In a month I'm going to try my hand at auto-x. Don't think it's something I'm going to do alot but I'll give it a shot.

My question is, do any of you guys use the handbrake at all??

I was watching an event today. The course started with a right hand turn and then a hard left. I would think that if I kept my foot in the gas and used the ebrake a bit, I could swing the back end around the cone and still keep up my momentum.

Keep in mind i've NEVER done this kind of racing before and i'm completely talking out my ass right now.

NO! i have never used the hand break. two things come to mind in the case of a hard 90deg turn. 1 should i left foot break. 2 should i down shift into first for a better drive off the corner! but as a novice i would just try to drive nice and smooth. and when you come to a corner like that just drive in a manner that keeps you between the cones


see ya!

In the events I have gone to I never once have used an ebrake to swing around a turn. Just keep both hands on the wheel unless shifting and take some turns a little wider thatn you would most likely think of doing as you can carry more speed through a turn this way. And if you do use an ebrake you might loose control and take out some cones killing your time baddly.

I looked at your Reg and your suspension is stock. If your not looking to change struts and springs i would highly recomend getting a rear swaybar. I beleive this would be the most benificial mod to have on a stock Jbody with a factory front bar.

And Im sure some others will chime in. If you have anymore questions just ask or ask Zach he seems to be pretty good with his auto x stuff.

and bring sunblock, make sure that you air your tires up to around 40-45 psi. bring something to drink also. also walk the course enough for you to be able to picture it in your head sitting in your car. and got the love of rubber think slow in fast out, don't use your tires as brakes. and have fun! after your runs ask people if you can ride with them. that way you get to see how it is done.


see ya!

I have taken a few fun runs with a buddy of mine who has a WS6 trans am.

Besides the fact of a raging hard on aftewards, I can't follow the cones for the life of me. That's going to be my biggest problem I think.

So on stock size radials I should run 40 psi??? I'm used to drag racing when you usually drop PSI. Can you explain why a raise in PSI is beneficial??

the psi helps with keeping the tires from rolling over on the side wall. and as for following the cones. walk the course many times, and when you can momorize it in your head walk it again! if i were you i would set pressures at 43front and 45rear.


see ya!

Part of being fast in this type of racing is to not overdrive the car, either in acceleration or in braking, wheelspin makes you lose time if your burying the throttle out of corners before you should. I noticed alot of ppl in the last corner especially braking way too late and having to slam on their brakes worried about hitting a cone and not the approach to properly apex the corner. Brake early, smooth entry fast exit and worry about taking the corner as fast as possible rather than getting to the corner as fast as possible



1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85

MTA where are you going in a month too auto-x?

if it's not to far from me i do want to also try it, and since your in my area is probably not that far

Park City mall in Lancaster. Check the july 24th autocross thread in NE, there's directions and stuff in there

just go out and have fun guys


see ya!

for cornering no ebrake half way through the turn accelerate. try drifting

How do you drift in a j-body? Using the ebrake is never good for autox times anyways.

No real racer drifts because all it does is scrub off time, if you know how to drive you never will drift in the first place, style points only make gains in need for speed underground not in any form of real racing. The object is to get through the corner as fast as possible and straight to setup for the next corner, flat spotting the tires achieves nothing. If your tires are spinning...your losing time.



1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85

Ebrake + autoX = moron.

Enuf said.



Lightweight honDuhs can kiss my fat Crapalier a$$
A new autoX ride for '08.....

this will sound goofy but a good training tool for this is nascar racing 2003 game by papyrus for the PC, it teaches you to not brake too late and to learn to handle the car on sharp corners, smooth entry = fast exit how you get into the corner is more important than the corner itself



1989 Turbo Trans Am #82, 2007 Cobalt SS G85

Rodimus Prime wrote:this will sound goofy but a good training tool for this is nascar racing 2003 game by papyrus for the PC, it teaches you to not brake too late and to learn to handle the car on sharp corners, smooth entry = fast exit how you get into the corner is more important than the corner itself

Even better is Forza Motorsport on Xbox because there are auto-x levels


1990 Z24 - DSP
CACC BC Region
Victoria Motorsports Club

As Rodimus has said a few times here, the basic idea is to enter slow and exit fast. If you fly into the corner you'll only really find yourself in a panic and will un doutable come out of the corner slow. I'm no pro at Auto X but I have learned a thing or 2. Video games believe it or not are a major help. Gran Tourismo is a DEADLY game for learning how to set a car up for taking a good corner...or any game for that matter. Forza motorsports is good for learning as they actually show you the best line to take for a coner and it also has indicators for your speed IE to fast or to slow. Just don't get to comfortable with it try a few laps with it on and try a few with it off and try to time it right. Eventually you'll get the idea. But also as said above just have fun man. Good luck.


