Going to the track Saturday

[skills]

thanks everyone for taking the time to give me some advice. All very useful stuff. I'll take some video, and you guys can critique!

[GAbOS]

This was just posted today at Jalop!

http://jalopnik.com/5928097/how-to-win-an-autocross

[crak]

Originally Posted by skills

thanks everyone for taking the time to give me some advice. All very useful stuff. I'll take some video, and you guys can critique!

Good luck skills! We would all love to see some footage!!!

MY best tip: Attack the back.

Which means to try and hit the cones with your back wheels to get the tightest line and best arc before the next cone.

[skills]

Hey everyone, yesterday was a blast!


Here is a "practice lap," even though all of them were practice laps, really!

http://youtu.be/TFrPLU2iAfE

Then, it rained. A lot. http://youtu.be/k9fFfytm43k


What I learned: The first upgrades, aside from me practicing, should be better tires and brakes. Then, suspension, then power. More power in this car would be pointless until the damn thing sticks to the ground better!

[MTZL]

Nice Vid. Great job for 1st timer.
You could use more throttle in certain areas, tires can howl once you get used to all the body roll. Take abit of getting use to the g-force.

I went wider tires & wheels.

[skills]

Thanks!

Yep definitely more throttle

I had another lap that was set for a good 6 seconds faster, but on a turn I smacked one of the paddle shifters and ended up in 4th gear. I didn't realize I hit it, and thought I broke something as I was going WOT and not moving! a few turns later I looked down and saw what gear I was in. Very confusing! I'll probably post that vid later.

[skills]

Originally Posted by MTZL

I went wider tires & wheels.

What tires and wheels did you get? Any other modifications to make the wider wheels work? or do they just stick out a little bit and everything else fits ?

[GAbOS]

Did you use manual or auto in sport mode? I tried both and was much faster in auto. AutoX keeps you pretty busy versus an actual road course so it makes sense to keep all of your focus on the steering and throttle input. The car does a great job of shifting in Auto/Sport when you are actually using it for Sport.

I also use left foot braking when I run. Allows me to trail brake into corners better, as well as brake boost in corners where gearing is funny.

Tip: If you are using Auto and you accidentally hit a paddle, it will put you back into Manual. Just reach over to the stick, throw it into manual and back real quick and it will put you back in Auto mode.

Looks like you had a blast! You got the bug now, so be sure to keep us updated on what you learn and your experiences.

[GAbOS]

Originally Posted by skills

What tires and wheels did you get? Any other modifications to make the wider wheels work? or do they just stick out a little bit and everything else fits ?

I'm not sure what youre aiming for in AutoX, but replacing wheels with anything wider will take out of stock class. If you're looking just to have fun, RunNoPoints and mod the crap out of it.

A great setup for this car on the cheap would be to find some Evo X wheels. They will fit w/o any modification, be pretty light and well constructed.

They will also take the track of your car to the widest you can go and keep your tires flat to the road surface. You can use 245/40 which would be a massive improvement from stock.

[skills]

Originally Posted by GAbOS

Tip: If you are using Auto and you accidentally hit a paddle, it will put you back into Manual. Just reach over to the stick, throw it into manual and back real quick and it will put you back in Auto mode.

Yup, this is what I did as soon as I realized I shifted! I just thought I broke the tranny.

I was in auto/sport the whole time. I figure for learning purposes it would be better for me to focus on throttle/braking, and worry about shifting next time.