First OFFICIAL Auto-X

[SickE30]

Well the title says it all. I am going to switch to my black w/ silver lip caps for the events. what tirs do I need to run for this? Besides everything in the trunk except for the batter, what do i need to pull out of the car? I read the write up in the Auto-X section and picked up a few things there. My 2 questions were is it mandatory to tape up your headlights, and do you have to have the switch to keep your brake lights on @ all times. Thanks for the help in advance.

[Rob]

i dont think you need to tape lights or have that switch for autocross....and if your first, just run whatever tires you have on there

[SickE30]

I'm not running 17 or 18 wheels in auto-x. My bottle caps have no tires on them now.

[Rob]

oh ok, i dunno, get something cheap to learn on, thats what i'm doing, shitbag all seasons own

[SickE30]

I just d.l.'ed a video off of MaxBimmer. It looks like this is going to be fun. Should I strip the car of passenger and rear seat? The trunk is already clean.

[Nick325is]

You do not want to take out the back seat because that bumps you up a class. Just leave your car as it is now and learn from that. As far as tires go try some azenis. I have heard lots of good things about them for autocrossing.



Nick

[Bill 84 318i]

If I could do it all over again, I'd learn on the cheapest tires I could. Good stuff hides mistakes.

[808BMW]

See if you can find some used all seasons. Something with some meat on them, not completely bald, but cheap as hell.

Same as drifting: Save money on things you waste, like tires :P

[nando]

the local autocross club here starts all n00bs in the same class regardless of mods. I've never heard of forcing your brakelights to stay on all the time (in auto-x anyway) nor do I think it's neccesary to tape your headlights (unless you're worried that a rubber cone is going to break them). If you have one, I would reccomend pulling your is lip off as you're likely to nail a few cones with it and break it off. :)

most places make you take out your floor mats and any loose items in the trunk. You then have to pass a basic tech inspection (good brakes, no bad leaks, seatbelts, etc). I thought it sucked that I had to pull my floor mats since they're clipped in, and the stuff in my trunk has never come out despite tearing it up around every corner I can find on the street.

Yokohama ES100s are pretty cheap for 14" wheels (about $75 each). You can go cheaper but for the money they grip really well. You'd want to break them in before autocross though, which for me took about 1500 miles of driving.

[cheades]

They aren't too concerned about stuff getting out of your trunk so much as distracting you when you hear it thump around in the back. Even with your floor mats clipped in they want them out just incase they come loose, don't want them bunching up and stopping you from pressing the brake pedal down.

Taping your headlights is for road racing, where cars infront of you throw rocks up and can break the headlights. I haven't ever heard of making your brakelights stay on all the time either and I tech for the local club. Make sure all your stuff in the engine bay is secured down and our club wants two throttle springs, one as a backup just incase the other breaks but our club is a little odd in that respect. Also make sure you have no excess play in the steering and torque your wheels before you come.

[nando]

exactly what I mean.. it's never come loose and thumped around at all. in fact I hate having stuff in my trunk (shopping bags, groceries) because of that reason. everything in the storage box on the drivers side stays put (oil, atf, rags, a couple tools). if it thumped around I wouldn't leave it there. ;)

oh well, it's not a big deal. :)

[Crazyboy325is]

BMWCCA autox's here reccommend taking everything out of the car. I have ziplock bags I put my glovebox stuff in, take all the stuff from the trunk and put it in a plastic container to keep it clean and dry(our site tends to get windy, and sometimes lots of ants).

I started on junk tires I had on the car when I bought it, then used 205/60-14 Yoko es100's on my basketweaves, wore them out, then went with 195/60-14 Falken Azenis. They are even cheaper than the Yokos. Slightly smaller than stock for better accelleration and not much narrower thna the Yokos.

Remember when autoxing to bump up the tire pressure. Most stagger their pressure front/rear to adjust handling, something like 38/36 f/r. Playing with pressure is the cheapest way to improve the handling. Worry about suspension later. Just learn the basics for now and as you improve your driving, you can improve your car. I have seen better drivers take 2-3 seconds off my best time driving my car.

[SickE30]

Thanks for the tips guys. Just for the record. My car is FAR from stock, I have an upgraded suspension and a 2.7i. I got the taped headlights and constant brake lights out of the auto-x section writeup. But anyway, once again thanks for all the tips.

[Rob]

I got the taped headlights and constant brake lights out of the auto-x section writeup.

i'm really curious as to the origins of this. No one follows you at autocross, why the need for the tail lights?

[rwh11385]

the local autocross club here starts all n00bs in the same class regardless of mods.

my local CCA chapter is like this more or less. It's simply a recreational event, but times are kept. (as far as I know that is, but I don't remember any classes)

Windy City BMW, on the other hand, has a point system that defines your class. A stock e30 325is is pretty well pointed in stock form, then you add points for each mod. I think I'm already in B class.....a few more points and I'm A with stock E46 M3's and such.