went autox today
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Tacoma, WA
went autox today so, this would be my 4th time at bremerton autox and I seem to be getting worse or everyone else is just getting better. My first event I got 2nd in novice, then 5th then 10th then 20th. It seems like my car just wants to spin and I'm being gentle on the gas. And when I come into a corner fast the back end wants to come around. I had all clean runs today which is good, but my tires were screeching alot and whether I was smooth or drifting out of turns, I still aeraged 57-58sec lap times. 5 laps. Other novices were running low 50's. I think I may have done btter at the first event because it was a faster course where I got to 3rd gear, but the tighter courses are ridiculous. It's embarrasing. Also, I used to have toyo proxes 4, but were balding and now I have fuzion zri's. I ran 39psi front and 30 in the back, because of trac probs out of the turns.
Any suggestionsfor the car, other than getting better behind the wheel. The thing that makes me think that I was limited by the car was my consistency of time. I know I can get better, but I was very consistent today. are there any street tires that are known to be really good for racing.
Any suggestionsfor the car, other than getting better behind the wheel. The thing that makes me think that I was limited by the car was my consistency of time. I know I can get better, but I was very consistent today. are there any street tires that are known to be really good for racing.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Tacoma, WA
Originally Posted by Shockwave179
If the car is stock then it'd be interesting that it's tail happy. Seems like most stock fbody's are understeering pigs if I remember correctly..
Originally Posted by ryanisfast
I get lots of understeer too... It's just that I can control that easier by braking more before the turn, but when I want to accelerate out of it, it's not letting me. I think all the nose dive really throws the car's weight around making it difficult to control. Next on my list of parts is springs. I'm looking at the g2 springs. They seem to be one of the stiffest springs. Then later I can buy some koni sa's and sway bars. And by the time next autox season starts , I'll have some racing tires as well. Hopefully by then...I'll be running with the big dog's. My ultimate goal it to roadrace though...not autox. Fbody's aren't meant for autoxing my opinion. too big to wedge between cones..lol. I had the biggest car there on sunday.
I have auto-x'ed my stock Formula for quite some time, and f-bodies are actually decent stock auto-x cars. If you look at the F-stock national results, F-bodies have won something like 17 of the last 20 years. If you are want to develop yourself as a driver, then don't mod the car. Do Konis, big front bar, alignment, and just drive it.
If you are having oversteer problems, be more gentle getting in the gas on corner exit. Is there anyone n your region who is fast in an F-stock car? Find someone good in an f-body to ride with and show you what it is like.
Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Tacoma, WA
Originally Posted by Mojave
G2 springs are NOT some of the stiffest springs. They may be stiff for regular drop springs, but compared to what some road race guys are running (like 1000 lbs/in), they are pretty soft. Koni's and a big front bar will do more to go fast than springs IMO, especially with drop springs with crappy shocks.
I have auto-x'ed my stock Formula for quite some time, and f-bodies are actually decent stock auto-x cars. If you look at the F-stock national results, F-bodies have won something like 17 of the last 20 years. If you are want to develop yourself as a driver, then don't mod the car. Do Konis, big front bar, alignment, and just drive it.
If you are having oversteer problems, be more gentle getting in the gas on corner exit. Is there anyone n your region who is fast in an F-stock car? Find someone good in an f-body to ride with and show you what it is like.
I have auto-x'ed my stock Formula for quite some time, and f-bodies are actually decent stock auto-x cars. If you look at the F-stock national results, F-bodies have won something like 17 of the last 20 years. If you are want to develop yourself as a driver, then don't mod the car. Do Konis, big front bar, alignment, and just drive it.
If you are having oversteer problems, be more gentle getting in the gas on corner exit. Is there anyone n your region who is fast in an F-stock car? Find someone good in an f-body to ride with and show you what it is like.
I went to the dragstrip last friday as well and couldn't launch better than a 2.3. before I got 2.2 easily. The tires are fun for drifting in parking lots though.
Also, where do the roadracing guys buy their springs..or do they special order them??
Trending Topics
12 Second Club
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,273
Likes: 0
From: Bucks County, Pa.
Originally Posted by Mojave
Koni's and a big front bar will do more to go fast than springs IMO, especially with drop springs with crappy shocks.
+ that way (with some sticky tires mounted on cheap stock wheels, or "salad shooters, etc.) you could stay in F Stock, develop your skills, and maybe even be competitive someday.
BTW; generally, once the spring rates get up above the 650-700# in. range, they are 2.5" diameter coilover setups. Now there might be some OEM size (5.5" dia.) uber high rate springs available from AFCO/Hyperco/Eibach, etc., but I'm not too sure on that. Mojave? Mitch? trackbird?
Last edited by dailydriver; Aug 14, 2007 at 01:52 PM.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Originally Posted by dailydriver
BTW; generally, once the spring rates get up above the 650-700# in. range, they are 2.5" diameter coilover setups. Now there might be some OEM size (5.5" dia.) uber high rate springs available from AFCO/Hyperco/Eibach, etc., but I'm not too sure on that. Mojave? Mitch? trackbird?
Seriously, get the Konis, big bar, alignment, and just drive. Staying on street tires will help you hone your skills. Work on going to as many events as possible. Evo schools are really good as well. Between runs go through the course in your head and keep track of where you make mistakes. Walk the course at least twice before your runs. Going fast at auto-x is hard, hard stuff (believe me, I've tried....). Fuzions are crap tires; it's no surprise you are slow. But, don't give up just yet, not on you or a stock f-body.
You don't have in any way, shape, or form, a setup for autox. It's not different than going to a drag strip on stock suspension and being surprised you can't launch with cars on better tires or more appropriate setups for the task. Then you add the fact that autoxing is hard to do well. Very few people are truly that fast, and next to none of them, myself included, were fast at the beginning.
