Autocrossers: Check in here! - Page 46

piknockout · 04-22-2008, 09:59 AM

Well, you don't have to do everything at once. Get a few suspension mods and wheel/tires and work on improving your driving at the same time. Then as you get better you can mod further...after you've purchased the house.

hugeevilrobot · 04-22-2008, 10:18 AM

Yeah, i think this season is just going to be trying to get faster with what ive got, possibly getting the revalved konis, and hitting as many events as possible. Next season ill feel better about dropping coin on the suspension. And the annoyingly expensive power mods. And the wider tires. And the tuning. etc.

piknockout · 04-22-2008, 12:59 PM

FYI Conger, they provided an update on how they plan to handle the event. For those classes that ran in the morning heats, their season championships will be determined based on the best 5 of 7 events. For those classes that were cancelled that day, it's the best 4 of 6 events. If you were in the afternoon classes AND were there to register, you will get a refund. If you were registered and didn't show, just like any other event, you get nothing. Consider it a donation to help offset the lost income from having to give out all the refunds.

**Gonzo** · 04-22-2008, 01:52 PM

That works.

tpofa-07LX · 04-22-2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by civicsi52

If you are staying in stock class, r-comps are the way to go. Kumho makes the V710 which isn't as stiff as the Hoosier, but a few bucks cheaper. I've heard the Hoosier A6 doesn't last as long as the V710.
You also have to have a way to transport them to the event. If you have to drive lots of miles to get there, you're not going to want to drive there on r-comps. So make sure you have a way to get your race set to the event.

Thanks for the info

.
I think I am just going to get some RT-615's. They are fairly cheap and supposed to be a great tire. I looked into the V710 but its out of my price range, maybe in a year or 2 I will get some R-comps. I planned on transporting them to events, but now I guess I can just drive the RT-615's if its close enough.

Also can anyone recommend a good floor jack that will get my LX up high enough for swapping wheels and getting under the car to change the oil?(I am gonna get some jackstands seperately, dont want the car falling!)

**Gonzo** · 04-22-2008, 06:21 PM

Good heavens yes. NEVER get under your car when it is supported by a jack. There was a local guy around here, restored cars for years, was quite reknowned for it.

One day someone walked in the garage and found him underneath a car. Jack gave up. Dead.

We use a Craftsman 1.5 ton jack. Works pretty well but after removing the handle in order to fit it in my car to take it to an autocross, it definitely changed the way it jacks stuff up. Just doesn't move as much as it used to compared to how much you move the handle. I might sit down with it and really look it over to see if anything is different but I didn't think I changed anything. For now I have been cautious in the way I use it just incase.

Anyhow it seems to work well otherwise. That and if it ever messed up you can take it back for a refund, being Craftsman. Hopefully not though since they are pretty critical tools...

tpofa-07LX · 04-23-2008, 12:12 AM

^I know jackstands are a must! I wondered whether I had worded my earlier post clearly enough. Looking for a jack, already have jackstands(heck no I am not getting under a car without these, that's natural selection at work right there if you don't use jackstands)

I looked at that craftsman 1.5 ton. Black, removable handle, pretty inexpensive? My friend told me it wouldn't lift high enough and that the removable handle thing would be a PITA.

piknockout · 04-23-2008, 08:37 AM

Funny we're talking about this as there's a minor discussion on the WDCR group about it. A lot of guys there like the 3k lbs. Harbor Freight jack that is supposed to be relatively inexpensive. Just a thought.

**Gonzo** · 04-23-2008, 08:51 AM

Yeah, I know. The majority of my post above was about our 1.5 jack from Craftsman. As far as how high it lifts, it seems to lift pretty high *shrugs* I dunno how high most people are used to having theirs go but it must be way up there if they think the Craftsman is inadequate.

If you do get one I recommend the jack plate style like the Craftsman and Harbor Freight (as Pi mentioned) have. It has a good size flat pad. I had to borrow one from a guy at th event and it has a huge surface that was bowl like so you were lifting with the edges of the metal which didn't sit too well with me.

