Lima, Ohio Auto-Cross

[AM_BlackMax]

This was held at my college, University of Northwestern Ohio

This was my first time autocrossing and the only modification i have is an Intake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLJDn-XcYxc

It was lots of fun! I came second place in my class.

There were:

• 4 Runs
  3 Classes - Street Stock (SA), Street Sport (SB), Race Prepared (RP)
  12 drivers
  11 vehicles (2 people used the same vehicle)

I was in the Street Stock Class, ran a 40.11 as my best run
The best run in my class though was 38.56

[BEJAY1]

Congrats and glad you liked. That's a really small course and looked like murder on the tires. 4th run was funny, hard driving the whole time until that very last killer cone!

[Snypa]

nice sounding intake.Nice car too bro.

[AM_BlackMax]

Originally Posted by BEJAY1

Congrats and glad you liked. That's a really small course and looked like murder on the tires. 4th run was funny, hard driving the whole time until that very last killer cone!

Thanks dude!! and yeah..that's sadly all the space they provide for us to auto-x
...........for now

and i know!! LOL, if i didn't hit that cone i woulda got 39.11..oh well, gotta learn somehow!

Originally Posted by Snypa

nice sounding intake.Nice car too bro.

Thanks!!

[irish44j]

Originally Posted by AM_BlackMax

This was held at my college, University of Northwestern Ohio

This was my first time autocrossing and the only modification i have is an Intake.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLJDn-XcYxc

It was lots of fun! I came second place in my class.

There were:

• 4 Runs
  3 Classes - Street Stock (SA), Street Sport (SB), Race Prepared (RP)
  12 drivers
  11 vehicles (2 people used the same vehicle)

I was in the Street Stock Class, ran a 40.11 as my best run
The best run in my class though was 38.56

lol..ok. Here are my observations:

1. tires. WHen your tires are squealing that much, it means they are not good tires for autocross. Period. The street tires I use are virtually silent under hard maneuvering. Remember....squealing tires = losing grip. Get some good tires before you do suspension. tires will knock more time off your runs than suspension will.

2. You late-apex ALOT there. FWD drivers have a tendancy to brake late and then use the FWD to pull you through the corner. This never works and you lose time doing it, Brake earlier and accelerate smoothly through the apex of the turn. If you brake late, a nose-heavy car like a maxima will terminally understeer and totaly screw you on transitions (like that tight right-left toward the end of the course). You should be looking 2 turns ahead to "set up a line" so you can position the car correctly for a series of turns.

In your vid it looks like you're just taking each turn as it comes, with no regard for the one after it.

3. Get closer to the inside cone! You take alot of turns way too wide (either by choice or because you're braking too late and can't cut the turn). If you're not clipping a cone here or there with your inside rear wheel on a turn...you're not getting close enough! I can count at leat 4 or 5 big turns there where you're like 5 feet from the inside cone and should be right on it (including the FIRST turn of the course, where you brake way too late and turn in way too late. You lost 1/2 a second on that first turn alone!)

4. damn that's a small course...way too tight for a maxima. Hell, I wouldn't even want to do that in a Miata! Find a club that runs in bigger lots!

5. On that same note, I would NEVER run on a course that's set up that close to a wall like that....... You should have (IIRC) at least 50 feet of runoff on all sides of the course, if not more. Period. Because if you hit that wall doing autocros, your insurance ain't gonna cover it!


In any case, it's just a learning thing. The more you do it, the better you'll get. I would suggest attend an SCCA event on a larger course, and get an instructor to ride with you and suggest lines.

So, hope you appreciate the honestly...I'm not trying to dog you, just trying to be straight with you! As long as you have fun, that's all that matters though.

Oh, and listen to anytihng that Brian (BEJAY1) says...he's the guru of maxima autocross

[AM_BlackMax]

Originally Posted by irish44j

lol..ok. Here are my observations:

1. tires. WHen your tires are squealing that much, it means they are not good tires for autocross. Period. The street tires I use are virtually silent under hard maneuvering. Remember....squealing tires = losing grip. Get some good tires before you do suspension. tires will knock more time off your runs than suspension will.

