Getting into AutoX

[Wschnitz]

Walking the track sounds like a good idea. I want to have an instructor and bring a friend also.

[nando]

Also, when walking the track, walk the driving line you think is correct, and try to pretend you are in car, so walk 2-3 feet from the cones on your left if you are left hand drive.

One thing I always used for the E30, was sitting in the drivers seat if I stick my right arm straight out, I can just about touch the passenger door. so using my arm as a yardstick, plus about 6" for track width, approximated the width of my car. this was really useful through slaloms.

[rwh11385]

What everyone else said. Remember sunscreen, hat, sunglasses maybe, comfortable shoes, proper clothing (jacket to keep warm if brisk), tire pressure gage, and helmet. The most important thing is to pass tech, which means make sure everything to tightened down and you keep up maintenance well.

Don't mod your car to start out in Auto-X, soft springs will communicate well and help you to learn how to control your car efficiently. All-season tires are fine - hell I even ran snow tires once because it was what I had available. No additional power is needed, nor making it lightweight.

Buying a helmet is a good investment, as is the cg-lock IMO: http://www.soloracer.com/cglock.html


Also, consider bringing a friend - you have someone to maybe cover your fee if you let him drive your car, have someone else in your class to compare with, and someone to work with.

[ApexAddict]

Yes, run on DD tires for a number of years before trying something like Star Specs, the above you linked to or slicks. Performance tires will mask bad driving techniques.

Yes they do! I cannot agree more. I bought my e30 and it came with NT01s on it and let me tell you, I drove like complete shit and got the second fastest lap of the day. I knew I was driving bad because I have had plenty of track days and know what I was doing wrong. I would definitely start out with something less aggressive and move up to better tires. Learn what the line is and how your car reacts to different situations and go from there. Autox and HPDE are a blast and a great place to learn how to react in unusual situations. Good luck!

Edit: I should have read the thread instead of just agreeing. I see everyone else has already said what I said. Anyways, I hope this only helps get the point across.

[R3Z3N]

Also, when walking the track, walk the driving line you think is correct, and try to pretend you are in car, so walk 2-3 feet from the cones on your left if you are left hand drive.

[Gary Horneck]

Here is a dated but excellent instructional series on Autocross. Part 5 deals with hand flailing... http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLF4CA924A08F7A40B

[E30 Wagen]

I participated in my first autox this past September with my stock eta (except for an off brand chip, and a 325i exhaust) and had lots of fun. One thing I learned as a newbie is to not get over-confident and just focus on staying in control. Around my 3rd run I was pushing it too hard, diving into the turns too fast and understeering badly. My flailing hands ended up breaking the turn signal and wiper stalks because I had simply lost control of the wheel as I struggled to keep on the course, which resulted in me spinning out and feeling embarrassed. My DD tires are designed for longevity and a quiet ride, so grip wasn't so great and I should have taken that into consideration and just focused on finding a good line instead of shooting for speed.

[Nsquared97]

Completely agree with all of this. Start out on whatever tires you have now, you learn a lot more on them. Then make your way up to something like star specs or RS3's. I just got on slicks this year, and like other said, they are a very different animal, they do not behave like a street tire in many ways.

And yes, just focus on you, the driver. Walk the course as many times as you can, and definitely try to walk with an experienced driver as much as you can, they can teach you a lot. A good rule of thumb for knowing if you have walked the course enough is if you can sit down in your car, close your eyes, and 'drive' the course in your head. Because ask anyone here that has done this, as soon as your at that starting line, the course looks very different.

[nando]

Ok, is it worth it to pull out excess weight before hand? Spare tires, rear seats, etc?

I want to get my loser of a friends to go to, he is a miata guy, hopefully not gay, but he talks about ask this drifting he does that I don't really believe with a miatas 114HP lol.

Link Me to a helmet? That's the only thing I need.

I'll for sure ride with someone first.

no. you'll see some first timers do things like remove back seats, take out their spare, jack, etc. they are focused on the wrong thing. first, the minor amount of weight you remove will make hardly any difference, if at all. Second, the time you spend dicking around with your car would be better used talking to experienced drivers, walking the course, studing the map, and prepping yourself mentally.

the only think you want to do is remove loose junk and make sure what's there is tied down properly (battery, spare, jack etc).

