i have a 01 automatic integra, with 17' volk racin te37s, ground control coilvers, ITR shocks, ITR rear lower control arm, ITR 22MM rear sway bar w/ beaks Srk-II mountin kit, and maxspeed front upper strut bar, if im to start auto-Xing ill probably swithc back to some 15' rims for the sport. WHat im wondering is, how competitive can i be? and are there other people out there like me, runnin automatic integras ( not mustangs or anythign like that, they at least have the torque to get goin) and are still competitive in the sport. thanks

 

Sell the car!

 

I have to ask why you spent that much money on a car with an automatic.

-Remove all that stuff
-Sell the car
-Buy Integra with manual
-Reinstall all that stuff

Otherwise you will not be in any way competetive ever.


[Modified by MaddMatt, 12:15 PM 3/10/2002]

 

With those mods, you'd be in Street Mod because of the ITR LCAs. Expect to get smoked in that class with that car.

If you seriously want to be competitive, sell the car and get something more inclined for autox. If you just want to go have fun, then it really doesn't matter what you drive.

 

Is this your first autocross car? If so, you aren't going to be competitive for a long time anyway, no matter what you drive. Take the damn thing out there and learn on it, and then sell it once it's holding you back.

 

I second the notion. Start the commotion. Put the body in motion. Wake up and drive.

*This post shamelessly brought to you by the Mitsubishi Corporation.





[Modified by maxQ, 6:28 PM 3/10/2002]

 

However - you might want to get rid of it ASAP - since any evidence of abuse/competition use will lower the resale value of the car. I say get rid of it now, and buy a recent GS-R, or RSX-S.

 

wish i could get rid of it, my parents forced me to get this car and sell my 1991 ( which was stick shift) cuz i got a lot of tickets in it and i kept on racing it, basically .. hrmm a bitter sweet punishment .. bitter cuz its automatic, sweet cuz its a new car with no problems .. my 1991 i had koni sports, skunk 2 cilovers, ITR 22mm sway bar i fabbed to fit on, SS braided brakelines, rear lowertie bar, rear upper strut bar front upper strut bar, camber kit all around, 00 si's with toyo T1-S tires, and some all motor ****, 93LS motor, crower403's, valve springs, titanium retainers, skunk 2 cam gears, B*M FPR, fields SFC, locash ECU, ACT clutch, JG throttle body, dc 4-2-1 , custom 2.25 crushbent exhaust, hollowed out cat, blah blahbalh .. well .. i guess ill wait another year since im only 17 now, and i just turned 17 in november ( i had a half year head start on buildlin my 1991) currently im tryin to spend less and save up to get a more competitive car, at least somethigng stick shift, in a way i wish someone woudl steal my car but .. i respect my parents decision to much to ruin such a beautiful car .. =T when i was a member of G2ic.com there was a member with a 2nd gen 4 door integra automatic ( he recently converted to 5 speed) but he was pretty competative in his region scca i think .. just thought i'd test the waters over here and see what everones opinion is.

 

I just realized that your wheels alone cost more than my turbo kit!

I was in your position at one point in my life. I just turned eighteen. I used to have a ton of points on my license. I then became a born again driver and have gotten into autocross. It's the best decision that I have ever made.

Like others have said, if you are doing it for the fun of it, stick with the car you have now if you want. I started out just for the fun with it, now I want to compete. I don't feel like putting more money into the car because of the class I am in. I still need to put thousands of dollars into the car to be competitive in Street Mod. I also need to improve my driving skills. I am still a novice and really want to start out in a class that would be right for me (like a stock class).

Again, it's really up to you. Try it out a couple times with your car now, then you will know whether or not you are going to really be into this sport.

good luck, and drive safe,

aj

 

For now it won't matter what you drive. You might be able to get away with being in STS even though the ITR LCA technically bumps you into SM I don't think anyone will really care (for local events). In the long run the automatic trany will hinder you.

If you can I would sell the car (and those 17' rims) and get a manual car. I personally know of only one automatic car in the SF region and the driver would do soooo much better with a manual.

 

Don't worry about the slush-box for now.
Although driving techniques between auto and manual cars can differ, you can still learn a ton about high-performance driving in your current car in autox!
I get my *** handed to me all the time, but in addition to learning, it's about FUN!

 

*************
JUST DRIVE IT
*************

Who cares if you are competative or not...
who cares is you have an auto (many autocrossers do)

just get out there and drive.. it can only improve your ability
then if you like it.. you can decide for yourself if you want to get a different car..
but modify your driving ability before your car

 

I can think of three auto-trannied cars that have finished very well at the SCCA National Championships in the past couple years. The Kozlak's IROC Camaro (national championship last year for Paul, 4th I think for Lynne), Derek Butts' IS300 (3rd in G Stock last year and beat a lot of Type R's), Sam Strano's '91 Camaro (has trophied twice in F Stock and once in ESP at nationals, numerous NT and Pro wins).

Autos didn't keep those people from doing well. Just drive it!

 

All of which are high hp rear drive cars. At least the IS has a manumatic.

Can you name the last fwd automatic to trophy at the national level?


[Modified by MaddMatt, 12:21 PM 3/12/2002]

 

No. But I can name at least one heavy FWD automatic that did very well around here. Aaron Shine won the NASA-Virginia G Stock championship one year in a Dodge Avenger ES. The thing was dog slow. I drove it once -- you know how you get a little sensation of speed when an auto up-shifts? You didn't get it in this car -- the engine noise just changed. But Aaron didn't care that his car was heavy and slow; he just showed up to have fun.

The point I -- and others here -- were trying to make is that it doesn't matter what you drive, especially if you're just starting out. Get out there and have fun. Autocrossing an auto FWD car is probably a whole lot better than sitting on the sidelines wishing you could drive.

 

That is a true statement.

 

Yup, and autocrossing tends to favor handling over power.

 

I was going to say the same thing that slowSER said (except I forgot that Derek Butts's IS300 was automatic).

I was also going to add that just because his Integra is an automatic isn't stopping Brian Tiffany, my former codriver in the Camaro, from bringing it out to the autocross this coming weekend.

Most newer automatics shift smoothly and "smartly" enough to still be competitive in autocross. You can also "manually" shift the automatic if you don't trust it to upshift or downshift where you want it to (something that at least those with automatic F-bodies will do -- start off in L1, then upshift to L2 at an appropriate time).
Certainly, autocrossing an automatic FWD is better than sitting on the sidelines. Heck, I even autocrossed my '85 Ford Escort on street tires once, rather than sitting around watching. Talk about a dog of a car!

Go out and have fun, then make sure you tell us about it.

Karen