There's a local autocross club that meets down the street from my house. I'm thinking about competing next season. I don't know much about it though. I've read up online some. Anyone want to lend some experiences my way?
Does it fulfill one's need for speed? Can a front wheel drive car be competitive? My current ride is FWD and if I pick up some dirt cheap beater to use, it will most likely be front wheel drive too.
RoughandReady wrote: Does it fulfill one's need for speed? Can a front wheel drive car be competitive?
1) Depends on the club/lot. If you are stuck in a E36 M3ty lot, its unlikely that it will fulfill that need for long.
2) Yes, if its in the right class.
RoughandReady wrote: Does it fulfill one's need for speed?
It depends. For some, it's a foot in the door to try racing out before moving on to more expensive events like open track days or wheel to wheel racing. Other people decide they want to win a national class in autocross and not try anything else. It'll be fun, though. Even if it's not very many minutes of wheel time, it's a chance to hang out all day with car guys.
Can a front wheel drive car be competitive? My current ride is FWD and if I pick up some dirt cheap beater to use, it will most likely be front wheel drive too.
Sure. There are some classes where FWD cars dominate. There are also classes where the dominant car is a rear wheel drive one, and a handful where both types have a fighting chance. If your car is totally stock, I've often found that running a higher pressure in the front tires than the rear can make the handling more neutral.
But it's probably going to take a bit of experience and seat time before being really competitive, no matter what you're driving. Many clubs have some sort of novice instruction program; you'll probably want to see if yours does too.
Go have some fun in what you have, see if its for you and then worry about improvement.
1st rule of racing, enjoy it
RoughandReady wrote: Does it fulfill one's need for speed?
Depends on the person. Not really, in my experience (I did it for about 15 years). But it does fulfill one's need for competition and hard driving. I don't recall ever thinking to myself "oh man, I'm going so fast" on any autocross course. But I'm a competition junkie, so it was more about trying to improve and maybe win, and hanging with other friends who did it as well .... more than any real thrill. Some are definitely more fun than others, and it does fulfill your need for driving harder than you can on the street, if not faster. I think a lot of long-timers are in it more for the competition and the scene, because if speed is what you want, even a slow LeMons car is way more exciting in my opinion (others may beg to differ though). But the only way you'll know the answer is to do it. Do it in whatever car you have now, it won't hurt the car. Then you'll know whether it's something you want to get another car for, and/or devote more time to. Same with any motorsport, really.
RoughandReady wrote: Can a front wheel drive car be competitive?
Sure. If it's a 92 Civic Si hatch ;) But in all seriousness, unless you're going to be truly hardcore in your build, or you are truly a great driver, it won't matter much. I ran a 2000 Maxima (FWD) in E Prepared. Not really competitive, but it was fun running something nobody expected (and generally finishing top half of the class, if not top-3). There are some good FWD cars out there that can be competitive, but if winning is your goal, do a ton of research and pick the right car. There are only a few that are truly class competitive in any given class.
RoughandReady wrote: My current ride is FWD and if I pick up some dirt cheap beater to use, it will most likely be front wheel drive too.
if you're just gonna go pick up a "dirt cheap beater" perhaps you should step over to the rallycross section, where MANY dirt cheap FWD beaters with few/no mods actually CAN be competitive 
IIRC some of our FWD classes this year were won by an old Escort, and that class was won by an old Probe the year before.
Or do both. If it's gonna be a low-modification beater, no reason you can't autocross AND rallycross it...
I don't think there's any rallycross in the area, or even close to the area (Western NC).
When I say competitive, I'm not really talking about going home with gold metals. Just want to have some fun, and not be the slowest guy there (Sounds less fun).
RoughandReady wrote: I don't think there's any rallycross in the area, or even close to the area (Western NC). When I say competitive, I'm not really talking about going home with gold metals. Just want to have some fun, and not be the slowest guy there (Sounds less fun).
Don't worry about being the slowest. I went to a large autocross where a Honda Odyssey (minivan) beat at least a dozen cars (out of 100 or so), including a Miata and a few other fast cars. There are always some really slow drivers out at most events. Some are just out to have fun in their cars, some just can't drive, whatever.
