Have been thinking of going to an auto-x in a couple weeks with my Z4. But I have no illusions that I'm the world's best driver. So my question is, anyone ever done any damage to their car? I know their are no big walls to slide into, but what about cones? I've already had 2 panels repainted on my 2 month old car, and I'd hate to scuff up/dent another panel and be out another $500...or am I just overly worried?

thx

hmm, i have seen an e36 m3 slide head-on offset into a concrete light pole injuring the passenger and totaling the car. cones can damage the plastic bits on a car, but on your first event, it should not be an issu. all depends on how you drive. it's gonna be your first event. put aside any ego, find an instructor, ask questions, and have fun.

i ripped off my v2 splitters at my first auto-x.

no big deal, some new clips and a few screws later i was back to normal.

i just felt bad that i may have droped a screw or 2 on the auto-x track, but then again, i was off track enough that i probably dropped them there. :)

It happens. Rarely, but it happens. And I've only seen one damaged on street tires.

I've been autocrossing for four years or so. In that time, in my region, several cars (2-3?) have been totalled and a small handful have ended the day with body damage (6-10?). DC is a pretty active region, with events held most weekends throught the summer (SCCA, BMWCCA, PCA, etc).

Two ran into each other when a novice got lost on track and started driving across the course. I wasn't at that event, so can't comment on how/why neither car was stopped by workers.

Several of the cars (including one of the totalled cars) got damaged at an event that was held on a road circuit that was converted for autocross use - the event had been run successfully there before - and was called off midday when the cars started getting damaged. Autocrosses are no longer held at that site.

All the other damage occurred when drivers lost control in big ways and skidded/spun a good way off course. Usually in freak one-time situations ("wow, how the hell did he get his car over there?!?").

Ive been autocrossing about 3 years.

I've seen a rx7 with v8 swap go head on into a light pole.

I've seen two cars have a wheel come apart one them and doing some damage.

I've seen a guys aftermarket coilover snap on him and do some damage as a result.

I've seen quite a few fender mutilations from hitting cones.

hmm, i have seen an e36 m3 slide head-on offset into a concrete light pole injuring the passenger and totaling the car.

the autoX here in DFW are conducted on a runway, so no light poles to hit :) the only major damage u cud do in summer is, if u go off course into the grass and stall, the grass under the car cud catch fire.

Seen a C5 go over a curb backwards at 50+ :dunno

Dropped an oil pump nut 1 month ago, blew a head gasket this past weekend... buying a new motor next week. :(

Your first time out should not result in any cone hitting (or "packing" as some like to call it). If you are driving so hard that you *are* hitting cones on your first time out, you probably need to back it down several notches. There's no excuse for a novice to be hitting cones left and right. Having an instructor on board should help with that.

Hitting a cone can and will leave some scuff marks that may be hard to get off...

oops, forgot one time a corvette lost it in the rain and slid into a hay bale off course and get somewhat messed up.

I've ripped out a fender lining, a brake duct and almost went head to head with an M3.

What if the novice intuitively knows to try and get close to the cones?

Don't have to be out of control to hit cones..


Your first time out should not result in any cone hitting (or "packing" as some like to call it). If you are driving so hard that you *are* hitting cones on your first time out, you probably need to back it down several notches. There's no excuse for a novice to be hitting cones left and right. Having an instructor on board should help with that.

Hitting a cone can and will leave some scuff marks that may be hard to get off...

I know their are no big walls to slide into, but what about cones? I've already had 2 panels repainted on my 2 month old car, and I'd hate to scuff up/dent another panel and be out another $500...or am I just overly worried?

Use painters tape to cover up the cone-prone areas.

http://alextbaum.smugmug.com/photos/8808241-L.jpg


Alex

Use painters tape to cover up the cone-prone areas.

http://alextbaum.smugmug.com/photos/8808241-L.jpg


Alex

Functional.. but ugly.. :confused

What if the novice intuitively knows to try and get close to the cones?

