A few questions about Auto-Xing
A few questions about Auto-Xing
I want to try to get into this style of racing during the upcoming season (around may).
What all do I need to upgrade to keep my car in the condition it's in, I don't really feel like messing up my one and only car.

As of May the following will be upgraded:
Recaro Seats (Done)
I/H/C/E (Done) <-- I KNOW THESE DON'T HELP!

Any suggestions on the following parts, what order should I purchase them & what companies to go with?
Suspension
Camber Kit (F & R) (skunk2 and ingalls)
Clutch & Flywheel (spoon)
Quiafe L.S.D.
Brakes

I have some Parada Spec-II tires
I assume I need a digital tire gauge, what is the optimal tire pressure, where do I go to find it for my car?

Anything I need to get other than a helmet and a 4-point harness?


I have some Parada Spec-II tires
I assume I need a digital tire gauge, what is the optimal tire pressure, where do I go to find it for my car?

Anything I need to get other than a helmet and a 4-point harness?



Modified by integsr99 at 6:19 PM 12/16/2003

 

REQUIREMENTS: as far as tech, they basically looks for your battery tie down, brake fluid level, set bealts (you don't need racing harnesses), your tires (just looking at the tread), Radiator run off botle, and thats about it. Its pretty easy to pass tech. You are not required to wear a racing suit of any kind, you need tennis shoes, jeans, and a t-shirt.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Hopefully brakes, but we'll see..</TD></TR></TABLE>



That should be closer to the top of your list.

 

brakes should definitely be first, cause you said you don't want to mess up your car.

To find the "optimum pressure", mark your sidewalls up to the tread (shoe polish or chalk) and go do some turns. if the marks are gone, then pump up the pressure. If the marks are still there, lower the pressure until the marks start to disappear, then fill them up just a little bit more. That's what I do, and it seems to work pretty well.

Oh, and all you'll need for auto-x is a helmet. The harness isn't needed.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by integra707 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">



That should be closer to the top of your list.</TD></TR></TABLE>

At the top of his list should be racing his car bone stock for at least 1 season. All of those mods won't help him one bit.

Cheers,
Roy

 

upgrade your rear sway bar first and if you have extra $$ get roll bar (autopower), you'll feel the big difference

 

I agree, you really should run your car bone stock for at least a few events before you even do any modifications. As Roy said, none of those mods are going to help you in the least until you learn to drive the car to it's limit before hand.

 

You need: A rule book.

You don't need any of the items you listed to autocross, nor do you need a roll bar (just extra weight).

If you just have to buy something get some good tires like Falken Azeins or Kumho MXs.

Go fast parts do you NO good unless you know what you're doing, and no one knows what they're doing the first time at autocrossing.

 

I agree these BS bolt-ons don't help for ****.
I bought all of them slightly used and spent maybe a total of 900$ for my AEM CAI w/ bypass, Comptech 4-2-1 header, Comptech SS Exhaust, Carsound High Flow Cat.
In response to the go-fast parts that I have... I should have been more clear..
Recaro Seats (Already Have em, got a great deal on them)
I/H/C/E (already have em)

It is the following pieces of equiptment I have yet to buy..
Suspension (Tein or comparable)
Camber Kit (F & R) (Skunk 2 and Ingalls Rear)
Clutch (spoon)
Flywheel (spoon)
Brakes (???)
Quaife L.S.D.
Suspension Bars (Mugen or Spoon)

Better question, in what order should I purchase these equiptment...
Any suggestions on the brand names I should go with?

 

you need your car and you... most orgs have loaner helmets, but if you're serious about getting into autoxing, then having your own helmet is a good idea just cuz you can have one that fits properly and one that hasnt been worn by many people. these parts will do you no good as far as advancing up the learning curve. i wish someone had told me that before i started buying crap for my car. brakes are a good idea too.

you'll learn a lot much quicker if you keep your setup as close to stock and go from there.

-brian

 

I say buy a rule book so you know what mods are allowed in each class.

 

do you plan on racing competively, i.e. joining the SCCA and racing for points? If so, those parts will bump you to a higher class in which most other cars will destroy you. Definitely start out in a stock class or lightly modded class.

Also, I bet you won't pass inspection if you have a harness without any sort of roll-over protection. harness + no bar or cage = death

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PatrickGSR94 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also, I bet you won't pass inspection if you have a harness without any sort of roll-over protection. harness + no bar or cage = death </TD></TR></TABLE>

That's perfectly fine for autocrossing.