I dunno if that makes sense, kinda confusing. If not I'll try to elaborate.

piknockout · 04-23-2008, 09:16 AM

What you mean is a pad that looks like ____ as opposed to \___/ I'm assuming. Obviously a little exagerated, but you get the point.

Oh, and FWIW it looks like the 128 and 135 just got classed in DS per the May FastTrack. So...tempting...not...to...order.................. ..............................okay, not this year of course. But I'm still trying to figure out what car to get next either for 2009 or 2010. There's still a year or two to figure it out though.

I like the S2000, but by that time who knows what may be put in the class to outgun it. Even though the new STI and EVO aren't expected to be the best AS cars...I still want one. Unfortunately, wife won't let me have either. But she does like the 135, and if it's good for DS (perhaps BS in the future depending on how it fairs this year), it could bump to the top of the list. Only time will tell.

**Gonzo** · 04-23-2008, 09:56 AM

Yup, that's pretty much it Josh. I like the flat surface. More versatile since it can fit more places and even though the pad is smaller it has more surface area to distribute load onto. That style gets my nod. Plus the Craftsman and Harbor both come with soft rubber pads, for what that's worth.

The 135i is gonna be DS? Jeeez. That will be a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention it is just a nice ride to begin with.

I think my dad was toying with the idea of getting a 1. I'd love for him and I to go to Drive for the Cure but according to their website registration for our area doesn't start until October. Test Drive a 135 and M3, yes please! (The M3's engine is like the V8 equivalent of our K20's, sort of...

)

S2000's are sexy beasts but truth be told the 1 is more practical and probably about as much fun. Twin turbo V6? Yes please! Plus what the wife says, goes...

Do you like the coupe or the hatch better? I dunno if we get both versions, it would be nice though...

piknockout · 04-23-2008, 12:04 PM

We get the coupe and convertible. But when did they start putting a turbo V6 in these or any BMW's?

hugeevilrobot · 04-23-2008, 02:47 PM

the 135 in DS? that seems like it would slightly outgun anything else in there, though i've heard they are one wheel wonders, which would be fun with the amount of torque they put down. It will be interesting to see them and the ITRs mix it up. Still, leaving the mini in GS (and rx8 in BS?) shows they dont seem to worry about having a fairly dominant car run a class.

**Gonzo** · 04-23-2008, 03:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by piknockout

We get the coupe and convertible. But when did they start putting a turbo V6 in these or any BMW's?

Inline...

honda93 · 04-23-2008, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hugeevilrobot

the 135 in DS? that seems like it would slightly outgun anything else in there, though i've heard they are one wheel wonders, which would be fun with the amount of torque they put down. It will be interesting to see them and the ITRs mix it up. Still, leaving the mini in GS (and rx8 in BS?) shows they dont seem to worry about having a fairly dominant car run a class.

There was one at the Philly SCCA event this past weekend. People were talking about 275's on the rear. With good shocks and the right alignment, the absence of a traditional LSD may not be all that horrible. Other than its immense weight for such a small car (the rear seat is useless), the thing is freakin' sweet.

Anthony "Mario" Crea
NNJR-SCCA

friedk · 04-23-2008, 03:47 PM

3300 lbs does seem pretty crazy for pretty much a 2 seater.

piknockout · 04-23-2008, 04:16 PM

Yep, Steve Snow's 135. Here's a report from his co-driver.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris

We (Steve and I) had 275s in the rear and 245s up front (A6's) on the 135i. It was a VERY last minute thing. No rubbing issues at all.

