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I do a few a year. They're fun, but costly.....trailer your car up, just in case you break.
issues for newbees
tires
brakes
clutch
rear end
driveshafts
and I saw a guy flip his car once
my suggestion, try it with your car, if you like it, buy yourself a track car (Miata's are awesome and cheap)
Autocross is an absolute blast. Especially in the Stock classes.
What car you running?
This! I had a buddy try and convince me to get into Autocross- but his BMW was a manual, mine's an auto (with the triptronic shift). He told me that odds were good that I'd roast my tires, destroy my brakes, wear out my clutch and mostly likely need to fix my suspension sooner than with normal driving... But it's a helluva lot of fun! I've always wanted to do it, but refuse to subject my daily driver to such abuse.Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeT
It is a lot of fun; I ran my '97 Trans Am in the F Stock class in the late 90s before I got into dirt track racing. It is definitely hard on your tires and brakes. How hard it is on the rest of your car greatly depends on how well you drive. i never caused any premature wear on my car, or broke anything.
My only advice is learn your car and don't push it in the beginning. The speeds aren't that fast; depending on your car and how fast you can come out of the turns into the straits. There is a lot of rapid weight transfer, which is the most challenging part of the courses. I always gave the alignment tech. my adjustments to set up the car the way I wanted.
What car are you running?
What event are you doing? I did the Pikes peak international raceway Auto Cross and then some at Dicks park, and some at the the high school in castle rock. I messed up my tires bad on the pikes peak one since it was much longer than the others. My tires were fine at dicks and the high school.
I've participated in two, both a long time ago and both in the wrong vehicles.
First was about 1969, in my 1960 Thunderbird with a manual transmission and Lincoln suspension (called a "Nascar T-Bird). It was held in the Pueblo Midtown shopping center parking lot. The car was way too heavy, but I really didn't do bad at all. Lost a lot of rubber though.
The second time was in the 1980s, in my 1968 Mustang GT. The car was a 390 (think Bullitt) so it was front heavy and hard to handle. Still didn't do too bad, even whipped a couple of Corvettes, and I was the only one doing smoky burnouts on the starting line.
Just don't push it on your first run. I've seen guys mess up nice cars by pushing them past the driver's (or the car's) limits. Brake late as possible into the turns, and come out fast. You can't make up enough time in the straights, like I tried to do in my Mustang.
Have done track time in an RX7, GTR, M3 & Supra. If it's your daily driver, I don't recommend it. If you insist, have a set of dedicated track tires and be ready to replace the above listed components. Highly addictive and a blast, but can get expensive quick. As mentioned, a class is highly recommended, and the miata is a great first track car. Pics/Video or didn't happen. Enjoy!
My mostly stock Mazda 3. Got firmer suspension and an SRI, but that's it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zundfolge
http://i.imgur.com/KmYiHOpl.jpg
Solo at Front Range Airport this SundayQuote:
Originally Posted by drift_g35
Thanks. I have a buddy who will be going, and who can photograph me. I'm going to see about an onboard camera.Quote:
Originally Posted by USAFGopherMike
Let me know when you burn up them tires. [Beer]
Yeah, those tires will take a beating. Most people don't think of it their first time, but your brake fluid is going to likely get cooked. May want to replace it afterwards (full bleed).