1st auto-x experience

yep, its that time. the time for me to make a joke outta myself, at my first auto-x. i took off of work and everything, so it should be fun.

now, ive been reading a lot of faqs and things, but because i know that there are some people on this forum that do auto-x occasionally, what do you recomend to bring/read/do?

i think im going to be placed into sts just because i have wai, light weight rims, and catback exhaust. idk if i can move into gs since im auto. any ideas on class btw?

i'll be posting up pictures and everything on sunday.

yep, its that time. the time for me to make a joke outta myself, at my first auto-x. i took off of work and everything, so it should be fun.

now, ive been reading a lot of faqs and things, but because i know that there are some people on this forum that do auto-x occasionally, what do you recomend to bring/read/do?

i think im going to be placed into sts just because i have wai, light weight rims, and catback exhaust. idk if i can move into gs since im auto. any ideas on class btw?

i'll be posting up pictures and everything on sunday.


Here are some things you should know, you can stay in your stock class with a catback and rims, I dont know what a wai is. G-stock is way too hard for your car to compete in stay in H-stock (HS) class. I was competing in GS when I was racing the jetta and my competitors were Mini coopers (S) and GTI's. Also Auto VS Manual doesnt change your class.

Make sure you completly empty your car, no loose articles and make sure you have a helmet or use a loaner.

BTW I just came back from an autocross in ft.myers while I was visiting family there.

What is the time penalty for hitting a cone?

What is the time penalty for hitting a cone?

+2 seconds for hitting a cone in the course, +4 seconds for hitting a cone in the beggining where the starting line is and +4 seconds for hitting a cone where the exit is. Try to stay on course and always look one cone ahead so you know where to go next. keep both hands on the wheel and adjust your seat because they way you drive in an autoX is different then on the streets.

If you see the people waving a red flag that means to stop the car, and everyone on the course will get a re-run. If you see that you are going off course and youre losing control, dont worry just try to stop the car. If you are going to hit a cone try hitting it with your rear tire so you have a better chance of keeping it up and in the marked box.

A down cone means, it was knocked over on its side or it was moved out of its box. The cone is still good if it is touching any part of the box while it is up.

What is the time penalty for going off course?

What is the time penalty for going off course?


your time doesnt count if you go off course and you don't get a re-run. So going off course VS. hitting a cone to stay on course, you better hit that damn cone.

Ah never mind then. I had an evil plan that was going to utilize possible loop holes in my favor.

Ah never mind then. I had an evil plan that was going to utilize possible loop holes in my favor.


lol, and here i thought you were just trying to help a fellow a/fer out with his first autoX. Foreshame. BTW when are you going to take that MS3 to an autocross? Did you already pass the break-in period?

I'm at 740 on the clock now, don't know when I'll take it to an AutoX, but I'm looking into them in the near future. I am also looking at some track days at a few road courses, assuming the guys at the Motorsports Ranch ever decide to hold an track day that doesn't have a damned thousand dollar entry fee.

I'm at 740 on the clock now, don't know when I'll take it to an AutoX, but I'm looking into them in the near future. I am also looking at some track days at a few road courses, assuming the guys at the Motorsports Ranch ever decide to hold an track day that doesn't have a damned thousand dollar entry fee.


I'd say stick with autocrossing for about a year then go for road courses, autocrosses are nice practice events for the road courses especially since you really get to know the handling capabilities of the car. Also if you are going to an autocross try going to one that has a longer course set up so that way you tend to pick up more speed. The even I went to this weekend was a 1.3 mile long setup and I redlined 2nd in 2 occasions, I definately had to fight the urge to shift to 3rd. My top speed yesterday was 68mph since thats the top of my 2nd and that is a pretty high speed course for an autocross.

wai = warm air intake aka short ram intake.

this isnt my car btw but
my engine looks like this to an extent right now:
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b360/Nismo76/100_0733.jpg

basically made my aem cai into a wai/sri for the fall and winter, as i dont want all these nasty leaves on my air filter, and snow in there as well. dont want to have to replace a MAF sensor if i dont have to ;).

reason i say sts is because that is what most of the guys on the sentra forum told me i would have to run. i am debadged btw, and im classified as a 2.0 sentra, not the 1.8, so id have to run with the se-r spec-v's.

now that i look it over, they say g-stock because of the common known of the sr20 b15 sentra has a vlsd. i dont though due to the auto.

the night before, im emptying the car. cd's, notebooks, pens, floor mats, etc. now, does what is in my glove box matter or ???

Every ounce counts...

you need to empty the glove box because they check. Also the reason why you would be in STS or STX is due to the intake system. if you have the stock airbox still i would suggest slapping that back on so you can go to your stock class and ask if you can go to GSN (G-stock Novice) That way you wont have any real competition and you wont be stuck in an even more difficult category than gs.

and you are right that your class is GS. Which really sucks.

can i have paper in the glove box, for registration purposes? like to show i own the car and the such in case if i get pulled over and things. i dont really like taking that out, but if i have to, o well.

to put on the numbers, im thinking about using masking tape. cant find huge magnetic numbers.

the airbox is a negative, unless i can find one at the junk yard. kinda demolished it lol.

doesnt matter about my competition, i think i'll prob surprise myself on what i accomplish. hopefully i can get video as well.

can i have paper in the glove box, for registration purposes? like to show i own the car and the such in case if i get pulled over and things. i dont really like taking that out, but if i have to, o well.

