AutoX

[theprf]

I should explain. I've never done autocross in my FWD car. That technique is what I use on open track days. My FWD car has comically huge understeer if driven smoothly. I need to do everything possible to get it to go around corners at speed. This includes aggressively trailbraking into corners to the point of getting the back sliding, knowing that once I get on the gas again the back will follow the front. But trailbraking is a transient thing, you can't brake too much or you'll slow down too much. So if the front is tending to wash out in a longer corner when under maintenance throttle, a throttle blip followed by a lift can put some transient weight onto the front tires and counteract that tendency. Or a bit of left foot brake while staying on the gas. I do have a helical limited slip differential, technically an automatic torque biasing diff, which makes left foot braking more useful.

I *do not* recommend any of these techniques in a 996 though, unless you've practiced quite a bit. When cornering at high G-loads it does not take much weight transfer business to overcome the rear lateral grip and you darn well better have lightening reflexes to catch it before you end up going backwards. I have spun off the track in the 996 once so far and come very close on a few other times. Ironically I have made the best lap times in the 996 when driving VERY smoothly, actually cautiously I should say.

[32wildbilly]

Got it. Still will try some left brake when the front end washes out on the AutoX course. I would not call the Type R's understeer as comically huge I just know I need to work on the balance to make it better. It stinks to have to wait those few milliseconds before bringing more throttle to the game. I will probably go with a larger adjustable rear sway bar to help the situation. You bring up another thing I need to work on...being smooth. I'm still defaulting to sprint car driving tactics at times. Tossing stuff around while fun isn't the best on asphalt.

Appreciate your comments.

I should explain. I've never done autocross in my FWD car. That technique is what I use on open track days. My FWD car has comically huge understeer if driven smoothly. I need to do everything possible to get it to go around corners at speed. This includes aggressively trailbraking into corners to the point of getting the back sliding, knowing that once I get on the gas again the back will follow the front. But trailbraking is a transient thing, you can't brake too much or you'll slow down too much. So if the front is tending to wash out in a longer corner when under maintenance throttle, a throttle blip followed by a lift can put some transient weight onto the front tires and counteract that tendency. Or a bit of left foot brake while staying on the gas. I do have a helical limited slip differential, technically an automatic torque biasing diff, which makes left foot braking more useful.

I *do not* recommend any of these techniques in a 996 though, unless you've practiced quite a bit. When cornering at high G-loads it does not take much weight transfer business to overcome the rear lateral grip and you darn well better have lightening reflexes to catch it before you end up going backwards. I have spun off the track in the 996 once so far and come very close on a few other times. Ironically I have made the best lap times in the 996 when driving VERY smoothly, actually cautiously I should say.

[32wildbilly]

New AutoX season in 30 days!
Going to have this bad boy put on next week.

Rear motor mount. Reduces wheel hop and increases power to the ground. Will add a little more NVH but who cares!

Banzai bitches!

[FRUNKenstein]

But, the one in the picture is orange . . .

9AF87F9B-DCD1-4761-8288-2278BD097A21.gif (2.1 MiB) Viewed 760 times

[32wildbilly]

But, the one in the picture is orange . . .

9AF87F9B-DCD1-4761-8288-2278BD097A21.gif

The orange one is a full competition 90 durometer hardness insert. A lot of NVH like a full on race car! The grey one is 70 durometer hardness insert which does much better than stock with a lower NVH. I'm nutz but not totally crazy! Besides I don't like orange.

[FRUNKenstein]

But, the one in the picture is orange . . .

9AF87F9B-DCD1-4761-8288-2278BD097A21.gif

The orange one is a full competition 90 durometer hardness insert. A lot of NVH like a full on race car! The grey one is 70 durometer hardness insert which does much better than stock with a lower NVH. I'm nutz but not totally crazy! Besides I don't like orange.

Jeez, only 70 durometers, Billy?! Word on the street is that anything under 85 durometers is for posers, yo.

0E0824A6-1CEE-485C-9586-7860078E6CB7.gif (981.94 KiB) Viewed 754 times

[32wildbilly]

The orange one is a full competition 90 durometer hardness insert. A lot of NVH like a full on race car! The grey one is 70 durometer hardness insert which does much better than stock with a lower NVH. I'm nutz but not totally crazy! Besides I don't like orange.

Jeez, only 70 durometers, Billy?! Word on the street is that anything under 85 durometers is for posers, yo.

0E0824A6-1CEE-485C-9586-7860078E6CB7.gif

Keep in mind this is not "poser" stuff because opening the hood is not going to reveal this part, although I could spray paint it orange if you think that might help...

[32wildbilly]

For reference here is what a stock RMM looks like in a Civic. Designed to kinda work but to not offend the fragile senses of the motoring public. There is a video of the stock mount under hard acceleration through second and third gears. It looked liked it had St. Vitus dance. It was allowing the engine to jitter jive around all over the place!

Note the openings in the insert on the big end. Remind anyone of the transmission mounts on our beloved 996s? You know the one that you can buy inserts to install in the holes. That was probably designed that way for the "wrong" reason as well.

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[32wildbilly]

First one of the season was this last Sunday. Around 55f with a 20-35mph wind with higher gusts. Nice weather for standing out in an open parking lot.

Third fastest time of 15 cars!!! The aftermarket rear motor mount helped a lot. Also the course designer laid out a course that had only two turns over 90 degrees. The rest of the course was mostly 3/4 to full throttle in second gear. Very easy to keep in boost.

The top two cars were a Miata(course designer with 30 years of experience) and a Westfield(kinda like a Lotus Super Seven and God only knows what engine Charlie has in that thing. Plus he has 30+ years of AutoX).

I am quite pleased.

[FRUNKenstein]

First one of the season was this last Sunday. Around 55f with a 20-35mph wind with higher gusts. Nice weather for standing out in an open parking lot.

Third fastest time of 15 cars!!! The aftermarket rear motor mount helped a lot. Also the course designer laid out a course that had only two turns over 90 degrees. The rest of the course was mostly 3/4 to full throttle in second gear. Very easy to keep in boost.

The top two cars were a Miata(course designer with 30 years of experience) and a Westfield(kinda like a Lotus Super Seven and God only knows what engine Charlie has in that thing. Plus he has 30+ years of AutoX).

I am quite pleased.

The guy that placed 4th is no doubt bitching about your fancy new motor mount.

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