2. You late-apex ALOT there. FWD drivers have a tendancy to brake late and then use the FWD to pull you through the corner. This never works and you lose time doing it, Brake earlier and accelerate smoothly through the apex of the turn. If you brake late, a nose-heavy car like a maxima will terminally understeer and totaly screw you on transitions (like that tight right-left toward the end of the course). You should be looking 2 turns ahead to "set up a line" so you can position the car correctly for a series of turns.

In your vid it looks like you're just taking each turn as it comes, with no regard for the one after it.

3. Get closer to the inside cone! You take alot of turns way too wide (either by choice or because you're braking too late and can't cut the turn). If you're not clipping a cone here or there with your inside rear wheel on a turn...you're not getting close enough! I can count at leat 4 or 5 big turns there where you're like 5 feet from the inside cone and should be right on it (including the FIRST turn of the course, where you brake way too late and turn in way too late. You lost 1/2 a second on that first turn alone!)

4. damn that's a small course...way too tight for a maxima. Hell, I wouldn't even want to do that in a Miata! Find a club that runs in bigger lots!

5. On that same note, I would NEVER run on a course that's set up that close to a wall like that....... You should have (IIRC) at least 50 feet of runoff on all sides of the course, if not more. Period. Because if you hit that wall doing autocros, your insurance ain't gonna cover it!


In any case, it's just a learning thing. The more you do it, the better you'll get. I would suggest attend an SCCA event on a larger course, and get an instructor to ride with you and suggest lines.

So, hope you appreciate the honestly...I'm not trying to dog you, just trying to be straight with you! As long as you have fun, that's all that matters though.

Oh, and listen to anytihng that Brian (BEJAY1) says...he's the guru of maxima autocross

Thanks irish!!! i really needed that i'm def. going to try to attend an SCCA event up here in ohio before the summertime (hopefully) and maybe 1 or 2 events back in MD/VA

and will do

[97SEdriver]

Originally Posted by irish44j

lol..ok. Here are my observations:

1. tires. WHen your tires are squealing that much, it means they are not good tires for autocross. Period. The street tires I use are virtually silent under hard maneuvering. Remember....squealing tires = losing grip. Get some good tires before you do suspension. tires will knock more time off your runs than suspension will.

Josh, sometimes it has to do with the surface, while I agree that squealing tires means losing grip there might be no way to avoid it....especially on a run that would be tight for a go-kart

Originally Posted by irish44j

2. You late-apex ALOT there. FWD drivers have a tendancy to brake late and then use the FWD to pull you through the corner. This never works and you lose time doing it, Brake earlier and accelerate smoothly through the apex of the turn. If you brake late, a nose-heavy car like a maxima will terminally understeer and totaly screw you on transitions (like that tight right-left toward the end of the course). You should be looking 2 turns ahead to "set up a line" so you can position the car correctly for a series of turns.

In your vid it looks like you're just taking each turn as it comes, with no regard for the one after it.

3. Get closer to the inside cone! You take alot of turns way too wide (either by choice or because you're braking too late and can't cut the turn). If you're not clipping a cone here or there with your inside rear wheel on a turn...you're not getting close enough! I can count at leat 4 or 5 big turns there where you're like 5 feet from the inside cone and should be right on it (including the FIRST turn of the course, where you brake way too late and turn in way too late. You lost 1/2 a second on that first turn alone!)

4. damn that's a small course...way too tight for a maxima. Hell, I wouldn't even want to do that in a Miata! Find a club that runs in bigger lots!

5. On that same note, I would NEVER run on a course that's set up that close to a wall like that....... You should have (IIRC) at least 50 feet of runoff on all sides of the course, if not more. Period. Because if you hit that wall doing autocros, your insurance ain't gonna cover it!


In any case, it's just a learning thing. The more you do it, the better you'll get. I would suggest attend an SCCA event on a larger course, and get an instructor to ride with you and suggest lines.

So, hope you appreciate the honestly...I'm not trying to dog you, just trying to be straight with you! As long as you have fun, that's all that matters though.

Oh, and listen to anytihng that Brian (BEJAY1) says...he's the guru of maxima autocross

so Vernon, heed Josh's advice and get yourself to an SCCA course or if there's a local group that runs normal size courses, and it's cheaper with less gestapo rules, go to that one. You might have a better chance of getting a decent instructor at the SCCA events.

And if you crash at an auto-x, try to pass it off as a driving "school" if you can't drive it home.