Originally posted by CivicSiRacer
Ok there's something you have to learn about autocross that maybe you didn't read when I posted.
A typical novice for their 1st year or two will usually drive their car 5/10ths or 12/10ths. You will either under drive the car or over drive the car when you autocross. A intermediate autocrosser will be able to drive 7/10ths or maybe 8/10ths all the time coming within .5-1 second of the fastest competitior in their class. A great autocrosser will drive 9/10ths and sometime loosing the tail a couple of times throughout the year. Not many people can drive 10/10ths and know how to get themselves out of situations when they arise.
The best mod you can do to any car whether it be a 1995 Civic CX with 70hp or a 500 Dodge Viper is fix the driver. Too many people think mods will make their car faster at an autocross, which is not true. A typical $1000 coilover system will shave off about .5-1 second on a 60 second course. Upgrade the driver for about $225 for an Evolution School or $50 Novice School and you can shave off 4-8 seconds on the same course.
I'm telling you you will have just as much fun in a 1995 Civic DX hatchback in class HS (slowest class in SCCA). And actually your learning curve will be so much faster if you learn in a slower car, than if you plop down all this money on a fast car only to be owned by cars with 1/2 the horsepower you think you want. Plus I've seen too many guys who spent tons of money on their car and be put in the hardest class we have and then get frustrated cause another car with 70hp beat them in raw time.
:stupid: Its true. I drove my VX (92 hp) in H-stock, and it was fun as hell, and I could be pretty competitive. Even in STS (where I race against guys like CivicSiRacer with twice my power) I still find that power isn't a limiting factor. My driving skill is still the biggest limiting factor, followed by traction (yes, with pitiful power, I still lose traction often. Sound like I need a bigger engine?) and a little more suspension tuning.
The fact of the matter is, my car sucks on the street, and I cant deal with that. But I'm not building a monster. I'm getting a stock B20Z and an LSD, and if I can improve MYSELF, I will be just as competitive in SM as any built and boosted monster.