Had the car three weeks to the day yesterday, so of course I had to race it! Went to an SCCA AutoX event for the New England region in Ayer, MA (the abandoned airstrip near Ft. Devens for those who know). I've done a few autocrosses before but in a completely different car than the Evo so I was curious to see how it would go. I didn't do that terrible but I definitely feel there is still a lot of time left in the car.

My Evo is completely stock, save for a set of Rota GForce wheels, which I will hopefully be getting rid of soon, on the stock Advans (approx 6-7000 miles). I understand with the tires that they probably aren't the best but I am just looking for some general advice for driving the Evo fast. I will have to set up the alignment more aggressively at some point as I am sure it sucks right now, but what have people found to work best to get the car to perform? Does the Evo perform better on a more open, faster course or is it better in shorter, tighter courses? I was also driving with ASC and braking assist off.

By the way, no Evo's there, but a few STI's and WRX's....gotta get some representation!

 

Turco and Dave have Corvettes now. I moved and race NASA now.

Evo just is not that popular anymore.

 

General advice for AutoX:

• Seat time trumps all mods. Don't worry about chasing mods or tweaking minor details. Nothing will pay dividends like actually autocrossing your car.
• Make friends at the event. Ask the fast drivers if you can come along for a ride and watch what they do. Ask them to come along with you and tell you what you're doing wrong. Have good drivers drive your car for one run (known as an 'instructional'. It doesn't count as one of your runs). That said, understand that the fast guys are often busy and take things seriously, so don't be upset if they turn you down. Ask during the morning runs, as they'll usually appreciate another look at the course.
• Remember the traction circle. Break in a straight line, then turn. Don't accelerate or brake while turning. Apply throttle as you unwind the steering wheel.
• Don't overdrive the car. If your tires are squealing and you're understeering all over the place, unwind the steering wheel until the front end grips again. Then resume from there. Don't turn the wheel past the point where you have grip, because it's only going to hurt your times.
• Invest in a GoPro. Film all of your runs and review them. Film runs when someone fast drives your car and compare.
• Invest in quality tires when your Advans are worn out. Star Specs or R-S3s. Don't even think about other tires if you want to be competitive.
• Add camber and caster. Toe-in to zero for tire life.
• Have fun, focus on having fun, and try not to buy too many go-fast parts.

 

Thanks, I appreciate that advice!

 

First off, Construct's list is great.

I've been happy with mine at both... but you may set your car up a little differently depending on which one you do more often.

For now though, alignment and seat time (including passenger seat time)