Autocross- SCCA EV-X Class vs. SS

[RacerChris]

Did you mean that is a good way to improve?


Won't run in the rain or cold.

I should add that I know <= 200 TW tires vary wildly, they're not all of a kind. Some won't last long for either track or street use. But some will/would handily outlast a 300+ TW tire if doing much track time (independent of whether it's actually that much faster than a 300 TW tire)...or at least that was the case with the tires of a decade ago. But autox is different from track and I have no autox experience!

Sounds like I should be fine starting off with 300 TW street tires, not likely to destroy them right away (as long as I keep close tabs on pressures and any uneven wear happening).

If you are looking for a tire that won't wear out super fast and will still be fast in autox (esp with camber corrections), I suggest the Goodyear Eagle SC3's... I was using those (265's squeezed on 8.5"s in Super Street) and they held up to a lot of abuse. In fact, I used them on my EVX-prepped car yesterday at our local autox (I am preserving my yokes for Champ Tour this coming weekend) and the goodyear's still held up great and performed very well (especially given that it was a hot day). I do recommend spraying the tires frequently starting after your first run if you are running in a hot climate.

And you are choosing the right stuff with MPP - My stuff performs flawlessly!

 

[dsgerbc]

I'm gonna reply here not send the other thread further off-topic.

Funny how this for-fun $40 Autocross experiment is turning into $4000-5000 worth of parts 24 hours later . I am reminded of this sticker on the wing the FTD car yesterday…

I'm gonna channel my inner @gearchruncher and recommend against investing that much right away. You're already lowered, get the FUCA's to avoid murdering tires and play with what you've got for a while. Make a measured decision once the excitement/novelty wears off and you have a bit more seat time.
Maybe look around and find some autox driving school/test-n-tune nor far from you.

 

[gearchruncher]

My rule? Before you really buy stuff to make your car faster, make yourself CONSISTENT so you actually can take advantage.

How do you know if you're consistent? Watch really good drivers. Their first to last runs will be within half a second of one another. When I get the chance to run 6+ runs on the same course, my last runs start to be within a tenth on a 60 second course (unless I am actively trying something different).

This does not apply to things like camber arms which actually will save you money quickly on tire wear.

 

[Lindenwood]

So… I took your advice and apparently threw it out the window . (To be fair, I already knew I was going to get the Comfort Adjustables sooner or later—just so I could have a lowered car that wouldn’t beat up the family—but the alignment parts were not planned until the AutoX).

 

[NoDrama]

I know this is a bit off topic, but I figure this thread is where the autocrossers are, so I'd ask here: Can anyone comment on the ease of removing cone marks from paint protection film (PPF) vs. from factory paint? I take delivery in a couple of weeks, and am trying to decide if I should do any PPF. I only plan to do it if it helps for protection and cleanup after autocrossing.

 

[M3Pdude]

Cone marks are very easy to remove on PPF. I had the entire car wrapped with xpel ppf and would do it again. Between the cone marks and love bugs (Florida thing) my car would look like crap now.

 

[dsgerbc]

So… I took your advice and apparently threw it out the window . (To be fair, I already knew I was going to get the Comfort Adjustables sooner or later—just so I could have a lowered car that wouldn’t beat up the family—but the alignment parts were not planned until the AutoX).

Eh, call it an inflation hedge

I only plan to do it if it helps for protection and cleanup after autocrossing.

I'd do it regardless. I have some front end PPF and just don't bother wiping off. On unprotected sides there are typically cone marks on the sideskirts and on the low rib of the door. Those generally come off easy.

 

[gearchruncher]

I don't run any PPF. Cone marks come off easily with a bit of alcohol in my experience. Some people swear by bug and tar remover or goo-gone. Griots even makes a track spray that is specifically targeted at stuff like this.

I can't imagine PPF is worth it just for cone marks.

 

[dsgerbc]

Also, don't hit the cones, duh

 

[M3Pdude]

Go fast and hit *sugar*!

 

[gearchruncher]

So for people running A052's or other very sticky tires, is nobody else having traction control freakouts?
I mentioned a while ago that about 10% of the time, at some point during a run, I'll get a traction control malfunction in the car. This disables ABS, regen, and highly limits your power when the wheel is turned. It tends to take 2-3 seconds off a run. To reset it you have to get out of the car for a few seconds, so it's not a hard failure.

I had changed from older RE-71's as well as PS4S's, and never had this before. Third run on A052's it did it, but I also changed by 12V battery. I'm now back to the stock battery, and I'm still getting this every few runs. There's no obvious trigger for it except being at basically full throttle and turning. I do still run my PS4S's now and then, and never get it with those. I do run -10 stability control with all my tires, 50/50 front/rear bias.