I'm not nearly the autocrosser that Steve is (I'm an open track guy), but we both struggled with the car all day. We didn't have time to put shocks on the car, or even play with the alignment. Keeping the front end planted requires a lot of effort and finesse. It's definitely no R56, that's for sure. ; )

I'm not so sure the car is a class killer yet. I'd like a little more than 4 runs worth of seat time, and I think Steve would too, especially with shocks, alignment, and some more experimentiation with front tire sizes. I think the car has potential, but some adjustments to both the car and driving style are in order.

Chris@Bimmerworks

With that said, different tires, some DA's, and a nice FSB could change this car tremendously into a solid top contender. All the car had done was tires.

honda93 · 04-24-2008, 12:20 AM

Here's the results from the 4/20 Warminster event.

Otto's MINI Summer Series - Philadelphia Region SCCA AutoX Summer Event 1 - Final Results - 2008-04-20

I'm very happy but slightly disappointed with my results in H Stock...

I finished 2nd as I coned my last run which was a 53.6 raw so I had to stand on a clean 54.6 whereas the winning MINI had a 54.4. I know that I could have repeated that 53.6 and that the cone was a "chump" cone, I turned in a millisecond too soon and I thunked it with my front wheel.

That's autocrossing for ya!

What killed me was that I was 10th in overall PAX (out of approximately 160 people) with the 54.6. Do some very fast math and you'll see that if my 53.6 had been clean, I would have PAX'ed the event overall by almost 1/2 second over a single seat, open-wheel snowmobile powered beast in F Mod!

The Civic was awesome, the new alignment settings really compliment the lack of rear camber the updated OEM control arms provide and the Bilsteins really helped the rear come around in spots that most people thought only a MINI would fit! Lastly, it felt great to be on fresh R-Comps again (which weren't heat cycled, btw). My first run was the first time that tire turned on the ground.

Actually, I am very pleased. :)

Anthony "Mario" Crea
NNJR-SCCA

***Highrev1*** · 04-24-2008, 12:30 AM

Wow TONY!! Really NICE! You knew that car had it in it to beat the Mini's! One clean run and you set to win!

piknockout · 04-24-2008, 09:29 AM

Anthony, fantastic driving! Seems like someone's got a shot to do some good things in HS this year. Always sucks to have that great run, just to find out you hit some "chump" cone that shouldn't have even mattered. If I make it out to a Philly event I'll have to come and find you.

But while we're playing the "what if I didn't hit that cone game", if Shenefield had actually run in STX instead of SM in the Civic AND hadn't hit that cone on his 3rd run, he would've taken first in PAX...but only by a VERY slim 0.152 seconds over you in a solid 2nd. Once again, a lot of ifs. But I know how fast Chris is and you're right there.

You guys making it to Topeka this year?

04-22-2008, 06:21 PM	#906 (permalink)
Gonzo You're doing it wrong!! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Age: 21 Posts: 5,467 iTrader: 5 / 100%	Good heavens yes. NEVER get under your car when it is supported by a jack. There was a local guy around here, restored cars for years, was quite reknowned for it. One day someone walked in the garage and found him underneath a car. Jack gave up. Dead. We use a Craftsman 1.5 ton jack. Works pretty well but after removing the handle in order to fit it in my car to take it to an autocross, it definitely changed the way it jacks stuff up. Just doesn't move as much as it used to compared to how much you move the handle. I might sit down with it and really look it over to see if anything is different but I didn't think I changed anything. For now I have been cautious in the way I use it just incase. Anyhow it seems to work well otherwise. That and if it ever messed up you can take it back for a refund, being Craftsman. Hopefully not though since they are pretty critical tools... Last edited by Gonzo; 04-22-2008 at 06:22 PM.

04-23-2008, 08:51 AM	#909 (permalink)
Gonzo You're doing it wrong!! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Age: 21 Posts: 5,467 iTrader: 5 / 100%	Yeah, I know. The majority of my post above was about our 1.5 jack from Craftsman. As far as how high it lifts, it seems to lift pretty high shrugs I dunno how high most people are used to having theirs go but it must be way up there if they think the Craftsman is inadequate. If you do get one I recommend the jack plate style like the Craftsman and Harbor Freight (as Pi mentioned) have. It has a good size flat pad. I had to borrow one from a guy at th event and it has a huge surface that was bowl like so you were lifting with the edges of the metal which didn't sit too well with me. I dunno if that makes sense, kinda confusing. If not I'll try to elaborate. Last edited by Gonzo; 04-23-2008 at 08:52 AM.

