I'm 16 and my 92 RS 305 M5 is my daily driver so i definitely cant afford to have anything happen to it. from what ive read autocross is a parking lot with cones, so its not like i can flip my car 7 times into trees or anything right. if i find an event around here would it be safe to go try it out? my cars stock and has 137,000 miles. what parts does it put the most stress on (not just "suspension" but specfiics)? o and tires....will it totally wear my tires down. they have about 90% tread on them...would they be like slicks after i ran? all info is appreciated.
thanks

PS. where can i find out about events in my area- Mooresville, NC?

 

Eh Rippin, yes auto-x events usually take place either on a large open parking lot or an airstrip with cones so the possibility of sustaining some kind of body damage is minimal. Auto-x, like any other type of racing will put stress on your car so you will want to make sure your suspension and steering components are up to par. The things that will wear is stuff like tie rod ends, wheel bearings, and of course, tires. You don't need to worry about your tires getting wasted from just one event. I ran with my street tires for a whole season (12 events) and they've lasted over two years of daily driving. For an event near you, try checking the SCCA web site.
Good luck, and have fun.

 

I have been auto crossing my bone stock Firebird for 2 seasons now. THe wear on the tires is prompting me to just buy another set of wheels/auto cross tires (victoracers). It will be cheaper in the long run, and the car will stick much better than with my ****ty GCS's.

 

the biggest part you will wear are the tires, but its not like you think. if you inflate them prober, they will last just fine. a 245/50/16 should have 52lbs to run. that way you wont wear them bad. next, slight brake wear.

 

Tires and your nerves!

 

After autoxing on Kumho Victoracers, I started calling my GSCs "four buttersticks!" The GSCs are great for beginners though, as they are so hard they will last a long time with the proper tire pressures as already mentioned.

 

52lbs of pressure?????? wow!
I've NEVER run even close to that high. When I used to run street tires my car worked well with 37lbs in front and 30-32lbs in rear. If you run that high your car will feel like its on ice. It will skate everywhere and you won't be able to control it.
If your car is in good shape, the only major wear item will be the tires. You could easily go 1-2 seasons on your daily driver street tires, depending on the number of events and the type of surface i.e. asphault vs. concrete.
get out and try it, you'll love it.
also be sure to talk with the veterans and ask them for rides, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to let you.

md

 

yea, i am still kinda new at this. i drive in the bay area of california, which probably has the most national champions running on one day then any where in the country. last year i took first in cp in my camaro and a couple of years ago, i had one day first place in my impala ss in esp, and like i said, if you saw who runs out here, thats still pretty good. plus i have instructed two events and the students seemed to love what i taught them. what i can tell you from my years of running auto-x and a few hundred laps of track time (ask julie aka lady in nomex how i used to catch here on the back side of thunderhill in my impala ss) is every driver and every surface is differant!! what may work for me, may not suit your driving style. any way, i am just offering some help and you can run any tire at any pressure you want!! but i do remember my rookie days (which is often) i asked loads of drivers and tried what they advised, to see where is a good set up for my car and my style.

 

Aha, my old T-Hill play partner reappears!

 

Nobody's gonna make you run any faster than you want. Go and take it easy a few passes and just see if you like it. Ditto on the tires. They won't vanish, but will wear quicker of course.

You will want to make sure your engine is sound. I think the actual biggest stress on the car will be the strain and rpm's if you drive it hard. Some people report smoking power steering fluid after a run, but again... it's all in how hard you push your car.

 

Be sure that your oil level is 'full'. Since you're above normal driving rpm's and accelerating, braking, or cornering hard just about 100.0% of the time, the amount of oil in the pan tends to drop during a run and get sloshed to the sides, rear, or front of the sump (depending on whether you're cornering, accelerating, braking, or some combination). IOW, away from the oil pump pickup/screen.

Actually, a quarter of a quart or so overfilled is cheap insurance against uncovering the pickup. But don't go overboard with this or you'll be risking your rear main seal integrity; I'd consider 1/2 qt extra to be the absolute maximum (for longer courses).

Norm

 

yep like said, over fill the oil jsut a little, and keep like 1/4-1/2 tnak of gas, do not want ot be starving your motr of oil and fuel on turns.

Deponds on the itres I have sh|tty tires and they wore REAL fast. brakes were not too bad. You do not do any shifting really, and honestly I think its more fun then drag racing. OOPS! did I just say that on this board?

 

MustangEater82:
When you gonna get a LT1/LS1 so you can really compete? I could use another person in my class. I think I'm 3rd in points right now. Besides, those Imprezas are too fast for you.

Any part of your suspension that is wearing out will be prone to breakage or at least accelerated wear. You tranny mount and motor mounts might need looking at in an older car that makes a decent amount of power. Put some white shoe polish on the corners of the tires to be able to see how much they roll over in the corners. That's a quick way to be able to tell how much pressure to run. You don't want to run on the sidewall. Low pressures will wear them out fast on the corners. A pyrometer is another way to compare tire temps at the inner center and outer of the tires. It should be the same all the way across or at least a linnear progression, 180,185,190 - not 195,180,220. But that's too much info for now. Just make sure your battery is secure, your lugs are all secure and your drivetrain is in good shape. Then go have fun. It isn't for everybody... But old ladies still have their knitting.

 

Go have fun and learn. Take it easy. There have been two totalled cars here in the northwest in the last year so major damage is possible. You'll have a learning curve anyway so best to take it slow at first. You'll get better fast and be a much better driver than you thought.

 

Man, what do you all do up there, autocross on a mountain?!?!?!