Tips and tricks for first AutoCross event
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2,807 Posts
show up early.
have enough fuel.
pump up your tires to at least 40 psi.
bring lots of water/sunscreen, comfy shoes, etc.
don't be afraid to ask people for help or advise. they generally are all nice.
do lots of course walks to memorize the course (4 or 5). find an experienced driver and follow them, noting their line, or ask them their thoughts.
depending on if it is a competative event or not, often you can get ride alongs. its like a high speed course walk.
have enough fuel.
pump up your tires to at least 40 psi.
bring lots of water/sunscreen, comfy shoes, etc.
don't be afraid to ask people for help or advise. they generally are all nice.
do lots of course walks to memorize the course (4 or 5). find an experienced driver and follow them, noting their line, or ask them their thoughts.
depending on if it is a competative event or not, often you can get ride alongs. its like a high speed course walk.
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9,262 Posts
This guy has it right. I would also suggest (again) on having water depending on the weather. Constantly check your PSI as well. The pre-run walks definitely helped me. I also went slower on my first run. That was to make sure I had the course memorized. My Mk3 got 2nd place in the stock novice class the first time I went. Lost to an STI :/ but it was awesome and a great time!
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44,595 Posts
If you've got an air compressor that plugs into the accessory outlet take it.
That & a tire gauge are very useful.
Torque the lugs if you've got a torque wrench, bring your own helmet if you have one.
Remember that you'll be emptying the car of anything removable, so you might clean it out of anything you don't need at home.
Have you been to one of the events yet? Some use White liquid shoe polish to put numbers on the windows rather than taping numbers to the inside, a good bottle is handy. I used to put stripes on the edge of the tires with that to tell how much they scrubbed on each run, helpful when setting tire pressures.
That & a tire gauge are very useful.
Torque the lugs if you've got a torque wrench, bring your own helmet if you have one.
Remember that you'll be emptying the car of anything removable, so you might clean it out of anything you don't need at home.
Have you been to one of the events yet? Some use White liquid shoe polish to put numbers on the windows rather than taping numbers to the inside, a good bottle is handy. I used to put stripes on the edge of the tires with that to tell how much they scrubbed on each run, helpful when setting tire pressures.
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459 Posts
+2
If you're on the stock 215 section tires, well, 17s anyway, I found that 38 or 39 in the front with 43/44 at the back gave the car a little more rotation (not a lot).
Have lots of fun. Listen to the experienced auto-x'rs, I've yet to find any of them that are not helpful.
Always be looking two gates ahead - helps with keeping your sense of the course and will lead to better times.
Unless you have F1 skills, you'll be slower than you believe you are -but it's ok, because it's lots of fun!
I used the shoe polish on the tires when I did it years ago. Easy way to tell if you have the right pressure. Many good ideas here. It's lots of fun.
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2,517 Posts
Believe me... Some guys drink beer at the track while waiting to jump into before the race... At least that happen here
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580 Posts
maybe a big rubbermaid "action packer" or similar storage box to keep all your crap in. like sailor said, you'll be required to strip your car of anything in your interior that can move, plus whatever you want to take out for weight.
start slow, get your lines right, then add speed on successive runs.
start slow, get your lines right, then add speed on successive runs.
have fun and concentrate on driving better, knowing your car, making adjustments to the car when you hit the limits of the current setup.1 - 16 of 16 Posts
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