This thread is for discussion and promotion of SCCA and BMWCCA AutoX in Colorado. We will post dates and locs etc as we get them. Feel free to post on behalf of SCCA and BMWCCA right here. Anything goes.

Thanks, and who is going first?

John? Trinity?

JPS

 

I'll go first. I am wanting to get into AutoX. I did it once when I was very young (17). I had a 1959 MGA that I raced one time. It was great fun. Now that I have a more up to date car I want to try it again. I need input from any of the club racers or anyone with experience to give me ideas and suggestions such as; What do I need to take with me to the track, what sort of tire pressure should I start with using my stock 17" run-flats, how important is it that I start out with a "racing" seat harness (Schroth). I'll be running my MCS as stock, I beleive the Class is "S" racing with the BMW Club at DIA. I'd like to ready for event on the 14 of this month and then the Autocross School on June 11. Thanks for any help you can provide. Felix

 

Hi Felix,
You'll enjoy this. I believe you would be in CS class under BMWCCA classing. They consider MINIs as BMWs for classing. Check out the classing application on rmcbmwcca.org.

A CGLock is a lot cheaper than a harness for a start but you can start without either and still have fun. I'm just a beginner but I go out there with 45 psi all around on my runflats. I think that helps save some tread but is maybe not the best for speed.

Make sure to bring water. I bring a little cooler with ice for the water. It gets hot out there on the concrete at DIA even on a fairly cool day. Also sunscreen and wet-wipes to get the sunscreen off your hands. Don't worry about numbers, they'll give you some paper ones but maybe bring some tape. They'll rent a helmet too if you get there early.

I'll see you on May 14th!

 

I've been in all of about four autocross events since I got my MINI in July of '02. The first one was on the 16" run-flats that came with my Cooper. The second was on 15" holey's with the Continental all-season tires. Third one was on Falken Azzini's that replaced the run-flats after I wore 'em out at Second Creek. The fourth was on my summer 16" Bridgestone S03's because I loaned my Azzini's to my stepson to use on his Honda Civic I hate to admit it but he did better than I did).

I intend to enter more of them this year and attend the autocross class.

I'm looking forward to seeing y'all out at DIA .

John

 

I hang in the SCCA crowd in SM class. I only have a pulley so I am pretty much out gunned but it is way fun.

I'm looking at getting some miata wheels ( 15's) and putting some 225's on them. That should help me mucho in the class. Right now it's just me and my new stock runflats but hey I can scare a cone in those too.

Trinityblk & Weeee ( 04 Indi Blue CooperS)

 

It's great hearing from all the new people and "experienced" people out there doing AutoX. I hope we all learn more about what others have done to improve their run times. See you all out there, I'll be in the Hyper Blue '05 MCS. F

 

Other handy things to have are ... some chalk to mark your tire side walls so you can check tire rollover. A tank of compressed air or a pump is usefull so you can fine tune your tire pressure.

 

Does anyone know just how much "gear" you can have at your grid spot I noticed alot of stuff piled up in the paddock area, and I know a couple of people had portable air tanks and/or air pumps at their "pit area" at the Spring Warm-Up event at DIA. As you know, it is possible to pack alot of stuff into a MINI if necessary Thanks F

 

I unloaded all my gear in the paddock area and then moved it all to the grid area when I realized that there was a separate grid area for each heat. Just arrange the stuff to one side so that cars can drive through from front to back and you'll be fine. Of course, trailers and tents have to stay in the paddock area.

 

They say to bring very little in grid because when things get going it is very easy for things to get run over. So I would keep the pile to only what you need while you run. The good thing about showing up early to the event is that you can park close to grid so it cuts down the distance between the two. I recommend unloading the car of all non race stuff the night before anyway. That way you won't be bothered by unloading and loading the car with a bunch of stuff. If you can't race with it leave it. Got helmet will race is my motto.

I put 45 lbs in my fronts and 37 lbs in the back on my runflats. I had pretty good grip and had no roll over.

 

Sounds like things have gotten more complicated and a lot bigger since I raced in the 70s. Still gonna have to give it a go again soon, I think. . .

 

not complicated.... just more high tech toys!

 

Let's have a count of how many 5280 members are signed up and ready to race. Felix

 

I won't be making it to this one. I'm taking my daughter on a scenic sailplane ride on Saturday.

 

I'll be there

 

Went to the BMW Auto X event on Sunday and found out some news. Starting July 1st you have to be a member of BMWCCA to race at their AutoX events and they are limiting their events to 80 cars. This is a big deal if you race different clubs but aren't a member. Also, if you wait till the week before and event or sooner you may not be able to attend.

Just wanted to get the word out. Go to http://www.rmcbmwcca.org/ for more details.

 

I joined BMWCCA 2 yrs ago but never autocrossed. I get the mag and the new and more, and it is worth the small fee they charge. In fact, they got my attention for a nice used 8 series...someday.

