DontRevMe

iTrader: (2)

This year was my first in autoX. Ive got roughly 33 runs under the belt, 95% at ATWATER,CA.. Each time i go, there arent any experienced evo drivers, so driving advice isnt readily available. Now the first part of racing is finding the right line, and ive spend this year trying to focus on that. Its helped me somewhat, but i still cant seem to run times that my car is capable of. I was also reading that alot of people with awd cars like to attack the course in a more aggressive/corner carving manor. I was simply curious what you've found to be the best way to attack your average autoX course (reguardless of class).

Since this IS evoM, please keep flaming out of here, we all have to start somewhere.

thanks all and good luck to those going to nats!!

-alan-

Graphite_MR

iTrader: (20)

I have a season under my belt too and i am still learning the evo too but braking is a key feature in order to get good times... If you brake too much you are off boost and you loose time if its not enough you get the understeering so this is also as important as reading the line...

DontRevMe

iTrader: (2)

this weekend i was actually in boost maybe 3~ times per run..Ican see that as a problem but i dont see how i could fix it..

LanEvoNine

iTrader: (18)

i've always been told that in autox everybody's line is somewhat different based upon their driving styles and vehicle dynamics... so there is no definitive line to follow, but slow in fast out seems to be the way...

madmax199

iTrader: (20)

LFB is what cured my falling off boost problem, it is a hard technique to master but it pays off as I'm consistently faster by half a second when I switch back.

As far as line goes(evo) I believe that it has to do with your grip and power level. If you have a low powered/ low grip evo (like the stock/stu ones) you are forced to concentate more on using as much track possible and, picking lines as you need to keep momentum going. Higher grip and powered evo (Bsp/Sm) tend to point and shoot more as they have enough grip and power to compensate and benefit more from cutting the distance traveled by pointing and shooting. At the wrx/evo shoot-out my co-driver and I took notice of how in general (well driven or not) "street-tired" evos and sti were picking lines wile "r-compounded" cars were connecting dots instead of making curves.

dcorn

iTrader: (1)

^^ That is very true, good observations

To the original poster. Let one of the instructors drive your car and show you how to drive it, then have one ride with you and point out what you are doing right and wrong. This helped me immensely and I've only done 2 autocrosses.

Even better, go to one of the all day or 2-day autox courses and they will give you classroom type instruction as well as teach you how to do certain skills for autox, almost like earning a license in Gran Turismo. You get like 20 runs in one day and you should be able to learn what your car is capable of by the end of the day.

dannykao

iTrader: (6)

This is my first season also and I had the luxury of meeting all the fast Evo STU guys from PA and MD. If you go to the discussions on STU Autox prep, most of the guys there are super fast and I will definitely take the setup advice from that thread.

Here are what I have learned this year in terms of driving:

In the stock suspension setting, the car is fairly neutral and do not understeer much. In the dry weather you can take the traditional autox lines and focus on building momentum. In the wet you have to "point and shoot" - drive to the next cone, brake, turn, and drive to the next cone, and so on.

I actually finish 2nd and 1st in the only two rain events that I ran this year driving the "point and shoot" method so I know it works. I used the same drivng style on the dry days and it does not work every well at all.

If you modified the suspension with coilovers, make sure you set the suspension up that is suitable for autox. The street/race/track setup generally have more spring rate in the front then rear, which benefit high speed turn but understeer quite a bit and the lack of grip also cause problem in steady state turns. Generally go to lower front spring/higher rear spring will improve understeering, and it will also push less in steady state turns.

There are plenty of guys here running STU and finish close to top PAX, so the Evos are definitely very competitive in STU. The national champion in SM will probably go to an Evo RS also. Not too sure about A or BSP.

I personally think an Evo is easy to drive fast for us novices, until we begin to mess with suspension and we can turn an user friendly car into a nightmere. But once the car is sorted out and you get a nice tune to get the power come on at a lower RPM range, it will be very user friendly again. I think the car is so flexible, you can tune your car to suit just about any driving style.

I have been focusing on coming up with a good course attack plan during course walk. Walk as much as I can to memorize the course and know where to go fast and were to stay patient. Look well ahead during the run, brake early and get back on the gas early, and know where to give up speed to gain speed. That thinking has been quite helpful; but of course there is still alot for me to learn to run with the "big dogs". JMHO and good luck.

chrisw

iTrader: (2)

You can certainly be agressive with the EVO on an autocross course. But the car also demands smooth inputs to be fast.

you are a lucky SOB, I am guessing that you are running a lot of AAS events. For those who don't know, AAS events are famous for bouncing off the revlimiter in 3rd gear. that's the norm for those courses... 8)

Try to time your boost to the apex of the corner. In slaloms, I try to maintain a constant throttle, but often need to make quick jabs on the trottle just past the apex to get the back end of the car where I want it.

