Hey everyone well I've been into the Honda scene for about 6 years now and have decided to get into Autocross racing (which is all new to me). I have a 93 hatch with a JDM ITR swap in it. Currently I have omni full damp coilover system.

One of my questions is:

I currently have 15' Weds sport Racing wheel SA-90. I'm thinking of trading them for either OG Axis 15' or Sprint Hart CP-F 15'. The question is which of these 3 rims would be better for AutoCross or if it would not really make a difference. I really like the OG Axis but since they're 15x8 I don't know if that would make a huge difference.

- Also I have not tuned my car which I'm planning to do. Question is would street tune be good for Autocross? or is there some other type of tunning just for Autocross.

I'm planning to use this car just for Autocross so I know maybe some of these questions might sound retarded but like I said I'm new to this type of sport, thanks for your help.

 

You want lightweight and wide wheels for autocross. I assume you're running with the SCCA and you're in Street Modified because of the ITR swap. TIRES are what you should be concerned about and spending your money on. You'd be better off with fresh 205/55-14 Hoosier A6's on stock 14x5.5 Civic steelies than any lesser tire on blingy JDM 15x8 wheels, for example..

Get your car tuned. Autocross needs nothing special; low end torque is good and a high rev limit is useful, and making sure the engine doesn't hesitate or hiccup in any lifting/part throttle condition is good.

If you're just starting out, improving the nut behind the wheel will net you the most time, period. Seat time, schools, getting tips and rides with experienced drivers, etc. It's easy to spend money in this sport and not go any faster.

 

hoosiers on the steelies and youll save your nice wheels for the street when i started autox i found it helpful to have someone in the passenger seat talk me through the course while i was driving. another thing walk the course as many times as possible before you begin. do all your braking before a turn and power out.

 

Or you could run R-comps on the 15X8s. Ideally, with an overall tire diameter shorter than stock so you get a gearing advantage.

 

Dont worry about the parts investments for now... just give yourself a solid 6 months of autocrossing before you put any money down on parts... only THEN will you be making a semi-informed decision about you, your particular style, and your unique car.

In other words... have fun, race the hell out of it, and buy some gear later.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jc2801 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hey everyone well I've been into the Honda scene for about 6 years now and have decided to get into Autocross racing (which is all new to me). I have a 93 hatch with a JDM ITR swap in it. Currently I have omni full damp coilover system.

One of my questions is:

I currently have 15' Weds sport Racing wheel SA-90. I'm thinking of trading them for either OG Axis 15' or Sprint Hart CP-F 15'. The question is which of these 3 rims would be better for AutoCross or if it would not really make a difference. I really like the OG Axis but since they're 15x8 I don't know if that would make a huge difference.

- Also I have not tuned my car which I'm planning to do. Question is would street tune be good for Autocross? or is there some other type of tunning just for Autocross.

I'm planning to use this car just for Autocross so I know maybe some of these questions might sound retarded but like I said I'm new to this type of sport, thanks for your help.</TD></TR></TABLE>

If you are planning on using the car for auto x only take out the jdm swap and put the origional moter back in the, it will be next to impossible to build that car to be competitive in street mod on a realistic budget. To answer your question as someone stated generally speaking the lighter the rim the better.

My suggestion if you are going to build an auto-x only car would be to pick up an scca rule book and decide what class you can run on your budget and build accordingly. Also it would be better to go out and drive then concentrating on mods, that will ultimatly make you better than anything you could do to your car.

 

before you make a decision to take your engine out id go to a few events and see if you enjoy it. for some people just driving their car to its limits is fun enough without having to be competitive.

 

10 bucks well spent
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-...57312

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Mr.OB*GYN_Rhett &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">10 bucks well spent
http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-...57312</TD></TR></TABLE>

No joke...such a great book for being written 19 years ago.

 

i wouldnt suggest running race slicks unless you are experienced. the race tires will cover up a lot ofyour rookie mistakes and make you seem like a better driver. race a season or 2 on street tires before making the switch to race tires. you will end up being faster in the long run.

 

There's a good thread for beginners going on at Bimmerforums: http://forums.bimmerforums.com...71190

Good luck!

 

https://honda-tech.com/zero...76632

 

One thing I always tell people is "to go fast you have to slow down." Then you can work on going faster and braking, and then the car last.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1995civicEJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i wouldnt suggest running race slicks unless you are experienced. the race tires will cover up a lot ofyour rookie mistakes and make you seem like a better driver. race a season or 2 on street tires before making the switch to race tires. you will end up being faster in the long run.</TD></TR></TABLE>

finally someone said it... i really can't believe people were suggesting Hoosiers for a beginner! street tires will help you learn a ton about your car and how to handle an autocross course. i'm getting ready to move up to r comps now after two plus seasons on azenis. i've learned so much on street tires and have gotten to the point where, regionally i run comparable times to people on rcomps and sometimes even faster.

like others said, just take your car out as is a few times and see if autocross is even for you. its a totally unique style of racing, and while so many of us love it, it isn't for everyone.

also as far as driving tips, like Skanky said, slow down to go fast. if you try and go as fast as you can everywhere you'll really butcher your run. slower and smooth is definitely the faster way around cones. also, when you walk the course (do so atleast 2 or more times) pay attention to where you'll end up after one turn. a lot of the time you'll need to give up speed early on one corner to set yourself up for the next one or two cones, this is sort of along the lines of slower is faster. finally, walk the course with someone that has some experience and ask them to talk through how they plan on approaching the course that day, it will help a lot.

 

i may move to r comps next year if i end up competeing for the HS class at regions.

 

You guys are kidding, right? That book sucks.

Probably the only reason why you think it is good because it is one of the few "autocross specific" books on the market.

The "Speed Secrets"/Bentley and "* To Win"/Smith are a much better resource.