Drivetrain Auto X
Thread Starter
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4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 315
Likes: 0
From: Saratoga, CA
I was wondering if any of you experienced auto x'ers can help me out on three issues:
1) Being a novice, how hard is this to get started at? I am not looking to be a "hard-core" racer but just have some fun.
2) I currently have the 16" X rims with all season runflats on my MCS. I am considering either just changing the tires to the Yoko's or Kumho's or get OZ Superlegarra's in 17" and use one of the same performance tires (keeping the all season tires as winter tires).
3) I would like to make some low cost mods (under $2k) that would still be under the "Stock" category, any recommendations?
I am considering joining the SF Region SCCA and am planning on taking their "Street School" program this spring. I would definitely like to have better tires for this. Any help from Mark Ferguson, Dave-in-Denver, Sfiveten, or others would be appreciated!!! :smile:
1) Being a novice, how hard is this to get started at? I am not looking to be a "hard-core" racer but just have some fun.
2) I currently have the 16" X rims with all season runflats on my MCS. I am considering either just changing the tires to the Yoko's or Kumho's or get OZ Superlegarra's in 17" and use one of the same performance tires (keeping the all season tires as winter tires).
3) I would like to make some low cost mods (under $2k) that would still be under the "Stock" category, any recommendations?
I am considering joining the SF Region SCCA and am planning on taking their "Street School" program this spring. I would definitely like to have better tires for this. Any help from Mark Ferguson, Dave-in-Denver, Sfiveten, or others would be appreciated!!! :smile:
3rd Gear
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 215
Likes: 0
I am looking forward to the responses to this thread. Last sunday i did my first ever autoX (SoloII) and had a blast! I do not have alot of money to spend to modify my car more... but do want to get new tyres and rims. (Currently 17" allseason run heavy(flat) performance) .
But i dont want to spend all of my piggie bank monies on them something decent is fine i do not plan on being a pro or anythng jsut wanna have fun and would rather 1 perform better and 2 not wear out my street tyres racing! ahah
But i dont want to spend all of my piggie bank monies on them something decent is fine i do not plan on being a pro or anythng jsut wanna have fun and would rather 1 perform better and 2 not wear out my street tyres racing! ahah
Thread Starter
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4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 315
Likes: 0
From: Saratoga, CA
>>I'm eagerly awaiting a reply as well. I have the same set-up and ambitions as gosharks. I also need to go dig around for a complete set of rules regarding limits to modifications, etc.
>>
>>Here is a link to the SCCA rules: http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/Rules/stock.html
The SF Area website is pretty good as well: http://www.sfrscca.org/index.phtml
A lot of good info on this site!!! Motor on!
>>
>>Here is a link to the SCCA rules: http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/Rules/stock.html
The SF Area website is pretty good as well: http://www.sfrscca.org/index.phtml
A lot of good info on this site!!! Motor on!
Temporarily Banned
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,382
Likes: 2
From: Denver
Depends on what sanctioning body you are under. Most people will do GS in SCCA, and the rules are pretty restrictive. A filter is fine, and that's probably where I would start.
Something else I've been kicking around (I'm a road racer at heart, so let me know if this doesn't sound kosher by the SoloII GCR) is toying with the stock suspensions set ups. Dave and I talked a little about this. Obviously the way to go is to stiffen up the rear bar, but since the Solo rules don't allow aftermarket rear swaybars, and the S comes with the Sport Plus suspension, you may be able to get rid of some of the understeer by running the Sport (not Sport plus) frotn swaybar. Measurements have to be taken, so the development for this is still in the R&D stage.
Obviously wheels and tires are where you can make a big difference. If you really want to compete (and it doesn't sound like you care - so this is more for the hardcore types), you will want to go with the SSR knock offs that are being made in 16 x 6.5" with the correct offset by AK Tire in FL. I would use Hoosiers on these for full bore national competetion, but you will go through them because of the camber issue. If you don't care that much, but want to have some fun, the X-lites (V-spoke) are fine. They weigh quite a bit less than the S-lites, and the 16" makes tires a little more available for a better price. Get the Azenis tires by Falken in 215/45-16.
