well this morning i went out to try auto-xing for the first time. iv never even watching it in real life. this track was a small track with cones. i got placed in the SM devesion :( i was running with 2 11 second awd eclipses, a supra tt an rx7 2 300zxs and a few others a total of 9 cars. i got 4 runs, i ended up comming in 6th out of 9. my time was a 26.01x secs. 1st was a 24.2xx eclipse gsx who was sponsered. It was soo fun, the funnest thing i have done with my car since i got it...

matt:buttrock

look at the bright side of it, u had fun and u were less than 2 secs of the fastest time :D autoX is fun and u get addicted to it very easily, i look forward to the autoX here every month :)

BoostFed325: sounds like you're going to be addicted to auto-x. i've only been doing it for a little over a year and i try to go 1-2 times a month. i highly suggest that you go to an auto-x school. your local scca or bmwcca usually offers them. if you can't make it to a school or it's a long time until they offer it, find one of the experienced ppl there with your car and ask them to ride with you or ride with them. you will be amazed at how some ppl can drive. instructors can also help you unlearn bad habits that you may have picked up. oh, and keep using street tires for awhile. they will help you fix your mistakes until you can go faster. btw, don't worry about the cars with low 1/4 mile times. they usually get beat down by stock miatas with good drivers.

Autocross is a blast! It's the best way to really understand the physics of how a tire-suspension-chassis responds to driver inputs. I did my first one in 1975 and shortly thereafter read a book by Dick Turner that helped me tremendously. I quickly realized that power had little to do with auto-x success which lies in driver's skill, tire quality, and suspension setup (in that order with skill by far being the biggest factor).

I think a revised version of this book is still in print, and I strongly recommend it -- you won't be sorry for having read it. I took the lessons he teaches in that book and put them into practice over many autocrosses. By the early 80's I always brought home 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place trophies. At the National Capital Chapter events in the mid-80's, I often took home FTD (and this was in my 72 Bavaria, albeit heavily modified :) ).

Here's a link to a short review on the book (http://www.neokla-scca.org/Tech/default.shtml) . Winning Autocross Solo II Competition
Dick Turner and J.B. Miles
ISBN #0-932522-01-7

Guess it's time to dig through the attic and see if I can find my old copy -- apparently it's still highly respected.

Chuck

Originally posted by BJO
they usually get beat down by stock miatas with good drivers.

A stock Neon with sticky treads locally runs with the Vettes, 911's, etc. Very humbling. :rolleyes:

Congrats on your first event. If you are anything like me, you will be counting the days until the next event.

I agree with the other posters, SUSPENSION and TIRES much out weigh HP mods. The main thing is to remain smooth and it is all about "EXIT SPEED". Pactice makes perfect so keep it up and you will see tremendous improvements. :buttrock

Matt