Miata question #3

I would like to take about half a second out of the driver and about half asecond out of the car to improve my autocross times.

Thinking shocks in the spring will be my first good upgrade, along with swaybars. This should be good for half a second on say a 45 sec. course, right...at least in theory?

Sway bars should be good for a half second without too much trouble. However, there's probably a whole lot more time in the driver. How long have you been autocrossing, and how long in this car?

A year and a half or so for both of us.

I am to the point now where I want to "tune up" my 80k miles car to make it a little more fun through the cones.

Chris

Most Miatas, if not already modified, have dead shocks. The stock ones don't last long, and since the car still handles decently with dead shocks, most people don't notice and don't replace them. So shocks should be high on the list. They're high on mine - my car completely resembles what I'm talking about - but the budget just isn't there.

Don't forget tires, too. Like I said in the other thread, I've found myself pretty competitive locally in stock class running Azenis, not even R-compounds. Only other performance mod to my car is Hawk HPS front pads, which I only upgraded because the front pads were dead anyway and I figured I might as well improve while replacing.

But, yeah, the driver is where the most time can be dropped. If any local club has an autocross school, or even a test and tune event, take it. If the group you run with allows passengers, try to hop into cars with more experienced drivers, and invite them to ride with you and give you advice.

That's a good point - and you'll probably find that a good set of shocks will help stick that rear end down.

When I started autocrossing, I never touched the car. I didn't mess with tire pressures, shock settings or sway bar adjustments over the course of the day. I'd keep the car consistent from run to run so I'd know how much of a difference my driving made. Just my own philosophy. Bit of an odd one for a guy in the business to have, but there you go.

FWIW, I've decided to prep my Miata for STS rather than stock, because the competition's tougher, and because I want a tighter car than stock for track days. There's not too much glory to be had beating the one other competitor in your class. In this region, STS is where the Miatas most gravitate to.

edit: I only wish that they'd allow chasis strengthening in STS. frame flex is a personal peeve (Not that it's particularly bad, but I was spoiled by the Stalker).