AutoX

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FRUNKenstein
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Re: AutoX

Post by FRUNKenstein » Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:50 am

32wildbilly wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:09 am
WOW! I just noticed from your pics that you guys use yellow pointer cones. Excellent idea. I think I'll suggest that to the local group.
Nah, the autocross director just happened to knock all of the yellow ones over!
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32wildbilly
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Re: AutoX

Post by 32wildbilly » Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:58 am

August AutoX or "Why I wished Honda had left some torque steer in the Type R."

So it seems one of our members ran SCCA last week with his souped up Sprite and during one of his runs he got it up on two wheels. Not sure how or why(other than he's about half crazy...nice guy but half crazy). The track designer for Sunday was there and it scared the crap out him so he decided to design a slow-tight course to keep the speeds down. Keep in mind that SCCA runs at the airport over in the old military part so their courses are much larger and much faster than our high school parking lot courses. Anyway I helped him layout the course which included some tight slalom sections...ok. He then laid out two 180 u-turns that you ran twice each lap as the course reversed back to the finish. Here's the rub each u-turn was @32' wide between the two outside cones!!! I asked about the tightness and begged for some grace for a FWD Four door car to no avail. His response was "I want to keep it slow." The course designer ran first lap as is custom and he coned not only the first lap but also in his second lap. Where you ask? In the U-turns! Please note he was driving a Miata and has multi-decades of AutoX. My friend in the Westfield who is always in the top three coned a couple of times which I have never seen happen. Another guy who drives a Miata, is a consistent top three guy and also has 20+ years AutoXing also had bad words to share about the course. I corner marshalled one of the u-turns and have never picked up so many dead cones ever. I saw guys who never cone mow em down.

Needless to say that me and my car was at a significant disadvantage. Besides length and width issues there is the 39.5' curb to curb turning diameter(for GOD's sake that is more than my previous Rav4). Who builds a sporty car with that turning radius!!?? FWD so ain't no kicking the rearend out and the hand brake is electronic so no handbrake turns. I could only sweep out so far to avoid coning on exit. My first run in my desperation not not cone I actually backed up in the tightest u-turn. A guy wandered over as I was staged for my next run and commented "it must consume 5 seconds to back up and only 2 seconds if you kill a cone." Point made. On my next two runs I killed two cone on one and one cone on the next. My last run was clean and probably my quickest. I was so frustrated I didn't even check my times. During lunch break at 12:30 and 90+ temperatures I decided enough is enough. Packed up and left.

On a positive note. Confirmed the push is totally gone with the OEM 30 profile sticky tires! I even dropped the air pressure in the front to see if any of it came back and it didn't. There were three area of speed and turning on the track and the car went where I pointed it. That is a good feeling.

There's always next month...
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32wildbilly
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Re: AutoX

Post by 32wildbilly » Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:59 am

FRUNKenstein wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:50 am
32wildbilly wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:09 am
WOW! I just noticed from your pics that you guys use yellow pointer cones. Excellent idea. I think I'll suggest that to the local group.
Nah, the autocross director just happened to knock all of the yellow ones over!
So how do your lower front fenders/bumpers look?😜
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JayG
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Re: AutoX

Post by JayG » Mon Aug 29, 2022 5:37 pm

32wildbilly wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:09 am
FRUNKenstein wrote: Sat Aug 20, 2022 3:34 pm Had a blast working the KCRPCA autocross today. I helped set the course up, which is helpful when it comes to driving it. The autocross chairman loves X1/9s, so he used it to drive through a couple of test laps as we were tweaking the set up. Then I got in a quick preliminary lap before we started the official laps. I also got one timed lap in, and I was right in the pack, albeit towards the bottom 1/3 of the 33 “official” drivers. Not bad for 75 hp and all-season tires.
WOW! I just noticed from your pics that you guys use yellow pointer cones. Excellent idea. I think I'll suggest that to the local group.
Hell PCASDR has been using them for years. Mark the apex too
Well, truth be told, they are green ones
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Re: AutoX

Post by 32wildbilly » Tue Aug 30, 2022 4:05 am

JayG wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 5:37 pm
32wildbilly wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:09 am
WOW! I just noticed from your pics that you guys use yellow pointer cones. Excellent idea. I think I'll suggest that to the local group.
Hell PCASDR has been using them for years. Mark the apex too
Well, truth be told, they are green ones
We use the light florescent green one's to mark the start/finish lines. Those would be excellent pointers too. Sometimes the sea of orange cones makes it difficult for the old eyes and brain to lock on the proper path.
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Re: AutoX

Post by FRUNKenstein » Tue Aug 30, 2022 7:20 am

JayG wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 5:37 pm
32wildbilly wrote: Mon Aug 29, 2022 10:09 am
WOW! I just noticed from your pics that you guys use yellow pointer cones. Excellent idea. I think I'll suggest that to the local group.
Hell PCASDR has been using them for years. Mark the apex too
Well, truth be told, they are green ones
I think KCRPCA uses them mainly because they match my X1/9.

