legendkurado

I'm sure your suspension outdoes my turbo in an autocross

½mv²

I'm sure it would if my tires weren't molded out of liquid suck

Crztrtldck

its true
i know next time to push a lil harder cause i was goin no where near as fast as you.
great runs. super fun. im becoming a member in january.

first mod's gana be some racing compound tires.

½mv²

Are you serious about that? You do know that 255/40 18" r-compound tires go for ~$300 a piece, right? Plus you'll have to dish out another couple hundred for 4 more rims...


If you don't mind "sharing" your car with me (co-driver; like those 2 guys in that Porsche GT3 that spun out every 3 feet), I'll split the cost of the equipment with you...





EDIT:
and for what it's worth, I really wasn't that much faster than you. It feels dramatically different when you're in the passenger seat because you don't know exactly when to brace yourself. The only reason I had times lower than you was because I used the gas pedal to point myself into the next section (the stiffer suspension greatly helps with this), whereas you let the car finish the turn normally.
I'm sure by the end of your runs in January you'll be getting the hang of it. You'd be suprized how big of a difference 1mph or 1degree of slide can make on your times out there. Just think of my last run: solely because of how well I cut that over-the-crest hairpin, I shaved a full second off my time...

....and then proceeded to decimate a cone and add 2 seconds to my time, but that's beside the point...

Crztrtldck

255's ?

i know a place where i can get some cheap rims and then all i have to worry about is tires. and that'll be like 220-ish a tire. all im doin right now is a lil homework on which tire is best for my $$


i heard last thing you want to mod is tires though. some guy told me that yesterday and i was like "okay..."
anyone have a opinion on that?


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires....num=94WR7EV710

legendkurado

you went to the 7 meet?

legendkurado

let me rephrase 7 and 8 meet?

Myardor

iTrader: (7)

So I don't pay/drift, I can still join as a passenger on someone's ride?
Any one?
I don't think I want to drive/drift. I just want to..well ..be in the fun.
TIA
Raymond

edj

The guy probably meant that race tires will hide driving errors that would be obvious
if you were on street tires. A season of autocrossing on street tires with some
driver instruction would improve your autocrossing skills faster than spending the
same money on R-compound tires.

I don't know what modifications you've made to your RX-8 but for B Stock the
first change I recommend would be Koni Single Adjustable shocks (approx. $550)
and a 4 wheel alignment. Then go to a bunch of autocrosses for the practice.
Once your times stop dropping then consider getting the race tires on a second
set of wheels.

my $0.02,
edj

½mv²

WTF? Why are you pricing a tire that doesn't fit your car? That's a goddamned drag radial.

225/XX-18
or
225/XX-16

If it's any size other than those two, you'll be disqualified from the stock class. Since your stock, I'd recommend 225/50-16. It's the cheapest option, plus it gives you a 1¼-inch drop from stock height, and a lower center of gravity always helps. You might want to consider some negative camber adjustment if you go this way, as the smaller diameter setup will increase your camber.

It's very true. R-compounds hide mistakes. When you've got competative tires, the super-grip let's you get away with very VERY bad driving techniques.

On street tires, if you come into a turn too sharp, you'll understeer, be forced to mash the brakes, readjust, and then enter the next turn at a crappy angle - you will know you took it wrong.
On r-compounds, you'll just cut the turn at a very slow & crappy angle, the car will force itself to comply, and you'll never know you just added a second to your time.



Think of it like our cars. When you're new to the RX-8, it's baffling when everyone tells you that intake/exhaust/etc. aren't good mods. It makes ZERO sense, and actually seems to be the exact opposite of what your logic tells you. But, as many members here have proven, even with every bolton known to mankind, you don't gain any power.
Well...
when you're new to AutoX, it's baffling when everyone tells you that r-compound tires aren't a good mod. It makes ZERO sense, and actually seems to be the exact opposite of what your logic tells you. But, as many members of the SCCA have proven, using r-compounds before learning your car on street tires forms habits that take YEARS to break.

½mv²

I never turn down a ride.

You show.
You ask.
You ride.

tntmst

So what about a brake upgrade? I figured that might be a pretty good addition as well.

edj

no need. the oem brakes work incredibly well.

some people do use different brake pads trying to adjust f/r brake bias
but i think they are just trying to compensate for driver mistakes.

legendkurado

^ I second that. The OEM brakes are more than enough.
From what I hear, MS springs + Koni Shocks = great performance reviews. This is the route I am going also.

CosmosMpower

Wrong, you can run any size tire you can cram on a stock width/diameter wheel with +/- 6mm offset. People have tried 285 hoosiers and the fast standard tire for Bstock is a 245/35/18 V710. I bet you could fit a 295 under a rolled fender on a RX-8 provided you had the correct amount of camber/offset and a proper wheel width to support it. I fit 275/40/17 V710's easily.

Starting on street tires is the correct way to learn but you don't have to maintain a stock size tire. I would probably go to a 245/XX/18 decent street tire like a RE-01R or Kumho MX etc and go from there.

You should familiarize yourself with the rules before giving more false advice.

CosmosMpower

The 3 year defending national champion won on stock brakes.

½mv²

My mistake - I was confusing the stock rules with the STS rules. It's the STS class that bars you at a width of 225.

Thanks for catching that

Crztrtldck

i was there

Crztrtldck

any body else have .02 cents on autocross for a beginner?

thanks for the tips thus far everyone

CosmosMpower

Get as many rides as you can with fast drivers and see what they do.

Look ahead, it's very unnatural feeling but force yourself to do it at least 1 corner ahead and you will be very surprised how your eyes/hands will work correctly.

Walk the course as many times as you can so you know the basic design and can concentrate on the small details to go faster rather then where you are going next.

Don't coast. If you're not on the gas (at least partially) you should be on the brakes. If you're coasting a lot you probably don't know the course as well as you should, walk it a few more times next time.

When you use the brakes, use them HARD (not like slowing to a stop on the street). Don't be scared to engage ABS as the brakes on the RX-8 are incredible.

Crztrtldck

alright
kewl
i walked the course 2 times before i ran, and i ran w/ a fast miata
hahaha

then when i was doin the course i was coasting alot...
so i'll try to be harder on the gas and brakes


hey CosmosMpower
you own a elise?