So this will more then likely sound dumb as hell to most of you. But I really dont know anything about road racing and would really like to get into it. Not trying to get into anything crazy or race in any class. I would just like to know what you guys think about taking my H22/Teg to the track on the weekends. What the pros and cons might be with having my setup on a road course. I know its more of a drag setup and thats what I have always been into when it comes to import scene or cars in general. But lately I have been really intrigued with road racing.

Thanks in advance!

 

the pros, it will be fun.

The cons, money out of pocket.

Seriously, you can run a bone stock car and have fun. A lot of people who come from Drag racing put too much emphasize on the car.

In road racing, it is not the arrow, it is the indian.

 

What you're talking about is often referred to as HPDE, DE, track days, open track, etc. Just be aware that it isn't racing unless you're competing in a time trial (which you usually can't until you've had some prior experience).

Since you're in SoCal you should look into NASA, Redline, and Speed Ventures to name a few. The most important thing is having a safe and reliable car. Like Andrie said, you can take a stock car of any type to the track and have fun, so focus more on learning and less on what's the best setup right now. Your biggest concern should be with a safe car and good enough braking. I've tracked my Civic with stock D16Y7, stock exhaust, koni shocks, eibach springs and Axxis brake pads. I was probably the slowest car out there but I had a blast anyway.

No matter who you go with, make sure you get as much instruction as you can. It doesn't matter how good you think you are you will be amazed at how much better you can be with good instruction. NASA and Redline both have really good instruction. I've never had instruction from SV so I can't comment directly, but I've heard they're good as well. Just check your ego at the gate and go out there to have fun and learn.

 

I am definitely going to do a ton of more research before I even think about going out to the track. As far as my setup goes, I think it might of confused you guys a lil. I wasnt referring to what the best setup would be. I know most of the people in the road race scene run stock cars. My setup is already a H22/Teg, so I was wondering if it would be a bad setup for the track since its a lil heavy in the front and not the best setup for handling. But none the less thanks again!


Modified by H22a1civic at 7:12 PM 12/13/2006

 

there's no need to think about it, it is a blast, there's really no downside to it except cost out of your pocket and extra wear on your tires and brakes. There's no need to worry about what set up you have, it is not going to make a difference in your case. I have never met anyone who wasnt addicted to track driving after going there once.

 

Well, I wouldn't say there's nothing to think about. There are significant risks to more than just your tires and brakes at an HPDE. The fact is that cars do get totalled at HPDEs and sometimes (very rarely) people get killed or seriously injured. This is not meant to scare you but the risks are worth pondering.

If your car gets totalled it might not be covered by insurance (some insurance companies are weird about track days and cover these accidents on a case by case basis). Could you absorb the loss?

A much safer, less risky venture is autocross. Since speeds are much lower at an autocross, the chances of serious injury and car damage are reduced tremendously. Also autocross can be a good stepping stone to HPDEs. You get to learn some car control skills that will be valuable at higher speeds. Although you get much less seat time, autocross cost per day is about 1/5 what it costs to do an HPDE, so you can get your feet wet for a lot less.

My advice: do a few autocrosses. Talk to the people there ( a lot of them do road racing or HPDEs). Learn and have fun. Also autocrossing helps you get your ego under control (something you def. want to do before going to the track) If you feel performance driving is for you then think about track days.

Regards,
Alan

 

I feel safer driving at HPDEs than I do on the Mass Pike into Boston (or insert many other cities). You are right that people need to be aware of the risks associated with racing. They also need to evaluate the risks of other things they do in life. I was surprised to hear that the likelyhood of a death is more likely in boating and skiing.

Your teg will be fine even though the car is front heavy.

 

I actually feel safer doing a HPDE than on the hwy during traffic hr also. Most everyone there is there to have fun and have safety in mind. And try to pick a place with lots and lots of run off area and more lower speed corners if possible. I think what gets people in trouble is more $ and car than brains and drivers (ie: read as inexperienced peopledriving their expensive sports cars too fast). Anyway, autocross is definitley a good feet wetter though, but really, I think you'll find DEs a different beast and more enjoyable (ok, shameless plug for the DEer, hah).

 

Having the H22 in there isn't going to hinder you at all. A lot of people talk about it being so front heavy, but I think it's mainly a myth. I haven't seen before and after corner weights on a H22 swap as compared to a B18C, but I'd imagine it would be a very minimal difference.

 

Yeah I definitely want to start off in one of the beginner class tracks/events. Im not big headed nor do I walk around with an ego the size of the Titanic. Im not an idiot nor do I think Im a bad driver, but I know the first time I go to the track Im going to see a world of a deferents when it comes to driving. But none the less even with everything you guys have said and up my knowladge just lil bit about all this. There is still a ton of reasearch I am going to have to do before I even think about going out to the track.

So is the Autocross basically like a free day at the track for beginners? Not a race event or anything of that sort. Just a bunch of people out there to have fun and run the track all day?

 

Of course the obligatory statement...

You could always get into karting....

New To Karting

m-

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mario_D &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Of course the obligatory statement...

You could always get into karting....

New To Karting

m-</TD></TR></TABLE>

Haha....I love Karting....never been in a kart as crazy as the link you posted, but I have gone to the MiramarSpeedway a million times.

 

AutoX (AKA Autocross, AKA Solo2) is racing against the clock in a relatively low-speed cone-course usually set up in a very large parking lot (Qualcomm stadium by you I think). It's the easiest and cheapest way to start racing/high-performance driving. You run the course one at a time so there's no chance of car/car contact. Usually the biggest threat is a cone mark. AutoX is less expensive than HPDE/track days as well. It teaches you car control you'd otherwise not be able to explore since driving over your limit will result in a spin and maybe a couple cones, rather than going off at a road course (probably at higher speeds) and risking more damage.

Check these sites out
http://www.sdsolo.com
http://www.solo2.com

One thing to remember is that there will always be help for new drivers if you ask for it. Most AutoX clubs offer extra instruction and even your own class to novice drivers. You should go out and see what it's all about. Talk to people with cars like yours to see if they can give you pointers.

 

Thanks Steve! That was exactly the type of event I was looking for. Just as you said a actual road course could cause a lot a damage if I pushed it a lil too hard vs running a setup in a open parking lot. I could deal with hitting some cones no prob. Which I am sure will happen my first few times out. I also would feel really uncomfortable running on a track for the first time with other cars on the track at the same time.