I don't know if anyone was at E-town this weekend, I was. The course was VERY long and fast, I did real bad.. more on that later...

So I'm driving home, stuck in traffic on the NJ turnpike (like an 8 mile back up from dudes clearing brush)... I forgot to take my video camera down (it's mounted to the passenger seat)... it's like 95+ degrees, I don't have a/c (I removed it).. so I'm sitting there trying to keep the engine from dieing at idle (Hondata) , my alternator is going, with all the windows down, the radio on, trying to figure out what I did wrong today...

THE STORY................

I'm in the right lane..

The passenger of the guy next to me rolls down his window...

"Yo my man- sup wit dat?"

I turn down the radio.

"I 'm sorry?"

"What's you filmmn'n?"

"What?"

"What you looking for someone?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean"

Then I notice he's from Delaware too. He's in a "Expedition" rolling on at LEAST 24" chrome rims. Oh crap. He thinks I'm a cop. - The CAMERA STUPID!

"Oh you mean the video camera?"

"Yea! What's up? You just film'n? You gonna take my picture?"

"No, I went autocrossing today. I took video of me driving"

"What?"

"AUTOCROSSING"

"What's that? Racing? Ya mean Drivi'n on a track? Where?"

"Englishtown"

"So your not gonna film me?"

"No, the camera's off, I just forgot to take it down"

"(to the driver)He said the camera's off dog you believe his ****? Yea... yea... (to me)all right man it's cool"

And rolls his window back up, and pulls in front of me.

While I'm still wondering what just happened, a minivan moves alongside...

"What's the camera for?"

You've got to be freaking kidding me- "I went racing today, and I took pictures"

"Oh.. so you're not taping traffic?"

"No"

"Wow.. racing did you win?"

"Ha! Not even close"

"No.. did you win anything?"

"Uh.. no."

"Oh ok"

I took the freaking camera down.

END of STORY


Now if your still here...

The course was long and fast at auto-x. I had never driven like this before, most of the courses were short, or "technical"... I was having trouble with moderate turns at high speed-

Approach -> brake -> turn -> [car pitches] -> light throttle [car slides] ->brake -> [car spins out of control]

It seemed the car never "settled" between turns, and applying braking made things worse. I spoke with someone who was doing real well in a stock Celica, he said to try the more throttle (WTF?) AFTER the turn to settle the car. It worked, but everything was happening so fast- I couldn't then setup for the next turn. Any ideas?

I'll post clips soon.

Thanks!



[Modified by hybridsol, 4:00 PM 7/1/2002]

 

Yeah seems the thing to do lately is make higher speed courses. Most of the courses this year have been fats as hell. So it's a little scary coming down from speed to try and fly through a slolom. But you just go to cross your fingers I guess.

I brake and if I feel the car coming around I let it settle a bit and then get back on them.

 

Throttle = good, brake = bad. Given a choice, ALWAYS pick the accelerator. Most FWD cars actually handle BETTER under full throttle. Autocross is ALL about maximizing the time on the loud pedal.

Then it goes back to your course walk. When you course walk, try to "link" several elements together and figure the best line through. If you're reacting to individual elements during your drive, you need to improve your memory of the course and well as LOOK UP!! HTH.

Andy - who CONSTANTLY remindes himself to look ahead...

 

Everyone here has been throught the same learning curve...

Remember: Slow in, fast out.

Next time you feel the need to lift off the thottle or go to the brake, make sure you're as straight as possible and if the car pitches way out, train yourself to get into the throttle!

There are many good driving books out there that talk about driving techniques and discussions of weight transfer and the effects on car control. Get a few and learn! Good luck!


Greg

 

It sounds like you're taking the turn too fast. The event I was just at last sunday had some really fast sections that ended in some tight turns. You just have to except the fact that no matter how good the driver, no matter how good the car, some parts of a autocross course are just slow. I have been trying to convice myself to bake earlier so that I can get on the gas earlier and accelerate out of turns.

If you ever feel the tail step out on you (in a FWD car) always get on the gas. It shifts the weight of the car to the rear tires and they will stop sliding. However, if the tail steps out and you're already at full throttle ... trouble.

 

Thank you all very much ... I will try all of this. This is only my second year doing this... it's hard to train myself to get the gas when the car pitches - I drove a RWD car growing up , it's completely different.

 

this is a really good thread to me.

would you be willing to share the titles for some of these books?


[Modified by usuck, 10:33 PM 7/1/2002]

 

More useful then books, I find that riding with a experienced driver is far more educational. I had read and been told to step on the gas if the tail comes out but it didn't really click untill I experienced it, now I do it out of habbit.

I used to think I knew what smooth driving was, then I rode in one of our region's top drivers car. God DAMN was he smooth! It was something no book could ever come close to explaining.

 

Sean,

I was watching you struggle with the car and thinking to myself, what was going on. That sweeper turn around after the slalom going out was a wicked fast on the gas flat foot turn, but for some reason you couldn;t put any power down, or hold the rear in line...

What rear toe setting are you running??? What shocks??? Do you have an LSD???

Almost the smae sort of handling problems Kevin was having on the Turbo Civi last year. Made a ton of power but couldn't turn the car. The "new" go-cart pavement was PERFECT. you could toss the car in there and accelerate through all the way to the 2 cone right hander before the snack shack.

The car is heavier than mine, but you shouldn;t have been having those kind of problems, especially on FWD...I looked twice to make sure I wasn;t seeing a Miata the way you snap-spun that 2nd run..

Jeff
[edit clearer description of course..was REALLY fast and 7 tenths long]
(the guy with the green VTEC Sol black wheels last year)
(this year Blue STS Civic hatch #34)


[Modified by jasyatz, 7:13 PM 7/1/2002]

 

Don't feel bad. It took me a full 540 degree spin at 70mph to learn this lesson. I lost my tires on that maneuver too.

 

So did you win? LOL

 

I'm running tokio shocks #2 in front/rear
Ground control adjustable springs (for integra- 300# front, 400# rear)
Front sway bar
Rear sway bar
S80 (Type R Tranny w/LSD)
Yokahama A520 tires @ 35 psi (all)

I had the car aligned to factory specs for toe and camber after lowering it.
I did much better softening up the rear to #2 from #3 or #4. It felt real good driving it, but it tends to go real easy on 3 wheels, then I can't control it. I haven't corner weighted the car, r tried to soften/harden the sway bar.

I tried the slow in/fast out and it worked ok- and the throttle on end out worked too; I just didn't do it until the afternoon session.

The transmission (LSD) is new this year, I'm still trying to get used to it as well.

This is EXACTLY my problem. I went with an instuctor three times, but it was "where's the cones" kind of stuff. i'm planning on going to a driving school, but I want to do it in a FWD car....

Thanks Again!

I will print this thread and read it before every event!

Sean

 

Lol. Once I drove home without remembering to take the numbers off the side of my car. I reached like 100mph and they didnt come off! Fortunately, I didn't attract any of the wrong attention. But I must have looked pretty cool flying past people with racing numbers.

Dan

 

oh man. the 1st half of that coarse was fast. i only braked once all the way to the back sweeper. i almost spun in too though. forgot to get my braking done before turn in.