Whether you're the slowest guy there depends entirely on how fast or slow you drive 
RoughandReady wrote: I don't think there's any rallycross in the area, or even close to the area (Western NC). When I say competitive, I'm not really talking about going home with gold metals. Just want to have some fun, and not be the slowest guy there (Sounds less fun).
With autocross, you'll have fun at first regardless of the car. Oh, and you need to take Irish with a grain of salt; the man will talk about rallycross if the topic of the thread is supposed to be plumbing supplies.
Don't buy a car till you go out and try it. You won't tear up a car, beyond wearing out tires. Use your DD hooptie, something you are comfy in. Find out what rules they are using. Find out how close they inspect. If it's run what you brung don't count on trophying. See how you like it and how far (how much) you want to invest. Most classes have certain models that dominate. You can run most anything from a GoKart to a supercar. Look up Solo II
The fastest car is always a rental car.
To be competitive, you'll have to use extreme performance summer tires otherwise you'll be outpaced. For now, stick with what you have.
FYI E36M3 means s***.
JoeyM wrote:RoughandReady wrote: I don't think there's any rallycross in the area, or even close to the area (Western NC). When I say competitive, I'm not really talking about going home with gold metals. Just want to have some fun, and not be the slowest guy there (Sounds less fun).With autocross, you'll have fun at first regardless of the car. Oh, and you need to take Irish with a grain of salt; the man will talk about rallycross if the topic of the thread is supposed to be plumbing supplies.
It's funny, back when I had the Maxima (and when I first got the WRX), I constantly talked about autocross on those forums (hell, my maxima autocrossing actually got mentioned in a recent GRM letter to the editor!), and people said that's all I talked about....
(now excuse me while I do a forum search to see if anyone has ever posted about plumbing supplies here on GRM.....)
Autocross is good cheap fun in pretty much any car you bring. Give it a shot and see how you like it.
Don't get caught up in how fast you are at first, since you will be going against seasoned drivers, so just worry about improving your own times.
And most importantly: HAVE FUN!!!!! That's why we all do these different things with our cars, because it's fun!
WHAT_CAR!? 
Fun. Addictive. Gateway drug for other racing. I recently took thee old integra out and had a berkeleying blast.
IMO - the most important thing is finding a group of people you like to hang out with. The actual racing is a hoot no matter which club you race with, but it ends up being a VERY small portion of the day. (Seriously, MAYBE 5% of the day if its a low turn out at a large venue) The other 95% is either fun or excruciatingly boring depending on the other people who are there. My first year I raced with four clubs before I found one I "clicked" with. Don't worry about what car you have, and don't be afraid to go to "brand specific" clubs (BMW or Porsche clubs) if they allow any make to run.
As for the actual events, there are some books on the basics that will give you some idea what's going on and some basic techniques to try to use. Beyond that just show up early, tell them you're new, be friendly, ask questions, help out wherever you can and stay and help clean up afterwards. If you do all that and still don't make friends, try another club.
RoughandReady wrote: There's a local autocross club that meets down the street from my house. I'm thinking about competing next season. I don't know much about it though. I've read up online some. Anyone want to lend some experiences my way? Does it fulfill one's need for speed? Can a front wheel drive car be competitive? My current ride is FWD and if I pick up some dirt cheap beater to use, it will most likely be front wheel drive too.
where you are (WNC) gives you some choices … HSCC runs a night series (Wed. night at the Ag Center near the airport) … pretty good group, and lots of fun can be had …. (I ran with them for several yrs)
also if you decide you like a-x and are willing to travel a bit, there are 2 - 3 SCCA regions and another none-affiliated club within 2 - 3 hr drive (CCR … Charlotte area [with one of the best venues in the SE… Z-Max dragway], ETR … Knoxville area, Triad sports car club[mostly in the WS area] and SCR with, again one of the best venues in the SE [Black Lake]
Though written in 1996, this is still a relevant Novice Handbook to autocross (officially called Solo II by the SCCA)
Read it in its entirety the only portion out of date is the car classing which is similar but of course has been updated to accommodate car produced since this was written.
The first sentences in the handbook are:
All you need to do is ask. Anyone, anything. If they can't help you, they'll point you to someone who can.