Don't forget your braking points. You can brake really deep into the corners if you have ABS, I mean REALLY deep.... almost to the apex deep depending on how much speed you enter with. this way you can accelerate through the corner gaining exit speed.

remember that when you are under acceleration, you have the maximum traction potential because the power is getting distributed evenly to all 4 wheeels. The minute you lift the throttle, that traction potential drops dramatically. you can use that to your advantage on course.

good luck, and maybe when I have some decent tires, I will join you out in Atwater.

DontRevMe

iTrader: (2)

id look forward to it chris!

DontRevMe

iTrader: (2)

Thanks for the advice. Im sure there's no "correct" way to attack a course, we all have different driving styles, different cars, and different surfaces. But its nice to see everyone's approach.

machron1

iTrader: (1)

I've tried Auto-x a few times. By the time I get used to the course, my day is over and I end up getting a sunburn or getting wet just standing around and chasing cones. Track days are the most fun you can have on 4 wheels without actually racing, but it's waaaaaaaaaaay expensive in terms of consumables, plus you are more likely to break expensive parts. Drag racing is even less exciting than auto-x and even more dangerous to expensive parts (unless you have built a drag monster of course, then I'm sure it's great), but the time actually racing is even shorter STILL. So, now I'm back to my (and my car's) roots: Midnight runs on mountain passes. The car was born from rallying, and it's set up for tarmac rally right out of the box. Plus it's not an all-day thing, there is an element of danger so it's exciting every time, and when I'm done I don't have to replace all my tires and brakes, or admire my fresh lobster skin tone after an exhausting day of waiting around and chasing cones, with a little bit of driving in 2nd gear in between...

I'm never going to be good at auto-x because I can't take it seriously. I'm in a damn parking lot for god's sake...why are we walking the course lol. The most fun I ever had at an auto-x was when I stopped trying to beat my times and just had fun going a bit sideways off-throttle and cranking the wheel, then BIG oversteer out of corners...FTL but more fun than if I won the K-mart parking lot championship series or whatever they call it.

(puts on flame-resistant bulletproof vest)

point&shoot

iTrader: (3)

As the holder of the trademark on the "point&shoot" brand-name I agree with this advice.

But as a five-year autocrosser, who's just now getting ready to try for a national championship in BSP, I need to tell you what no one told me until my 3rd year (and I was running at Devens, MA, with many of the top drivers and instructors in the country). Here it is:

The most important thing to know about the racing line in autocross is that the cones you have to corner around are not apex cones. They are the track-out cone. This is track terminology, so if you don't track your car, I'll say it another way. When you have to turn right around an upcoming cone, you should steer well to the left of the cone and finish your braking about the time the cone is directly to your right, then turn in, do your cornering and as you get closest to the cone, you should be accelerating and already pointed at the next cone you need to go to.

This is an oversimplification and doesn't completely apply to slaloms, but this is the one most important thing you need to understand about the autocross racing line.

Various instructors will use different terminology to try to tell you this, such as "you were late, there", but I think the above is the clearest way to put it.

I hope this helps you go faster.

point&shoot

stimpy

iTrader: (3)

I find the Evo easier to go fast, but harder to drive when compared to an M3 (that is easier to drive, but harder to go fast). I can take an M3, feel good about my driving, but end up off pace. I can take the Evo, struggle to get it to do anything that I want, but end up faster than the M3. That doesn't have anything to do with techniques, but I wanted to give a perspective on the car itself.

Now, why is the Evo harder to drive for me?

• small-displacement motor
• turbo
• awd
• no abs

The small motor is obvious: the torque output is higher up the rpm range so you have to predict when you need to accelerate before you need to accelerate. The turbo goes hand-in-hand with the displacement. If you stuff your foot into it in an STI, it responds immediately with brutish acceleration; if you stuff your foot into it in an Evo, it has to saddle up first and THEN you have to hold on. Often you will need to be on the gas at or before the apex in preparation for acceleration on boost out of the corner. The awd is somewhat counter-intuitive. With the M, you can steer with your right foot, but with the Evo, you can do that to a lesser extent and it is largely dependent upon what rpm or gear you are in. I have trouble stopping either car, so abs is only a real concern on abrasive surfaces that will flatspot the tires if you screw up.

For me, the basics all apply:

• keep eyes up
• late apex
• be early with ALL inputs

If you just watched your slalom cone go by, you are already behind; same goes for your apex cones. Late-apexing is the act of staying wide longer and trying to maximum your corner exit speed through a longer duration of acceleration (check out any racing book for a definition). The Evo is simply damn fast. If you aren't keeping your eyes up then everything is going to happen too fast. Just about every novice driver will turn in too late, hit the gas too late, brakes too late, you get the point. If you concentrate on trying to drive over the back-side of the cones, this will get you into the mindset of starting your turns earlier.

-Jon

slicedbreadno2

iTrader: (9)

There is alot of useful information here for us novice Evo AutoXer's.

Dave Mac

iTrader: (2)

Two words: Evolution School