Any one here Auto X ??

[95z28]

I was thinking about geting in to it next season and was just wondering if any one on here does, mabey get a few pointers for suspension mods.

[Tundrahog]

Do you have any mods on you car now?

If you change one thing suspension, intake, etc it will put you into a different class.

I started in STU(street touring unlimited). I had a STB and an air lid installed. That took me out of the stock classes. Had fun for a couple of months. I hated street tires. Time for a change.

Changing tires will change your class. I switched to race compound after STU. That put me into ESP(E street prepared). I race with some cars that have more mods than I do. Some of these cars never see the road. Yea, they kill me on some courses. Some courses I'm only .3 seconds off their times. I will never race street tires again.

I will be upgrading the suspenstion this winter.
Koni adj. shocks w/lowering springs
BMR sway bars
BMR LCA's
BMR adj pan rod
Steel braided brake lines
Rotors and pads.
6 point cage

These mods will keep me in ESP and I can turn some times to keep up with the big guys in my class.

Order the SCCA National/Solo rule book to see where your car falls and where you want to be. Start off in stock classes(or what class your car is now) see if you like it and go from there.

www.scca.org Follow the Solo links

[Nightrage]

Would you be using the Camaro? Don't our cars suck for autocross? I've actually been thinking about doing stuff like this too but i think i'd get an AWD Eclipse or something.

[Tundrahog]

I'm using my TA now. Building my RS to a CP car.

04 ESP National/Solo champion drove a Camaro. Top 11 spots:

1 - Camaro
2 - Mustang Cobra
3 - Eco VIII
4 - Camaro SS
5 - Evo
6 - Evo
7 - Camaro
8 - Evo
9 - Camaro
10 - Impreza STi
11 - WRX STi

Fbody cars are good race cars. You have to set them up right. They like to push through the corners. Get past that and there alot of fun.

[95z28]

Only thing is auto ownz me . . . idk if its guna be as good. but it looks like fun, and 50k on stock suspension parts, why not replace them ne way.

[Thomas L. Parker]

Work on the driver first

Everybody wants to mod their cars but your first year should be spent learning the sport.

Get your vehicle in good shape first. Run stock. Don't worry about the times or thinking that you are going to set that class on its' ear the first time out. The times will come down with experience.

Get what I call a Track Pack together of tools, fluids, tire pressure gauge, food, fluids for you, jack, and other items. Get some magnetic material to make your numbers out of and stick them on the rear fenders because that is the only place that is metal!

Stock tires are fine for the first season. If you go to race tires, you are going to wind up having to get a trailer, heavy duty jack, air tank and a lot of other stuff. Learn how to make those tires work. Learn how to adjust tire pressure to change the handling characteristics of the car.

Find a mentor - someone that knows how to drive an F-Stock. They are a different kind of animal! They will make race car noises and are real crowd pleasers when driven right!

Get a copy of Turner & Miles "How To Win At Solo II and Autocross" and read it from cover to cover. Watch their video too. Local clubs may have these things to loan out so check around.

Get lined up to go to as many autocross drivers schools as you can. Just remember, schools are much harder on the car than a normal event because you are doing a lot more track time. Track time is what you need in order to improve.

After three years, my son's times were equivalent to mine in the 93 Z. We ran of street tires because I wanted to develop the driver first and then the car. We ran an event with the local corvette club - if you find a cone, you are lost kind of course! We placed 14th and 15th out of 25 entries and our only mod was a set of autocross tires. Only 4 seconds behind a Mallett 396 and most of that was because of wheelspin at the start. Once we got hooked up we were flying. Local police radared our car at 78 MPH on one part of the course! We were as fast or faster than the corvettes at that point on the course. So, an F-body can give a good account of itself. After 48 laps over two days, my son and I were 0.007 seconds apart!

So, read up, get the car in good shape and prepare for a season of fun in '05!

Tom 69, 93A4 and 93M6 all Z's