Thanks,

JPS

 

LOL

I don't know what else they offer but we got 6 runs in so that was cool ( even though we froze in the rain and cold). I see you play hookie from work and hit the forums too!

 

As the next BMWCCA AutoX in Denver is on July 23 and now that all of us AutoX'rs are members I need information on getting some wheels. Originally I was going to go to Randy Webb for some AK Monza wheels in a 16x6.5 rim. Randy does not have those wheels in stock and won't be able to get them until Fall. I've searched the web sites for wheels which are lightweight, have a 44mm offset, do not require spacers or centering rings, are cheap (the Monza were $155 each), all basiclly assuring me I can stay in CS class, and are available this summer. Does anyone have any leads, suggestions, etc.???? If I can get them in Denver and avoid shipping that would be great, but you have to do what you have to do. Thanks Felix

 

For BMW events you can run any wheel that you want. The classing system was changed for 2005, and the wheel size/width is no longer taken into account when calculating the points that determine your class.

IMO the best wheels to run, and the cheapest, would be to find 15" wheels in a 4x100 bolt pattern. There is a post on the G Stock forum about using Miata wheels with the center machined larger.

Please note - running 15" wheels in SCCA will bump you out of GS/BT, but for BMW events 15" wheels are allowed.

Shopping for 15" wheels and tires is a LOT cheaper than trying to find something in 16" that will work. And finding V710's in a 16" has been challenging to say the least.

For reference - If you are going to be running SCCA events, you need to stay within the stock sizes, 16 x 6.5" and 17 x 7". With the lack of available AK Monza's, the only other option is to purchase SSR's. They retail for a mere $350 (per wheel)

More reasonably priced wheels I would consider are the Kosei K'1's, BUT they are not the same size as stock and are not legal for SCCA GS or BT. If you are only going to run BMW events - no problem.

 

Here's a wheel link that might help.

http://omor.com/mini/wheels.php

 

B-b-B, If I'm understanding you correctly, it does not matter what size wheels I use for BMWCCA AutoX events, does that go for the size of non-race tires too? Additionally, I looked at the Kosei K-1 wheels for my '05 MCS. I would like to use a smaller wheel and tire so I'm considering the 16x7.5 wheel with Falken Azenis RT-615's (205/40R 16). Do you consider this a good blend? And do you think there will be any tire rub against the body parts? Tire Rack has the wheels at $159 ea., the offset is 43mm. I can get the tires locally for $119 ea. Your thoughts. Thanks Felix

 

Felix,
you are correct that the size of the wheels does not matter for BMW events, (for SCCA stock classes - sizes must be the same as supplied by Mini, either 16 x 6.5 or 17 x 7)

The tire size does matter. One of the questions that you fill in to determine how many points you have, and thus determine your class, has a variety of options for your tire size. 0 - 19mmover stock is not penalized, 19 - 29 mm is a 5 point, and over 29mm is 8 points.

Although the points system is a good one, my personal beef is with the tire points section. The flaw being, it is very hard to prove what tires were actually stock on your competitors car. Your Mini may have come stock with 185's and mine came stock with 195's. If we both run 205's then I am legal (no points) but you must add 5 points because you are now 20 mm wider than what was stock on your car. And to carry the example further - if your car came with 185's and you decide to run 225's you now accumulate 8 points, which could put you into a BS/BR class. It's hard enough keeping up with the M3's in CS/CR.

In reality though, we can ignore that because most Mini's (not all) end up in CS if you are running a street tire, or CR if you run race rubber.

The Kosei's are good wheels at a reasonable price. I run the 16" K1's at the BMW events, but my 16's are 16 x 6.5". I am not sure if you are going to experience any wheel rub if you go to the 16x7.5's. You could potentially fit 225's onto those, but maybe check the Wheels and tires forum to see if anyone experiences rubbing with those. Or talk to Alex Mouroulis at Tire Rack extension 294.

The Falken Azeni 615's are great tires. I have a set in 17" size that we run for track days and fun events. Great grip, can handle heat better than the 215's, good value for money - I think.

The only downside to the Kosei's is you need a hub centering ring. If you order from Tire Rack make sure to specify that the rings must be metal (steel or alum). Some suppliers insist on sending plastic rings - one track day at SEcond Creek and the plastic rings become mush.

HTH

Grant

 

Grant, I've looked high and low and I can not find a Kosei K-1 16" rim that is 6.5". Have you had those wheels for a while? Let me know where you got them too. Thanks F

 

Felix, I screwed up. The Kosei's I have are 16 x 7, (and thus don't meet the SCCA GS 16 x 6.5"). As far as I know Kosei does not make a 6.5" wide rim. They don't make a 7" in 17's rim either, only 17 x 7.5".

They are nice wheels though, not as light as some, but I thought the value was good. The white rims show the brake dust if that matters.

Sorry about the mix up.

Grant