At least that's what I like to tell myself.
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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32wildbilly
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Re: AutoX

Post by 32wildbilly » Mon Oct 10, 2022 11:01 am

Back on Sept. 25th we held the monthly AutoX. The school system bumped us to a different school lot because of scheduling conflicts. Not as big nor in as good of shape which is weird because this is at a much newer school. Lot of loose gravel, large seam cracks and big rock asphalt. Course designer laid out a fun course. Some tight stuff but some high speed sections too. Only had 16 cars show up and that included a few of the SCCA guys. One was the turbocharged Miata with a driver who would come out of a corner and do a doughnut on purpose and still set an impressive time. Most laps he was doing the "drifting" style driving. He ran one clean serious lap and was 1.5 seconds ahead of the next guy. It is an impressive car/driver combination.

I finish exactly mid-pack and I'm ok with that. Early this year I was getting pissed off that I wasn't moving up the rankings as quickly as I wanted until I had a serious talk with myself. I'm 72, driving a four door Honda on courses designed for small English sports cars and this is only my 10th event so barely not a rookie. It is about the most legal fun I've ever had in my whole life. Can't wait for the October event when the cool temps suck the life out of everybody else's 200/or less TW tires!

Banzai bitches!!
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Re: AutoX

Post by FRUNKenstein » Mon Oct 10, 2022 6:14 pm

32wildbilly wrote: Mon Oct 10, 2022 11:01 am Back on Sept. 25th we held the monthly AutoX. The school system bumped us to a different school lot because of scheduling conflicts. Not as big nor in as good of shape which is weird because this is at a much newer school. Lot of loose gravel, large seam cracks and big rock asphalt. Course designer laid out a fun course. Some tight stuff but some high speed sections too. Only had 16 cars show up and that included a few of the SCCA guys. One was the turbocharged Miata with a driver who would come out of a corner and do a doughnut on purpose and still set an impressive time. Most laps he was doing the "drifting" style driving. He ran one clean serious lap and was 1.5 seconds ahead of the next guy. It is an impressive car/driver combination.

I finish exactly mid-pack and I'm ok with that. Early this year I was getting pissed off that I wasn't moving up the rankings as quickly as I wanted until I had a serious talk with myself. I'm 72, driving a four door Honda on courses designed for small English sports cars and this is only my 10th event so barely not a rookie. It is about the most legal fun I've ever had in my whole life. Can't wait for the October event when the cool temps suck the life out of everybody else's 200/or less TW tires!

Banzai bitches!!
Yeah, keep after it. It’s a little like golf - just focus on making yourself better rather than comparing yourself to others. And enjoy the ride. There was a time on Saturday where I just realized how great it was to be hanging out with friends on a beautiful day driving really cool cars.
www.kansascityautomuseum.com
Current:
2002 996TT X50, Guards Red
1987 928S4, Guards Red
1987 951, Guards Red
1973 914 2.0 Bahia Red

2006 955S, Lapis Blue
Other toys:
1988 BMW 325i Cabriolet, Alpin Weiss
1987 Bertone X1/9, Verde Chiaro
Gone but not forgotten: 1975 914 2.0, Laguna Blue; 1999 996 C4 Aerokit Black; 1990 964 C2 Guards Red; 2006 955S Arctic Silver

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32wildbilly
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Re: AutoX

Post by 32wildbilly » Tue Oct 11, 2022 5:31 am

FRUNKenstein wrote: Mon Oct 10, 2022 6:14 pm
32wildbilly wrote: Mon Oct 10, 2022 11:01 am Back on Sept. 25th we held the monthly AutoX. The school system bumped us to a different school lot because of scheduling conflicts. Not as big nor in as good of shape which is weird because this is at a much newer school. Lot of loose gravel, large seam cracks and big rock asphalt. Course designer laid out a fun course. Some tight stuff but some high speed sections too. Only had 16 cars show up and that included a few of the SCCA guys. One was the turbocharged Miata with a driver who would come out of a corner and do a doughnut on purpose and still set an impressive time. Most laps he was doing the "drifting" style driving. He ran one clean serious lap and was 1.5 seconds ahead of the next guy. It is an impressive car/driver combination.

I finish exactly mid-pack and I'm ok with that. Early this year I was getting pissed off that I wasn't moving up the rankings as quickly as I wanted until I had a serious talk with myself. I'm 72, driving a four door Honda on courses designed for small English sports cars and this is only my 10th event so barely not a rookie. It is about the most legal fun I've ever had in my whole life. Can't wait for the October event when the cool temps suck the life out of everybody else's 200/or less TW tires!

Banzai bitches!!
Yeah, keep after it. It’s a little like golf - just focus on making yourself better rather than comparing yourself to others. And enjoy the ride. There was a time on Saturday where I just realized how great it was to be hanging out with friends on a beautiful day driving really cool cars.
All very true!
Never gonna make you cry...

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Re: AutoX

Post by 32wildbilly » Thu Mar 02, 2023 8:37 am

Ok so looking ahead to the 2023 season and have a question about the C4S. I mentioned to one of the seasoned club members I might try my P-car next year. He replied "that's a C4S right? That's going to push all over the place!" I asked "why is that?" His response was "They just do."

My question is why would a 4S push if a C2 doesn't?

Here's my logic: More weight in the front should "plant" the front tires leading to less push. In addition the front wheel drive design should help pull the front around corners if you are not over-driving the car. I realize tire pressure settings are going to be critical, but seems like that is true for any car on an AutoX course.

What am I missing?
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