Anybody run solo2

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allbottledup

Senior Member
I was thinking about going this route with the rex but I have no knowledge of autox. If anyone can tell me about this i would appreciate it.
 
one of the greatest things I can tell you is a quote from a famous driver

question was what makes a great race car

"A good set of tires and light wheels, with a good braking system, and a good suspension system to put it all to together."
 
im not sure...i just dont know anything at all about it. I found my region and i looked at its website. I downloaded the rulebook too. I just wanna know what people like and dislike about it. I have a good idea on building the car but anyone who has a good setup can post it too.
 
I would say your best bet is to find some local clubs in your area, register for some events, and just start running. That way you can work on your driving skills while getting a good feel for your car under those types of driving conditions, see how your car performs, finding the limits of your suspension/tires/etc, etc.
You mentioned you already have a rule book so you will need to figure out what class you will run in depending on what mods you currently have done to your car, although certain regions don't always run exactly the same classes as national events so you will need to check with the region you plan on competing in. Then later on you can decide what class you want to run in and what mods are allowed in that class, or what mods you want to do and what class it will put you in.

other than all that- go fast and rotation, rotation, rotation :driver2:
 
Originally posted by allbottledup@Aug 29 2005, 05:22 PM
im not sure...i just dont know anything at all about it. I found my region and i looked at its website. I downloaded the rulebook too. I just wanna know what people like and dislike about it. I have a good idea on building the car but anyone who has a good setup can post it too.
[post=546917]Quoted post[/post]​


likes:
cheap (usually $20 - $25)
no risk of tickets :)
meet other cool people
seat time
good place to practice and hone your driving skills
and its fun :)

dislikes:
having to be there at 8am sunday morning, usually after a rather long saturday night :)
the wait time between runs
some of the club members in my area can be dicks and or cry babies
i would like MORE seat time
its just not the same as an HPDE at a real race track :(

ok yeah so the dislikes are really nitpicky... whatever :p

anyway
you are on the right track so far
youve found a club to race with
you have the rule book

now you need seat time

dont even mod the car yet (if you havent already)... start off with the car stock... starting off on a stock car means that the car will not compensate as much for your short comings as a driver... this means you will learn much faster... and that means you will get better much faster.... so start off stock and learn the limits of what the car is actually capable of (its limits are much higher than you think... ive autocrossed a stock insight and whooped some ass with it :) )
when you have some seat time under you and you are able to drive the car to its limits... thats when its time to mod it.... first thing i would reccomend is suspension... then brakes... then rims/tires
now you get to relearn the limits of the car... and when you are at them now its time for more power

seat time will make you faster than any mod you can possibly do
^^^ read that one again^^^
suspension brakes and tires will make you faster than pretty much any power adders


most importantly... go out there to have fun :)
 
well so far i have the car
CRX HF...so the motor is the killer
Its already gutted completely.
I just so happened to buy tires from a guy airjockie gets them from on ebay so i have a set of yoko's for auto-x
 
what kind of tires??

DO NOT run R compounds on stock or street suspension... you are asking to flip
just get a decent set of street tires and burn those up untill you have something good on there for suispension
 
what E is talking about is exactly what i did with my mirage and why ive become such a good driver.

I did suspension with basic sticky tires, then big brakes, and next year ill have the powerful motor to autox with.

get talking to an instructor with a car much alike yours. thats the best way through trial and error to see what works for and against you.

eventually, i recommend a thick rear sway bar and nice stiff springs :)
 
Originally posted by E_SolSi@Aug 29 2005, 10:47 PM
what kind of tires??

DO NOT run R compounds on stock or street suspension... you are asking to flip
just get a decent set of street tires and burn those up untill you have something good on there for suispension
[post=547068]Quoted post[/post]​


I dunno about that, I know alot of guys running r comps in stock and street mod classes that do very well (including myself during my 2nd and 3rd seasons). I've seen a LOT of spins, swapping ends, drifting, etc. I've never seen a car flip. Of course the car makes a big difference, I don't see a crx or civic flipping with stock suspension and r comps but I could see it on a truck or a bigger heavier car with really soft suspension.

there are a couple of guys in my region running race tires in stock classes that usually hang right near the top of the list in raw times. One of them is a newer mini on hoosiers in H stock :blink:
 
ive seen a few go well up on 2 wheels
i havent personally seen any flip... it has happened 2 times a few years ago at the autocrosses in my area at events i wasnt at :(
and i have seen more than a few threads from people all over the place

and yeah on some of the newer sport tuned cars you can get away with it
a 15 year old CRX i wouldnt trust
 
well i did an infield day at Tx Motor speedway in my lude. Yoko ES100 Tires (205 40ZR 17), KYB GR-2s, eibach pro springs, endless super sport S pads and Baer Eradispeed rotors...i run great there...the only thing my car needs now is a new final gear, diff, and a decent friggin engine....im tired of running like crap because of this engine. Knock Sensor, Temp Sensor (block is at 190 and the sensor shows 260) and now no muffler or back pressure.