Don't have to be out of control to hit cones..
Regardless, a novice shouldn't be hitting cones at the kinds of velocities that would cause noticeable damage, like ripped fender liners, cracked bumpers, etc.

I've never hurt the paint on my car while autoxing. The only damage it's ever had was hitting a cone at 50+mph and cracking the front bumper. Painter's tape would not have helped that at all. Any kind of marks the cones make waxes off with a little elbow grease.

get an old POS 325 to go racing with and not worry about it. Faster than the new m3s anyway =)

http://www.slip-angle.com/nats/3.jpg

Functional.. but ugly.. :confused

True.

Alex

get an old POS 325 to go racing with and not worry about it. Faster than the new m3s anyway =)

Often true!

Alex

True.

Alex


just think of the tape as 'racing stripes'!

yah i went off a taxiway into grass towards a ditch, hit a rock with the bottom back edge of the front left fender, spun around like a top and ended up backwards in a bush. this was at about mid-3rd gear (70ish). :( fortunately, the car was ok except for needing some minor paintless dent removal work, some of this my co-driver and i did ourselves. :)

Seen a C5 go over a curb backwards at 50+ :dunno

Dropped an oil pump nut 1 month ago, blew a head gasket this past weekend... buying a new motor next week. :(

damn, another one bites the dust! sorry to hear that man. :( the motors in these silver m3s are cursed i tell yah. CURSED! what motor you getting?

i been too lazy to pull my motor yet to see the cause of my motor's demise.

the local PCA chapter totals cars at their auto-x. don't ask...

My car has a dented fender due to a timing box.

Ryan, it looks like I'm buying a new 3.2L from BMW (you know from who ;) ) and then having some "secret weapons" thrown in there. :D I don't have the money for anything else, and I'm already stuck with refinancing the car to pay for the freaken motor. :(

hey does you know who have a good price on s54 motor and stuff? i have the etm now and going through it have compiled a big arse parts list. :( i'll even put SEAfood.BAR sticker or something.

at this point it's looking best to just find a whole destroyed car, pillage it, do the swap, sell the remains on here or ebay. then take the chassis, invite some friends over with some beer. some hard pipe hitting gangstas with a pair of pliers and a blow torch and go medival on it's a55! :)

like this guy did (poor car :( ) :
http://megatron.jonuts.com/images/scrap%20pile2.jpg

S54, maybe.... n'stuff, no. :(

That's why I'm looking at just throwing in a new S52... that and $$$$$$ :(

The Car after me rolled over. It was a rabbit and the guy was ok.

First time out auto-xing: Sitting waiting to go next in line, was at an oval race way, C4 vette comes sideways out of a corner misses me by about a foot and slides into the infield. "Ok you can go now" I just looked at the guy like he was crazy.

2nd an RSX type S went into a huge tire at another oval track.
3rd was at the final auto-x a 1st gen supra went into a pole.

Seen a C5 go over a curb backwards at 50+ :dunno

:(

That sucked BIGTIME :(

Insurance covered it, but now my rates are 37% higher :(

That sucked BIGTIME :(

Insurance covered it, but now my rates are 37% higher :(

In an act of studitiy I wrecked a z06 on the street and they dropped me entirely.

it can suck worse!

hey does you know who have a good price on s54 motor and stuff? i have the etm now and going through it have compiled a big arse parts list. :( i'll even put SEAfood.BAR sticker or something.

at this point it's looking best to just find a whole destroyed car, pillage it, do the swap, sell the remains on here or ebay. then take the chassis, invite some friends over with some beer. some hard pipe hitting gangstas with a pair of pliers and a blow torch and go medival on it's a55! :)

like this guy did (poor car :( ) :
http://megatron.jonuts.com/images/scrap%20pile2.jpg
www.matthews-auto.com

My CD changer broked last time I went. It plays in mono now. :)

i busted up my underpanel at an autocross.

I once saw a Z06 perform an accidental 60mph parallel parking job between a full Dinan X5 and an M3. No carnage, but it seriously looked like something out of a movie. I believe it took the driver a minute or two before he could pry his hands off the wheel (no joke).

