Ok I'm just starting out in autocross and I want to know how you think I should start out with my car. I have a 1982 Toyota Supra 5mge motor 140 hp stock. Anyways what mods do you suggest I do to my car? And does anyone know where I can find local auto cross events in my area? I live in the bay area california. I'm reading up with the scca.com right now and all of their events and am going to fallow that right now as well any other suggestions? Also I'm going to join them as well. Anyone else a scca member? Also what's your experience with them?
Advice for a beginner autocrosser
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Good grief you are lucky to be in such an autox rich area. Check out the
sfrscca.org website, go to solo2, and lots of links to other clubs, schedules, and rules, lots of explanation of various classes and what mods allowed. In the Bay Area we have SCCA, NASA, venture over to Fresno SCCA region and they run events at Castle Air Base (great site), Sacramento area has American Autox Series, also running at Castle, and Sac SCCA region club, currently trying to run at Stockton Fairgrounds (lousy site). Next SFR event is 7/19 at Marina Airfield, unfortunately I won't be able to make it. I run the blue '84 Supra in DSP, there is another driver Frank that runs a beautiful '85 Supra in DSP-novice. Hope we can connect some time.
Running G-Stock, try to upgrade to stiffer front bar, best shocks you can find for the car (adjustable if possible), exhaust system, drop in K&N air filter, 225/50-14 race tires(kumho ecstas) if not in novice division. Thats about all you can do in Stock class. Going to Street-Prepared you can go through the suspension, intake, headers, alignment mods, any wheel/tire combo, you can definitely check out my car for ideas.
Most owners can't resist at least intake, headers, exhaust, air filter. So think about a class beyond Stock class.
Don L.
#179 DSP
sfrscca.org website, go to solo2, and lots of links to other clubs, schedules, and rules, lots of explanation of various classes and what mods allowed. In the Bay Area we have SCCA, NASA, venture over to Fresno SCCA region and they run events at Castle Air Base (great site), Sacramento area has American Autox Series, also running at Castle, and Sac SCCA region club, currently trying to run at Stockton Fairgrounds (lousy site). Next SFR event is 7/19 at Marina Airfield, unfortunately I won't be able to make it. I run the blue '84 Supra in DSP, there is another driver Frank that runs a beautiful '85 Supra in DSP-novice. Hope we can connect some time.
Running G-Stock, try to upgrade to stiffer front bar, best shocks you can find for the car (adjustable if possible), exhaust system, drop in K&N air filter, 225/50-14 race tires(kumho ecstas) if not in novice division. Thats about all you can do in Stock class. Going to Street-Prepared you can go through the suspension, intake, headers, alignment mods, any wheel/tire combo, you can definitely check out my car for ideas.
Most owners can't resist at least intake, headers, exhaust, air filter. So think about a class beyond Stock class.
Don L.
#179 DSP
ive done 2 autoX's so far and they are fun as hell
as for mods first upgrade suspension. might want a raceing stering whell for qwiker turning
and get there early as possible and walk the course as many times as possible
the first 2 runs i did i totaly got lot and got so confused its way differnt when in teh car compared to walking the course due to speed but u will get into teh swing of things
as for mods first upgrade suspension. might want a raceing stering whell for qwiker turning
and get there early as possible and walk the course as many times as possible
the first 2 runs i did i totaly got lot and got so confused its way differnt when in teh car compared to walking the course due to speed but u will get into teh swing of things
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13,174 Posts
Hi there. It is nice to see others getting interested in this lovely sport that I have found myself so addicted to. I think if you ask around, you will find that most all the great drivers got their start in a slower (D,G,H) stock class. The mk2 is somewhat of an underdog in Gstock when you compare power/weight with the other cars (I also got shit-end of HP stick with an 1983 myself). Every car out there that will beat you at first weighs a good 300-400# less with equal or above HP. Take for example the MiniCooper-S (fastest car in Gstock in my region). I found that under acceleration, the mk2 has an almost perfect weight balance between the front and rear tires and will stick VERY well out of corners. This is what I give credit to for my pretty darn good times comparative to the rest of my class (most all are FWD).
My current setup:
Stock.
Two absolutely blown struts.
420tw, 50,000mile street tires.
I have run 8 or so small college events, though there were not alot of skilled drivers to watch and learn from, and the courses were designed poorly, with things like slaloms that made corners and stuff...
I am up to my third big regional event, and will continue running with them. Thusfar, I place usually within a second from the fastest car currently in Gstock (CooperS, 18yrs experience, Hoosiers) on a 50-60second course.
It is my opinion that everyone should start stock, and work their way up. Not only is this one of the cheapest routes, but it also allows you to see how well your skills do versus another driver's, instead of how well your mods do against another's mods. It has also been disputed that when learning a car, its best to run street tires for a while to learn the nuances of the vehicle's handling. This will make you slower at first, but supposedly allows you to progress more quickly as a driver, but again, without it being possible to be real fast real quick.