03z24

Another way to look at this is brake HARD in a straight line, turn the car into the turn, and accelerate out of the turn, not slamming on the gas, but gradually applying power so you don't spin tires.

I've taken roughly a year now away from autox, but all the sts goodies should be on the car by next season. For stock class I loved my KYB AGX's and r-compound tires. It makes a huge difference.

I recently added a rearswaybar, and will have the car lowered by next year.

A rear swaybar does make a significant difference, but Shocks are the foundation of a good suspension system.

autocrossers that use the e-brake are not autocrossers. There is no performance advantage to the e-brake.


-Chris

Rodimus Prime wrote:this will sound goofy but a good training tool for this is nascar racing 2003 game by papyrus for the PC, it teaches you to not brake too late and to learn to handle the car on sharp corners, smooth entry = fast exit how you get into the corner is more important than the corner itself

Wow, I never thought I'd see someone even bring that game up here... lol, I am an avid racer on that game, using my TSW2 Cup wheel... very fun stuff!

I would like to try autocrossing sometime, I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled for any event that may come.


__________________________

1998 Cavalier Z24

Whenever I ran the old BFZ at autocross, I'd put it in second gear and leave it there... never touched the E-brake. I expect to do the same with this car... give 'er off the start, get into second gear and leave it there.




<a href="http://www.lenkorules.com/"><img src="http://s93165229.onlinehome.us/images/misc/redsig.jpg"></a>

Ive used the e-brake at an Auto-X before. ProSolo in Atlanta, drag race launch onto a mirror image course. The start was down hill, so unless you are driving an auto, you would be using the ebrake so you wouldnt red light. Just one more thing to get right. It was tricky. last year you were rolling backwards, this year we were rolling forward


AIRPLANE SHANE
Mazda Rev It Up Atlanta Champion '03
#118 H2 98 Honda Civic DX
http://teamlovely.shutterfly.com
89Z24 conv. island cruiser

Shane wrote:Ive used the e-brake at an Auto-X before. ProSolo in Atlanta, drag race launch onto a mirror image course. The start was down hill, so unless you are driving an auto, you would be using the ebrake so you wouldnt red light. Just one more thing to get right. It was tricky. last year you were rolling backwards, this year we were rolling forward

That's a technicality. I've done that before when there's been an uneven launch point. I think he was referring to while on the course, where an e-brake is not necessary.


-Chris

Rodimus Prime wrote:No real racer drifts because all it does is scrub off time, if you know how to drive you never will drift in the first place, style points only make gains in need for speed underground not in any form of real racing. The object is to get through the corner as fast as possible and straight to setup for the next corner, flat spotting the tires achieves nothing. If your tires are spinning...your losing time.

actually drifting came about from japanese race drivers that used it to get around the turns quicker than americans and also europeans. many times if done right you can carry more entry speed and exit speed out of a turn...

the downside of why its not rampantly used is that it wears tires faster.

so know what you speak on before spouting off about "no real racer"

Quote:

Drifting started out as a racing technique popular in the All Japan Touring Car Championship races over 30 years ago. A legendary driver named Kunimitsu Takahashi was the foremost practitioner of drifting techniques in the 1970's. Takahashi's aggressive drifting skills — he was famous for hitting the apex (the point where the car is closest to the inside of a turn) at high speed and then drifting through the corner, preserving a high rate of speed — earned him several championships and a legion of fans who enjoyed the spectacle of burning tires and perilous speed.

as it stands most drifting cars are taking some turns upwards of 10-15 mph faster than those who drive though without.




use ebrake in autoX... nah... the key is keeping momentum throughout...

I don't think it originated in Japan...watch old clips from LeMans in the 50's and early 60's and you see it. Its mostly because the tires sucked and that was the fastest way around the corner. The grip of modern tires (ie. last 20 years) has made the technique obsolete except for show




CACC BC Region - DSP
http:www.victoriamotorsports.ca

oldskoolz24 wrote:I don't think it originated in Japan...watch old clips from LeMans in the 50's and early 60's and you see it. Its mostly because the tires sucked and that was the fastest way around the corner. The grip of modern tires (ie. last 20 years) has made the technique obsolete except for show

big difference though.

their tires were a lack of grip back in the 50's and 60's.


however takahashi PURPOSELY used it in the 70;s. his tires didnt really have a grip problem, it was used solely to get around certain corners faster than other competitiors by keeping speed up a bit higher.

drifting now has become a technique thats used for show. however if you watch any current day touring car races, small hints of it can be seen here and there when needed. but with alot of the rules and restrictions, most try and keep their tires to last as long as possible per race.