You will find that the events are typically not closed minded or closed to new people attending. Quite the opposite. Most events just want a good competition. I find competitors just want someone better to compete against. The smartest and most knowledgeable guys will tell you everything they know...right up to the point that you put up a better time then they do. At that point the get a little quieter and when you speak with them they ask you something rather than tell you something.
All in all, it is a good community.
Secondary fun of the event is the sort of car-show atmosphere that develops. Take some time, wonder the paddock and ask the other competitors about their car, their set-up and their lap times. Be open or even ask to seasoned competitors to over look your car, set-up, times.
Here is some random video, eye candy that shows a little overview of the competition. You can find 100's of similar videos as well as 100's taken from the driver's point of view.
If you really want an in-depth education, this link will take you to an 11 part video training which I highly recommend.
With this video training under your belt, you will know more about successful autocross then half of the people at the event, even people who have competed for years.
Don't worry about your car being FWD. Tons of FWD cars do autox. Since your car will be classed with other similar cars, you should get some nice competition. Also don't worry about being the slowest. As you said, you're not interested in coming home with a medal or trophy, so just go out and have fun.
Will it fill your need for speed? That's a question only you can decide after you try it. I have no doubt that after your first event, you'll come away with a huge smile and think it's the greatest thing ever. But see how you feel after getting a number of events under your belt, then decide. Personally, after a few years of it, it no longer had the thrill I was looking for. But that's just me, YMMV
Just try it once and you'll be addicted to the adrenaline rush. I still am after 31 years in the sport.
Yes, it can be a stepping stone into road racing but it doesn't have to be. I road raced for a decade and never found the same adrenaline rush as I get on an autocross run. It's intense fun.
Saturday I collected my jacket and trophy at our year end banquet for the local STF class. I was class champion. In a Kia. In fact, That kia.
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JohnRW1621 wrote: If you really want an in-depth education, this link will take you to an 11 part video training which I highly recommend. With this video training under your belt, you will know more about successful autocross then half of the people at the event, even people who have competed for years.
Also here's a great piece of advice I wish I could go back in time and give myself: "Drive like a meth-head running from the cops." Start fast and frantic and work smoothness into your driving. Doing it the other way around takes too long.
One thing from that series I've come to question is the advice on 180deg turns around a single cone. I think a good handbrake turn is underrated. What I mean here is not a powerslide but a bootleg turn (AKA J-turn) where the cone is at the center of the curve in the "J" and is initiated by locking up the rears well before reaching the cone and turning the wheel just as you approach it. You approach the cone as if your entry and exit path are lanes in a narrow road and the cone is on the centerline, if done right the car rotates just around the base of the cone and ends neatly in the "oncoming lane" with the cone near one of the front corners of the car - at which point you should already be back on the gas in 1st. In my experience it's always been faster than running over anything but clean pavement to make a wide turn.
In reply to kazoospec:
Just be outgoing while in the paddock and when working assignments. You'll end up buddies with at least someone by the end of it.
Also, never feel bad asking for help. Most people in my local regions will gladly answer your questions, explain what to do, and give you pointers on how to get faster. Except that bobzilla guy, he's a prick at events
Handbrake turn equals tire destruction. Also, handbrake turn (the intent of loosing traction) is less predictable than working with the traction you knowingly have...in my opinion. YMMV.
I would not recommend handbrake on concrete surfaces like Toledo. Maybe okay on oily blacktop.
In actuality, I have never personally experienced a one cone turn. I think this has fallen out of fashion since the video was made. I am not even sure if it is allowed under SCCA course safety rules.
depends on the car and tires. In a saturn on all-season tires, e-brake 180's are brillant simple and repeatable.
You guys still have those? Our club hasn't used a turn-around cone in 20+ years. In fact, its very rare for us to even have to use first gear.
In reply to JohnRW1621:
They frown upon "drifting" period(ebrake or throttle). The NASA region doing the autox portion of an autox/drag/show event up here used to do one cone hairpins....even worse is that they always put the turn near a dip in the pavement. In three years, I oversteered an awd fusion around it, caught air in a saturn attempting to take the proper line, and killed the cone while sliding through the corner a few times(due to going airborn/nearly airborn)
I learned one thing from doing those, berkeley NASA.
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