Hey everyone i am new here. How many of you guys go autocrossing with your cars, or do most NSX drivers road race? I have a '89 MR2 Supercharged that i run, there are a couple guys with NSX's that come out. One black one that is there pretty much every event, SoCal region. I allways look for any other mid-engine car drivers to talk to. I will hopefully have a NSX one day, i dont think i can ever go back to anything exept MR cars.
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Autocross?
- Thread starter WebVantagePoint
- Start date
i go autox with my NSX,
IMO, NSX is a pretty good autox car.....but don't feel bad if you're constantly getting beat by miatas, civics, and other lighter low horsepower car like this.
Not saying the NSX doesn't handle good.....in fact, it handles superb. Its just that lighter cars has more advantage (turns faster) in autox event since autox track are set up really tight....rarely rarely you'll go over 60 mph.
One more thing to keep in mind though, a stock NSX does have a lot of bodyroll when autoxing which kind of hinders the X's performance a bit.....a stiffer swaybar will get rid of the problem.
Also, keep in mind of the tire you're using....if you're serious..i mean really serious about autoxing, I suggest using tires designed for autox....such as Falken Azenis sport or similar tires.
Trust me, having a good set of autox tire will shaved 2 to 3 seconds off your time.
forget about all the performance upgrade.....unless you turbo or supercharge your car.....you will not see any improvement!
P.S. no worries, NSX will keep those miatas, civics ass on the track.........just from my experience
IMO, NSX is a pretty good autox car.....but don't feel bad if you're constantly getting beat by miatas, civics, and other lighter low horsepower car like this.
Not saying the NSX doesn't handle good.....in fact, it handles superb. Its just that lighter cars has more advantage (turns faster) in autox event since autox track are set up really tight....rarely rarely you'll go over 60 mph.
One more thing to keep in mind though, a stock NSX does have a lot of bodyroll when autoxing which kind of hinders the X's performance a bit.....a stiffer swaybar will get rid of the problem.
Also, keep in mind of the tire you're using....if you're serious..i mean really serious about autoxing, I suggest using tires designed for autox....such as Falken Azenis sport or similar tires.
Trust me, having a good set of autox tire will shaved 2 to 3 seconds off your time.
forget about all the performance upgrade.....unless you turbo or supercharge your car.....you will not see any improvement!
P.S. no worries, NSX will keep those miatas, civics ass on the track.........just from my experience
I go... I'm actually attempting to do both. Here's some video footage of me doing auto-x
Autocross.us link
If you go to the "event coverage" link above, apr. 4 link at Pungo, there's another one of me on there to. The one I linked you to was rather long. But the other one was a much tighter, smaller course.
Good luck on getting your NSX... have fun!
-x-
Autocross.us link
If you go to the "event coverage" link above, apr. 4 link at Pungo, there's another one of me on there to. The one I linked you to was rather long. But the other one was a much tighter, smaller course.
Good luck on getting your NSX... have fun!
-x-
WebVantagePoint said:
The black NSX you're referring to goes by "Tank" here on Prime. I'm sure he'll chime in shortly.
Re: Re: Autocross?
Yes, that would be me. Autox is the sport that I've chosen to use my car for. And I only wish there were more folks using theirs to do this.
Nimbus, are you ever coming back?
It's a great and cheap way to really push your car. It takes some work to dial in the car, but it really pays off.
t
Nimbus said:
Yes, that would be me. Autox is the sport that I've chosen to use my car for. And I only wish there were more folks using theirs to do this.
Nimbus, are you ever coming back?
