Thread: autoX spring rates

here's some vids on my pulsar, im still a noob, lots of mistakes, particularly steering wheel shuffle, still trying to get it out of habit of crossing my arms,
the body roll is ridiculous in the pulsar but it still is a ton of fun to drive, we have a slush series here during teh winter which i think i'll continue to use the pulsar kuz its just so much fun in the wet and snow












i am considering purchasing an EF civic that's already stc prepped, my pulsar unfortunately being jdm gets put into SSM so i get outclassed, but its still fun to drive
i want to win the novice cup in my area, so im thinking of going that route. my instructor suggested i get into an sts crx or stc civic as he feels there's really only myself and another guy in an str s2k that would run away with the novice cup.

i set the fastest time of day for students in an sts prepped crx with 600lb rates the day before in a training day for noobs about 0.8 sec faster than an str prepped s2k, and 0.3 sec slower than an instructor in a sts prepped miata. i think i could have gone 0.5 sec faster if i wasnt so hesistant through the slalom and had sprayed the r1r's down to cool off. it was on my 5th run with only about 4mins between runs so i could have used some tire cooling and had been driving the car for about 4hrs already doing different exercises

i have to say tho, the sts prepped crx was ridiculously fun, boy does it like to rotate, u gotta be smooth or it just bites u and spins u, i learnt a lot driving this car. The pulsar lets u make a lot of mistakes and makes up for it with power and traction.

If you want to learn to drive fast you need to have a competitive car with competitive people (and I'm not just talking about them wanting to be fast... I'm talking they compete regionally/nationally). Having an oddball car is cool and all but you won't learn nearly as much.

You also want to have a dead reliable car... It is no fun to work on a car more than you can race it.... Speaking from experience here.

Fixed

My B13 SE-R in quasi-Street Touring trim with a run-of-the mill dual-purpose suspension was a very good performer, probably my favorite iteration of the car's state over the 14 years I've had the car. Basically it was good 205/50-15 ST tires, Hyperco 300/200's, AGXes, and a Progress rear swaybar. It was forgiving, easy to drive on the limit, and universally loved by everyone who co-drove it. Not ST-winning, but a pretty fault-free driver.

If you're new to autocross, you need exactly that: a good basic platform to learn your craft. Stiff, bleeding-edge competitive autocross cars are tuned to the tastes of people who seek to get 100% out of them. Hop in a STC Civic Si, and it might be a very loose mess if set up by someone comfortable with a car that rotates on entry. You probably want to get versed with momentum maintenance, looking/driving ahead, and all the other tricks of going fast before worrying about a new car or top-shelf external-canister pimp suspension. Chasing a stiff car can distract from learning the sport. Focus on beating yourself before beating the competition.

i did spend about 4-5hrs in a sts prepped crx (an instructors car rented to me) for an autox training session, the beginning of the day was spent mostly side ways with 2 feet in.
however by the end of the day i started to get the hang of it, got a lot smoother and comfortable with the different throttle application and higher speed cornering ability and improved by a couple seconds.
i love the way the sts prepped crx drove and im hooked, it was tough getting back into my own car as it's a completely different animal. i almost had to relearn how to drive my own car.
love love love the way the crx rotated and im quite comfortable with the rotation its just a diff experience in the dry, vs rotation in the wet in my gtir. gotta b way way quicker to catch the rear and a lot smoother transitioning weight fore n aft and trail braking is a big no no for that crx vs a req't in the gtir.
i think i just need more seat time to extract more out of the car and myself, as it was the first time i had driven the car ever.
i've got now 6 events under my belt, plus 2 training sessions and 1 training session at dirt fish rally school. i still have a lot to learn but i really really liked the way that sts crx handled.
now to hunt for the right stc civic.

IMHO if you are in a Nationally competitive car setup and find it difficult to drive... You are doing something wrong. What I've found... and I've been in several... The Nationally competitive Honda cars PUNISH bad driving. Yes they do usually rotate well on entry... That is what a properly setup car will do.

If the car is a real mess then it isn't setup properly. Getting a "standard" STS, STC, STR, etc car is nice to start with because you can take a "standard" setup that is shared and start there. Then there is no guess work if your driving is the problem or the car is and you should not screw with the setup at all... Just drive it.