04-23-2008, 09:56 AM	#911 (permalink)
Gonzo You're doing it wrong!! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Age: 21 Posts: 5,467 iTrader: 5 / 100%	Yup, that's pretty much it Josh. I like the flat surface. More versatile since it can fit more places and even though the pad is smaller it has more surface area to distribute load onto. That style gets my nod. Plus the Craftsman and Harbor both come with soft rubber pads, for what that's worth. The 135i is gonna be DS? Jeeez. That will be a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention it is just a nice ride to begin with. I think my dad was toying with the idea of getting a 1. I'd love for him and I to go to Drive for the Cure but according to their website registration for our area doesn't start until October. Test Drive a 135 and M3, yes please! (The M3's engine is like the V8 equivalent of our K20's, sort of... ) S2000's are sexy beasts but truth be told the 1 is more practical and probably about as much fun. Twin turbo V6? Yes please! Plus what the wife says, goes... Do you like the coupe or the hatch better? I dunno if we get both versions, it would be nice though... Last edited by Gonzo; 04-23-2008 at 09:59 AM.

04-24-2008, 12:20 AM	#918 (permalink)
honda93 Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Property Tax Hell... NJ Age: 34 Posts: 881 iTrader: 2 / 100%	Here's the results from the 4/20 Warminster event. Otto's MINI Summer Series - Philadelphia Region SCCA AutoX Summer Event 1 - Final Results - 2008-04-20 I'm very happy but slightly disappointed with my results in H Stock... I finished 2nd as I coned my last run which was a 53.6 raw so I had to stand on a clean 54.6 whereas the winning MINI had a 54.4. I know that I could have repeated that 53.6 and that the cone was a "chump" cone, I turned in a millisecond too soon and I thunked it with my front wheel. That's autocrossing for ya! What killed me was that I was 10th in overall PAX (out of approximately 160 people) with the 54.6. Do some very fast math and you'll see that if my 53.6 had been clean, I would have PAX'ed the event overall by almost 1/2 second over a single seat, open-wheel snowmobile powered beast in F Mod! The Civic was awesome, the new alignment settings really compliment the lack of rear camber the updated OEM control arms provide and the Bilsteins really helped the rear come around in spots that most people thought only a MINI would fit! Lastly, it felt great to be on fresh R-Comps again (which weren't heat cycled, btw). My first run was the first time that tire turned on the ground. Actually, I am very pleased. :) Anthony "Mario" Crea NNJR-SCCA Last edited by honda93; 04-24-2008 at 12:25 AM.

04-24-2008, 12:30 AM	#919 (permalink)
*Highrev1* 8thcivic Sponsor Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 3,681 iTrader: 1 / 100%	Wow TONY!! Really NICE! You knew that car had it in it to beat the Mini's! One clean run and you set to win! __________________ BUY MY CIVIC

04-22-2008, 09:59 AM	#901 (permalink)
piknockout Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 154 Josh iTrader: 0 / 0%	Well, you don't have to do everything at once. Get a few suspension mods and wheel/tires and work on improving your driving at the same time. Then as you get better you can mod further...after you've purchased the house.

04-22-2008, 10:18 AM	#902 (permalink)
hugeevilrobot Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 121 iTrader: 0 / 0%	Yeah, i think this season is just going to be trying to get faster with what ive got, possibly getting the revalved konis, and hitting as many events as possible. Next season ill feel better about dropping coin on the suspension. And the annoyingly expensive power mods. And the wider tires. And the tuning. etc.