You can also go with the Koni yellows that allow adjustment for rebound. You can't lower the car though (in SCCA).
Under the BMWCCA series, the MINI S can do just about anything - including coilovers, camber plates, exhaust, chip...
That's why a few of us in the Denver area are going to be campaigning in that series. Wheels can go to 16x7 (much easier to find) and offset doesn't matter. Running in this series, I would recommend the rear swaybar, an exhaust, an intake, coilovers, wheels and tires, and evetually a chip. I've discussed this ad nauseam in other posts, but my recommendations are - Magnaflow exhaust, MINI-Madness intake, Eibach double adjustable aluminum housed coil overs (due out mid-year), and MINI-Madness rear swaybar. I am also working with some new products for suspensions that should be pretty exciting - camber plates, rear adjustable suspension arms, etc. For wheels, there is so much out there you could spend an evening discussing the options. I will be going with the Rotas and Azenis tires for cost/weight ratio purposes. Check them out here.
Let me know if I can help you in any way. I will keep mulling it over to give you more suggestions.
Randy
randy@mini-motorsport.com
Something else I've been kicking around (I'm a road racer at heart, so let me know if this doesn't sound kosher by the SoloII GCR) is toying with the stock suspensions set ups. Dave and I talked a little about this. Obviously the way to go is to stiffen up the rear bar, but since the Solo rules don't allow aftermarket rear swaybars, and the S comes with the Sport Plus suspension, you may be able to get rid of some of the understeer by running the Sport (not Sport plus) frotn swaybar. Measurements have to be taken, so the development for this is still in the R&D stage.
Obviously wheels and tires are where you can make a big difference. If you really want to compete (and it doesn't sound like you care - so this is more for the hardcore types), you will want to go with the SSR knock offs that are being made in 16 x 6.5" with the correct offset by AK Tire in FL. I would use Hoosiers on these for full bore national competetion, but you will go through them because of the camber issue. If you don't care that much, but want to have some fun, the X-lites (V-spoke) are fine. They weigh quite a bit less than the S-lites, and the 16" makes tires a little more available for a better price. Get the Azenis tires by Falken in 215/45-16.
You can also go with the Koni yellows that allow adjustment for rebound. You can't lower the car though (in SCCA).
Under the BMWCCA series, the MINI S can do just about anything - including coilovers, camber plates, exhaust, chip...
That's why a few of us in the Denver area are going to be campaigning in that series. Wheels can go to 16x7 (much easier to find) and offset doesn't matter. Running in this series, I would recommend the rear swaybar, an exhaust, an intake, coilovers, wheels and tires, and evetually a chip. I've discussed this ad nauseam in other posts, but my recommendations are - Magnaflow exhaust, MINI-Madness intake, Eibach double adjustable aluminum housed coil overs (due out mid-year), and MINI-Madness rear swaybar. I am also working with some new products for suspensions that should be pretty exciting - camber plates, rear adjustable suspension arms, etc. For wheels, there is so much out there you could spend an evening discussing the options. I will be going with the Rotas and Azenis tires for cost/weight ratio purposes. Check them out here.
Let me know if I can help you in any way. I will keep mulling it over to give you more suggestions.
Randy
randy@mini-motorsport.com
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6th Gear
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,241
Likes: 0
From: USA
The other thing you may want to look at is starting out
in some local car clubs. Here in Florida I can X with the
Miata club, the Toyota club, BMW club and the Porsche
club. You may want to look into this as well...
I used to SCCA club race and it really gets pretty intense.
