Auto-X SM Classification

[e30mclow]

Thanks for the responses, folks.

It was never a matter of me wanting to set the world of Auto-X ablaze, I just had a number of more knowledgeable people come up asking "How are you in SM?".

Again, I'm new to this, but given that 4-5 people per event ask me what sort of monster have I lurking under the hood (then we all laugh when they see an m20), I figured I'd ask here if it was worth rectifying - The answer seems to be no.

Either way, I'm very happy with how I'm doing. Out of 62 cars on Sunday I was 16th RAW while having an absolute blast.

[BlackbirdM3]

hah, yeah good point. The tech inspection is mostly a safety inspection at the local level. Half the time it was me helping some kids keep their battery from falling out (zip ties FTW).

And let's be real - a steering rack swap might make the car more fun, but it's not going to bring you from 10th overall to stomping over everyone else... Especially not in an M20 powered E30.

BTW your car looks awesome. Just focus on having fun, and you'll be happier for it.

Exactly. (Seriously, what the hell is up with people showing up to a race with a battery flopping all over? Often times its the same people who never fix the problem. I've tossed a few people for repeatedly not fixing their batteries.) When you have 60+ cars on grid, looking at part numbers is not an option. Checking to make sure wheels, tires, wheel bearings, seats, and other safety issues are taken care of takes precedence over all.

Like you said, changing a steering rack from one to another isn't going to make you go from off the back to a front runner. You still need to know what you are doing with the car.

Will

[nando]

hah, yeah good point. The tech inspection is mostly a safety inspection at the local level. Half the time it was me helping some kids keep their battery from falling out (zip ties FTW).

And let's be real - a steering rack swap might make the car more fun, but it's not going to bring you from 10th overall to stomping over everyone else... Especially not in an M20 powered E30.

BTW your car looks awesome. Just focus on having fun, and you'll be happier for it.

[BlackbirdM3]

How would the tech guys know that the steering rack isn't stock? I've teched thousands of cars, and not once have I nailed anyone for a different steering rack. I've tossed people out of classes for having wrong engines, or race tires in a street tire class, but steering racks are a tough call. I'd say, don't say you modded the thing, and run the class you want to run. Unless you are running at Nationals, likely the steering rack will go unnoticed. Don't ask, don't tell.

Run what ya brung, and work on being faster than you were the run before. SM CSP, either class is a good class, and will be very competitive. They are both great classes to learn in because of that. Running in a class where you are the only car is boring as all get out. Running in a competitive class, pushes you to be better, to hone your skills, and get faster.

Will

[shootnjunky]

I am an s52 swapped e30, also in sm

I ran against a bunch of evos and a supercharged mustang. Yes I came in last but from my first to last run I improved 9 seconds, with no penalties.

Do I want to be competitive yes, but in reality I’m just having fun

[Digitalwave]

You can still measure your improvements regardless if you are in a competitive class or not. I would personally say: mod the car the way you like it. E30's are not likely to be competitive nationally when built to class anyways (considering they are classed with FRS's and other cars that are much more capable). Whether it's competitive locally really depends. With the group I run with, I am usually in the top 3-5 cars overall out of 80-100 entries. I've never bothered to look at classing closely, so I just enter Modified, and have fun.

Or you could just enter STX or whatever class you are closest to, and not give a shit about the steering rack. On a local level, nobody is going to care or call you out. If you are going to compete on a larger scale (nationals, etc.), then maybe adjust your mods to fit a class better.

[nando]

Right, I'm not trying to say don't ask the question. But E30s typically end up classed with cars that are way faster than them no matter what you do (or if your club uses it, heavily penalized with PAX adjustments). But if you show up often, you'll notice the same people and have a good idea of who's fast and who has a fast car.

Improving your driving can be done regardless of class - if you consistently place 10th, and start improving and place 6th, then you know you've made progress.

To me, it's much more fun to just enjoy my car rather than constantly worry about classes and mods. It ended up working out that merely showing up consistently helped me win a season in 1st overall, even though there were often cars that were much, much faster than mine. That was my intended point.

[e30mclow]

honestly - who cares - run what you brung. Unless you're planning on going all the way to nationals or something, does it really matter?

I guess it is subjective - if you're happy running around in a class within which you're unable to comparably judge your own progress within, then good for you. I can't see how you would be though?

My aims aren't to go all the way to nationals, not even close lol.

To be clear, all I want to do is draw comparatives with similar/consistent drivers and cars so as to have relatively consistent data against which to measure my own progression.

That is what I thought Auto-X was about - improving one's own driving. If it is about people simply circling a parking lot and only looking at themselves, then we can all head to Walmart one at a time.

It is a technical specification question relating to steering racks, not me wanting to win things.

[nando]

honestly - who cares - run what you brung. Unless you're planning on going all the way to nationals or something, does it really matter?

[e30mclow]

I started Auto-X earlier this year in much of the same fashion that everyone does - Turn up in a cars that's already been modified, rather than built to a specific class.

Having provided my list of modifications (as per my thread here), I was steered into the SM Class.

The deciding factor for the techs was my e46 steering rack.
I've read the rules/classifications, and that ruling seems like quite the jump for a stock engined e30 with full interior.

Are others just not using upgraded racks? I'm still having fun, but I'd imagine it'd be more fun against comparable cars and not stripped s54 cars on slicks lol

There are advantages/disadvantages to SM, in that I can build quite the car within the bounds of the class, BUT that in itself introduces a whole bunch of tempting $$$ upgrades I'm trying to avoid.

To me, my car would seem to fit the bill of Street Touring? The jury is split within the club.

Pictures as a reward for reading: