Anyone racing with their stock (or not stock) Lancer?
Evolving Member
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
From: Houston,TX
Originally posted by jtech
JohnMemorialHS, I agree with what you said. I just like spoiling the fun of those that think they are great. I live in Houston, TX and almost every hick in the rural part where I live owns a truck (yes, I have one, too). They like to make them very loud, too. So if I can get a chance to beat them with an import 4 door sedan, I'll do it. Especially if they have a girl with them.
JohnMemorialHS, I agree with what you said. I just like spoiling the fun of those that think they are great. I live in Houston, TX and almost every hick in the rural part where I live owns a truck (yes, I have one, too). They like to make them very loud, too. So if I can get a chance to beat them with an import 4 door sedan, I'll do it. Especially if they have a girl with them.
Evolving Member
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 487
Likes: 0
From: Minnesota
Originally posted by sdhotwn
Amen Crazy Lizard!!! As far as the Spec -V, yeah that's a great car. I personally don't dig the looks that much, but gotta give them credit for giving you guys a lot of features and the six speed is awfully damn nice. I have a buddy that has one as well, and he has had so many problems with his, and has said the road noise in it is just horrendous and everything else... so slight quality problems. And I hate to pull one of these, but granted the spec-V has those things out of the box, but it also costs about 1.3K more than an OZ and more than 2.5K more than the ES or so forth. So the shocks, springs, bars, and wheels can be done for under that. But then the Lancer is still dragging big time in comparitive horsepower.
I love my Lancer, it's a fun decent looking cheap little import than can be tuned to death if you want, or just toyed with here and there. It is not a high performance all out street car or anything of the like. It could probably be made in to one with enough money (any car can really) but yeah.
The other guys that I have talked to that have raced their lancers in auto-x have been doing pretty well too. I took 3rd out of six (missed second by like .2 seconds, and actually had gotten second had I not ticked a cone in several of my runs) in my last meet, so that wasn't bad. I don't know what I placed overall, but it was my first ever meet and I was learning a lot and my times really weren't that great.
The lancer is pretty light in the rear end so it does have a tendency to get a bit loose, but like I said it definitely pushed well and navigated cones well. So I enjoy auto-x ing it and will be running a full season in my Lancer this year, and we'll see how I do at the end!
Time for class...
Later.
Steve
Amen Crazy Lizard!!! As far as the Spec -V, yeah that's a great car. I personally don't dig the looks that much, but gotta give them credit for giving you guys a lot of features and the six speed is awfully damn nice. I have a buddy that has one as well, and he has had so many problems with his, and has said the road noise in it is just horrendous and everything else... so slight quality problems. And I hate to pull one of these, but granted the spec-V has those things out of the box, but it also costs about 1.3K more than an OZ and more than 2.5K more than the ES or so forth. So the shocks, springs, bars, and wheels can be done for under that. But then the Lancer is still dragging big time in comparitive horsepower.
I love my Lancer, it's a fun decent looking cheap little import than can be tuned to death if you want, or just toyed with here and there. It is not a high performance all out street car or anything of the like. It could probably be made in to one with enough money (any car can really) but yeah.
The other guys that I have talked to that have raced their lancers in auto-x have been doing pretty well too. I took 3rd out of six (missed second by like .2 seconds, and actually had gotten second had I not ticked a cone in several of my runs) in my last meet, so that wasn't bad. I don't know what I placed overall, but it was my first ever meet and I was learning a lot and my times really weren't that great.
The lancer is pretty light in the rear end so it does have a tendency to get a bit loose, but like I said it definitely pushed well and navigated cones well. So I enjoy auto-x ing it and will be running a full season in my Lancer this year, and we'll see how I do at the end!
Time for class...
Later.
Steve
Perhaps the biggest selling point for me for the Spec V was the gobs of low-end torque - all of which can actually be put to the ground thanks to the HLSD and grippy tires. That feature alone is worth every penny and then some if your an autocrosser. Since my requirement at the time was for a car with a back seat big enough for kids, good autocross capability and a $300-ish payment, the Spec V fit the bill perfectly. I could care less about the extra gear in the tranny - rather wish it was a 5-speed actually - but having the wheels, big brakes and suspension goodies right off the bat means that much less crap for me to worry about later. I'm running the car bone-stock in a Stock class (on the OEM tires no less) and wouldn't have it any other way. The price difference compared to a Lancer worked out to about $25/month which wasn't that big a deal and no, you need to spend a lot more than $1,300 to get a Lancer anywhere close to a Spec V - and it still couldn't run in a stock class.
Anyone looking to autocross a Lancer in Stock class should probably look at the OZ since it has the bigger wheels and rear sway bar. With a good set of tires, some (very) stiff adjustable shocks and a cat-back exhaust a car like that could probably do well on the local level for relatively cheap and still be a very practical daily driver. What is a Lancer these days, HS? Hopefully those changes and a good alignment will solve most of the cavitation problem that really gave me fits that first time out. It's also pretty cheap and easy to do and still plenty streetable.
Last edited by Mark F; May 2, 2003 at 11:36 AM.