STANG KILLA SS Goes Racin

[CrawlinMike]

I'd love to try it in my Miata. Super tight cornering and geared low. May not win but be a blast.

[WHITE-TRASH]

Originally Posted by Tommy R

Generally speaking for your average autocross course, it's a matter of "put it in 2nd gear and forget it", but there are always exceptions to the rule. Cory's course was extremely small, short, and tight. I've been on a variety of courses with speeds up to 100 mph, but for most SCCA sanctioned events, they try to target a top speed of ~70 mph.

Of course, for insurance and overall safety requirements, there are a ton of guidelines with regard to layout of the course relative to objects around it, including spectators. Some clubs just don't get access to large facilities so they make do with that they have.

And yeah, autocross is expensive if you want to win. I couldn't justify $5k on dampers and probably $10k for a reasonably competitive motor so I changed classes. But when you get out-classed by brand new cars in your class that are way out of your budget, well, it kinda puts a damper on things. It was around that time I got burned out and migrated to offroading.

The events are put on by an SCCA sanctioned club so everything about the courses is in accordance to their guidelines.

We run on the infield and banked oval of an old track so we have a better facility than most. Although the port district recently sold the property to become some kind of wine drinkers something or other... I haven't heard what were going to do after they tear the place down but I know there are big parking lots available but it won't be the same.

You're right about 2nd and forget it too. I swapped in 4.10's from 4.56's since I was running out of rpm before crossing the lights in 2nd. I'm not too worried about winning since they insist on putting a ringer in my group every event so I keep the costs down. It sure does make for a damned fun daily driver.

Funny enough I came from the wheeling world and got over it and decided to play on the street courses instead. It was always about who's hootus was bigger so I went for the gold, made a big dumb truck and got out before my buddies could catch up.

[SVEN]

Originally Posted by CrawlinMike

I'd love to try it in my Miata. Super tight cornering and geared low. May not win but be a blast.

Miatas make up about 30% of all the cars at our local AutoX. They usually take the fastest raw time too (besides the carts), beating out Porshe's, BMW M3, Corvette's, and lots of Subies.


Love me some AutoX. I have found it to be much cheaper than RC.

2006 MazdaSpeed6 is what I throw around.

Congrats on the new addiction StangKilla

[binaryterror]

Originally Posted by Tommy R

Generally speaking for your average autocross course, it's a matter of "put it in 2nd gear and forget it"

Or just downshift. Too many people leave it in second and not all of us own American V8's with power to pull. I had the "glass" 5MT in the Subaru making 360whp and 360wtq and I'd downshift. But thats the life of a boost buggy - searching for that peak boost.

Originally Posted by Mayhem Eng.

I have never done autocross. Don't know much about it, turn left turn right don't hit the cones.

You know all of it...

Originally Posted by CrawlinMike

I'd love to try it in my Miata. Super tight cornering and geared low. May not win but be a blast.

You might be shocked. The Miata is dominant, especially in the PAX which is adjusted times to move the slower classes up and be a somewhat straight line. Miata's and BRZ/FRS tend to dominate right now.

Originally Posted by WHITE-TRASH

We run on the infield and banked oval of an old track so we have a better facility than most.

Best I've run on is Toledo Express Airport. Not a huge airport but the amount of space they give us is amazing. Though they still put in enough obstacles to keep the speeds lower. Who wants to go 70-100mph in a straight...I want more Chicago Boxes, Slaloms, and increasing radius corners. Then you find the better car, not the most powerful.

[EeePee]

I left mine in second and didn't need to go back to first cause I never slowed down that much.

[Tommy R]

Hey Cory, I didn't want to completely derail your thread by posting my stuff in here, so I created a thread outlining some of my autocross history. Feel free to check it out if you're bored....

My Race Car History

[struhall]

I wish I got to do some more autocross events. I got to do one event 5 years ago and then the car got wrecked 3 months later. Someone pulled out in front of my girlfriend (now wife) and she hit them at 50ish.





Then I bought a Miata and had it 6 months before it got hit and totaled, then ANOTHER Miata and I never even drove it before I sold it. I decided maybe I should stay out of the small cars for a bit and started driving a Jeep.

