Hello. Started autocrossing last season and new season just started(probably about 60 minutes of driving time). Got the rear diff restacked for this season and I can def notice the less fwd feeling when throttling out of a corner. But anywho I am looking for some feedback. I'm not great or anything, just trying to get better. Constructive criticism welcomed. Not looking for anything crazy advanced for feedback but maybe something more simple so it's something I know I could improve on instead on trying to focus on something advanced that would help a tiny amount. But all feedback welcomed.

Mods.
340who
Pilot Super Sports
Swift Sport Springs
Rear diff restacked
-2 camber front and -1 back.

Ignore the orgasmic "Oh Yea Oh Yea" at the 16 sec mark. Got excited from the rear diff new feeling...


Things I saw myself was that I could've done better.
1. The long straight before the slaloms(slaloms before the turn around) I could've braked less(19 sec mark) and kept a higher momentum going between the 2 cones before the slaloms.
2. My turn around I think I should've turned in a little sooner.
3. Slowing down a tad to much before I entered the box.
4. Setting up before the cone wall at the end.
P.S Also I know I didn't launch. I will launch once every blue moon for the sake of the drivetrain.

Thanks for reading.

 

you'll hear from better drivers than me, but:

I'd position the camera wherever you can to see your inputs - helps give you a better idea what you are doing with your eyes, hands, and if you position it right, easier to see car placement as well. One from a recent event:


What's your suspension set up, tire pressures? Sounds like the cars pushing a bit, could use more camber.

 

Not going to get away from push running super sports, they're just not sticky enough if you really want to go fast. Your own critiques seem pretty good.


On another note, I hate those kinds of courses. Slalom up, turn around, slalom back down. So uncreative and not that much fun...

 

Stock suspension besides Swift Sport lowering springs.
-2 camber front, -1 back.
38 psi cold front and 32 back.

Not looking for upgrades that can get me faster times(unless having a bit more camber in the rear could help I don't mind doing that) but more input on my driving so I could improve myself.

 

Right now I'm using Pilot Super Sports since they last a long time (cars a dd) and I believe I could learn more than using some 200 treadwear tires. When this set gets worn I'll probably go towards ZII Star Specs since they're sticky and read they have a good amount of life. I know with the PSS will be less forgiving if I overshoot or undershoot something. I feel like I have to be just right if I want to have good momentum going. If I learn to get great at that then I would just get that much better when I swap to something more sticky.


Yea it's on a airstrip so the course will usually always be up one way and back down the other. You can only do so much with the limited space.

 

I can definitely appreciate avoiding modifications and sticky tires until you're comfortable, I did the same with my car. Again, hard to give feedback with the camera as is - next time you mount, consider on the pass window like I did on mine, gives a much better view of what you're doing. Hard to tell from this angle what you are doing, let alone critique it, and hard to see how close you are to cones etc. My 2 cents anyway, maybe someone else will see differently.

I'd go ahead and jump to RE71Rs or ZIIss and stay there however. That's what the standard for grip on street tires is going to be, might as well start there, since tires can have a huge impact on how the car behaves. This is all standard fare in autoxing and improving as a driver. I take detailed logs of every event I do, as well as setup changes I've made if any and things I'd like to work on https://r56hs.com/2016-schedule-results/

For tire PSI, how did you get to 38/32? I'd give 36 all around a shot next event, unless 36 is too low and the fronts start rolling over

 

Fronts were rolling over that's why they're at 38. I'm just using a dashcam so I don't really have a way to attach to car unless I get a go pro or something like that that has attachments that can do that.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I use this. cheap, and uses a tripod mount - in fact, I used a point and shoot for about two years before getting a dedicated action am with this. GPRO is overpriced, I use an SJCAM.

I'd consider bumping the rears to 35-36, see if that helps with the turn in a little next time.

after that, we'll get a good look at car positioning and what you're doing with your hands, and make sure you're looking ahead, all that good stuff.

 

Thanks, I'll have to see if I have something that could mount to something like that.


On the first right hander after the turn around I felt the rear start to slide if I didn't slow down enough. Would increasing/reducing psi in the rears help with that?

 

tough to say - every tire has an ideal range of psi, where higher or lower will decrease grip. in general though, looser is better. if you feel the rear end start to slide out just feed it a little gas or stay on the throttle. I've got my car set up to be a hairy oversteer-y and it feels about right for autox - so I'd say if your alignment's good and the rear feels like it's going to step out a little sometimes, that's perfectly fine

 

Man, when I was autocrossing regularly on Z2's, I was running 32f/29r hot...lol

 

Yea the sidewall on the pss isn't as stiff as starspecs

 

Couple tips I would like to add.
Find a faster or better driver and ask for tips. Chances are he/she might be attacking the course differently. Also spectate when you can and see what other drivers are doing. It's a great way to pick up some tips to go faster. Tires are key, learn your setup and start pushing yourself and learn from your mistakes. When I run courses I try to find my strengths and weaknesses and build on them. This allows me to not platau and only get faster each run. One big mistake I see a lot of drivers do is brake too soon before the finish which kills thier times.
You sounded like you had good control of the car and your lines looked good based on the video. Keep it simple and have fun. "Smooth is fast"