Ludachris
Founder & Zookeeper
- 8,843
- 4,682
- Nov 12, 2001
-
Newcastle,
California
So after having gotten the car back in running condition, I figured I'd take it out to a local AutoX and see how it handled. Since the last time I went to an AutoX I had done a few mods (poly suspension bushings, TSS rear toe eliminator washers, boxed up the rear control arms) and wanted to test them out. The car didn't understeer nearly as much, but it still wasn't as neutral as I wanted. I still have the ability to change camber though, as I have it set close to stock specs. And I didn't play with tire pressures either. Plenty of room for improvement.
Anyway, about the event... I had got the run groups confused and showed up first thing in the morning (7:30 am) to get registered. Turns out my run group didn't hit the track until about 2:30
At least I got a few ride along runs, and was able to walk the track like 3-4 times, and then took a nap. Being father's day and all, I called up my dad and talked him into coming out. He showed up later and caught a few of my runs.
At about 11 am, I notice some more trailers showing up. A couple of them are on open trailers and they look like full race E36 M3s. The last trailer opens it's doors and out backs a heavily, heavily modified E46 M3. All three of these cars are monsters. One of the E36 cars has a X5 V8 swapped into it, and boy does it sound nice. The E46 had plenty of pricey parts on it - carbon fiber fenders, hood, Recaros, CCW wheels, R-compound tires, etc. This young guy obviously had money to burn - not to mention his expensive-ass truck and trailer. Of course, all these cars are in my class, "Street Modified". If you have a boost controller on your car, which most of us DSMers do, you get automatically grouped in with some fast ass cars. Oh well, I'm not there to compete anyways. Just want to see how the car feels. You can't really run street tires and still be competitive in this class.
So finally, after several hours I get my turn. All 5 run groups before me had received 5 runs each. That means all cars got to run the course 5 times. Once it got to our run group the organizers cut the runs down to 4 each. I was a little upset to say the least. I had waited around all day and now I get screwed out of a run too. Oh well. I watch the BMWs speed through the course, coming out with 44 and 45 second runs. They're easily among the fastest production cars out there even on their first pass (including some awesome sounding EVOs earlier in the day). Of course, this makes things a little more intimidating. As I pull up to the line I'm thinking to myself, "be conservative, watch the line, pay attention to the braking points, and don't push it too hard".
I get the green flag - I throttle up into an immediate soft left and switch back into a long right hander that keeps me in first gear until about half way through. Once the turbo kicks in through a really short straight, I'm already going a little too fast for the next left hand turn. I brake late, roll through it with less slide than I thought I'd have, ease on the throttle a little just before the next immediate right and slide a little more. Once I come out of that, I am able to give it more throttle through a more gradual left sweeper. I'm not at the back of the course, and am heading into the long slalom that runs the whole length of the back side. I've never really done a slalom before and I know I'm moving too much from side to side. Oh well, I don't want to hit any cones on my first run. Once you get through that, there's a left hand U-turn with a tight radius at the end. I come through that looking okay for the next series of short slalom-like turns and slow down a bit too much for the next right hand U- turn. The next series is a quick 90 degree left, right, right left, which, if you hit them correctly, would be just like a slalom going right through the middle. However, the cones make the series very tight and I watched most people hit cones in this area all day long. Once you come up to it, it looks almost impossible. I got through it without hitting anything and then came up on the last left hand U-turn. Everyone had been taking this one too fast and I vowed to take it slower and set myself up good for the last series, but I quickly found out how deceiving the turn was. I slid a little wide and had to jerk the wheel right and left for the series before the finish. I was so caught up in screwing up that turn that I took the last series of turns way too fast, had the turbo kick in really good and found myself speeding past the finish line like a bullet. I jump on the brakes, slide about 10 feet and roll over a couple cones - since I'm no longer on the course, they don't count against me. I do feel a little stupid though. I back it up and then head out of the course exit and pick up my slip - a 55.9 second run. Holy crap I have some improvements to make!
Your first run always feels fast because it's your first run. I had plenty of adjustments to make at every turn. The second run, I pulled out a 54.5, and the third run, a low 53. My last run, even though I felt myself sliding as much as the first, I actually ran a low 52 second pass. I guess this is the best you could ask for at an AutoX - consistent improvement. Especially at the novice level where I'm at. The M3s eventually pulled some 43 second times... come to find out these guys were competing for the nationals. Maybe some day I'll have some money to throw at race tires and will really see what true grip feels like in my car. That would be nice! I found out I finished 15th out of 17 cars.
Looks like I need more practice to compete in the Street Modified class (and a lot more cash!).