The local clubs are kind of low key and great for starting
out. I can't speak for SCCA autoxing but it might be
something to think about. If I were you I'd run straight stock
a few times and see how you like it. It can get really expensive
really quickly. For $2K, tires and wheels alone are going to
take a big chunk out of your budget.
in some local car clubs. Here in Florida I can X with the
Miata club, the Toyota club, BMW club and the Porsche
club. You may want to look into this as well...
I used to SCCA club race and it really gets pretty intense.
The local clubs are kind of low key and great for starting
out. I can't speak for SCCA autoxing but it might be
something to think about. If I were you I'd run straight stock
a few times and see how you like it. It can get really expensive
really quickly. For $2K, tires and wheels alone are going to
take a big chunk out of your budget.
Temporarily Banned
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 3,382
Likes: 2
From: Denver
Great point, 2minis!
The tire package isn't that much though. It should run under $1000 with all the bells and whistles. Talk to Peter at RSpeed. I could help you as well, but he really put the deal together for the tire package, so I wouldn't feel right about taking business away from the tire side of things.
Randy
The tire package isn't that much though. It should run under $1000 with all the bells and whistles. Talk to Peter at RSpeed. I could help you as well, but he really put the deal together for the tire package, so I wouldn't feel right about taking business away from the tire side of things.
Randy
2nd Gear
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 145
Likes: 0
From: East Peoria, IL
I second 2Minis advice with this addition:
Run stock for a while without making the changes to the car, and polish your ability to drive"smoothly."
Smooth = Fast.
I've found that driving on a "not-so-great" street tire (like the runflats) will force you to be a "smoother" driver to go fast because they will break loose more easily at the limit, and the limit arrives a little sooner. Racing tires like the Hoosiers and Kumho V700's are great to help you go fast, but by their nature allow you to be a little more sloppy in your driving technique. Better to polish that driving technique before investing in the modifications to the car IMHO.
Once that's done, then go with the mods that Randy suggests. I think he's on the money...
Run stock for a while without making the changes to the car, and polish your ability to drive"smoothly."
Smooth = Fast.
I've found that driving on a "not-so-great" street tire (like the runflats) will force you to be a "smoother" driver to go fast because they will break loose more easily at the limit, and the limit arrives a little sooner. Racing tires like the Hoosiers and Kumho V700's are great to help you go fast, but by their nature allow you to be a little more sloppy in your driving technique. Better to polish that driving technique before investing in the modifications to the car IMHO.
Once that's done, then go with the mods that Randy suggests. I think he's on the money...
Thread Starter
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4th Gear
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 315
Likes: 0
From: Saratoga, CA
>>Depends on what sanctioning body you are under. Most people will do GS in SCCA, and the rules are pretty restrictive. A filter is fine, and that's probably where I would start.
>>
>>Something else I've been kicking around (I'm a road racer at heart, so let me know if this doesn't sound kosher by the SoloII GCR) is toying with the stock suspensions set ups. Dave and I talked a little about this. Obviously the way to go is to stiffen up the rear bar, but since the Solo rules don't allow aftermarket rear swaybars, and the S comes with the Sport Plus suspension, you may be able to get rid of some of the understeer by running the Sport (not Sport plus) frotn swaybar. Measurements have to be taken, so the development for this is still in the R&D stage.
>>
>>Obviously wheels and tires are where you can make a big difference. If you really want to compete (and it doesn't sound like you care - so this is more for the hardcore types), you will want to go with the SSR knock offs that are being made in 16 x 6.5" with the correct offset by AK Tire in FL. I would use Hoosiers on these for full bore national competetion, but you will go through them because of the camber issue. If you don't care that much, but want to have some fun, the X-lites (V-spoke) are fine. They weigh quite a bit less than the S-lites, and the 16" makes tires a little more available for a better price. Get the Azenis tires by Falken in 215/45-16.
>>
>>You can also go with the Koni yellows that allow adjustment for rebound. You can't lower the car though (in SCCA).
>>
>>Under the BMWCCA series, the MINI S can do just about anything - including coilovers, camber plates, exhaust, chip...
