What should i get for scca racing?
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From: VA
What should i get for scca racing?
I am going to drive a 92 civic cx with a b16 motor. i wanted to first off know if the omni coil overs are good for scca and second off what else do you need for a good starter autocross car. I don't want anytihng too extreme but some parts that would allow me to at least compete ok... I am going to be taking driving classes also.. i have a helmet already so now all i need is the right suspention setup. Thanks in advance. 
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From: Murphy, Tx, USA
Re: What should i get for scca racing? (CivicVXHatch)
Stock...
Most of competition events is about the driver first and the car second.
The way to learn is to become real good for whatever car you have. Once you reached the limit of the car and can't go any faster, then you can start upgrading the car.
Most of competition events is about the driver first and the car second.
The way to learn is to become real good for whatever car you have. Once you reached the limit of the car and can't go any faster, then you can start upgrading the car.
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From: Gainesville, FL
Re: What should i get for scca racing? (CivicVXHatch)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CivicVXHatch »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am going to be taking driving classes also.. i have a helmet already </TD></TR></TABLE>
Don't spend any money on anything else.
Don't spend any money on anything else.
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From: Roanoke, VA
Re: What should i get for scca racing? (CivicVXHatch)
I must disagree.
First $$ must be spent on the car. Unless the car can withstand the rigors of hard driving, all else is wasted effort. If it breaks down in the middle of a school, you have wasted a bunch of $$.
1. Make sure the braking system is in perfect condition to OEM specs. Get new brake pads with compound to suit what you are doing.
2. Check suspension. Make sure all bushings and mounting points are secure. Restore to OEM specs. A car with a worn suspension is useless to learn to drive with.
3. Check motor. Fresh oil and filter. New fan belts. Check cap and rotor and wires and spark plugs. Replace as necessary to OEM specs. One less thing to worry about.
4. Now money spent on a driving school will be a good investment.
Don't ask me how I know this.
First $$ must be spent on the car. Unless the car can withstand the rigors of hard driving, all else is wasted effort. If it breaks down in the middle of a school, you have wasted a bunch of $$.
1. Make sure the braking system is in perfect condition to OEM specs. Get new brake pads with compound to suit what you are doing.
2. Check suspension. Make sure all bushings and mounting points are secure. Restore to OEM specs. A car with a worn suspension is useless to learn to drive with.
3. Check motor. Fresh oil and filter. New fan belts. Check cap and rotor and wires and spark plugs. Replace as necessary to OEM specs. One less thing to worry about.
4. Now money spent on a driving school will be a good investment.
Don't ask me how I know this.
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Boba Connoisseur
Joined: Dec 2000
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From: USA
Re: What should i get for scca racing? (Grumpy)
I wish I spent even 1/3rd of my mod budget on seat time over the years.
Took me awhile to realize that yeah, those $200 lapping days and $225 evolution school phases are really going to be worth it because man, I have a car that's decently set-up but I can't drive it worth a ****!!!
Took me awhile to realize that yeah, those $200 lapping days and $225 evolution school phases are really going to be worth it because man, I have a car that's decently set-up but I can't drive it worth a ****!!!
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From: Gainesville, FL
Re: What should i get for scca racing? (CivicVXHatch)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CivicVXHatch »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah thanks, whats the average time before i do start modding?</TD></TR></TABLE>
Maybe a week, maybe never. I think the reason most of us say "leave it stock at first" is because it takes a good deal of experience before you know why you are changing something and what results you are looking for (not just "I want to be faster.") I'm guilty of spending a lot of money in the wrong direction when I first started autocrossing, and I ended up in a class I couldn't compete in. By the time I sold off most of those parts (at a loss) and was back in stock class, I was faster than I had ever been before. I was much more careful with the track car, but again I know I have spent a good deal of money in the wrong direction there too.
The second biggest reason to wait is that NOBODY appreciates the budget required to compete until you have been doing it for a while. Most of us, no matter how much we have spent, wish we had spent just a little bit less on our car now that we know what it costs to drive it.