 

if you want to look at the rules without buying a rule book, heck out http://www.scca.org/

they got all the info you need there on their site, for their events at least

 

with the mods you have you'll be in sts, to maximize your potential there upgrade your break pads to something like a hawk hp, upgrade the suspension to whatever setup you dont mind driving around on the street, and get some decent tires like azenis.

lsd, flywheel, and clutch i think will bump you into street mod which is more competitive than sts (atleast where im at). I dont know if a type r sway bar will take you out of sts or not, but i definately recomend it.

but seriously, if your only goal from auto-x'ing is to have a good time it wont matter what you have done to your car. just equip your car with what you want for day to day driving and take it to an auto-x once a month and you're garaunteed to have a good time.

 

IMHO the most important thing you can do is buy a seperate set of wheels / tires for the car. Don't put "street" tires on the car... you want something like Kuhmo Victoracer V700's. Proper tires make a HUGE difference. Also you won't end up tearing up your street tires this way...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PatrickGSR94 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do you plan on racing competively, i.e. joining the SCCA and racing for points? If so, those parts will bump you to a higher class in which most other cars will destroy you. Definitely start out in a stock class or lightly modded class.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Wise words. I started modding my car before I even knew what autox was. Now that I'm getting into it, I'm stuck in a modified class (i.e. DSP). Having to "learn" while fighting for points against BMW 325's is not exactly the best way to go. Definately save those mods for another season. Starting stock, you will learn a great deal more about your car and it's limits. From there, you will have a good baseline to gauge your upcoming mods against. Plus, when you do decide to modify your car and go up to another class, you will be a significantly better driver.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Brian_TII &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">IMHO the most important thing you can do is buy a seperate set of wheels / tires for the car. Don't put "street" tires on the car... you want something like Kuhmo Victoracer V700's. Proper tires make a HUGE difference. Also you won't end up tearing up your street tires </TD></TR></TABLE>

I disagree here. While having good tires does indeed make a HUGE difference, I'm extremely glad I ran my first few events on "true" street tires. While they definately do nothing but disappoint, they are great for learning car control at your car's limits. Next season I'm going to be running some Kumho MX's and looking very much forward to having some tires that actually grip. Especially now that I know what to expect.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Geratol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

That's perfectly fine for autocrossing.</TD></TR></TABLE>

doh duhh I know a guy that used to autox a 99 GS-R, he had harnesses, ITR rear sway, Kumho Victoracer tires, and some kinda brace that went across the inside at the base of the rear seatbacks (couldn't sit back there) and he raced in DSP, which is what most lightly-modded Integras would be in I think.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by whiteboygsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

I disagree here. While having good tires does indeed make a HUGE difference, I'm extremely glad I ran my first few events on "true" street tires. While they definately do nothing but disappoint, they are great for learning car control at your car's limits. Next season I'm going to be running some Kumho MX's and looking very much forward to having some tires that actually grip. Especially now that I know what to expect.</TD></TR></TABLE>

agreed... street tires are definitely a great learning tool cuz they'll yell at you when you're at their limits... you'll learn the car's limits easily with street tires, and there are still a lot of really good street tires out there for autoxing... slicks will just break and you'll go spinning if you push them hard enough but they are a good upgrade once you feel like you cant learn much more from your current setup.

-brian

 

Well.. i guess they allow racing harnesses.

But, let's say you have 4pt. racing harnesses, recaro bucket seats, all without a roll cage.
With this combo, in the event in which your car flips over and over.. your head is held towards the roof so it will get smashed in (this is because of the harnesses).
If you had the standard seatbelts, they are designed to let you duck in the event of a rollover, so you can protect your head.
If you want to spend the extra $$, you could get a roll cage, and in the event in which a rollover occurs, you'd be safe. Because the roll cage would hold that roof up and keep your head from hitting the ground.

I really suggest that you use your standard safety belts without a roll cage. It's just safer.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by HamsterBall &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well.. i guess they allow racing harnesses.

But, let's say you have 4pt. racing harnesses, recaro bucket seats, all without a roll cage.
With this combo, in the event in which your car flips over and over.. your head is held towards the roof so it will get smashed in (this is because of the harnesses).
If you had the standard seatbelts, they are designed to let you duck in the event of a rollover, so you can protect your head.
If you want to spend the extra $$, you could get a roll cage, and in the event in which a rollover occurs, you'd be safe. Because the roll cage would hold that roof up and keep your head from hitting the ground.

I really suggest that you use your standard safety belts without a roll cage. It's just safer. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Your are incorrect about the 4pt harness and death. A 4pt allows you to slide down in your seat in the event of a rollover. A 5pt would be the belt that is considered bad to use without a cage.

Using a 4pt in autox is immensely helpful, as you don't have to drive and brace yourself at the same time.

Cheers,
Roy