autocross tips
06-30-2003, 10:24 PM
#1
midwest corn killer
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autocross tips
i originally posted this on honda tech but i figured the honda-acura guys would appreciate it also. enjoy!
more info can be found here
here is a post that one of the guys made on our local solo 2 message board, thought it might be helpful to some people
1. As soon as you pass the start line, you are only losing time.
Minimize how much time you lose. It's not just going faster, it's
spending less time on the course.
2. The trick is to drive 10/10ths. A novice will drive 7/10ths and then
not realize that they went to 13/10ths. Learn the edge and drive it.
That may mean some cones get hit and you spin. It's what teaches you
where 10/10ths is.
3. There are fast parts and there are slow parts. Learn the difference.
4. Don't square off the corners and point and shoot drive. A lot of
corners are parts of smooth arcs you can make. It's faster to drive a
smooth arc than a short straight and two jerky turns.
5. Be aggressive in chicanes. Attack them, stay in front of the turns
and as straight as you can. Getting "behind" in a chicane is a bad
thing.
6. Doing this well means being smooth. Being smooth DOES NOT mean you
are slow. To drive the car smoothly may require controlled chaos in the
car. Fast hand and foot movements do not mean you are not smooth.
7. Know your line you intend on driving. Understand it. Look for it. If
you drive such that you are forcing yourself off that line, you made a
mistake and need to slow down. The line is everything, unless you are
wrong about where the line is...then you need to change your mind.
8. Look ahead to where you want to exit the turn. Adjust your speed into
the corner to make sure your car will be on the right spot when your
exit the corner.
9. It's better to corner under acceleration than braking. Brake earlier
and then get on the throttle as quick as you can.
10. The earlier throttle points will be faster. Give up the end of the
straight to make your corner exit faster. That speed coming out of the
corner will carry thru the whole straight following the corner.
11. Do not try to save runs. If you get screwed up, go off course or mow
down cones. This saves tires.
12. Understeer is often caused by going in to a corner too hot. To
reduce understeer, straighten out the steering and/or reduce throttle
input.
13. A lift or quick stab at the brakes can cause the front of the car to
weight and allow better turn in.
14. Alignments are important.
15. If you start going slower or are less succesful than you should be,
check the car. Sometimes things change and it's hard to notice.
16. Seat time is important.
17. Autocross deliberately. Try to drive deliberately. Not just
reacting...but control the steering and drive the line. Then do it
faster.
18. Don't worry about long lists of tips. Work on one or two things at
a time. Don't try to adjust everything, put in a new swaybar and struts,
try out Hoosiers, and decide to use left foot braking all in one
weekend. Make changes one at a time and see how they feel.
19. There are many ways to setup your car and your driving can
accomodate them. Spend more time on your driving than your car setup.
Human nature is that it's easier to point to your car, or the classing,
or maybe someone else is cheating, or they spent more. But the biggest
variable in autocrossing is still always the driver.
and here is another
For real beginners:
1. If the back end gets loose in a corner DO NOT LIFT.
2. "In a spin, two feet in."
3. Not all of us have a Z06, momentum is everything.
4. If the car is pushing, wind off lock until it hooks up again. Adding lock will only cook your tires.
5. "It's a corolla not a rally car, quit trying to drive it sideways!"
6. Utilizing your brakes to their fullest will save more time than your accelerator ever will.
7. When they say the slolem is optional it doesn't mean you can go around it.
8. If you hit a cone don't let it throw your concentration, remember, you ran it's punk ass over
9. Don't let your hands get crossed up during a run. Practice proper hand technique every day on the street.
1. As soon as you pass the start line, you are only losing time.
Minimize how much time you lose. It's not just going faster, it's
spending less time on the course.
2. The trick is to drive 10/10ths. A novice will drive 7/10ths and then
not realize that they went to 13/10ths. Learn the edge and drive it.
That may mean some cones get hit and you spin. It's what teaches you
where 10/10ths is.
3. There are fast parts and there are slow parts. Learn the difference.
4. Don't square off the corners and point and shoot drive. A lot of
corners are parts of smooth arcs you can make. It's faster to drive a
smooth arc than a short straight and two jerky turns.