Mojave is trying to help you here by recommending you set the car up for F-stock and learn. You can build off of that setup if you later feel ESP or some other class is more suitable for what you want. Note that ESP is the last stop for a truly competitive streetable F-body.
A little piece of advice. Don't try and get tricky until you know what you're doing. We've all done it at some point, I did when I started and completely screwed myself class wise for years. And I was still losing.
Set the car up for F-stock. I'd be happy to help you through the process of setting up the car as well as warning you what's the car and what's not (I'm also teach folks to autox @ Evolution schools).
Mojave is trying to help you here by recommending you set the car up for F-stock and learn. You can build off of that setup if you later feel ESP or some other class is more suitable for what you want. Note that ESP is the last stop for a truly competitive streetable F-body.
A little piece of advice. Don't try and get tricky until you know what you're doing. We've all done it at some point, I did when I started and completely screwed myself class wise for years. And I was still losing.
Set the car up for F-stock. I'd be happy to help you through the process of setting up the car as well as warning you what's the car and what's not (I'm also teach folks to autox @ Evolution schools).
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
authority/credibility than the rest of us!! Thread Starter
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 198
Likes: 0
From: Tacoma, WA
Originally Posted by Sam Strano
You don't have in any way, shape, or form, a setup for autox. It's not different than going to a drag strip on stock suspension and being surprised you can't launch with cars on better tires or more appropriate setups for the task. Then you add the fact that autoxing is hard to do well. Very few people are truly that fast, and next to none of them, myself included, were fast at the beginning.
Mojave is trying to help you here by recommending you set the car up for F-stock and learn. You can build off of that setup if you later feel ESP or some other class is more suitable for what you want. Note that ESP is the last stop for a truly competitive streetable F-body.
A little piece of advice. Don't try and get tricky until you know what you're doing. We've all done it at some point, I did when I started and completely screwed myself class wise for years. And I was still losing.
Set the car up for F-stock. I'd be happy to help you through the process of setting up the car as well as warning you what's the car and what's not (I'm also teach folks to autox @ Evolution schools).
Mojave is trying to help you here by recommending you set the car up for F-stock and learn. You can build off of that setup if you later feel ESP or some other class is more suitable for what you want. Note that ESP is the last stop for a truly competitive streetable F-body.
A little piece of advice. Don't try and get tricky until you know what you're doing. We've all done it at some point, I did when I started and completely screwed myself class wise for years. And I was still losing.
Set the car up for F-stock. I'd be happy to help you through the process of setting up the car as well as warning you what's the car and what's not (I'm also teach folks to autox @ Evolution schools).
Queston about the alignment? When I go to firestone or wherever to get an alignment, will they align it to settings that I ask them to?? I purchased a lifetime alignment from them, so do you think they will do that??
headers put a car into ESP. Is it tough? No more so than any other class that has well-setup cars and good drivers. I won ESP @ Nationals last year for the 3rd time, and by a margin that in autoxing terms, was big.
But I agree that if the headers are not on the car, that you might want to wait. Because ESP is a lot more expensive than FS is (by a LOT) to get a competitive car. Some folks don't care, some say they don't--but they really hate losing. Some just don't pay attention to the rules and them complain when they find out they screwed themselves classing wise. And some, like me love the sport and the competition and would rather be able to compete on a very high level than install headers. YMMV, but you should think about your personality and how badly you want to win and how far you want to progress.
But I agree that if the headers are not on the car, that you might want to wait. Because ESP is a lot more expensive than FS is (by a LOT) to get a competitive car. Some folks don't care, some say they don't--but they really hate losing. Some just don't pay attention to the rules and them complain when they find out they screwed themselves classing wise. And some, like me love the sport and the competition and would rather be able to compete on a very high level than install headers. YMMV, but you should think about your personality and how badly you want to win and how far you want to progress.
__________________
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
www.stranoparts.com --814-849-3450
Results matter. Talk is cheap. We are miles beyond the success anyone else has had with the 4th gens, and C5, C6, C7 Corvettes,
10 SCCA Solo National Championships, 2008 Driver of they Year, 2012 Driver of Eminence
13 SCCA Pro Solo Nationals Championships
2023 UMI King of the Mountain Champion
12 Second Club
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,273
Likes: 0
From: Bucks County, Pa.
Originally Posted by ryanisfast
Queston about the alignment? When I go to firestone or wherever to get an alignment, will they align it to settings that I ask them to?? I purchased a lifetime alignment from them, so do you think they will do that??
Launching!
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 294
Likes: 2
From: AR (PA born and fled)
Align it yourself. Read a little bit about it and judge for yourself if it's within your capabilities.
It really isn't hard to do if you can't find a shop that will do it. Sam can probably help with some pointers while he's processing your order.
Basically you want to max everything out. That only leaves the toe to set. Two jackstands, some common sense and attention to detail, a tape measure and some string will get that done. I have toe plates in the garage but don't use them that much.
What are my alignment specs? Don't know, don't care. I've got all that I can get so why worry?. Each side is reasonably close to the other so I just focus on the toe.
You could always have the shop check it for you when you're done and make further adjustments with that information (if necessary). The alignment check should be covered by your lifetime alignment purchase.
It really isn't hard to do if you can't find a shop that will do it. Sam can probably help with some pointers while he's processing your order.
Basically you want to max everything out. That only leaves the toe to set. Two jackstands, some common sense and attention to detail, a tape measure and some string will get that done. I have toe plates in the garage but don't use them that much.
What are my alignment specs? Don't know, don't care. I've got all that I can get so why worry?. Each side is reasonably close to the other so I just focus on the toe.
You could always have the shop check it for you when you're done and make further adjustments with that information (if necessary). The alignment check should be covered by your lifetime alignment purchase.