any suggestions for good suspension, tires, brakes or anything else that can help get my times better at an event?

 

What is your level of experience at auto-x? I'm thinking we need a bit more to work with.

For example, I still basically suck at auto-x despite my love for it. But I've only done about 6-8 events thus far, so the only modification that I can see doing much good at this point is the driver modification that I've been working on. It apparently takes a while for this modification to take root, but I hear it is the best thing one can do.

 

Sorry, no suggestions, I dont auto x. But Im sure you'll get plenty of smart *** answer.

There will be the "search ****'s", someone will tell you to get more "seat time" or instruction before investing in upgrades, and Im sure baghead will post some smart *** reply.

Good luck

 

don't listen to dookie-for-brains posters like the above, the first reply is an excellent answer

hope I didn't disappoint ...

 

I don't really auto-x but I do race on the Nurburgring. What I initial did for that was take me car out pretty much stock (except for Mazdaspeed Sway Bars) and see what I ran and decide what I need to improve my time from there.

I decided from my first 4 laps on that track that Stock tires suck so I ordered the Falken Azenis RT-615's. I also noticed I wanted a little more power in the mid range so I orderd a K&N Intake and AP Pulley.

I go back to the track on April 28th so I hope these little mods approve my times.

 

Here you might want to look at this: http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm
Check out the section on car setup tips.

Hope this helps.

 

sorry i realize you all need a little bit more to work on.

okay, i've been going for about 4 months now and for not been going very long, my friend says he's mad at me for doing so well. out of 35 novice entries, i've always been in the top 5-3 spots. (this also places me in times that are better than some stock cars, but not the experienced drivers) overall, i feel like i'm getting the hang of my car, running it through the motions and getting a feel for how far i can push it on the course. i'm not sure how much farther i can go in terms of pushing better times but i'd at least like to be in the top third of the field (out of 130 something entries). although thats more like a lifetime goal, hehe.

oh yeah, i realize i addressed auto-X wrong, it was late and i was tired sorry.

 

modding your car and getting knocked out of the Stock class will be a mistake, it won't do all that well anywhere else without serious mods and serious driving, so learning the rule allowances for the various categories would also be a good starting place

 

thanks i appreciate the advice. i'm thinking of just chilling out and being content for now.

 

If you feel the car is holding back your times, you can go much quicker and have more fun by simply getting a good, aggressive alignment and investing in a set of DOT R tires (for rims, you can get an extra set of oem's for about $400 or you could spend $1200-2500 on a set of aftermarket, stock legal rims). If you want to take it further, the next step is spending about $550-600 on a set of Konis. That's about all you need to do to run competitively in stock class.

Funny thing, I don't see a lot of "modded" RX8's going any faster, anyway...

 

As I understand it, the ten best stock-legal changes are...

1) Seat time
2) Tires
3) Seat Time
4) Alignment
5) Seat Time
6) Shocks
7) Seat Time
8) Front Sway
9) Seat Time
10) Luck

Note that items 4, 6, and 8 are changes that would be part of an overall setup. Just changing one or two without regard to the others will likely not result in large improvement in lap times. Additionally, improvements due to changes to 4, 6 and 8 will likely only be realized with enough of items 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 10.

 

Get a kart. Not a brand new shifter or rotax, but a nice, used kt100. Then get out to your track and put in the hours to learn how to go fast. I love autox, and in fact it's more fun to me than my karts, but the kart will give you the chance to put in tons of seat time and learn. Not that you can't learn in autox, but the kart will shorten up the learning curve IMHO.

I just recently picked up autoxing again, and am a little bit rusty, but my traction sensing skills, etc. are 100 times better than what they were when I first started autoxing. Smooth in autox is different than smooth in a kart, but that's the goal in both. Either way have fun. I don't think there is anything magical about it. Just put in the time and learn at what point sliding turns to scrubbing.

 

Karts are not the same as a real car with a diff on it. YOu can learn from it, but it's not the same thing.

 

What ASPIRE said is 100% accurate. Follow that advice and don't be afraid to ask questions at the autox. Track racing and karting are not near the same. Learn your car at the limit. Good luck

 

Konis, stock front sway, alignment, light 18X8 stock class legal offset wheels and 245 v710's. But don't listen to me I went ahead and slapped in the MS springs and 17" wheels, so it looks like i'm gonna get thrown to the wolves in STU or BSP.

 

A kart wont teach you how to drive a car, but you will learn how to find the right line on the track. Any seat time can help. However do not confues the kiddy karts they pass off at your local indoor track with a real race kart.

 

I am not disagreeing with any of you who say a kart is different than a car. However a kart will allow you to put in the seat time and learn how to really go fast. That is all I was saying. Not a kiddie kart mind you but a rotax etc. The good thing about a kart is that you can spend hours at a time out there and really get a feel for it, instead of the 6-7 min. a month you get at the autox.

I am not trying to start a flame war with this, but for a newb wanting to learn, I think puting in 10 or so hours in a kart with some instruction would put him WAY ahead of the pack. And for those who think I am a flamer (that didnt sound right ) go back and read my first post. I actually have MORE fun at an autox than I do in my rotax.

 

I agree with billdo -- seat time in a kart is much better than no seat time at all.

 

I completely disagree. I learn more from my video simulationthan driving a Kart. I don't know about you, but I drive a car with four wheel disc brakes with a real differential. I can't quite get the same feel on a kart. I would rather do a day autoxing

 

To each his own, but I feel it has helped me a ton. Have you ever driven a shifter or Rotax Kart? IMHO they are the best driver aids out there for someone starting off and wanting to learn(ok, maybe not a shifter). Karts must work a little bit though, because ALOT of the top drivers today started in, and continue to race karts. F1 cars have diff's and 4 wheel disk brakes, and almost all of the drivers came from karts. I understand that karts and cars are different, but getting in all of the seat time that karts allow you to can be nothing but a good thing IMHO.

 

So can racing simulation, you learn how to drive around traffic, anticpate how a car drives and all the fun stuff. Karting doesnt hurt you, but it is not a must do neither. I can go out and set fast times all day long in any cars in both track events and autox, but i cant do a karting event to save my life. It all depends on the person and driving style.

 

So, your assertion is that someone with years of kart racing experience will be as helpless at an autocross as someone with no competition driving experience whatsoever? That's bizarre, and doesn't really merit rebuttal.

 

It can very well happen, go look at the top karting guys at your local club and watch them at the track or autox. You pick up good and bad things from karting, it's not like a must have.

 

way to hijack this thread, hijackers

 

stay in stock class...whether you want to stay in B-stock (and go with R-compounds like the Kuhmo V710) or street tire stock class (what is it again....SK1/SK2?) if you want to stay with street tires.

Both allow the same modifications:
front sway bar
struts
drop in air filter element
exhaust
lite-weight (stock sized rim)
custom alignment