5. Be aggressive in chicanes. Attack them, stay in front of the turns
and as straight as you can. Getting "behind" in a chicane is a bad
thing.
6. Doing this well means being smooth. Being smooth DOES NOT mean you
are slow. To drive the car smoothly may require controlled chaos in the
car. Fast hand and foot movements do not mean you are not smooth.
7. Know your line you intend on driving. Understand it. Look for it. If
you drive such that you are forcing yourself off that line, you made a
mistake and need to slow down. The line is everything, unless you are
wrong about where the line is...then you need to change your mind.
8. Look ahead to where you want to exit the turn. Adjust your speed into
the corner to make sure your car will be on the right spot when your
exit the corner.
9. It's better to corner under acceleration than braking. Brake earlier
and then get on the throttle as quick as you can.
10. The earlier throttle points will be faster. Give up the end of the
straight to make your corner exit faster. That speed coming out of the
corner will carry thru the whole straight following the corner.
11. Do not try to save runs. If you get screwed up, go off course or mow
down cones. This saves tires.
12. Understeer is often caused by going in to a corner too hot. To
reduce understeer, straighten out the steering and/or reduce throttle
input.
13. A lift or quick stab at the brakes can cause the front of the car to
weight and allow better turn in.
14. Alignments are important.
15. If you start going slower or are less succesful than you should be,
check the car. Sometimes things change and it's hard to notice.
16. Seat time is important.
17. Autocross deliberately. Try to drive deliberately. Not just
reacting...but control the steering and drive the line. Then do it
faster.
18. Don't worry about long lists of tips. Work on one or two things at
a time. Don't try to adjust everything, put in a new swaybar and struts,
try out Hoosiers, and decide to use left foot braking all in one
weekend. Make changes one at a time and see how they feel.
19. There are many ways to setup your car and your driving can
accomodate them. Spend more time on your driving than your car setup.
Human nature is that it's easier to point to your car, or the classing,
or maybe someone else is cheating, or they spent more. But the biggest
variable in autocrossing is still always the driver.
and here is another
For real beginners:
1. If the back end gets loose in a corner DO NOT LIFT.
2. "In a spin, two feet in."
3. Not all of us have a Z06, momentum is everything.
4. If the car is pushing, wind off lock until it hooks up again. Adding lock will only cook your tires.
5. "It's a corolla not a rally car, quit trying to drive it sideways!"
6. Utilizing your brakes to their fullest will save more time than your accelerator ever will.
7. When they say the slolem is optional it doesn't mean you can go around it.
8. If you hit a cone don't let it throw your concentration, remember, you ran it's punk ass over
9. Don't let your hands get crossed up during a run. Practice proper hand technique every day on the street.
07-10-2003, 09:00 AM
#3
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Originally posted by sts2poc1
5. "It's a corolla not a rally car, quit trying to drive it sideways!"
i disagree on this one, thats what i want to do with an ae-86, got the motor but no car
5. "It's a corolla not a rally car, quit trying to drive it sideways!"
i disagree on this one, thats what i want to do with an ae-86, got the motor but no car
Seen this video yet? http://deedlit.org/evo7.asf
07-11-2003, 04:36 PM
#5
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07-12-2003, 12:09 PM
#6
it's my D in a B
theres an SCCA clubrally AE86 here in CO. Its black with a flamejob and huge mudflaps. Very 
He autocrosses it like a rally car and actually makes very decent times, considering how unsuited the car's setup is to autocross.
He autocrosses it like a rally car and actually makes very decent times, considering how unsuited the car's setup is to autocross.
07-12-2003, 12:12 PM
#7
it's my D in a B
Originally posted by sts2poc1
5. "It's a corolla not a rally car, quit trying to drive it sideways!"
i disagree on this one, thats what i want to do with an ae-86, got the motor but no car
5. "It's a corolla not a rally car, quit trying to drive it sideways!"
i disagree on this one, thats what i want to do with an ae-86, got the motor but no car
07-18-2003, 08:31 PM
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the black corolla belongs to Bob Orr, he used to race a celica in STS in CO, he sold the corolla i think, it handled nice too, he took me for a ride once in winter series, you can see pics of his car at www.wildbobdesigns.com
Link doesn't work.