04-22-2008, 12:59 PM	#903 (permalink)
piknockout Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 154 Josh iTrader: 0 / 0%	FYI Conger, they provided an update on how they plan to handle the event. For those classes that ran in the morning heats, their season championships will be determined based on the best 5 of 7 events. For those classes that were cancelled that day, it's the best 4 of 6 events. If you were in the afternoon classes AND were there to register, you will get a refund. If you were registered and didn't show, just like any other event, you get nothing. Consider it a donation to help offset the lost income from having to give out all the refunds.

04-22-2008, 01:52 PM	#904 (permalink)
Gonzo You're doing it wrong!! Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Richmond, VA Age: 21 Posts: 5,467 iTrader: 5 / 100%	That works.

04-23-2008, 12:12 AM	#907 (permalink)
tpofa-07LX Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: g-vegas Posts: 293 iTrader: 0 / 0%	^I know jackstands are a must! I wondered whether I had worded my earlier post clearly enough. Looking for a jack, already have jackstands(heck no I am not getting under a car without these, that's natural selection at work right there if you don't use jackstands) I looked at that craftsman 1.5 ton. Black, removable handle, pretty inexpensive? My friend told me it wouldn't lift high enough and that the removable handle thing would be a PITA.

04-23-2008, 08:37 AM	#908 (permalink)
piknockout Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 154 Josh iTrader: 0 / 0%	Funny we're talking about this as there's a minor discussion on the WDCR group about it. A lot of guys there like the 3k lbs. Harbor Freight jack that is supposed to be relatively inexpensive. Just a thought.

04-23-2008, 09:16 AM	#910 (permalink)
piknockout Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 154 Josh iTrader: 0 / 0%	What you mean is a pad that looks like ____ as opposed to \___/ I'm assuming. Obviously a little exagerated, but you get the point. Oh, and FWIW it looks like the 128 and 135 just got classed in DS per the May FastTrack. So...tempting...not...to...order.................. ..............................okay, not this year of course. But I'm still trying to figure out what car to get next either for 2009 or 2010. There's still a year or two to figure it out though. I like the S2000, but by that time who knows what may be put in the class to outgun it. Even though the new STI and EVO aren't expected to be the best AS cars...I still want one. Unfortunately, wife won't let me have either. But she does like the 135, and if it's good for DS (perhaps BS in the future depending on how it fairs this year), it could bump to the top of the list. Only time will tell.

04-23-2008, 12:04 PM	#912 (permalink)
piknockout Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 154 Josh iTrader: 0 / 0%	We get the coupe and convertible. But when did they start putting a turbo V6 in these or any BMW's?

04-23-2008, 02:47 PM	#913 (permalink)
hugeevilrobot Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 121 iTrader: 0 / 0%	the 135 in DS? that seems like it would slightly outgun anything else in there, though i've heard they are one wheel wonders, which would be fun with the amount of torque they put down. It will be interesting to see them and the ITRs mix it up. Still, leaving the mini in GS (and rx8 in BS?) shows they dont seem to worry about having a fairly dominant car run a class.

04-23-2008, 03:47 PM	#916 (permalink)
friedk Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1,405 iTrader: 2 / 100%	3300 lbs does seem pretty crazy for pretty much a 2 seater.

04-24-2008, 09:29 AM	#920 (permalink)
piknockout Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 154 Josh iTrader: 0 / 0%	Anthony, fantastic driving! Seems like someone's got a shot to do some good things in HS this year. Always sucks to have that great run, just to find out you hit some "chump" cone that shouldn't have even mattered. If I make it out to a Philly event I'll have to come and find you. But while we're playing the "what if I didn't hit that cone game", if Shenefield had actually run in STX instead of SM in the Civic AND hadn't hit that cone on his 3rd run, he would've taken first in PAX...but only by a VERY slim 0.152 seconds over you in a solid 2nd. Once again, a lot of ifs. But I know how fast Chris is and you're right there. You guys making it to Topeka this year?