It's a great and cheap way to really push your car. It takes some work to dial in the car, but it really pays off.
t
NSX-Racer said:
Personally if I saw that dip of dirt coming and I was on the course in my nsx. I'd just pull over.
hehe
-x-
I am new to the NSX world and to NSX prime. I recently sold my MR2 which I autocrossed regulary (3rd place last year/season in San Francisco region). I just bought a '98 NSX which will definately see alot of autocross time. I don't know how competitive it will be. I am assuming a similar set up to the MR2 will be a good start (stiff front sway bar and a lot of negative camber). Any advise from you experts out there would be great (sway bars, alignment settings, etc.). I will run in street tire class at first to get the car set up, then swich over to races tires in A-stock class. Thanks. Dan
Re: Re: Re: Autocross?
Tank,
is it still SCCA club members only that can autocross now or are they allowing non member to run again?
Tank said:
Tank,
is it still SCCA club members only that can autocross now or are they allowing non member to run again?
You dont have to be a SCCA member to run. It will just cost you a little more.
WebVantagePoint said:
I know that already. But the last time I went. They wouldnt let me run and I was told it was for scca cal club members because too many people were already running.
oh, well sometimes the club hosting the event will have it be a closed event, usually GRA, but that does not happen that often. Just check the solo2.com website to see if there are any special rules for the next event. Or, i dont know if this was the case, but you showed up later on in the day and there were a lot of people already registered. Then you just need to show up early. Hope this helps.Joseph said:
Brett
thanks, but I always show up early at the scca club events. It was just that one time that got me discouraged on going again.
Well the next event is a Cali speedway, may 16. hope to see you there.
Joseph said:
Are you talking about practice days or championship days?
Practice days (usually Sat's) are run by individual clubs and can have all sorts of restrictions like the one being put on by GRA May 15th. Only their members get in. But on championship days, the entry list is open to the first 100 non-SCCA or points card holders.
There were a couple of very crowded events at the beginning of the year but things have settled down. To insure you can get in they now offer on-line registration.
SoCal Solo2 is a rather big group - over 500 members. Competition is stiff to say the least. There are quite a few national champions here. Getting started can be a bit of a pain at first. But if you ask for help - of any kind - a great many of those folks will rush to your aid.
If you really want to participate, join the message board at www.solo2.com and check the events calander. Email the event chair of the one you wish to attend about how to get in. Or post on the board.
Let me know if you have problems. I'd like to see you out there.
T
djvarg said:
Dan,
My journey to a drivable car was a long one. In my first year I was known as the "spin machine." The list of all the things I've tried would be too long to give right now. There aren't any other NSXs autox'ed in the LA area to gain knowledge from. I've taken the car from major over-steer to ridiculous under-steer and back. I've changed out the entire suspension (mostly). All I can say is: It's quite a balancing act. From sway bars to tires and tire pressures to shocks to spring rates, it's all so interrelated. Make a change here, cause an effect there.
I could never get the handling I wanted from the stock suspension parts and there just wasn't a lot of competition in A-stock anyway. Once you start spending a little money on suspension upgrades, the car gets a lot more fun to drive and a lot more competetive. Alignment is still king but it is soooo dependent on what kind of suspension parts you're using. There's no one way of doing anything.
My best advice is make changes one at a time but make them big ones. You really need to see the effect. And then just dial them down from there if it's too much. I know a lot of people that have been doing this for 20+ years and they tinker on their suspension at every event. You just aren't ever going to get it right.... and that's the fun of it.
T
Hey tank, will you be going to the next practice event that GRA is putting on? I am sure you know some GRA member that will let you be their guest. But if not i might have someone that dosnt have a guest het and they maybe willing to have you be their guest. If you are interested.
Brett
Brett
WebVantagePoint said:
Right now I'm not going. Because: I really don't know anyone in GRA that well. Of course I'd love to go. Therefore: I would certainly take you up on the offer to pass my name along to your friend.
Thanks very much!
Tom
(seat time seat time seat time seat time seat time seat time)
tires???
I'm about to get into this. Any suggestions on tires for this event and what kind of life can be expected? The Kumho ecsta V700's seem very economical and can be flipped. But how do they wear and perform compared to others?