Maybe a week, maybe never. I think the reason most of us say "leave it stock at first" is because it takes a good deal of experience before you know why you are changing something and what results you are looking for (not just "I want to be faster.") I'm guilty of spending a lot of money in the wrong direction when I first started autocrossing, and I ended up in a class I couldn't compete in. By the time I sold off most of those parts (at a loss) and was back in stock class, I was faster than I had ever been before. I was much more careful with the track car, but again I know I have spent a good deal of money in the wrong direction there too.
The second biggest reason to wait is that NOBODY appreciates the budget required to compete until you have been doing it for a while. Most of us, no matter how much we have spent, wish we had spent just a little bit less on our car now that we know what it costs to drive it.
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From: kuidaore
Re: (CivicVXHatch)
Assuming the car is in proper running order as Grumpy pointed out, just chill and hit a few Autocrosses and or DE's before modding anything.
Experience is the answer for the most part.
After your first day of novice driving with an instructor either at an autocross or definitely an hpde, you will more than likely be deep into sensory overload and so full of adrenelin that modding may not be the first thing that pops into your mind anymore but rather, "how do I get back to doing this driving fast stuff again?"
In the beginning at least till you are moved out of a novice group by an instructor (which is a very good indicator of if and when you might start to do any mods) you'll want to remain as stock as possible and concentrate on the basics and car control skill development.
Adding whatever mods you think might work or may work for someone else for whatever reason may inhibit your skill development and or ease of progression. Also and always keep in mind the rules for whatever club racing you intend on doing.
SCCA autocross for that matter is very specific as to what you may and may not do for each class. Doing something that is only listed in a Mod class for example will instantly move you to a higher more competitive class which Can be frustrating at best when starting out.
I was lucky enough to have good friends that are great drivers and expereinced enough to guide me as to what I should or might change and what not to waste any money on.
If you take a step back and look at it all from as mature a perspective as possible and keeping in mind what your goals are (hopefully to learn as much as possible) then it tends to all fall into place.
Making snap judgements on mods just because you want somewhere or something to spend your money on is clearly not the most beneficial way to base decisions. It might be fun now, but you may pay for it in more than one way in the future.
Best of luck
Experience is the answer for the most part.
After your first day of novice driving with an instructor either at an autocross or definitely an hpde, you will more than likely be deep into sensory overload and so full of adrenelin that modding may not be the first thing that pops into your mind anymore but rather, "how do I get back to doing this driving fast stuff again?"
In the beginning at least till you are moved out of a novice group by an instructor (which is a very good indicator of if and when you might start to do any mods) you'll want to remain as stock as possible and concentrate on the basics and car control skill development.
Adding whatever mods you think might work or may work for someone else for whatever reason may inhibit your skill development and or ease of progression. Also and always keep in mind the rules for whatever club racing you intend on doing.
SCCA autocross for that matter is very specific as to what you may and may not do for each class. Doing something that is only listed in a Mod class for example will instantly move you to a higher more competitive class which Can be frustrating at best when starting out.
I was lucky enough to have good friends that are great drivers and expereinced enough to guide me as to what I should or might change and what not to waste any money on.
If you take a step back and look at it all from as mature a perspective as possible and keeping in mind what your goals are (hopefully to learn as much as possible) then it tends to all fall into place.
Making snap judgements on mods just because you want somewhere or something to spend your money on is clearly not the most beneficial way to base decisions. It might be fun now, but you may pay for it in more than one way in the future.
Best of luck
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If you are looking at doing this competitively, ignore this post. That requires a different approach
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CivicVXHatch »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">but why not mod it and then drive it</TD></TR></TABLE>
Nobody is stopping you. If you can easily afford what you are looking for in doing to you car, by all means do it.
If you're planning to take your car out to a good number of events, a point that has already been mentioned is that the most important thing is to have the most reliable car you can provide yourself with. And as mentioned, that can take a good amount of money, which you may (or may not) have underestimated.
