A friend of mine is trying to convince me to go do an autocross event with him, but I've got a couple questions.

First off, please understand my car (1985 4+3) is in decent shape, but it's thirty years old without any major work (just fluid changes). I understand this puts wear on the car but I don't want to blow up the engine.

That said, is this a terrible idea? Am I going to destroy my car? At the end of the day I don't have the money or time to be constantly replacing major components.

If it's something you think I shouldn't have issues with, what should I do for my car before going. I'm not talking major mods, more "change brake pads", "make sure X is in good condition", "get a racing clutch", etc.

I do not expect to win any events, that's not why I'd be going (at least not at first). I just want to drive my car fast in a relatively safe environment where risk of damage is low.

 

I run SCCA Solo events in a box stock 95 coupe with an automatic transmission.

What you would want to do is increase your air pressure in your tires. Most dedicated autocrossers run 200 treadwear street tires in the street classes. It is not necessary for you to go out and buy new tires until you are sure that you want to to have your car handle better.

If you are going to be doing autocrossing, you may want to get a 4 wheel alignment on your car to certain specs that you can find listed on this site by using the search function.

Most Regions even have ""loaner" helmets that you can borrow if you do not have your own.
The main thing to do is to try it and I can guarantee that you will enjoy it as you stated, "you will have the opportunity to drive your car around various manuevers in a controlled environment.

 

 

You have the right frame of mind. Just go and drive your best, you will not break anything---at least on your first outing as you are just getting a feel for things.

I went to a SCCA event a couple of weeks ago and road "shotgun" with my buddy in his 06 Z06 coupe. I had a great time, it was a lot of fun and he did his best to recruit me I did walk away knowing that while I had a lot of fun, racing was not my cup of tea.

 

No blown motors or anything major. I did have my fuel pump go out on me last year at 3:00p.m. on a Sunday in Peru Indiana as I was going to the start line. Had the problem diagnosed, located a part 15 miles away in Kokomo, picked up the part and changed it out and drove home to Michigan 3 hours later.

There is going to be an SCCA Solo at the National Corvette Museum Motorsport Park in October that is being hosted by the Tennessee Region of the SCCA. Would be well worth it for you to check it out.

 

 

No. It's probably the best thing you can do with your Corvette. It will improve your relationship with the car...and make you a better driver.


You're driving around in a parking lot. Yeah, you're doing it fast...but it should hurt a thing. I've been doing Auto x's for 25+ years and never broke a thing doing it. Drag racing? Different story.

 

Not Corvette only.

Look on www.motorsportreg.com under autocross for more info. Registration should be opening shortly.

 

 

 

If you look at my avatar you'll guess that I agree with the others: do it! Going fast around corners is what Corvettes were made for - especially C4s. Back in the 80s and early 90s C4s were at the top of the heap for autocrossing in stock form. They can still be fast, but in stock form they are now outclassed by newer versions of Corvettes and a few other cars. In all likelihood, you'll need to shift into 2nd gear soon after the start and then just leave the car in 2nd for the rest of the run. You may get close to redline once or twice, but only briefly; and the rest of the run will be in the engine's midrange. You won't break anything from cornering, especially on typical (i.e. not seriously grippy) street tires.

I applaud your desire to make sure the car is ready. Here is a link to the tech sheet the St. Louis Region uses: http://stlsolo.org/sites/default/fil...CH%20SHEET.pdf. You can also check out Solo Tech 101 from SCCA for some more info. The whole point of autocross (solo) competition is to wring your car out in a safe and affordable way that doesn't require a ton of special equipment. You and your car will be fine.

At your first event, don't worry what times others are running. For a lot of first-timers, just learning to see the course is the big challenge. The only runs you're competing against are your previous runs. Look way ahead on the course - much easier said than done, btw. Also work on car control - managing the car once it goes past one or more limits. If you spin or hit a cone, who cares? If you aren't a little bit past the limit at times, then you can't know where the limit is. If that region has any guided course walk-throughs for novices, do that. Ditto if they have instructors who ride through with novices and/or let novices ride with them. Ride with as many people as you can, and compare/contrast their runs. If you get bitten by the bug, you'll still be working to improve your driving until your dying breath.

