Tips for new Autocrossers!

[sperry]

I figure since I'm one of the instructors for tomorrow's autocross school, I might as well put together a few tips for the new drivers that will be attending.

Safety First!
Before following these tips, please make sure you read and understand each tip. Failure to comprehend these tips could lead to an unsafe situation on course, and as we all know, safety is the most important thing to keep in mind in amateur motorsports!

1 - Looking Ahead:
You'll probably hear the phrase "eyes up" or "look ahead" a thousand times during the school. What we're talking about is called "target fixation". The goal of "keeping your eyes up" is to make sure you look at each cone as you pass it. This allows you to keep as close to the cones as possible, thereby effectively shortening the course, and lowering lap times.

2 - Slow In, Fast Out:
The "slow in fast out" theory is that a car that's slow in to the pits off the course, is usually a fast car the next time it goes out for a run. Ideally, near the end of your run, you want to slow down and allow the tires to cool (and in a turbo car, you can actually get the intercooler to cool down a bit too) so that on your next run, your tires are stickier, allowing for a faster time on the next lap.

3 - Being "Smooth":
Another popular phrase amongst autocrossers is "be smooth". A "smooth" driver is one that makes very few input changes to the car, and makes them very quickly to minimize how long the car has to change direction. For example, when turning the wheel, it's much better to turn it very quickly to the desired angle and hold it there. That way, the car only has to rotate once to the correct turning radius.

4 - Throttle and Brake Utilization:
When using the throttle and brake, make sure to go full throttle as fast as possible, and brake as hard as possible. If you're not one or the other, then you're wasting the car's potential for acceleration and deceleration. Also keep in mind that in an ABS equipped car, you'll want to be on the ABS every time you brake, since ABS is so much faster than a human can be for modulating the brakes. If you're not on the ABS every time you brake, you're not braking hard enough!

5 - Tire Pressures:
Tire pressures are the easiest thing for a new autocrosser to change at the track to help the handling of their car. It's a good idea to make sure your tire pressures are a few pounds lower than the factory recommendations. Basically, factory specs are designed for lower rolling drag so as to increase fuel mileage. By lowering the pressure you turn those hard, low drag tires into much stickier race tires. Having softer side-walls means the tire can really squat and grab the tarmac. On a street-tire'd WRX, I'd suggest 32lbs front / 30lbs rear, since you want a little less traction up front to help the car rotate.

6 - Planning Ahead:
Planning your run ahead of time is usually a bad idea. Remember that most excellent race drivers have amazing instincts and reaction times which allows them to take every corner at the limit as they come. As a new driver, you'll want to hone your driving instincts. Since you've already walked the course the morning of the event, you shouldn't have to think about it anymore. Just get out there and let your driving instincts take over!

Finally... before you get out there and use these tips, please make sure you know what day today is.

[khail19]

Wow, no wonder I'm so slow. I've been doing everything totally backwards. :shock:

[MikeK]

Bah! Last year's effort was bettAr :wink:

[sperry]

Originally Posted by MikeK

Bah! Last year's effort was bettAr :wink:

They can't all be solid gold.

[MattR]

Hahah...You suxors...Please tell me you will be practicing the #2 suggestion on the grid..

[dknv]

Originally Posted by sperry

Finally... before you get out there and use these tips, please make sure you know what day today is.

Today is the day before the Autocross school - so, good timing Scott!

Also, I have found it helpful in the pre-run course walk, to do the coursewalk in a position that you would actually find yourself in your vehicle. That is, you may want to stoop a little to lower your upper body to the height you will see the cones from. (Picture the character JarJar Binks from Star Wars.) Put your hands out in front of you as if you are actually steering the car. When you come up to a turn where you will need to slow the car down, determine where you are going to apply the brakes, and say out loud 'Brake! Brake! Brake'; followed by, 'Turn!, Turn!, Turn!', followed by 'Gas!, Gas!, Gas!'. This will help set in mind where you will execute each step when you are actually on the course in your vehicle.

Edit: If you use even a few of these tips, you can find yourself 5 or even 10 seconds of improvement from your first run to your last. You too can be saying that you "boomed da gasser, and crashed de boss's heyblibber!"

[MikeSTI]

whats the tread wear rating thats required for Street Tire? 220? anyone?

[dknv]

Originally Posted by MikeSTI

whats the tread wear rating thats required for Street Tire? 220? anyone?

I wanna say 140. Why, are you trying to decide on tires?

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by sperry

It's a good idea to make sure your tire pressures are a few pounds lower than the factory recommendations.

Tire rollover?

[sperry]

Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey

Tire rollover?

You retard.

The softer the tire, the more traction. Haven't you seen drag cars, they have like 10 lbs of air!

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Originally Posted by sperry

The softer the tire, the more traction.

Hmm, according to this rule maybe you should just try running yours flat - they'd have crazy grip!

[MattR]

Originally Posted by AtomicLabMonkey

Hmm, according to this rule maybe you should just try running yours flat - they'd have crazy grip!

Scott loses.

[dknv]

I had to re-post this tip for newbies too, because everytime I think of it, it makes me crack up!