I even got to the point when I was staring to get competetive, I didn't bother removing anything that wasn't absolutely neccesary to remove. I even felt removing the spare made the car too loose. it's just a waste of time. It took enough time as it was swapping wheels and airing up tires, prepping for tech, ect.

to start I'd show up with the following:
chalk
tire pressure gauge
helmet
pencil and paper
sunscreen

Bump your tires up to ~38psi before you show up so you can air them down using chalk as your reference as they heat up. You can probably use a loaner helmet, most clubs will have them, to see if you even like it before wasting $100+ on your own.

everything else is just fluff and will distract you from your true problem: not getting lost. Getting through the course without hitting cones and missing gates is your priority.

So many newbs are concerned with how fast their car is and what mods they have and tire brand etc, then they go out on course and miss half a section and end up with 30 seconds worth of penalties.

As you gain experience you'll find yourself bringing a lot more "stuff". I ended up with a canvas tent, 2 chairs, a compressor, a box of tools, a jack, a pyrometer, gloves, etc. etc. etc. If I'd continued I was going to end up with a small trailer as it was getting hard to fit it all inside the car. But don't start out this way.

[R3Z3N]

Depends on the tire, and the specific sound of tire screech. DD tires have a tendency to be very vocal, and talk differently depending on what is happening, hence why you start on DD tires.

ALSO, street tires are designed to work in a variety of environments and temperatures. Slicks are not. If you are not a skilled enough driver, slicks will be absolutely scary, as they work in a narrow window. Of course you can buy different slicks, but are you going to carry another set for a 20º warmer day when its 100º F out vs 80ºF? The differences in grip and safety are phenomenal. This also is why Hankook RS3 and Dunlop Star Specs are amazing for on the edge street tires, but still, wait a couple years or more till you move to even these.

[Wschnitz]

The idea is you want a smooth entry and exit from corners right? Tire screech being unnecessary.

[Gary Horneck]

Yes. I have been running with the stock wheels for two seasons now. I run 225/50/14's on basket weaves, and 205/55/14 Hankooks Z214's on the bottle caps. Nice light combo I think.

[R3Z3N]

Yes, run on DD tires for a number of years before trying something like Star Specs, the above you linked to or slicks. Performance tires will mask bad driving techniques.

[Wschnitz]

Stock wheels should be ok right? Running Falken Ziex-912's until i can buy some 15x8 or 16x8's and some http://www.falkentire.com/Tires/Pass...nis-RT-615K-14

[UNCL3AN1]

Ah yes, autocross. I did my first event in 8 years this spring. I forgot how much fun it was and how many cool people are involved in it. I love the variety of cars that show up.

If you're goin to use a loner helmet, get one of those head socks. Either get the painter's head sock from Lowe's, or get a real one. I was borrowing helmets when I first got into the sport and I happened to put on a sweaty helmet when it was about 100 degrees one day. Pretty friggin nasty. The nastier thing about it is that I ended up gettin ring-worm on the back of my head because my head was shaved. It was pretty gross. I had to take care of it by putting athlete's foot cream on me head for a while. Just get a head sock if you're goin to borrow the helmets. You don't know how many koodie ridden bastards are goin to be using the same helmets you're goin to use.

Around here you don't need a roll bar for a vert. You just need to make sure you don't have a speaker box in the back. Around here they'll make you take it out. They'll check to see if your battery is tight, and your wheels. If you have wheel covers, they make you pull those off. They make you take out your floor mats and everything inside that car that has potential to move around while flyin through turns.

I took my step-son out for his first event this spring also. I wanted him to do it so he can learn how to control a vehicle by instinct when in emergency situations. He had a blast. He walked with some other noobs and had an instructor ride with him a few times to help him out. The instructor actually drove his car one run to show him how much faster he could take it while keeping it in control. It was an awesome event. Be ready to have a complete rush. It's pretty cool when you're sitting in your car, at the line, listening to your breathing and the car ahead of you. Something about it gives me a little rush, but it's kinda calming. Pretty weird for me i guess. One of the only times I really feel calm and collected.

Yeah, bring a hat, bring a hoodie, bring drinks and food. You'll be out there all day long. The weather can change fast in some areas. Out here it can be pretty nice, then horrible in the blink of an eye. I remember one autocross back in 2000 when i was working the course and getting snowed on. That sucked. Just be prepared for anything. An extra hoodie, a cooler with some drinks and food, maybe a chair, sunscreen, a good hat that will cover your face, some really comfy shoes for when you're working the course (since you'll be on your feet and running after cones for a while) and be prepared to have some really good fun.