That is a simplified version of the taken home message for you, my friend. Listen to the words of the wise.

 

i set mine at 40psi front and 36 psi on the back.

you need to have a lowere psi on the back to balance out the weight on the front of the car.

 

first one in stockton, second one in mather air force base.

 

i always thought more psi means harder means more slip...i guess it's not then huh...

 

going buck-nutty-all-out isnt the best way to win at autocross. moderate-throttle and good racing lines will allow you much better times

 

autocross is all about balance and finesse. thats how you win the races, i have seen many slower cars win because the driver is more controlled. control is the key, learn your car, how it drives, how it handles, and how it responds.

 

A quick note on tire pressures. For a given tire/car/surface combo, there is some pressure at which a tire develops max grip. Running more or less pressure than that will decrease grip. Generally, you want to get the end of the car that does the most work (the front on the Evo) running as close to optimum as possible. Then you work to get the balance you want by adjusting the other end. Using the Advans as an example, let's say you figure out that 42 psi hot is the optimal pressure up front. And let's say you are running 38 psi in the rear, but you are getting more understeer than you want. What do you do? Well, that depends on whether 38 psi is more or less than the pressure at which the rear tire develops max grip. If you add a couple psi in the rear and the balance gets better, then you know that 38 psi was above the max grip pressure for that tire and going to 40 psi decreased the grip even more. If you add a couple of psi and you get more understeer, you know you are getting closer to the max grip pressure. To get the balance you want then, you either have to drop your pressure below the original 38 psi or you have to keep adding air until you pass the max grip pressure, whatever that turns out to be. As for whether it is best to run higher or lower than the max grip pressure, people do it both ways. I think in theory at least, running higher is better because it increases the effective spring rate of the tire, which will also help loosen the car car up. I have run both ways myself though and find myself more comfortable taking the low road.

And on the subject of tire damage and tire pressures, you are much more likely to chew up your tires by running too low than too high. Don't ask how I know

So much for a "quick" note, hopefully it made sense...

JW

 

just read through this and thanks for the great advice! I'm a noobie at autox so this definitely helps especially coming from Evo drivers...

 

so how about on the straight-away, what if i know i can full throttle that puppy til the end of the gear...should i not? should i hold it to whatever rpm is good enough and kinda "smooth" things thru?
some tell me run smooth all the way and some tell me the "national champ--the blue vette" do a hard stop and slip into the apex...
for evos...what's the best way??

 

At any experience level, smooth is best. To paraphrase the saying about real estate, the three most important things to think about while autoXing are: location, location, location. If you can always put the car in the right spot (and pointed in the right direction), you will be rewarded as your times drop dramatically.

Of course, it's much easier to put the car right where you want it if you're driving smoothly. And you have basically no chance to put the car in the correct spot if you're not looking ahead.

As your experience level increases, and as you make more of the appropriate mods to the car, you will find yourself going faster and faster and still hitting the right spots.

 

Braking while turning doesn't slow one down very quickly and tends to overwork the tires that are trying to get the vehicle to turn. Understeer is the result. In non-AWD cars I was told to brake hard while going straight then give steering input. You still want some braking while you start the turn, however, so that the weight is more on the front and it will give some additonal bite to the wheels trying to turn - just don't ask too much of them or you'll still go straight!

 

It's easy to think that hard and smooth are mutually exclusive. They're not. That guy in the blue vette is probably very smooth. Most of the rides I have had with national level guys have been quite violent, but that doesn't mean they weren't being smooth. The reason they seem violent is because they were asking the car to give everything it had, but not one bit more and that's the key. If you are smooth, you can take the car to the limit and hold it there. If you are not smooth, you will not be able to do that as you will keep slipping over the limit and losing time as the car scrubs speed. Or, you end up being too conservative in an attempt to stay on the right side of the limit. Let's look at a grossly oversimplified example. Say your car can pull a steady 1.000 g in a corner. A smooth driver might, by being smooth, be able to keep the car between 0.990 g and 1.000 g, giving him an average of 0.995 g. A not so smooth driver, by making excessive or abrupt steering and/or throttle inputs, may only be able to keep the car between 0.900 g and 1.000 g, giving him an average of 0.950 g. No driver can exceed the limits of the car, but the one who can keep the car closest to the limit the most is going to be fastest.

Google "friction circle" for better explanations

JW

 

i was at that one at mather as well last weekend
i drive a white sts honda civic coupe #23 i didnt do too well at all that event. i have a lot of problems with my car though right now and so im hoping that's why i did so ****ty, but anyway just go to more of these events and watch who's good and ask to go on rides with them when fun runs come along. Most everyone there (sac guys at least) are really nice and helpful. I've been racing with them for a few years now but i never got too much help til i asked for it. i also let some of these better guys drive my car once and awhile if im having a hard time with something.

 

i think i got the idea that smooth is not slow. thank you for you guys explaining what's the diff. smooth and fast. there's one next month, i'll let you guys know how i do.

 

Welcome to the addiction. This is my first year Autocrossing and I'm completely addicted. The biggest recommendation I can make based on my experience with the EVO is: GO TO SCHOOL FIRST! I really like Evolution school (has nothing to do w/ our cars). Their program and approach has really helped me. I'm down to chasing the STU class lead by about 3 seconds, down from about 10 seconds before. And these guys are all top knotch drivers.

If you absolutely most spending money on the car do the suspension stuff first. Thing like an adjustable rear sway bar and camber plates will make a world of difference (and move you out of A stock). The first big purchase, besides a set of wheels and dedicated autocross tires, should be coilovers. Have fun researching those.

Have fun and enjoy it.