But E is right...get track time...you cant really do anything until you find out what your car CAN AND CANT DO. I cant power slide my car...im over that...while guys are speed drifting through corners im gripping tight in my FWD monster. Im just confused as to why i can run better times in my buddy's S14 (2nd gen 240 w/ S14 Swap) than he can... :shrug2:
 
alright. Well i was looking at the scheduel for my region and they have an event on sun. Im gonna go check it out. Im making my wife go to see if i can get her into it too. (after the baby is born) Thanks for all the great info!
 
I forgot to mention you should find out if and when your region has novice schools. Some regions will have multiple schools each year, but since we're getting towards the end of the season now you'll probably be looking at next year for the schools. But they're great to attend, you get a chance to get some real hands on, time intensive stuff with instructors at a slower pace and more focus on actual driving skills and techniques as opposed to trying to keep a full blown event running smoothly. My gf and I still like to go to the schools to volunteer and help (and pick up some tips here & there ;) ), even tho they won't let us officially attend anymore cause we're not technically novices :(
 
Yeah, and if you are in the dallas area you can check out the lotus elise school at TMS...Its really a lot of fun, and as memory serves it was like 200 bucks but you have a lot of fun both driving and being a passenger (some of those instructors are friggin nuts)
 
Solo2 days are a great way to get into for little money, then you can get better with your car and you'll be able to make well-rounded decisions about where to go next, technically. As you get more and more into the clubs and the sport, the more costly events will give you significantly more seat time - So even a $200 track day is totally worth it.

By starting small time, you'll ensure that you aren't frustrated by jumping into classes with drivers that will take you out of the top 3 all the time.

Also, you'll be in tune with what kind of car ultimately does you best. I used to rack in the rankings with a Supra, but even with an auto-cross prepared Honda I get higher times.

-> Steve
 
Originally posted by allbottledup+Aug 29 2005, 09:08 PM-->
Its already gutted completely.
[post=546993]Quoted post[/post]​

Welcome to the preparred class.
you're fucked.

seriously. you'll be racing against COMPLETELY built cars. 100k budgets on some of those prep class cars.

if you still have the interior, put it back in. gutted interiors are for drag racing.

Originally posted by allbottledup@Aug 29 2005, 09:08 PM
I just so happened to buy tires from a guy airjockie gets them from on ebay so i have a set of yoko's for auto-x
[post=546993]Quoted post[/post]​


on a stock suspension? don't even consider running r-comps. the tire will stick, the suspension will load up, and when it catches, it will toss you like a $10 whore.

Originally posted by E_SolSi@Aug 29 2005, 11:47 PM
what kind of tires??

DO NOT run R compounds on stock or street suspension... you are asking to flip
just get a decent set of street tires and burn those up untill you have something good on there for suispension
[post=547068]Quoted post[/post]​


:werd:

Originally posted by TurboMirage@Aug 30 2005, 12:11 AM
what E is talking about is exactly what i did with my mirage and why ive become such a good driver.


:lol:

eventually, i recommend a thick rear sway bar and nice stiff springs :)
[post=547087]Quoted post[/post]​


springs, sure. thick rear sway? un-needed. you can rotate a crx like nothing with a simple lift of the throttle.

Originally posted by stmotorsports@Aug 30 2005, 12:31 AM
E_SolSi
@Aug 29 2005, 10:47 PM
what kind of tires??

DO NOT run R compounds on stock or street suspension... you are asking to flip
just get a decent set of street tires and burn those up untill you have something good on there for suispension
[post=547068]Quoted post[/post]​


I dunno about that, I know alot of guys running r comps in stock and street mod classes that do very well (including myself during my 2nd and 3rd seasons). I've seen a LOT of spins, swapping ends, drifting, etc. I've never seen a car flip.



what the hell are you doing in street mod with stock suspension???


there are a couple of guys in my region running race tires in stock classes that usually hang right near the top of the list in raw times. One of them is a newer mini on hoosiers in H stock :blink:
[post=547100]Quoted post[/post]​


raw times? shit.. i can get a 13 sec flat on a 1 min course raw time, + 2312 cones, off course.

raw means shit IMO.


Anyway,
the moral of this post---

MOD yourself and your driving level before you mod the car.

a noob in a 220 whp fwd crx will get his ass handed to him by chris in his 106 hp mirage.
 
