Wheelman

i have never done this before and would like to.....i would like to know what i need to do it and how much it costs and if it is going to be hard on my daily driver.....
any info appreciated

thanks

vader86

how much it costs will depend on what you want to do, SCCA or some type of freelance stuff

I know Clemson's Auto Club charges $15 or thereabouts for people to run in their course.

and all racing is hard on the car, you may need to upgrade your suspension or replace things in it


[Modified by vader86, 12:26 PM 4/5/2002]

TravisD

Make sure the oil level is correct - maybe go 1/2 quart "over". Autocrossing will consume some and you don't want to starve anything in the engine in a turn.

Tires: If you're on street tires put about 35PSI air in them to start, keep an eye to see if they're rolling over onto the edges too far (i.e. down the sidewall).

Don't start replacing things on the car until you fix the loose nut behind the wheel - that's where the biggest improvement comes.

Oh, make sure you have at least half a tank of gas to prevent fuel starvation.

At the event, show up early, ask questions, and walk the course as much as possible.

c4cruiser

It's fun, it doesn't really hurt the car, the tire may take a little abuse, it's fairly cheap, it's FUN!!

Check out this link on the SCCA Novice handbook: http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm

Lots of good information there.

John Row

Check in with the Corvette Racing forum. I received loads of good info that I'm still trying to digest. I takes a long time to get good, it takes seconds to have fun. :D

Dolfan

I entered my first autocross 2 weeks ago. If you car is in good working order, no leaks, solid brakes, no cooling problems you should be all set. It is fun. I also am running a stock 89 and I agree that you shouldn't need to change much your first few times to see if you are going to stay with it. I plan on doing changes that I would do anyway on an 13yr old car anyway, bushings, maybe new exhaust, just changed the fuel filter this week.

Also agree that most improvement will come from behind the wheel, I have always babied my car to an extent and went slow my first pass, but then took 7.5 seconds off my time driving harding and having fun. I'm hooked.

ZBRA

Just do it. :chevy

I does the most damage to the tires. They're going to wear out anyway. I have been doing it for about a year. I eventually upgraded my brakes and added Z07 sway bars. It's not necessary though. You can have just as much fun with a stock car.

Click the pic in my sig for a larger version.

Rob 93ZR-1

For just fun, clean out anything loose in the car, add air to tires (35 psi should be ok) fill the tank (I race mine full), ensure battery secure and have fun. When you are ready to get serious, buy racerubber and spare wheels, get an autox alignment and start throwing $$ at the car. If you are going to make this a regular hobby, get a rulebook.
Hope this helps. :seeya

HWoods

Sam Houston Corvette Club has an auto cross coming up at the Houston Police Academy on Rankin Road near the air port the first part of May. I think the cost is usually $20.00 and you will need a helmet. Check Southwest events, they usually post the date in there.

Blu9T2

I thought they stopped racing there a while a few years ago. It's good that y'all are back there. That brings back memories when I ran my bug with my friend's Mustangs when we were at Prairie View! That was a lot of fun. :yesnod:

TomH91

SCCA racing is fun and cheap, but please also look into NCCC (National Coucil of Corvette Clubs) sanctioned events, too. I started auto-x with NCCC last season and have had a ball. You pay more to run - events cost $80-100 for two days - but they are typically sanctioned for 14 events per weekend, meaning you get 28 laps. There's tons more seat time for you. Keeping the car in a stock class will keep costs down, and you are not likely to break anything on your car that didn't need replacing anyway. Have fun, and good luck!

No Go

If the car is in good repair...you won't have to worry about the vehicle-it is a Corvette-designed for such competition.

Around here it costs $15 or $20 for entry. They even have loaner helmets, but having your own SA type helmet is worthy investment.

A blast for sure:)

grsteve

I started doing this last year with my '85. A couple of people mentioned that the most improvement in the first year will be with the guy behind the wheel, they are correct. I bought a couple of books to read over the winter and will re-read them before I start racing again this year. Very helpful. One was "Secrets of Autocrossing" and the other was "Speed Secrets - Professional Race Driving Techniques" by Ross Bentley. The second one was very helpful in evaluating a race course. For example, it says that the most important turn on a course is the one before the longest straight. You want the highest possible exit speed on that turn so you can take advantage of the straight.
Save $s and do about a dozen or so before you throw money at the car. You'll be tempted to start looking for a spare set of rims and race rubber right away, but the most improvement in the first year will be in the driver.
From personal experience: I went to an autocross that was run on a very short oval, ran 8 or 9 times and improved gradually through the day. I had a friend who has 20+ years experience drive my car (I thought it felt sluggish) and his first time in a car he's never driven was 2 seconds better than my best time and also competitive with the '91 he was driving. He proved to me that 'seat time' is the most important thing you can get when starting out in autocross.
Some things to bring: a cooler with lots of drinking water, a folding chair, a hat, sunscreen, shoe polish or static numbers to put on the car, your car's manual, a rulebook (if in a santioned event), work/leather gloves (in case you have to start digging in the engine while its warm). Oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, as much of this stuff as you feel you may need. Someone will have a tool kit, but if you can bring some, all the better.
As far as your car make sure the cooling system is up to snuff (try water wetter to help keep the coolant temp down) and your oil level is where it needs to be. You may want to advance the schedule of your oil changes if you plan on doing a lot of this. I switched to redline power steering fluid for its higher temperature capabilities. Also check your brake fluid. You don't want to be going aggressively into that last corner with that first trophy in reach and have 'brake fade' send you through the turn.
Hope this helps.