any autocross events in the area....or mebbe a Porsche Club, Mini Club, Alfa Club, Miata Club, Bimmer Club, or a Corvette Club - some club that would have cars that tend to participate in autocross.

Re: So I was thinking of getting into Autocross

Posted: Tue May 27, 2014 10:57 pm
by cwat89
Good luck with it! Autocross is something I have always wanted to try but just haven't gotten around to it.