Originally Posted by qksubi

THIS IS JUST A WARINING There is a arms race going on in this club I dont know how it got started or when but when I joined this club I had a ton of money and 1 credit card with $700 on it now I have three that are about max and I dont work as much my wife hates me!! So if you have a normal simple life run before you get the curse the curse of the AUTOX!!!!!!
I to find a recovery help group!

[MikeSTI]

Originally Posted by dknv

I wanna say 140. Why, are you trying to decide on tires?

yah I'm still looking for a good tire for Auto-x and I really want to 245/40 17

[sperry]

Okay... I guess this year's 4-1 joke didn't go over quite so well as previous years...

...that, or most you guys aren't smart enough to realize the tips I gave are bogus. Hell, only 1 person played along.

So, without further delay.... here are the *real* tips for autocross:


Tips for new Autocrossers!

I figure since I'm one of the instructors for tomorrow's autocross school, I might as well put together a few tips for the new drivers that will be attending.

Safety First!
Before following these tips, please make sure you read and understand each tip. Failure to comprehend these tips could lead to an unsafe situation on course, and as we all know, safety is the most important thing to keep in mind in amateur motorsports!

1 - Looking Ahead:
You'll probably hear the phrase "eyes up" or "look ahead" a thousand times during the school. What we're talking about is avoiding "target fixation". Target fixation is when a driver looks at something, they tend to run into it. If you're looking at each cone as you pass them, you're going to tend to hit them.

In addition to avoiding target fixation, looking ahead allows you to plan your line. Ideally you want to be looking two or three turns ahead, because where you put the car now has a drastic effect on where you'll be able to put it in the future.

Looking ahead is one of the most difficult things to do in autocross. I've been doing this for years, and I still find myself concentrating on "this" corner instead of the 2 more important corners coming up. the last thing you want is to exit a corner and get "surprised" by the next one.

2 - Slow In, Fast Out:
The "slow in fast out" theory is simply "brake early and enter a corner slow so that you can exit it fast". This is the "safe" way to drive, as it minimized large mistakes (like running right off the course because you waited too long to brake). It's also a good way for a new driver to drastically lower their lap times. By braking early and entering a corner smoothly (see "Being Smooth" below) the car will be under control and stable, allowing the driver to get on the throttle earlier on exit.

One thing to keep in mind is that corners that lead to long straights are the most important corners on the course. If you really make sure to maximize your exit speed out of corners that lead to long straights, you will be able to go much faster down the straight and take large chunks off you lap times. Essentially, for the important corners "slower in" means "faster out".

3 - Being "Smooth":
Another popular phrase amongst autocrossers is "be smooth". A "smooth" driver is one that uses gradual and slow inputs to the car to maximize grip. Every time a driver jerks the wheel, or stabs the brake or throttle, they upset the pitch and roll of the car. Extreme or quick maneuvers will "toss" the car which breaks traction. By being smooth, the car transitions from straight to turning or accelerating to braking gradually, which means they will have more grip, and therefore higher speeds, than a car that's flicked into a corner.

4 - Throttle and Brake Utilization:
Ways to help improve your smoothness include thinking about "rolling" on and off the throttle and brake. Stabbing the pedals (especially the brake) are very easy ways to upset the handling of the car. When braking heavily, you will want to make sure you gradually lift of the throttle (roll off) then gradually apply the brake (roll on). These motions can still be done very quickly, but they must be smooth, or you will waste traction. If you're noticing that the ABS is coming on a lot, chances are you're not being smooth enough on the brakes. ABS should be rarely triggered while autocrossing.

5 - Tire Pressures:
Tire pressures are the easiest thing for a new autocrosser to change at the track to help the handling of their car. It's a good idea to make sure your tire pressures are a few pounds higher than the factory recommendations. On most street tire shod car, soft sidewalls are your enemy! Low tire pressures lead to the car rolling over on the sidewalls in corners. By upping the pressure the tire will resist this sidewall roll and help keep the tread squarely on the ground, increasing traction. For a WRX on RE92's I'd suggest 44lbs front / 40lbs rear. A little less air in the rear will lower rear traction and help the car to turn. Also keep in mind that as you runt he tires will heat up, increasing pressure, so after each run you will probably need to bleed air off the tires to keep the pressures where you want them.

One other thing to remember, cars that have very stiff sidewalls will react differently to air pressure changes. For example the RE070's that come stock on STis have very stiff sidewalls. On tires like these there is already very little sidewall roll over, so adding air pressure will *reduce* traction instead of increasing it! For example on my Azenis Sports (before I had adjustable coilovers) I used to run around 45lbs front 50lbs rear.

6 - Planning Ahead:
Planning your run ahead of time is essential. When you walk the course in the morning you want to memorize the course so you can run it in your head from memory. Later while you're running there should be no surprises, and you should be able to know exactly which corner comes after the one you're in. After coming off course, I like to sit in the car and replay the run in my head. That way I can identify the sections of the course where I made mistakes so that I can avoid repeating those mistakes on the next run.

[MikeSTI]

I just read the Headliners and saw it was the same things so I didn't read the whole thing

[AtomicLabMonkey]

Hah, me too, I just scanned over it real quick.