However what people are trying to save you from doing is not to stretch yourself in modding your car by sacrificing money that could go towards seat time. If you are in a position to do both adequately, then enjoy it and have fun out there.
Nobody is stopping you. If you can easily afford what you are looking for in doing to you car, by all means do it.
If you're planning to take your car out to a good number of events, a point that has already been mentioned is that the most important thing is to have the most reliable car you can provide yourself with. And as mentioned, that can take a good amount of money, which you may (or may not) have underestimated.
However what people are trying to save you from doing is not to stretch yourself in modding your car by sacrificing money that could go towards seat time. If you are in a position to do both adequately, then enjoy it and have fun out there.
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Middleburg Heights, OH
Re: (CivicVXHatch)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CivicVXHatch »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also you uys gotta realize im not just using the car just for scca and ****. but why not mod it and then drive it.. i need to get used to it eventually.</TD></TR></TABLE>
The point that everyone is trying to make is to not use mods as a crutch. Theres no point in putting coilovers, r-comp tires, engine mods, etc. on your car if you aren't capable of fully driving it. The best way to learn is to start with a car in an unmodified state, and building on your experiences until you simply cannot get any faster. Once that happens, you should have a good idea as to what class you want to be in. You may not think so right now, but by that point you'll most likely you'll want to stay in a Stock or Street Touring class instead of going all out and building an expensive car.
If you go straight to modifying your car, you are just setting yourself up for frustration. You could end up buying one part (like a turbo, or a carbon fiber hood) that throws you into a class where you have no chance at winning. You'll end up being seconds off the class leader every event, and feel you need this and that to get up to speed when the problem could've likely been solved with a bigger emphasis on seat time.
As was said earlier, drivers develop at different rates. I drove my first half season of autocross on 360 treadwear Michelins. It was a moral victory to me to PAX in the top half of the field. I purchased adjustable struts but didn't install them until a year later. I wanted to know I could be fully capable of controlling my car without having adjustments to fall back on; the only thing I could change was air pressure. My pace may have been a bit slow, but I also didn't really have anyone to learn from. Some of the newbies I've helped get started in autocross have been able to throw a set of Azenis on their otherwise bone stock STS car and be in the top 5 of a 20 car STS field.
The most important thing, obviously, is to have fun. If you think you'll have more fun modding your car, go for it, but be sure to consider the angles presented in this thread.
The point that everyone is trying to make is to not use mods as a crutch. Theres no point in putting coilovers, r-comp tires, engine mods, etc. on your car if you aren't capable of fully driving it. The best way to learn is to start with a car in an unmodified state, and building on your experiences until you simply cannot get any faster. Once that happens, you should have a good idea as to what class you want to be in. You may not think so right now, but by that point you'll most likely you'll want to stay in a Stock or Street Touring class instead of going all out and building an expensive car.
If you go straight to modifying your car, you are just setting yourself up for frustration. You could end up buying one part (like a turbo, or a carbon fiber hood) that throws you into a class where you have no chance at winning. You'll end up being seconds off the class leader every event, and feel you need this and that to get up to speed when the problem could've likely been solved with a bigger emphasis on seat time.
As was said earlier, drivers develop at different rates. I drove my first half season of autocross on 360 treadwear Michelins. It was a moral victory to me to PAX in the top half of the field. I purchased adjustable struts but didn't install them until a year later. I wanted to know I could be fully capable of controlling my car without having adjustments to fall back on; the only thing I could change was air pressure. My pace may have been a bit slow, but I also didn't really have anyone to learn from. Some of the newbies I've helped get started in autocross have been able to throw a set of Azenis on their otherwise bone stock STS car and be in the top 5 of a 20 car STS field.
The most important thing, obviously, is to have fun. If you think you'll have more fun modding your car, go for it, but be sure to consider the angles presented in this thread.
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Crazydave
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Dec 1, 2001 11:06 PM