So it seems like the car really doesn't like something about the stickier tires, or it's some diameter thing? Running 275/35/19's at about 35 PSI. My RE and PS4S's were 265's.

This thought got re-triggered reading about wheel configurations, and the possibility they tune diameter and traction control strategy. I'm running with the Zero-G config as I assume it assumes the highest per mile energy use, but maybe I should look at all of them and find the one with the tallest diameter?

Any thoughts? It really sucks, because it always happens on my best run of the day (right!???)

 

[Fprodget]

We are running same size tire and same track mode settings and have not experienced your issue to date. Tires are 660 Falkens

 

[dsgerbc]

Any thoughts? It really sucks, because it always happens on my best run of the day (right!???)

I don't think my tires qualify as very sticky, but I've never had anything like that.

Does it happen both in right and left turns? If not, maybe there's an intermittent poor contact in one of the wheel sensor wires?

 

[MoreAgain]

So for people running A052's or other very sticky tires, is nobody else having traction control freakouts?
I mentioned a while ago that about 10% of the time, at some point during a run, I'll get a traction control malfunction in the car. This disables ABS, regen, and highly limits your power when the wheel is turned. It tends to take 2-3 seconds off a run. To reset it you have to get out of the car for a few seconds, so it's not a hard failure.

I had changed from older RE-71's as well as PS4S's, and never had this before. Third run on A052's it did it, but I also changed by 12V battery. I'm now back to the stock battery, and I'm still getting this every few runs. There's no obvious trigger for it except being at basically full throttle and turning. I do still run my PS4S's now and then, and never get it with those. I do run -10 stability control with all my tires, 50/50 front/rear bias.

So it seems like the car really doesn't like something about the stickier tires, or it's some diameter thing? Running 275/35/19's at about 35 PSI. My RE and PS4S's were 265's.

This thought got re-triggered reading about wheel configurations, and the possibility they tune diameter and traction control strategy. I'm running with the Zero-G config as I assume it assumes the highest per mile energy use, but maybe I should look at all of them and find the one with the tallest diameter?

Any thoughts? It really sucks, because it always happens on my best run of the day (right!???)

Have you checked your wheel speed sensors? What you're describing sounds like exactly what happened when my tire rubbed through the wheel speed sensor. The fact that you can reset it would indicate that you haven't destroyed the sensor, but maybe it is getting pulled on enough to cause the fault.
BTW: Here are the skid marks from the prior run where I lost ABS. Good thing thing it happened on an uphill section.

 

[superflyrolla]

So for people running A052's or other very sticky tires, is nobody else having traction control freakouts?

Yes. Happens to me when I slide around a lot. Even turns the hazard lights on sometimes.

 

[gearchruncher]

Appreciate all the thoughts!

We are running same size tire and same track mode settings and have not experienced your issue to date. Tires are 660 Falkens

I don't get it with RE71's or PS4S's, so I do wonder if it's due to the last 0.1G a really sticky tire can give.

I don't think my tires qualify as very sticky, but I've never had anything like that.

Does it happen both in right and left turns? If not, maybe there's an intermittent poor contact in one of the wheel sensor wires?

It's happened both left and right.

Have you checked your wheel speed sensors? What you're describing sounds like exactly what happened when my tire rubbed through the wheel speed sensor. The fact that you can reset it would indicate that you haven't destroyed the sensor, but maybe it is getting pulled on enough to cause the fault.

I have checked my sensors. Given it only happens with specific tires, and only in high speed corners (meaning not a lot of wheel angle), I don't think it's the sensors of wires.

Yes. Happens to me when I slide around a lot. Even turns the hazard lights on sometimes.

Ok, now I feel better, maybe I'm just a ham fisted driver!

 

[Fprodget]

Yes. Happens to me when I slide around a lot. Even turns the hazard lights on sometimes.

My son at last autocross....did a 180 spin and no faults or issues. He kept on going.

 

[dsgerbc]

I have checked my sensors. Given it only happens with specific tires, and only in high speed corners (meaning not a lot of wheel angle), I don't think it's the sensors of wires.

Maybe it's the extra wire stretch/stress on the plug inboard due to upper arms going higher with stickier tires? Do your wires have enough slack inboard for a full bump?

 

[gearchruncher]

Maybe it's the extra wire stretch/stress on the plug inboard due to upper arms going higher with stickier tires? Do your wires have enough slack inboard for a full bump?

Interesting thought. Thought I had checked this before, but worth a very close look again.

 

[Fprodget]

mine are dealing with quite a bit of lean.

MPP sways are sitting the garage awaiting install