Keep coming back! Nobody gets good in their first event, and usually not in their first year. Spend the rest of this year just learning the classes you can possibly compete in, and what mods are allowed and what aren't. You can start gauging how interested you are and what mods you're willing to make. Tires are always the most important mod to the car, but they are expensive. For now, just keep your eyes open and learn as much as you can. Oh...and have fun!

 

I was nervous the first time I competed in college, it was my daily driver and I couldnt do without it then, but nothing broke and I had fun.

I did have a battery go completely dead on me, the plates inside broke off and I had to take it apart at a gas station next to the airport we were running at (thankfully some other autox'ers were there, since i had no tools), and they took me to autozone and back to fix it.

I did run the car hot several times, saw my brake fluid boil at one, so pop the hood if its a hot day whenever your laps are over.

 

I forgot to mention that in general, C4s are very tough and will stand up to a lot of abuse. Your 85 manual should have a D44 diff, which is the strong one. Mine never has problems even with over 400rwhp and sticky tires. The main high-wear items on any C4 that is autocrossed or tracked will be wheel bearings, and possibly halfshaft u-joints. Both are not too hard to replace. If you ever have to replace a u-joint, the hot ticket is to buy the Spicer brand because they are most durable. The wheel bearings, both front and rear, can be rear wear items. They were the one part Chevy specified that weren't really up to the loads a C4 can place on them. But they won't fail catastrophically and leave you stranded - they will just get sloppy and your wheel will be able to wobble more and more. They are one thing to check before every event. Luckily, autocrossing is less hard on them than road racing because they don't build up a lot of heat on a short run. The fronts are super-easy to replace, and the rears a little harder but still not bad. Don't let these things worry you, though.

 

Thanks you guys are making me feel better. I drive my car often without any major issues (It consumes oil and the clutch chatters sometimes), so I think I should be able to do auto-x with it. I'll have to check the wheel bearings and ball joints-just jack it up and try to wiggle the wheels, right? If there's no play in them they're good? Those are the only two points that I am not 100% sure of on that checklist. Again, 30 year old car on all original parts.

I do have a spare set of wheels, would it be smart to get a 2nd set of tires just to use for these events? I mean, that's expensive for sure, but just something I was thinking about.

Thanks again for all the advice!

 

Mostly, yeah. Even a teeny bit of play is acceptable - some cheaper bearings these days come with that "feature." By "teeny" I mean less than 1/16" at the tire circumference - enough to feel but not to change the alignment significantly. The other test is to try to turn the rear wheel (with the other wheel on the ground and/or the car in gear so the diff doesn't turn). Again, there should be very little play. If there is any significant play, see what is moving back to the yoke. If the yoke is also turning, then that's just slop in the diff - no problem. If the yoke isn't turning but the halfshaft is, then you have slop in the inner u-joint and that's bad. If the wheel is turning but the halfshaft isn't, you have slop in the outer u-joint which is also bad. Those should be addressed before you autocross your car, because those halfshafts are also your upper suspension links!

File that thought away for later. for the moment, just get out there and start learning. If you pursue this as a passtime/hobby (addiction?), then you can revisit the idea of a second set of tires. For most of us, this becomes a good idea. But for now, you don't know what size or UTGC rating of tire you want because you don't know what class you'll choose to race in. So hold off on that for a bit.

 

Ok thanks. I'll check that next time I have the time to jack the car up.

 

I guess ever since my wreck I've been skittish about driving. Certainly being careful while driving is important, but I'm almost scared to get into a car. Obviously I do anyway, because I have to, but I've always got that in the back of my mind. I'm hoping that by learning to be a better driver and to control my car better, I can get past that.

 

I think it will help. Auto x allows skid control experimentation....with virtually zero consequences.