TeeWX

I have gone to a few SCCA autox meets just to watch and I was wondering, would an F-Body be at all competitive at these types of events? My car is a H/C setup so I don't even know what class I would get thrown into, and I would want to modify my suspension further. I guess what kind of cars would I be put up against and is it worth spending money on handling mods if I wanted to compete and have fun? Is the solid rear axle a handicap for us when it comes to handling? I guess I just have a lot of questions and was wondering if anyone who has raced much before could provide some input as to how they handle when modded as compared with other cars.

Thanks

82cetuner

iTrader: (9)

pretty sure sam strano raced r bodys in scca lol. thing is if your getting thrown into a CLASS of cars then they will make sure all those cars in that class are as close to competitive as possible so it will become more of the driver than the car.

if you want to enter some events go ahead, and see how it is, i bet you will have fun even if you are in last place

MasterTomos

iTrader: (15)

^I believe sam took home a couple championships in his white Ls1 camaro

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

are there any fbodies at the events that you watch? how do they do? ask questions, see if whatever group handles the event has a website, and see what their rules are. see what class your motor puts you in.

and dont forget, they dont know what you dont tell them. unless youve got a massive, lumpy cam, chances are theyll have no idea you have anything done. 95% of the people there wouldnt know an LS1 from LS3 from LS7.

tires make the biggest different in autox when it comes to fbodies. no matter the suspension/driver; a big, heavy, powerful car can only do so much on a small, tight course like an autox with street tires. if you ever get the chance, go to a real track, and youd be surprised how well even a stock fbody can do.

SIK02SS

iTrader: (11)

Sam also didn't compete with heads/cam..which means he was (and still is) in a different class. From my observations, once you start internally modifying a cars motor in auto-x, the more difficult the competition becomes..same can be said for road racing

And if you purposely mis-class yourself and constantly beat the members that have been going a long time, they will protest you eventually and they will do there home work and learn about what you have and what your car can/can't do relative to mods and driver..

01badz28

iTrader: (5)

H/C would throw you into SM or CP classes, which at a national level is some pretty steep competition. Locally, you might be better off, but I don't know your region. In my region SM is generally a good mix of muscle and imports, and has some close racing - but nobody has a fully prepped nationals level car.

F-bodies were the cars to have in FS and ESP, but I'm not sure if thats still the case (I think the new Mustang is the car to beat in FS now).

Don't cheat. Most of the time, the guys at the regional level will be easy to deal with and may let you run a 'lower' class so you have some competition if you are upfront with your mods. If you get discovered cheating, you will blow a lot of that goodwill and just generally **** people off.

Give it a shot and see if you like it - good luck!

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

theres no way hes going to 'constantly beat' other cars in his class with STOCK suspension and tires, and being a TOTAL BEGINNER. H/C wont help much in autox. on a track maybe, but extra power will probably hurt him more then help in a parking lot.

popethe5th

iTrader: (2)

yeah you wont see a whole lot of solid axle cars out on the track theese days, you can get into a drivers education group then you get an insurance discount for uhhh not racing around the track, and they will even cover your car if you get in an accident because its not racing. youll never be competitive in an f-body unless you find a sancation that has a solid axle or f-body race group. now if you get a corvette they make great track ******

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

um.......what?

TeeWX

I have 3 point SFC's, LCA's, LCA relocation brackets, Panhard Rod, and 275/40/zr17's. That is still considered stock? I guess I am missing sway bars and coilovers unless there is something else I can't think of.

Elaborate? The other people in this thread seem to think that it would be competitive.

EchoMirage

iTrader: (3)

what youve done is basically minimal. shocks/springs make a huge difference. LCA and PHB are designed to work with aftermarket shocks/springs, when the car is lowered and the geometry changes. sways of course help also, but relocated LCA and an adjustable PHB are only minimally helping with stock shocks/springs.

and i dont know what the hell that other guy is trying to say

198esp

go to some events and have some fun, Then decide how competitive you want to be. get a rule book and build according to what ever class you pick sm or cp, for scca. who knows were you end up but the ride is fun anyway here is my cp car i still drive it to the events



http://www.flickr.com/photos/steguis/5802862939/http://www.flickr.com/photos/steguis/5802862939/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/steguis/, on Flickr

01badz28

iTrader: (5)

/\ Big +1. Some dedicated shocks (Konis, specially valved Bilsteins) will make a bigger difference than anything else you've done. Also consider R compound tires.

I'm not sure what Pope is getting at. Solid axle cars (particularly 4th gens) have had an excellent record in autocross and track type events.

1981TA

iTrader: (7)

Heck, I plan on playing with a 2nd gen next year. Go. have fun, figure out from there how competitive you're willing to pay to be. Mods cost $, but relatively few are required to enjoy yourself.

lsxc4vette

iTrader: (9)

Dang,that looks like fun.

jeremyhudson

Biggest thing is do the novice class for your first 3 events. You will learn so much there.then find your class. http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/index.shtml this may help too.
23esp

ZV8

iTrader: (2)

for just the short autox events you dont need any power, hell even a stock LT1 is more than enough power for them. what you want is weight reduction, tires, and suspension. A little bit of all 3 and you will be in great shape. However if you plan to go to a real track and drop $150 for a track day then some extra power will come in handy, but only after you have the other things in place oh, and then brakes become really important on high speed tracks like nothing else before haha.