In my opinion, get a set of tokicoHP's (ebay, $160+s&h) or koni-adj's if you can afford them and keep your eyes open for an addco front swaybar. Stick a cat-back with a free-flow muffler on there and go out there and learn your car. Your first few events will be slow, period. But you will find the outermost limits of your car especially in braking. Its amazing how fast the mk2 can slow down, downright stupified me once I got it right. I suggest finding someone experienced in a rwd car similar in HP/weight that times well and just watching exactly how they run the course, and mimic that as closely as possible.
As usual, walk the course alot, tell someone at the drivers meeting that you are a novice and they will usually arrange a special guided walk-through with someone who knows how to explain apexes and braking points very well for all the novices. Also, make it a point to talk to people. Dont annoy a driver concentrating during his walk-through or immediately before his run, but make a point to bring about conversation with the regular drivers. I find the friendships are just as much to look foreward to as tossing my mk2 around the corners like a fool.
Also, lets get our own section in the forum. Us autox'r's need to stick together.
--BillyM
Viva La AutoX!
My current setup:
Stock.
Two absolutely blown struts.
420tw, 50,000mile street tires.
I have run 8 or so small college events, though there were not alot of skilled drivers to watch and learn from, and the courses were designed poorly, with things like slaloms that made corners and stuff...
I am up to my third big regional event, and will continue running with them. Thusfar, I place usually within a second from the fastest car currently in Gstock (CooperS, 18yrs experience, Hoosiers) on a 50-60second course.
It is my opinion that everyone should start stock, and work their way up. Not only is this one of the cheapest routes, but it also allows you to see how well your skills do versus another driver's, instead of how well your mods do against another's mods. It has also been disputed that when learning a car, its best to run street tires for a while to learn the nuances of the vehicle's handling. This will make you slower at first, but supposedly allows you to progress more quickly as a driver, but again, without it being possible to be real fast real quick.
In my opinion, get a set of tokicoHP's (ebay, $160+s&h) or koni-adj's if you can afford them and keep your eyes open for an addco front swaybar. Stick a cat-back with a free-flow muffler on there and go out there and learn your car. Your first few events will be slow, period. But you will find the outermost limits of your car especially in braking. Its amazing how fast the mk2 can slow down, downright stupified me once I got it right. I suggest finding someone experienced in a rwd car similar in HP/weight that times well and just watching exactly how they run the course, and mimic that as closely as possible.
As usual, walk the course alot, tell someone at the drivers meeting that you are a novice and they will usually arrange a special guided walk-through with someone who knows how to explain apexes and braking points very well for all the novices. Also, make it a point to talk to people. Dont annoy a driver concentrating during his walk-through or immediately before his run, but make a point to bring about conversation with the regular drivers. I find the friendships are just as much to look foreward to as tossing my mk2 around the corners like a fool.
Also, lets get our own section in the forum. Us autox'r's need to stick together.
--BillyM
Viva La AutoX!
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793 Posts
Although I don't autoX, I do run with NASA (www.nasaproracing.com) at Willow Springs. I agree with Billy, (he's been doing this for a while now), as well as wingnut and DonL for the mods, but try running a couple without any mods first. It'll let you learn the track faster, as you won't be trying to learn how differently your car handles because of the new suspension/ power. Every peer I've talked to on the track has said the same thing, you're already familiar with your car's setup, now learn the track. Slow cars and street tires are excellent for learning as you go through a bit slower and make less errors this way, allowing you to get the feel of how to drive on a track safely and quickly. Once you're comfortable, (say 3 or 4 autoX's) drop some money into sway bars, struts/shocks, springs, run a few more autoX's, then put some money into the go-fast parts.
I think you'll enjoy autox'ing much more without the extra learning curve of new parts...
It's just an opinion I've "adopted" from some really fast guy on the track!!!
I think you'll enjoy autox'ing much more without the extra learning curve of new parts...
It's just an opinion I've "adopted" from some really fast guy on the track!!!
http://www.bendareadatsuns.com/index.htm
http://www.bendareadatsuns.com/Membersridespagefiles/Aren'spagefiles/Aren'spage.htm
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lol look in the backround and u can see my dads 911 and just next to it is my car teh grey audi
i didnt run that day tho
http://www.bendareadatsuns.com/Membersridespagefiles/Aren'spagefiles/Aren'spage.htm
lol look in the backround and u can see my dads 911 and just next to it is my car teh grey audi
i didnt run that day tho
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1,183 Posts
Just want to say thanks for the advice in this new Forum. I looked on SCCA and found 3 different SCCA clubs within 1.5 hours of where I live, one right in my town!!! I am hoping to get out and at least watch one of the events this year, then try for a whole season next year (We have a very short season, April-September).
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