Still have one little toy left that will be a autocross toy someday when I figure out how to have more money than month every month.

[WHITE-TRASH]

Originally Posted by EeePee

I left mine in second and didn't need to go back to first cause I never slowed down that much.

Me too. Once I swapped to slightly taller gears I never needed 3rd again.

[STANG KILLA SS]

Originally Posted by Mayhem Eng.

Cool, When do you get to shift to second?

haha even with my power and 4.10s I never hit rev limiter or got close.
with my giant cam my car drives a lot like a big single turbo car. power doesn't start until about 5500. anything below that, it accelerates like EeePees civic. I did some testing "in mexico" the week before one early morning in a parking lot and tried 2nd. it just luged terribly on exits.

Here are the fun runs after the event. they removed the second slalom (coming at the camera) to speed the track up.
runs 1 and 3 I hit rev limiter.
2nd run I had a good run going carrying a lot more speed the first half. I grabed second on the new straight coming at the camera. bad idea. kicked rear end out on 1-2 shift and 2-1 shift ruining the run.

Originally Posted by Tommy R

Cory's course was extremely small, short, and tight.
Of course, for insurance and overall safety requirements, there are a ton of guidelines with regard to layout of the course relative to objects around it, including spectators. Some clubs just don't get access to large facilities so they make do with that they have.

.

ironicaly they said this was one of the more open/fast tracks theyed ever done. most of theres are super tight technical Miata tracks they said. yeah they fight insurance issues pretty bad. especially at the new location. its city property. so they fight insurance AND city regs. cop on location at all times.

[BJoe]

Were they able to get one of the cops run their cruiser

Kinda surprised they have that many issues with this, you would think that something that has the potential to "get it off the streets" could be a good thing, but there's probably too much short sightedness in the name of "public safety" to get that any more............

[STANG KILLA SS]

the cop is there to insure/inforce the "no breaking traction" rule that was part of the city contract. (worried about destroying the parking lot asphalt surface)
my guess he was a rookie that got stuck having to sit there in his popo Tahoe all day. what a shitty job. probly had dvds on the laptop.
he was understanding though. as long as you didn't purposely drift/burnouts/donuts/stay in the throttle after you spun he was understanding and cool with it.

[binaryterror]

We have the Port Authority cops at the Toledo Airport (mainly homeland security stuff and getting safety vehicles there since the spot doesn't really have an access through an address) and when we do the MSU campus their cops come out for the purposeful traction loss, they rarely care about the normal stuff that happens and are pretty cool.

[BJoe]

Lol, he was probably wishing to get in on it then! Chicago actually was setting up something like this at the US Cellular field some years back for police training several years back. Dad had the chance to watch it and found that the Chicago cops were horrible drivers! Only good one he saw was a hispanic kid that immbarrased all the other cops there, caught a bunch of crap from them, so he got back in his Crown Vic and ran the course again........IN REVERSE.........and still pulling a better course time than the rest did in drive

[spankbomb]

On the second run looks like you got passed by a black Grand Chero.

[STANG KILLA SS]

haha Audrey said the same thing. ironic because my daily is a black GC
in my defense he red lighted

[WHITE-TRASH]

No breaking traction rule? I'm so glad we don't have that BS to contend with.

[spankbomb]

I picked up this last year to do some auto-x in, but never have had the chance to. No overdrive, so whatever fun I have with it will need to be around SA.

[Tommy R]

^^^ Needs sidepipes.

[spankbomb]

Has electric cutouts

[STANG KILLA SS]

new dyno tune. been quite a few years since the last one.


we pulled right at about 30hp out of the car to get some street manners back. injectors are running at 113%. AFR was a nice consistant ~13:1. went from a dry shot tune, to a NA tune and got her to idle and not load up so bad.
night and day difference. a lot easier to drive now. I can even run the AC now without it dieing. no more having to pump the gas every few seconds to keep her running, and no more stalling as i pull away or fouling plugs sitting at a light. stinks less too
gonna go back for one more round of touch ups probly, but just street tuning, not dyno. getting a bit of ramp up at idle. ill probly replace the o2's as they are reading consistant, but well out of spec. also getting an occational 1% throttle TPS reading at idle. need to address those first.