>>
>>That's why a few of us in the Denver area are going to be campaigning in that series. Wheels can go to 16x7 (much easier to find) and offset doesn't matter. Running in this series, I would recommend the rear swaybar, an exhaust, an intake, coilovers, wheels and tires, and evetually a chip. I've discussed this ad nauseam in other posts, but my recommendations are - Magnaflow exhaust, MINI-Madness intake, Eibach double adjustable aluminum housed coil overs (due out mid-year), and MINI-Madness rear swaybar. I am also working with some new products for suspensions that should be pretty exciting - camber plates, rear adjustable suspension arms, etc. For wheels, there is so much out there you could spend an evening discussing the options. I will be going with the Rotas and Azenis tires for cost/weight ratio purposes. Check them out here.
>>
>>Let me know if I can help you in any way. I will keep mulling it over to give you more suggestions.
>>
>>Randy
>>randy@mini-motorsport.com
Randy,
This is really great information! I am thinking of starting with just changing the runflats to the Azenis (or Kumho's), and getting a less restrictive filter to start. I will be taking a "Street" class by the SCCA which they run at their track called Thunderhill http://www.thunderhill.com/, and I really don't want to do this with the Dunlop runflats! I will also check out the wheels that you recommended. Many thanks also to 2Mini's and nynone4.
>>
>>Something else I've been kicking around (I'm a road racer at heart, so let me know if this doesn't sound kosher by the SoloII GCR) is toying with the stock suspensions set ups. Dave and I talked a little about this. Obviously the way to go is to stiffen up the rear bar, but since the Solo rules don't allow aftermarket rear swaybars, and the S comes with the Sport Plus suspension, you may be able to get rid of some of the understeer by running the Sport (not Sport plus) frotn swaybar. Measurements have to be taken, so the development for this is still in the R&D stage.
>>
>>Obviously wheels and tires are where you can make a big difference. If you really want to compete (and it doesn't sound like you care - so this is more for the hardcore types), you will want to go with the SSR knock offs that are being made in 16 x 6.5" with the correct offset by AK Tire in FL. I would use Hoosiers on these for full bore national competetion, but you will go through them because of the camber issue. If you don't care that much, but want to have some fun, the X-lites (V-spoke) are fine. They weigh quite a bit less than the S-lites, and the 16" makes tires a little more available for a better price. Get the Azenis tires by Falken in 215/45-16.
>>
>>You can also go with the Koni yellows that allow adjustment for rebound. You can't lower the car though (in SCCA).
>>
>>Under the BMWCCA series, the MINI S can do just about anything - including coilovers, camber plates, exhaust, chip...
>>
>>That's why a few of us in the Denver area are going to be campaigning in that series. Wheels can go to 16x7 (much easier to find) and offset doesn't matter. Running in this series, I would recommend the rear swaybar, an exhaust, an intake, coilovers, wheels and tires, and evetually a chip. I've discussed this ad nauseam in other posts, but my recommendations are - Magnaflow exhaust, MINI-Madness intake, Eibach double adjustable aluminum housed coil overs (due out mid-year), and MINI-Madness rear swaybar. I am also working with some new products for suspensions that should be pretty exciting - camber plates, rear adjustable suspension arms, etc. For wheels, there is so much out there you could spend an evening discussing the options. I will be going with the Rotas and Azenis tires for cost/weight ratio purposes. Check them out here.
>>
>>Let me know if I can help you in any way. I will keep mulling it over to give you more suggestions.
>>
>>Randy
>>randy@mini-motorsport.com
Randy,
This is really great information! I am thinking of starting with just changing the runflats to the Azenis (or Kumho's), and getting a less restrictive filter to start. I will be taking a "Street" class by the SCCA which they run at their track called Thunderhill http://www.thunderhill.com/, and I really don't want to do this with the Dunlop runflats! I will also check out the wheels that you recommended. Many thanks also to 2Mini's and nynone4.
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