I plan on heading out to another AutoX early next month after making some adjustments. We'll see how that goes. If you haven't been out to one yet, I suggest you give it a try. It's probably the best type of event for people who don't want to wreck their car, but still want to push it to its limits and find the point where traction ends. You learn a lot about your car and you skills as a driver (or lack thereof). It's a great, inexpensive way to learn lessons you don't want to learn on the street. For tips on AutoX, read up on Sean's first Sponsorship post:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185223
and also check out:
http://autocross.dsm.org
Anyway, about the event... I had got the run groups confused and showed up first thing in the morning (7:30 am) to get registered. Turns out my run group didn't hit the track until about 2:30
At least I got a few ride along runs, and was able to walk the track like 3-4 times, and then took a nap. Being father's day and all, I called up my dad and talked him into coming out. He showed up later and caught a few of my runs. At about 11 am, I notice some more trailers showing up. A couple of them are on open trailers and they look like full race E36 M3s. The last trailer opens it's doors and out backs a heavily, heavily modified E46 M3. All three of these cars are monsters. One of the E36 cars has a X5 V8 swapped into it, and boy does it sound nice. The E46 had plenty of pricey parts on it - carbon fiber fenders, hood, Recaros, CCW wheels, R-compound tires, etc. This young guy obviously had money to burn - not to mention his expensive-ass truck and trailer. Of course, all these cars are in my class, "Street Modified". If you have a boost controller on your car, which most of us DSMers do, you get automatically grouped in with some fast ass cars. Oh well, I'm not there to compete anyways. Just want to see how the car feels. You can't really run street tires and still be competitive in this class.
So finally, after several hours I get my turn. All 5 run groups before me had received 5 runs each. That means all cars got to run the course 5 times. Once it got to our run group the organizers cut the runs down to 4 each. I was a little upset to say the least. I had waited around all day and now I get screwed out of a run too. Oh well. I watch the BMWs speed through the course, coming out with 44 and 45 second runs. They're easily among the fastest production cars out there even on their first pass (including some awesome sounding EVOs earlier in the day). Of course, this makes things a little more intimidating. As I pull up to the line I'm thinking to myself, "be conservative, watch the line, pay attention to the braking points, and don't push it too hard".
I get the green flag - I throttle up into an immediate soft left and switch back into a long right hander that keeps me in first gear until about half way through. Once the turbo kicks in through a really short straight, I'm already going a little too fast for the next left hand turn. I brake late, roll through it with less slide than I thought I'd have, ease on the throttle a little just before the next immediate right and slide a little more. Once I come out of that, I am able to give it more throttle through a more gradual left sweeper. I'm not at the back of the course, and am heading into the long slalom that runs the whole length of the back side. I've never really done a slalom before and I know I'm moving too much from side to side. Oh well, I don't want to hit any cones on my first run. Once you get through that, there's a left hand U-turn with a tight radius at the end. I come through that looking okay for the next series of short slalom-like turns and slow down a bit too much for the next right hand U- turn. The next series is a quick 90 degree left, right, right left, which, if you hit them correctly, would be just like a slalom going right through the middle. However, the cones make the series very tight and I watched most people hit cones in this area all day long. Once you come up to it, it looks almost impossible. I got through it without hitting anything and then came up on the last left hand U-turn. Everyone had been taking this one too fast and I vowed to take it slower and set myself up good for the last series, but I quickly found out how deceiving the turn was. I slid a little wide and had to jerk the wheel right and left for the series before the finish. I was so caught up in screwing up that turn that I took the last series of turns way too fast, had the turbo kick in really good and found myself speeding past the finish line like a bullet. I jump on the brakes, slide about 10 feet and roll over a couple cones - since I'm no longer on the course, they don't count against me. I do feel a little stupid though. I back it up and then head out of the course exit and pick up my slip - a 55.9 second run. Holy crap I have some improvements to make!
Your first run always feels fast because it's your first run. I had plenty of adjustments to make at every turn. The second run, I pulled out a 54.5, and the third run, a low 53. My last run, even though I felt myself sliding as much as the first, I actually ran a low 52 second pass. I guess this is the best you could ask for at an AutoX - consistent improvement. Especially at the novice level where I'm at. The M3s eventually pulled some 43 second times... come to find out these guys were competing for the nationals. Maybe some day I'll have some money to throw at race tires and will really see what true grip feels like in my car. That would be nice! I found out I finished 15th out of 17 cars.
Looks like I need more practice to compete in the Street Modified class (and a lot more cash!).I plan on heading out to another AutoX early next month after making some adjustments. We'll see how that goes. If you haven't been out to one yet, I suggest you give it a try. It's probably the best type of event for people who don't want to wreck their car, but still want to push it to its limits and find the point where traction ends. You learn a lot about your car and you skills as a driver (or lack thereof). It's a great, inexpensive way to learn lessons you don't want to learn on the street. For tips on AutoX, read up on Sean's first Sponsorship post:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185223
and also check out:
http://autocross.dsm.org
