hey guys i need some suggestions. i am building my car for autocross/ time attack im new to the sport but im hoping to start next year but i have a few questions.

should i relocate the battery to the rear? i dont think its going to make a difference if anything... dont i want a lil extra weight to help with traction?

i dont know what kind of seats would fit in my car, or what seats i could fit in. im size 38 in waist and 5'8.

car balancing, should i get it done when i get my alignment or should i wait?

i also want to know if i need a roll cage, or should get one. and do universal bolt on ones any good?

any help or suggestion would be great, thanks. heres some pics of my car and the build thread.








the build thread: https://honda-tech.com/forums/showth...oner&styleid=2

 

144 views and no one can wants to help a fellow bro out? lol

 

Ok I'll say it.... you don't know a lot about anything ?
Did it occur to you that you aren't the only one who has asked these questions before?
Have you done any research?
No flaming here so don't take it that way.
We don't tend to spoon feed noobs, its not productive to you learning all you need to learn.
Most of what you will need to learn is going to come by trial and error.

Lets start you over... Use these tips when searching here in this forum.
Use google I.E.
search: racing seats , Honda-tech.
Roll cages, Honda-tech
Battery relocation, Honda-tech
Do you get the jist of what you need to do?
I know you have a million questions, you want experienced answers.....
The questions have been asked millions of times.
You need to search and read read read.
When you have a specific question, then ask it in the many already started threads.
We shouldn't tell you how to set up your car.. as a noob you need seat time not upgrades or set up advise.
Best advise is to stop your build since you are new to this and get a lot of seat time in a near stock vehicle.

Read the FAQ, read other noobs threads and you'll see more of the same of what you asked.

 

i have searched, and i am looking for more information. im not asking for a set up im looking to see what other people have done and their experience or opinions.

 

The go back and search some more... those questions have been asked many many times.
Your questions aren't new.
FYI you don't need a cage right now, what you need is seat time.

 

Cage isnt needed for Autocross. Very few people have one. Normally the guys who have one have no idea or loads of power and chassie flex.

Battery is fine were it is. But what does it wight? I know a guy here who moved his battery to under his dash. behind/under the radio area of the dash on the tunnel. Used a lightweight one. 89 JDM CRX

Yes you should corner balance during the alignment. Thats normally when you do that.

Yes a nice bolstered seat is helpfull. Not ganna make you any faster.

But like they say. Seat time Seat time seat time. Starting off with a largly moded car is the worst thing you can do. You never learn how to drive quickly in a slow car means it will take longer for you to learn how to drive a fast car fast. A guy here has a 89 CRX, 171WHP 140WFT-TQ. Coilovers and R888 or Khumo V710. He started with this. I drove his car once and ran his fastest time after he had 4 runs. Hes been having a hard time with throttle control and keeping the real behind him. Holding a stady pace in slolams is most of his problem.

 

jsinher3, I don't mind answering your questions. Yes, searching will get you answers, sometimes too many...

The first thing to start with is determine what your goals are. There is a very different process between building a car for competition, and just building a fun car.

Racing and Autocross come with a set of rules that cover performance mods (along with a host of other things). It's a really hard pill to swallow when you have to take stuff off your car to get it to comply with a class it will be able to compete in. The usual genesis is, you take your street car, add all kinds of stuff, realize you want to "race", you start asking questions on a web forum, you add all kinds of more cool stuff and you realize you spent 10K on mods and have built a car that isn't competitive. You realize you could buy a more competitive car for half what you spent.

Stop worrying about mods, and get some track time. While at the track get to know some folks, talk about your goals, and go from there.

Final words.... Don't build, buy... You can buy a car for less than half of what it takes to build one.

 

OK... so I skimmed your build thread. Off the cuff, looks like some nice parts and all the "basics" that you could possibly need to get started dodging cones and doing track days.

With the engine swap (in particular), you'll be in Street Mod FWD (SMF) for autoX. This ranges from an approachable "swapped Honda on street tires" class to K-swapped EF's on 275 R-comps depending on who runs in your region. It's a cool place to play with plenty of freedom to build what you want. Watch out for the smaller rules relative to interior bits and pieces. These tend to trip folks up.

For DE's, you don't need a roll bar. Yes, it's a nice safety item to have but not required. As you pick up speed/experience, maybe it'll be something to invest in. You'd likely want to do the roll bar around the same time as the fixed back seat and 5 point harness.

Seats... go sit in them and find one that fits before you buy. Just about anything can fit in the car but may not fit you.

Battery relocation... meh. Not worth the hassle, IMO. There's another, recent thread on lightweight batteries. If you're looking to drop weight, go this route vs. relocating it. All IMO of course.

Before you worry about any of this stuff ^^^^, get out a drive. This isn't like drag racing a 14 second car where everyone is reasonably decent with little/no experience. Seat-time is crucial to going fast. The more time on track or on course you can get, the better you'll be.

And next time... search. All this stuff is out there. Seriously.

 

I've got to disagree with the seat comment.
A good race seat will make anybody faster.

 

I dont agree with your last sentence. By all means build a car, but start slow and cheap, get some actual seat time, and improve your car within your class rules, and just build it up from there. Dont dump money into a car only to be stuck in a class your being out driven in. I think its more fun to drive a **** slow car good, then have a fadt car you cant drive fast because your skills are lacking

 

I agree with this statement.
A good driver will eat your lunch in an under horsepowered car any day of the week.

 

Was this said in sarcasm or do you have data supporting this theory?

 

There's some validity to it, IMO. If your current seat/belts don't hold you in place, going to a more restrictive combo will help you get the most out of the car. I know that's probably my #1 problem with my new car... the stock seat/belts won't hold me in place so it's tough to get a feel for chassis movement vs. body movement.

 

I have to agree with your idea! LOL
The more secure you are the more feedback you can get from the car.

 

Just noticed, he's got a 91 with the PITA door-mounted belts... same thing I'm dealing with. It's not like all the other Civic/Teg's where you can give the seat belt a tug at the top and get it "pre-locked" before going on track/course... instead you end up holding yourself in place via the wheel and center console. It's an absolute nightmare with regard to car control... LOL

 

 

ok thanks for the replies unfortunately i cant track the car now because it is winter. i will be holding off in a cage but i need help sourcing bucket seats that can recline and are compliant with the scca rules and fit me; i was looking at some of the seats sold here on the vendors forum but idk if they would be good enough by their rules.