JDM_Mitch

I'm pretty new here but I have done a lot of reading/research, etc.

Here are a few videos of my runs;

3/20/2011-
Setup:
Avid W4S 225/45/18 Up Front
Eagle RS-A 225/45/18 In The Rear
Unknown alignment (alignment shops computer froze with the before specs on it)
Bad coils and oem plugs at 67,000 miles
Video-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6vu8JuopQw

4/10/2011
Setup:
Riken Raptor 245/40/18's all the way around at 40psi (set cold in the morning)
Alignment Front-
Camber:
-Left: -0.44* Right: -0.22*
Caster:
-Left: 6.84* Right: 6.37*
Toe:
-Left: -0.05* Right: 0.04*
Alignment Rear-
Camber:
-Left: -1.81* Right: -1.55*
Toe:
-Left: -0.26* Right: -0.14*
Videos-

(Run 3, 60.162) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28McyMQKtQY
(Run 4, 60.840) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ht3BLLwV848
(Run 5, 60.688) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-avyMcK5nG8

Now once my tires heated up I could tell they were getting a little greasy so I will invest in a water pump/spray bottle thing-a-majig.

Also, when I went to get an alignment I had wanted -1.6* up front and -1.8* in the rear, and zero toe front and rear, with as much caster as I could get with the camber I wanted. I don't think they did a very good job lol. I know the front eccentric cam is frozen, but the rear isn't even close; I guess I didn't go to a race shop.

Any tips guys? I felt like the whole car had the same amount of traction, but it degraded as each run went by, beginning after run 3. This is my second autocross event in my RX8 (first couple were in a B13 Sentra about 5 years ago when I was 16). I just got the car back in late January of this year so I am still getting used to its abilities .

Thanks for any tips/critiques!

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

tip 1: get your car in order first i.e. mismatched tires, frozen eccentric cams, etc.

hot tires are the least of your issues

JDM_Mitch

Tires are no longer mismatched as said in Event 2 setup, but I am curious how much better -1.6* will be up front versus where I am at?

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

it will make the front stick more, but nobody can analyze your hand/feet inputs etc. >remainder edited<

.

JDM_Mitch

Wasn't asking about my driving style in particular, just didn't know on this how much of a difference it made in general. No reason to read that far into it and be dick.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

apparently you don't even believe your own statement

lycanthrope

its a bit hard to say with all the info you gave us and i know thats not what you want to hear but id say just get as much seat time as you can and ask some of they guys you race with if they will ride with you or if you can ride with them. are you running in scca events? also the camber should help but youll have to decide for yourself how much good it did. good luck!

JDM_Mitch

Yea Solo SCCA, C stock. Going to go back to an alignment shop here in a few days after I've soaked the eccentric cams/bushing.

TeamRX8

iTrader: (25)

It will definitely help to get that sorted out. Sorry if my poor choice of wording rubbed you the wrong way. Contrary to your response, I generally go out my way to help people who are new to autox

lycanthrope

if this is your 1st year(even your first few years)youll be slower than the car so i would worry too much about your set up just concentrate on making yourself a better driver. not trying to say that you are a bad driver but 90% of the people who autocross are not getting the most of there cars. just try to keep it stock for as long as you can and if you dont like the alignment or tire pressure its not a big deal the best drivers ive met can take a car that is set up like crap and make it as fast as they want it to be. so if anyone tells you that you need something dont worry about it too much what you really need is just you but it sounds like your already headed in the right direction. just try to get as much advice about how to drive your car as you can from the guys who have been doing it for a long time.

JDM_Mitch

No worries guys, it was late at night anyways and I was tired.

To put it into perspective, the fastest car out there ran a 51 something (corvette Z06, prepped with R comp tires and suspension work) and the slowest was like an 83 or something like that. 60's and under were pretty fast times from what I saw.

Also, I know I am nowhere near what the car can do, but I know there are little things that would make it easier and more predictable for me being as new as I am.

My times were:
Run 1- 61.519
Run 2- 60.350
Run 3- 60.162
Run 4- 60.840
Run 5- 60.688

No cones on any runs, and I always go a little slow for the first one. Tires felt like they were losing grip as each run went by.

Here are the results: http://wichitascca.org/results/2011/...11-ByClass.htm

ScubaSteve8

I watched run 3 and it seems that for the first 20sec of the run you were a little slow in picking up the throttle once the car started rotating through the corner which could possibly be because you just weren't in a groove yet or the car was understeering. After the slow right hander (~35sec mark) you seemed to be in a good rhythm and the run seemed really good.

I'm by no means a hardcore autocross guy, just mainly do it for fun between time attack events now. Hope it helps!

Bladecutter

Why do you have your tires set to 40 psi at the beginning of the day?
Have you tried lowering the pressure to see if that gains you any extra traction?

That might be part of it.

Oh, and if you can, ask one of the quicker guys if he might take you for a run through the course after the day is done, and see if he can't tell you what he thinks of your car's setup, and what advise he might have. Usually the guys are really friendly, and willing to offer advise and help out the newbies.

BC.

JDM_Mitch

Thanks for the insight. I actually didn't get anyone good to ride with me as a ton of people that came (a bunch of us friends go) wanted to ride along because I am much better than they are. I did ride with a few guys but it's really hard for me to tell what I'm doing differently.

Where should I set the tire pressure at in the morning? Basically I fill it up before we leave, because I have no way to fill it up when I am there (it's off the beaten path). It's my guess that my tires are getting way higher than 40psi when I run. I need to invest in a better tire pressure gauge and use it between runs next time. I drive around town/highway with 35psi in them, so maybe I will hoon around in an abandoned parking lot and see how much they go up after a minute of hard driving.