Originally posted by pissedoffsol+Aug 31 2005, 08:16 AM-->
Originally posted by stmotorsports@Aug 30 2005, 12:31 AM
E_SolSi
@Aug 29 2005, 10:47 PM
what kind of tires??

DO NOT run R compounds on stock or street suspension... you are asking to flip
just get a decent set of street tires and burn those up untill you have something good on there for suispension
[post=547068]Quoted post[/post]​


I dunno about that, I know alot of guys running r comps in stock and street mod classes that do very well (including myself during my 2nd and 3rd seasons). I've seen a LOT of spins, swapping ends, drifting, etc. I've never seen a car flip.



what the hell are you doing in street mod with stock suspension???



oops dunno why I said street mod there, I meant prepared classes ie- mild street suspension, etc


I found that I did learn alot faster on street tires, but I just got to a point fairly early on where it began to get frustrating when you know you're hitting the lines pretty well but you just don't have the grip available to go faster. I even had a few instructors ride with me and then they were like 'dude you need r comps' :D All I was saying was depending on how fast you progress in learning and honing your driving and depending on what kind of class you ultimately want to run in, you might want to start planning for race tires in your budget cause that kind of expense comes up real quick.

I'm obviously not saying every noob should bolt on some r comps and you'll instantly be competitive or even any better if not worse, a lot of times when I'm trying out a new tweak and I'm unsure of exactly how much it's going to affect the chassis balance, I'll go out for a few runs on street tires just because they do tend to mask less and compensate less.

and as far as the gutted interior goes, doesn't that put you in D mod? :shocked: EEP!
 
Originally posted by stmotorsports@Aug 31 2005, 11:15 AM

oops dunno why I said street mod there, I meant prepared classes ie- mild street suspension, etc


you mean street preparred? (DSP for most hondas)

Even there, you should be at least on a koni/gc setup, or you're simply out classed and don't really stand a chance.

I found that I did learn alot faster on street tires, but I just got to a point fairly early on where it began to get frustrating when you know you're hitting the lines pretty well but you just don't have the grip available to go faster. I even had a few instructors ride with me and then they were like 'dude you need r comps'


i would re-evaluate the instructors credibility at this point.

Sure, more grip will help get a slightly better time, but it does nothing for improving you as a driver. R-comps are FAR from a be-all-end-all OMG i can turn 180 degrees at 100 mph! at some point, you will STILL push on them, or have oversteer on them, just like you did on your street tires.

so now, you're going faster, and STILL don't know how to properly drive the car to get the proper rotation out of it, and ultimately, you end up getting your ass handed to you repeatedly by the others in your class.

:D All I was saying was depending on how fast you progress in learning and honing your driving and depending on what kind of class you ultimately want to run in, you might want to start planning for race tires in your budget cause that kind of expense comes up real quick.


i'm on 5 seasons or at least 2 or 3 events a year- and i still have not run r-comps on the track yet.
I bought a set, and then decided to sell out my hatch, so they are sitting in the garage, 100% brand new.

but my point is, it took me 5 years to fully say that i've grown out of the azenis and have pushed my self beyond what the tire can do for me.

there's a lot of dynamics involved.

I consider myself a pretty damn good driver. my times are consitently on point for my class and my competition. do i have room to improve? sure. but i've come to the point where i don't think i'll improve much more than where i'm at without a better tire.

I GUARANTEE that bottledup will gain at LEAST 5 seconds out of a 60 second course in 5 runs.

nothing on the car changed-- he changed.


having no power is going to be beneficial.

you will learn SO much about momentum, holding speed through a corner, and the likes.
I recommed everyone start off with a stock slow POS car.

when you get that 70 hp beast to hang with others with 150-180 hp cars, its time to move up.

your hf in the right hands (say, daddio?) could probably beat most people at your local event in g-stock, h-stock, and probably come damn close to a couple cars in b-stock.

but, local events are not the national tour. lol.

topeka next week :)

I'm obviously not saying every noob should bolt on some r comps and you'll instantly be competitive or even any better if not worse, a lot of times when I'm trying out a new tweak and I'm unsure of exactly how much it's going to affect the chassis balance, I'll go out for a few runs on street tires just because they do tend to mask less and compensate less.


not a bad idea... but you're killing to constants and making it two variables now. sure, you can kinda remember what the car did before, but its not exact. perhaps, its good enough for the ass dyno and ass g-meter though :p

and as far as the gutted interior goes, doesn't that put you in D mod? :shocked: EEP!
[post=547773]Quoted post[/post]​


D preparred.

even worse.

hello and welcome to shifter carts in your class.

lol
 
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