986 Autocrossing Racing Strategies

[stephen wilson]

I'm a pretty good road racer, but I really struggled at the Pocono Solo a few weeks ago, like 5 Seconds off the pace IIRC. It's was only my 2nd Solo, and I had the most trouble with slalom cones. My car has stone stock alignment, and Pilot Super Sports, which really aren't the hot ticket. How much time am I losing in tires and alignment ?

[GatorLapis]

Originally Posted by stephen wilson

I'm a pretty good road racer, but I really struggled at the Pocono Solo a few weeks ago, like 5 Seconds off the pace IIRC. It's was only my 2nd Solo, and I had the most trouble with slalom cones. My car has stone stock alignment, and Pilot Super Sports, which really aren't the hot ticket. How much time am I losing in tires and alignment ?

Going from all season to bridgestone potenza 71r's plus alignment its gonna be a 3-4 second faster.

[stephen wilson]

Thanks, though the Super Sports aren't an all-season, but a very good Summer street tire. So possibly a bit less than 3-4 Seconds ?

[j.fro]

The Super Sports are a 300 tread wear tire. If you went to a 200 like the Dunlop Star Specs, you'd pick up a couple of seconds and the car would feel noticeably more glued down. BTW, 200 tread wear is the minimum for cars in SCCA street classes, and a few manufacturers have tires aimed specifically at this rating.
Watch for a test n tune or AX school and you can get some slalom practice. You really have to get set up right for a slalom from whatever is before it. If you get behind on the initial cone you're screwed for the whole thing.

[stephen wilson]

An AX school would be great, one of my problems is I'm not sure how close I'm cutting the cones. I think I'm leaving too much room, since all but 1 of my runs were clean. I'll never be truly competitive, because I don't want to burn through expensive "R-comp" tires with aggressive alignment settings. I want my car to stay primarily a street cruiser. I missed the 200 treadwear minimum when I read the rules.

[Racer Boy]

Originally Posted by stephen wilson

I'm a pretty good road racer, but I really struggled at the Pocono Solo a few weeks ago, like 5 Seconds off the pace IIRC. It's was only my 2nd Solo, and I had the most trouble with slalom cones. My car has stone stock alignment, and Pilot Super Sports, which really aren't the hot ticket. How much time am I losing in tires and alignment ?

More seat time would probably help a lot. Properly "attacking" a slalom is not an easy thing to get right, especially if the cones are not spaced equally. It is a rhythm thing that involves using the throttle, steering, and in extreme cases the brakes; you only learn with practice. Since this is only your second autocross, don't beat yourself up over it!