I'm about to get into this. Any suggestions on tires for this event and what kind of life can be expected? The Kumho ecsta V700's seem very economical and can be flipped. But how do they wear and perform compared to others?
Re: tires???
I've gone thru 3 sets of Ecstas in the last 1 1/2 years. They're a great tire but - depending on the surface - don't last all that long on the X. The Falken Azinas (sp?) are cheaper and last longer with only slightly less grip. The Kumho MXs are also a great tire that'll last longer. I now save the Ecstas just for championship days and run the MXs for practice. Although I'm switching to the V700 Victoracers for the front to reduce the push.
Hope this helps.
T
Departurediver said:
I've gone thru 3 sets of Ecstas in the last 1 1/2 years. They're a great tire but - depending on the surface - don't last all that long on the X. The Falken Azinas (sp?) are cheaper and last longer with only slightly less grip. The Kumho MXs are also a great tire that'll last longer. I now save the Ecstas just for championship days and run the MXs for practice. Although I'm switching to the V700 Victoracers for the front to reduce the push.
Hope this helps.
T
Economical tires usually means less grip. Tires that wear out fast usually means it is working well against the pavement. So would you rather your NSX handle better with fast wearing grippy tires or save money with long lasting not-so-grippy tires?
I'm searching for a good grippy tire. The Ecsta v710's are supposed to be and have a treadwear of 50, but if they don't work nearly as well as others for autocross or if they wear out much faster than other track tires, I don't want to go with them. Also, if there are better types of tires for this event, any help would be appreciated. There's also the issue with size. I'm going to put them on stock wheels (16x7 and 17x8.5) so info on sizes would also help since sizes are limited. If I go with Toyo RA1's then it looks like I need 205/55/16 and 235/45/17. If I go with the ecsta v700's I think I need 205/45/16 and 245/40/17 ... comments ... suggestions? ThanksNimbus said:Economical tires usually means less grip. Tires that wear out fast usually means it is working well against the pavement. So would you rather your NSX handle better with fast wearing grippy tires or save money with long lasting not-so-grippy tires?
Departurediver said:
You do not want to go with V710. There are major problems with them. Do a web search. SCCA has banned them because of extremely bad performance. The RA-1 isn't a good autox tire either. They need a lot of heat to perform well and the typical 60 second runs in AX just doesn't get them hot enough.
You'll find that most folks run Kumho Ecstas or Victoracers. The well-heeled set runs Hoosiers. The great unwashed masses run Falkens. It's rare to see anything other than those tires.
You really won't like 205's on the front. They're just too small. Try a 225/45. They will probably rub at full wheel turn but how often do you have to do that while racing? Go to TireRack and compare stats for the different tires. I've gone to 17 inch front rims so I'm not sure which tires are best for a 16 inch rim. Because you can go really big in the rear, having larger tires on the front will help greatly with the push.
Good luck with all this!!!
My $.02
T
oops
I meant the ecsta V700's not the 710's which I think have been recalled. So did you mean the ecsta V700's or the MX's? I'm going to assume you meant the V700's since they are in the same class as the Victoracer's. Between these two ... any preference or more good insight? What about the Yokahama AO32R's or Nitto's?
I meant the ecsta V700's not the 710's which I think have been recalled. So did you mean the ecsta V700's or the MX's? I'm going to assume you meant the V700's since they are in the same class as the Victoracer's. Between these two ... any preference or more good insight? What about the Yokahama AO32R's or Nitto's?
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Tank said:
Where would you find 225/45 track tires? I can't find anything at the Tire Rack that matches up with 16" front rim. I don't think that the stock 15X6.5" front rim I currently run will accept anything wider than a 205.
I'd like to go with something stickier in the front for AutoX (ie., wider than 205) and I was wondering what your wheel/tire setup is? How is the availability of tires for you? I've got my car lowered with a TEIN RA setup and I've been warned that 235 might be too big to run in the front, but I can't find any tires in 225 that would seem to fit.
Thanks for any help!
