some AX questions.

[Topless]

Originally Posted by Adam

Before you go spend a bunch of money on suspension and what not I would go get a good alignment and change the tires. Just those changes will make a significant difference. I would resist the urge to mod too much at first and try to extract the extremely high performance your car is already capable of and just have fun with it. I see a lot of modded cars get smoked by less capable stock cars because driver skill is such a huge factor.

+1
The only mods that resulted in "instant lap time gratification" for me were good tires and alignment. All the rest could be measured in 1/10s of a second.

On a 90 second course it looks something like this:
Attend Performance driving school $300- shave 6 seconds
Add Comp tires and performance alignment $900- shave 3 seconds
Add PSS9 coilovers $3000- shave 2/10s
Add swaybars $1200- shave 1/10 maybe
Add shock tower struts $300- shave 0/10
Add 3.6L GT3 motor $18,000- shave 2 seconds
Remove 400 lbs of weight (free)- shave 1.5 seconds

You just have to figure out where you will get the most bang for your buck. We have a little old guy (former F-14 pilot) who regularly gets in the top 10 out of 100 cars in a bone stock 2001 Boxster. Modding cars is fun but the car doesn't really need any help.

[kabel]

Originally Posted by Topless

Modding cars is fun but the car doesn't really need any help.

Bingo

I have been autoxing for several years now, used to drive a mildly modified miata as well as several other well prepped autox cars... I was very surprised and impressed at the performance of my completely stock 99 boxster the first time I took it out to autox. So much so I decided to leave it completely stock.

My opinion: For autox you will see little to no advantage with steel braided brake lines, high temp fluid or any of the strut braces you mentioned. Save your money (see above).

Find yourself some sticky street tires (Yokohama Advan AD08, Dunlop Star Spec, etc.), get a solid alignment (I use factory alignment with great success), improve as a driver and you'll find your self at the head of the pack and having a ball doing it!

Once you feel you have reached a plateau from a skill level stand point, then consider an upgrade to adjustable strut and coil-over system. After that, get a second set of wheels and mount some DOT R-compound tires on them for autox

[landrovered]

This is a really good thread to help me prioritize the mods I want to make. I really like the bang for the buck analysis. Thanks.

[Lil bastard]

As JMATTA eluded, the skill is in the Driver, the car is just a tool.

No amount of modding or preparation will substitute for skill - it will only amplify the skills you lack.

I've been autocrossing since 1974 (God am I that old..??) and there are some truisms that are never obsolete:

Race yourself! - Forget about others' times. They may have been at it longer and they may simply have more skill than you do. Every time you start a run, try to better your best time, not others.

Stay outside the car! - Keep your eyes constantly looking ahead to the next gate. Don't worry about speed, revs, or anything inside the car which will distract you. This is a skill similar to keeping your head down in golf and not easy to master. Achieving this one skill will improve your times beyond your imagination.

Hands at 10 & 2! - Basic, but often never practiced. Keep your hand off the shifter unless you're actually shifting.

Late Apex EVERYTHING! - In truth this applies to maybe 95% of all the gates on the course. Practicing this allows you to keep the speed up.

Go wide on the turns! - Seems counterintuitive but it also keeps the speed up and prevents you from losing time rather than trying to gain it by going in too tight. Remember there are many more ways to lose time than to make time!

If you're not hitting cones, you're not pressing! - Even the best drivers hit cones. You have to press to improve and that means risking hitting a cone sometimes. If you hit a cone, don't bail out - STAY ON IT! It's now a Free Run where you can practice new lines, turns or braking techniques which will help you on your next run.

For the Newby, Smooth = Fast! - If you 'overcook' it's really difficult to make up for it. Cars brake better than they accelerate. You'd be surprised at how many times a smooth run doesn't somehow feel as fast, but the time is actually lower than you thought it would be. You're racing a whole course and not just a bunch of individual stretches or gates.

Speed does not equal Time! - Remember, the goal here is the lowest Time, not the fastest Speed.

Practice these things until your ET's plateau and only then worry about the car.

When modding, as others suggest, a sticky set of tires is worth more than brakes, shocks or ECU Flashes COMBINED!

Cheers!