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SC vs. turbo in autoX

5K views 35 replies 18 participants last post by  Paladin 
#1 ·
i hope to do some autoX-ing either this seson or start next... but i would like to have just a lil more "epmff" in my SVT nothing major for a drag strip but just a lil for shorter runs.. so would a JRSC be better or should i spend the money and get it turbo-ed..
 
#12 ·
Agreed, then tighten the nut behind the wheel. All the power in the world won't help if you do not know how to drive it. Anyone here that is saying put on a power adder I would assume has never auto-x'd. Especially since you have already stated you are just starting out with this.
 
#15 ·
to the op what class are you planning on running? right now im building a honda civic hatch back and im going to do a d16z6 swap in the car. its about 125hp plus bolt ons, from what i understand if you boost the car you will be thrown in XP which is a very difficult class to compete it. i know there is a DSP Svt running around my area and he is a national champion with just suspension, rcomps, and team dynamics wheels. so before you boost the car are you prepared to spend 3 grand on a turbo setup plus 3 grand for wheels and tires to try and beat a gutted track prepared Cobra kit car or do you want to beat on modded 3 series BMW's. i say do the suspension and forget about boost you will never go faster than 60mph in autox.
 
#17 ·
ight now im building a honda civic hatch back and im going to do a d16z6 swap in the car. its about 125hp plus bolt ons, from what i understand if you boost the car you will be thrown in XP which is a very difficult class to compete it.
What is it that's actually bumping you in to XP? My buddy is building a 91 civic hatch, he dropped a JDM Si motor in and was planning on adding a turbo. From what I could recall it would keep him in SM. Maybe it comes down to the weight to hp ratio?
 
#19 ·
and to be quite frank about it i came from drifting scene so i dont know a whole lot about autoX like classes and such but have watched it a couple of times
 
#21 ·
a guy i auto x with did nothing to his vw rabbits motor, he just dropped it w/ an eibach kit, has wider bigger r comp tires, racing seats and racing harnesses. keeps up and even beats evos and stis. its all in the handling and driver skill in autoxing
 
#26 ·
I would go with turbo. A correctly sized turbo system is very responsive to throttle input, and if you left foot brake, it wouldn't be much of an issue at all.

You could keep the cg lower with a turbo set up too. Superchargers pretty limited with the hardware availabile and mounting positions, lots of options with turbos.
 
#27 ·
^^I agree turbo a properly sized turbo will make power down low just fine, mine spools almost right away. plus turbos have way more adjustability and easier to turn up the boost if you so desire.[thumb]
 
#30 ·
if you do any kind of power adder go with a SC and ill let you know why..

if you have a turbo on your car and you are going in to a turn your building boot up. if you build to much boost and hit your power band in the turn it can cause you to lose control and flip the car...

no with a focus it is unlikely this would happen to you but it could.. i have seen several cars flip over and go in to nasty rolls many times and it is not fun..

no personally i love turbo cars and plan to turbo my SVT some day but im going to set it up with a electric boost controller in the car so i can turn the boost down for running autoX

also think about this with a turbo or a SC it is going to stick you in a class that has cars in it that are built for it.

if i were you i would upgrade your suspension and have fun with it that way but this is only my 2cents.
 
#31 ·
^^ I disagree

-Why would you be accelerating going into a turn?
-If you hit the powerband during a turn, your front tires will break loose and you will understeer, not loose control

No if you go from full power, to throttle off in a turn, you will spin, roll the car, no. Were you talking about cars flipping at an autox?

The recipie for flipping a car at an autox is to take a high cg car, stock rear swaybar and springs, slap on some hoosiers that are too wide for the wheel they are mounted on (225s on a 6in wheel) Then go run on concrete, makes sharp unsettling inputs to the car, and then you may be able to flip it, or at least scare the crap out of yourself.

A turbo setup can have a tremendous amount of flexability, and is the way to go for autox.
 
#32 ·
i think you need to reread what i wrote. i never said it would cause a wreck i said it could.. and most inexperienced drivers have a better chance of losing control of their car in a turn, that some one that has been doing it for some time..

come down to Texas and ill take you out on a big boy track and i can show you better what im talking about... it is hard to get my point across with out a reference i can fiscally show you...

almost any of the drivers that race competitively will tell you to go SC and like i said this is only IMO.

but first thing is first the OP needs to upgrade his suspension. after that i think it would be an ok idea to think about going FI.


i see u race STS. i don't know how long you have been doing autoX, but you do seem know what your talking about.. and i say lets agree to disagree.
 
#33 ·
come down to Texas and ill take you out on a big boy track and i can show you better what im talking about... it is hard to get my point across with out a reference i can fiscally show you...
Well, when you say track, do you mean time trials, NASA,...other?

My experience is with SCCA sanctioned events, or events ran in a similar manner. The courses we run in our local region keep speeds to the guidelines set in the SCCA rulebook.

Personally, I don't like to see the preception spread that autocross is a sport where you are going to go out there and crash your car, roll it over, run into barriers etc. These are questions I often get when working to introduce others to the sport. Sure people are going to spin their car, but most of time you can put two feet in and shut things down pretty quickly.

Now if your talking about time trials or non-scca events, then that's another spectrum of racing.
 
#34 ·
^^ agreed. ive spun the fof severeal times (still learning,doh!!) i dint think i'll be putting r comps on it till i ca nrun a lapping day with my autocross group and not spin out like a fool,lol.

as for what type of power adder. i say turbo. it's the most flexible and can be lowered or raised depending on the size of the track and turns. my gues is 8.5 to 12 lbs. will do it for you.
 
#36 ·
with a small turbo its as simple as teaching your self to roll on the gas instead of straight wot. so no problems there. a spin would be driver error in that situation.
if you managed to spin... most likely you will kill the inside tire in a blazing puff of smoke after every corner driving like that. a diff would help in this instance.
 
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