-Bret

Use painters tape to cover up the cone-prone areas.

http://alextbaum.smugmug.com/photos/8808241-L.jpg


Alex

wow i am going to do that next time.

Way to totally scare thisss guy off of Autocross! No way he's ever going to try now. :rolleyes

At least tell him that those nasty looking black marks the cones leave when hit will just wipe away with a little solvent and that at 99% of events the worse thing that will happen is that he'll wear out his tire faster.

In any of the incidents I have seen I would say at least 1/2 the blame is attributable to bad course design andevent procedures. Driver stupidity makes up another good portion... So I recommend you take the Z4 to a reputable event like SCCA which is strict on safety.

Enjoy

for all of these horrible scenarios that are being described, there are 100x as many autocrosses that are basically trouble free. the likelyhood of major damage is very low, assuming the event is run by creatures marginally more intelligent than hedge hogs. Our local org. is a bunch of hypocritical, cheating-for-club members idiots, but they still manage to keep everyone relatively safe.

Shit happens of course, but not that much at autocross.

wow, who know auto-xing could be so dangerous :eek: . That's it, no more parking lot racing for me, I am going to keep it on the track where it is safer and I do not have to worry about cone marks :stickoutt

Or oil pump nuts... :stickoutt

Or oil pump nuts... :stickoutt

true dat!

matt (oil pump nut victim # 165428)

So that makes me 165429 :(

So now I have a blown head gasket from Autox. :stickoutt

Way to totally scare thisss guy off of Autocross! No way he's ever going to try now. :rolleyes

At least tell him that those nasty looking black marks the cones leave when hit will just wipe away with a little solvent and that at 99% of events the worse thing that will happen is that he'll wear out his tire faster.

In any of the incidents I have seen I would say at least 1/2 the blame is attributable to bad course design andevent procedures. Driver stupidity makes up another good portion... So I recommend you take the Z4 to a reputable event like SCCA which is strict on safety.

Enjoy

I agree that on the whole you don't have to worry. A big part of the reason that I use the painters tape is that while the cone marks are easily removed from paint, it's not so easily removed from clearbra.

Alex

So that makes me 165429 :(

not yet diagnosed, but i could be 165430 :(

the local PCA chapter totals cars at their auto-x. don't ask...

I'm going to ask.

not yet diagnosed, but i could be 165430 :(


Man you guys are scareing me. Not only do i have a 95 with the weak retainers, but the possibility of the oil nut flying off as well. It's not going to be a fun job with only a jack and jack stands but i guess I need to take care of it.

I saw a brand new 2003 z06 wrecked right in front of me at an autox. then followed by a S2000.

so anything can happen but in the past 4 years (knock on wood) I've had no damage on my car and 99% of the time there is no incidents at all.

Wow, you guys are scaring me... and I've autocrossed for 2 years! :p

I autox with SCCA, and sometimes they can be a bit over anal when it comes to rather minor saftey issues, but too safe is definatly better than not safe enough. In 2 years I've seen a few people get close to poles (and worse, corner workers!), but thats about it.

The only thing thats happened with my car is some minor rub marks where I got too close to a cone, and my underpannel got knocked loose (at about my second event, been running without it every since!).

The main thing that I've seen people get in trouble with is when they don't know when to give up and just put both feet in. Yeah, there are people who can save the car when its 85 degrees off axis, but for most of us when your looking over your shoulder to see where you're sopposed to be going just get off the gas and admit you blew the run.

If you use just the smallest amount of common sense you should have nothing to fear autocrossing.

I think chances of accidents happening has alot to do with the site and the course design. I was involved in course design for a couple auto-x's and th is the driving factor behind my course designs was safety: leaving runout room, making sure two cars will never be anywhere close to each other on the course, special attention to poles and curbs. The only incident on my courses was an SAE car that had some sort of failure in the rear suspension which pushed it into a curb.