tkromer

iTrader: (6)

So there is going to be an autocross event in my town this weekend. Not an actual SCCA event so I don't know the details on classes and such yet.

Here's my real question: which car should I drive? I have a 2010 Evo SE, completely stock, and a 2008 Saturn Sky Redline with full boltons and very aggressively tuned, 368WHP, 393WTQ.

The Sky is faster. The Evo seems to fix driver error/be more forgiving. I'm an above average driver, a pretty decent drag racer even, but I have zero experience at autocross. Because of that I feel like the Evo would be a better first time choice, but then again I feel like I might force myself to learn more with the Sky. The extra power and no AWD to help me out would be a better learning experience.

Any thoughts? And regardless of which vehicle I race, any advice?

Boney Ranger

i would say the evo. then you can get used to autox and move up to your more quicker car.
my .02

IllFactor

iTrader: (3)

An autocross event, wow! What a great time that will be. I have an Evo and can only image what fun it would be out on a track. However if the course is small, not much room in between corners and you took the Evo through you might feel like your trying to catch a frog with a shot gun. Not sure which one is smaller, but I would choose that.

Ah frogs are to cool some other kind of small animal!

tkromer

iTrader: (6)

The Sky is MUCH smaller than the Evo. I wonder about the larger turn radius on the Evo.

YoKeutla

iTrader: (1)

Wow, those are some crazy numbers from a Saturn Sky. I would guess it took a pretty big turbo to get those numbers?

I would take the Evo out for your first time. Hell, I would go and grab your grandma's Buick for your first time autocrossing. Autocrossing is not about the car you drive, it is about you learning the limits of car control.

Take the Evo and take it easy your first few runs. For a first timer, the auto-x course can look like a sea of cones and be very confusing. Dealing with some understeer will be a good thing for your first time, that way it will teach you to be slow when you need to be and get you to not over drive the entire time out on course.

Have fun! I have been autocrossing for 6 years now and don't have any plans on stopping

4B11AWD

iTrader: (1)

If its you're first time autocrossing then don't worry about which car (although the Evo would be better because the modded Sky would put you in SSM, while a stock Evo would be B stock). Walk the course before the event starts as many times as you can, until its imprinted in your head. Remember when driving to constantly look ahead and focus on the next 2 turns instead of just the one in front of you.

Have fun!

IllFactor

iTrader: (3)

YoKeutla, that is an excellent Idea. If an autocross event comes up around were I'm at I'll be using this method for sure! tkromer What do you think about what everyones said?

tkromer

iTrader: (6)

Sounds like good advice so far. I will probably take the Evo and see how it goes. I would love to sling the back end of the Sky around someday though

tkromer

iTrader: (6)

So I had a blast today! May have some photos/videos later depending on what all friends took what.

Everyone ran together, no classes and such, it was just for fun. 22 cars showed up total.

I ended up 3rd overall behind a 300whp Civic and a turbo 240SX, not sure how much power he made. The course was REALLY tight and the small cars were dominating. There was a 600+ HP Corvette who placed middle of the pack, and several Trans Ams, Mustangs, etc that were doing quite poorly. There was also a nice 911 with a below average driver coming in right around the middle of the pack, he had the potential though IMO.

My driving definitely improved with every run. Full traction control off definitely worked best. I ran my tires at 38 psi (stock rims/tires), and I got a little shoulder roll but nothing horrible. Seems like 42-44psi might be the sweet spot. Longest straight I was still comfortably in 2nd gear, probably high 50s, so nothing too scary. I only hit one cone all day, and thanks to several coats of wax yesterday that buffed out in about 5 minutes when I got home.

My friends watching swore I was on two wheels several times today, but I'm pretty sure I was just tripod-ing, awaiting video to confirm. I definitely slung it about for all it was worth. The AWD was great coming out of turns, but the longer wheelbase was a bit of a penalty on this tight of a track. A Legacy 3.0R was actually consistently ahead of me most of the day but I ended up running a faster lap than he did overall. He was pretty much stock + sways and R-tires.

If/when I get video, I would love driving advice!

tkromer

iTrader: (6)

Here's my first run... might be the only one they got a video of. We'll see.

Autocross 2010 Evolution SE - YouTube

So definitely tripod, no 2-wheelin haha

4B11AWD

iTrader: (1)

Was this a real autox? Course and attendance seems super short. To help with your stock setup, 38 psi in your tires is fine. If you wanted more rotation and more front end grip, stagger your pressure like 35 or 36psi front and 38psi rear. Also don't be afraid to be more aggressive with your rpms. Maybe it was different in person, but the video seems like you were hardly on it.

4B11AWD

iTrader: (1)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3kdme0aP6o

Here's a video of my autox on a short course.

tkromer

iTrader: (6)

Not "real" like SCCA, but the guys organizing it run real SCCA as well. The attendance was around 50 spectators, so not too bad for our first try here in Morgantown. We were low on space because of some cars who managed to park overnight in our lot that was supposed to be blocked off. We'll get more organized as time goes on.

I like the idea of staggering the air pressure and getting a little more rotation. I ran 2.8 seconds faster on my last run than that one, so I was definitely not as on the throttle as I was in the last one.

bonsuz01

iTrader: (3)

Looks like you did have a blast..

Boltz.

iTrader: (42)

Sure you didn't mix that video up with a video of a nice casual stroll around a parking lot?

Just busting chops