I planning on Autocrossing next year and was wondering if any of you here do that as well. What steps can I take to impove the handling of my car. I want to be competitive, but can't afford to break the bank yet. What are some smaller steps that I can build up to a better handling car? I haven't really played with suspensions and chassis parts to much, so I don't really know what will offer the best benefits. Thanks.

 

there is an autocross section here, you might ask there.

 

Rims and tires play one of the biggest roles. They are your only contact to the road.
Another great instant handling improvement are lowering springs.

I would say those two things are the biggest bang for your buck mods for handling, in my opinion. My 1LE is a beast on turns with those, albeit I have other suspension mods as well.

 

The best mod is an autocross school like Evolution www.autocross.com I believe. Second, autocross tires. From there, buy a rule book. One wrong mod and you'll get bumped into a class you have no chance of being competitive in.

Whatever you do, definitely get out there and try it. Since I first tried it two full seasons ago, I've made 20 of 21 local events. Very addicitive.

 

Like others already said, tires (R compound) will make a huge improvement but are not cheap being that you need rims for them also. But before spending any money, I would suggest that you race it as is and get some of seat time first. Go to Borders and buy an autocross racing book then try to apply what you've learned. That helped me alot. Assuming that you've never autocrossed before, you will see that you can pretty much toss out what you've learned on the street because it's a totally different game. After learning some driving technique, then start with mods like sway bars and springs. Those won't break the bank and will make a noticeable difference.
Also, I wouldn't worry about being "competitive" at first because in all honesty, unless you're a natural, you probably won't be. Just go out, have fun and try to improve as you go. Good luck.

 

When your beginning, your driving is where you can improve the most. After that R-Compound tires are the next thing to look for, I recommend Kumho Victoracers to start with, followed by quality shocks like Koni or Bilstien. Also if you have worn out bushings replace them and check the front end alignment.

When you go for the first time inflate you tires to 45psi and bring an air gauge. Talk to other pony car drivers, they are generally more than happy to help you out with advice. Check with the event officials to see if there is a novice program.

 

Note sig.

 

Thanks for the info...didn't see the Autocross section down there, but anyways, thanks for all of the info, I will pick up a book, and I just printed out the rulebook. The classification information is overwhelming, so many classes. I will post future questions in the right forum.