Pockets are amazing things...

you can leave your registration and masking tape is good, thats what we use. Go and have fun. I was just suggesting the air box so you can go home with a nice trophy for being the only one in your class.

a nice trophy for being the only one in my class. that would be sweet. too bad i dont know any 2.0 sentras in the area, ortherwise id borrow it.

o well. as long as i dont come in last, i'll be happy.

Pssht. Screw that. If you ain't first, your last. Its the winners that get paid, and the winners that get laid!

a nice trophy for being the only one in my class. that would be sweet. too bad i dont know any 2.0 sentras in the area, ortherwise id borrow it.

o well. as long as i dont come in last, i'll be happy.


well just to let you know (and I dont mean to bring you down.) But most likely you will be seeing last for quite a while in STS, it's way too competative and the fact that it's your first time out doesnt help. your time differences will be way too much but its okay cause you learn as you drive more. So far in the RX-8 ive had a total of about 9 competition miles which is a decent amount but nothing compared to some of my competition. Add the jetta in there and im pushing close to 12 comp. miles, still nothing to these guys. I see last almost all the time no biggie. In the jetta though I only saw last once and it wasnt by much, just goes to show you the competition is much more competative in the different classes. In GS with the jetta I was easily able to keep up with the GTI's and the coopers because I had the power to help me out of corners, in BS it's a whole other ball game. I've got to compete against other rx-8's and 350z's who all have r-compound tires on them, not to mention ive gotta keep my revs up so I stay in power so it makes it alot harder but alot more fun. Over all I can only get better especially if I continue to compete (Which I will.) Unfortunately though the season is almost over. and will start back again in january.

well just to let you know (and I dont mean to bring you down.) But most likely you will be seeing last for quite a while in STS, it's way too competative and the fact that it's your first time out doesnt help. your time differences will be way too much but its okay cause you learn as you drive more. So far in the RX-8 ive had a total of about 9 competition miles which is a decent amount but nothing compared to some of my competition. Add the jetta in there and im pushing close to 12 comp. miles, still nothing to these guys. I see last almost all the time no biggie. In the jetta though I only saw last once and it wasnt by much, just goes to show you the competition is much more competative in the different classes. In GS with the jetta I was easily able to keep up with the GTI's and the coopers because I had the power to help me out of corners, in BS it's a whole other ball game. I've got to compete against other rx-8's and 350z's who all have r-compound tires on them, not to mention ive gotta keep my revs up so I stay in power so it makes it alot harder but alot more fun. Over all I can only get better especially if I continue to compete (Which I will.) Unfortunately though the season is almost over. and will start back again in january.

Or maybe you just suck.

:grinno::lol:

Oh snap...

Or maybe you just suck.

:grinno::lol:


You wanna give it a try? Cause at least im learning. :smile:

Which is why i go to the events in ft. myers, cause they have a class on the satuarday runs, the sunday runs are the actual events.

Damn, I would have tried to learn on something other than a VW Jetta. If that is all you have it would guess I coul see taking it out there for kicks but learning to drive a heavy brick around an autocross track is going to be far different than actually driving an autocross car.

Damn, I would have tried to learn on something other than a VW Jetta. If that is all you have it would guess I coul see taking it out there for kicks but learning to drive a heavy brick around an autocross track is going to be far different than actually driving an autocross car.


The jetta is by no mean a heavy brick, and the car has very good handling with enough power to get me out of the corners very quickly. I did fairly well in the jetta, taking home a trophy for 3rd place in my class out of over 12 entrees, and only once did i place last in the jetta.

The jetta weighs between 2950-3050 pounds and it was stock when I was autoxing it. my competition were mini coopers, both the regulars and the S and GTI's. so yeah it was an awsome car to start autocrossing in. but with the rx-8 It was like starting over cause its a different platform, different drive train, and a much more difficult class.

You wanna give it a try? Cause at least im learning. :smile:

Which is why i go to the events in ft. myers, cause they have a class on the satuarday runs, the sunday runs are the actual events.

Driving around cones doesn't interest me.

Driving around cones doesn't interest me.


I hear ya, I would much rather go on a road course but you need a license for those. Which that really sucks, hey at least this past sunday I topped 2nd twice putting me at 68 2 times, once before the slalom and another before a huge wie turn. im waiting on my pics before I post it up.

Driving around cones doesn't interest me.


:1:

I'd prefer big jumps, going through the woops, and a dirt track with my on the saddle of a Honda. Lol, but really, if I were to take my car to a track I would probably want to do a road course like at Mid America Center.

I hear ya, I would much rather go on a road course but you need a license for those. Which that really sucks, hey at least this past sunday I topped 2nd twice putting me at 68 2 times, once before the slalom and another before a huge wie turn. im waiting on my pics before I post it up.

You don't need a license to race on a road course, just go to a track day with a racing club.

It's not 'racing' but more just spirited driving on the road course with limited passing. If you're going to do club racing, where driving at the limits of your car and yourself. Then you need to think about going to racing school and getting licensed.

So I'm back to the drawing board at the road course issue. Just found out the one I plan on going to requires a membership. Three thousand dollar initial fee, monthly fees from there on out. Yeah, no thanks.