just signed up for my first autox

[fretburnr]

just signed up for the windy city CCA autox this saturday... besides being ready to get my ass handed to me, what do i need to do to prep the car?

i've read over the sticky at the top of this forum, but i know a lot of that is way more intense than necessary for a novice autox. besides obviously having the car in good mechanical shape, brakes in good shape, etc. is there aynthing else i should know about?

also, am i supposed to tape my number onto my car or what? i see pics of cars with blue tape numbers, or other numbers attached. I also see cars with blue tape covering breakable parts (headlights etc).. is this something else i should be doing?

i've done a search but haven't really seen these super-dumb questions asked. Sorry for sounding like a newbie, but... thats exactly what i am and i'm not going to be too-cool-to-ask-questions.

If anyone's able to help, I appreciate it!

[nando]

add more air to your tires (a good 5-8psi on top of the standard pressure), clean all the shit out of it, and make sure nothing is broken. that's pretty much it.

you can use blue painters tape for your #s, but there's really no reason to put it on your lights (people do that mainly on the track). otherwise, worry more about where you are going than how fast you are going, and have fun!

[fretburnr]

cool, thanks for the info man. i normally run higherish pressures (36) so maybe 40 will do?

is that tape just regular blue masking tape, or special stuff? i dont like the idea of leaving sticky stuff on my paint...

also is there some sort of dress code? i mean beyond wearing decent shoes to drive in, will jeans and a tshirt suffice, or do they require long sleeves or something?

I'm definitely just looking to have a good time, i'm certainly not expecting to do even half-ass as well as anyone else.

[Dave]

Its blue painters tape - get some at WalMart. Comes right back off. If you are worried about it, wax the area right before you put the tape on - it will help ensure no residue stays on.

[Sean]

Usually they give you numbers, tape or shoe polish at the event.

As Chris said, take it easy - make your goal to not go off course.

I cannot tell you how sad it is to see people go off course EVERY run of the day. if you slow down and get thru it once - you'll be better off in the long run!

Find an advanced person to ride with you too, that way they can offer advice and any changes you can make to your driving to do better. They can also help you to navigate the course.

ALWAYS look ahead! know where you're going BEFORE you get there.

And, above all, have fun! :D

[PeaveyBassist]

Have someone more experienced walk the course with you once and ride with you at least once. They will be able to give you TONS of tips on how to go faster. When you brake, STAND on them. Squeeze into it and out of it, but make sure you are ON them when you are. It will be a huge learning experience for you.

Will

[fretburnr]

this all sounds great, thanks a lot guys!

i'd love to have an instructor/skilled person ride with me but i think the windycity events don't allow passengers at all :\

[Sean]

this all sounds great, thanks a lot guys!

i'd love to have an instructor/skilled person ride with me but i think the windycity events don't allow passengers at all :\

If anything, they'd probably let a certified instructor ride.

Doesn't hurt to ask!

[fretburnr]

very true!

haha i'm so going to get my ass kicked! :p

[Rob]

First autocross: HAVE FUN first and foremost. I still remember the nervous excitement I got while in the staging lane. If you have friends or acquaintances that have done it before, try to stick with them. DEFINITELY walk to the course. Our organizers always have a Novice run group and a pre-run walk through with an experienced driver. IF you have something like this, take full advantage.

Dont even try to be competitive. There are guys that literally devote their lives to this shit, and you're not going to come close to their times, so dont bother. Try and work on smoothness, and getting the course right. Speed and better times will come with experience. Dont worry about your car either, just pull out everything thats not bolted down, make sure your pressures are ok (start with equal pressure x4) and go from there

and again HAVE FUN, which is what its all about. Not the hokey pokey....

[PeaveyBassist]

What Rob said is true. Your first couple ones dont worry about how you steer (bus steer if you want). Just try to learn how the car feels at the limit and you'll get better as you go.

Will

[325is///M-tech]

I think I have autocrossed with you Nando with Chuckanut. I was driving my buddy's blue Volvo. It is all about smooth. It doesn't matter what your driving as long as you are clean and smooth you should be fast. I took third in group at a Porsche culb event in my old Rabbit GTI with being smooth cause the GTI had like 9hp so that wasn't gonna help me. (silly wabbit)

[fretburnr]

after doing a quick once-over on the car after cleaning it out and removing stuff, i found my battery doesn't have a tie-down... it doesn't move, but theres no rubber or metal strap actually holding it.

i'm assuming a regular autozone tiedown will do fine for what is needed, right?

[Sean]

after doing a quick once-over on the car after cleaning it out and removing stuff, i found my battery doesn't have a tie-down... it doesn't move, but theres no rubber or metal strap actually holding it.

i'm assuming a regular autozone tiedown will do fine for what is needed, right?

You might have a hard time getting the tie down to fit in the little compartment. Is yours a normal sized battery?

ALso - you don't want that loose. Thats grounds for failing tech inspection.

[fretburnr]

not sure what "normal sized" is, its a big exide 840... not huge, but decent. who knows what the PO did.

i think i've still got the tiedown studs/bolts sticking up in there,i'll have to look.

edit: just looked on realOEM, seems that there's no "strap" from the factory, instead its a long bolt that has a flange holding down a tab on the battery from the bottom? does this sound right? (pn 61.21.1.374.934, #10) if thats the case, i may have that already.. like i said, i didn't see a strap but it wasn't moving.