Auto-X Questions

[twofortysx]

Ok, so I have a local Auto x I can go to.  My friend is REALLY good at it.  My only fear with auto x is that I'm going to kill my s14.  Is auto x REALLY all that bad for the car and will running it at rev limit on some of the straights hurt the motor?

Thanks

Oh..I have 60k mi.

[AceInHole]

autox is demanding... but the fastest lines are usually the smoothest.  if you learn how to be gentle while pushing the car, you'll not only save wear, but you'll also pull faster times.

it'll also help if your car is well maintained, too.

[Goodbar6]

My local autocrosses start up real soon. I cant wait! I have done 2 and a half seasons.

One of the only major wear and tear things that will happen from auto x is tire wear. Other than that, its only close to a minute on the track about 5 times.

Yea try to be smooth with the steering and throtle. Get a person who has done it alot to ride along with you, and then aftrwards give you tips!

HAVE FUN

Tyler

[HippoSleek]

What Goodbar said and what tnord and LanceS13 will say too.

Autox is bad for the most expendable parts on your car: tires, brakes, shocks.  All of these work harder than they could ever hope to work on the streets.  But after all, that's why we buy the go fast stuff, right - to go fast?  

The runs aren't too long for repeated engine stress and most people treat their engines worse horsing it around town that you will on course.  As for taching out on the limiter - it usually doesn't happen b/c most courses won't let the 240 break about 60 mph - and then not for long.  As was said before, the key is smoothness in the turns not reving out the straights.

The other thing is that once you do it, you'll be hooked! &nbsp;There is nothing like a driving event of some kind to make you love your car and understand why you do the things to it that you do <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/inlove.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':love:'>
mark

[tnord]

as long as the car is in good condition to start with it'll be fine. toss in some Mobil 1 tri-synthetic (15W-50 iirc). it's a thicker oil that's made to withstand high heat/stress situations. replacing transmission and diff oil with synthetics wouldn't hurt either. about your concern with running at redline, if your engine power is still relatively stock, there is a massive drop off of power right around 5500, so it really doesn't pay to shift all the way up at 6500. i usually shift at 6 to put me right back in the meat of the powerband. if it makes you feel any better i ran my S14 on a 2 mile track with only new tires and mobil 1 and the car was none the worse for wear.

random other advice.....
get to the event EARLY. especially if you're new. get through registration and tech as early as possible. find a good place to set up "pit" and start taking everything out of the car. floormats, spare tire/jacks, anything in glove box, center console. make sure you're lugs are tight, then check tire pressures. i think good street tires will run optimally at about 40psi. set them to about 38, as they will heat up during the course of the day. you can tinker with handling characteristics by playing with tire pressures, but there's no need to get into that already. if you have stock wheels you'll also have to take the center caps off. NEVER put the e-brake on during the day, this will almost definitely warp your rotars. and for the love of god don't use tire spray the day before when you're cleaning the car, nothing like some liquid silicone to create slippery tires.

man.....this turned into a long post

[twofortysx]

Cool, thanks for your help. &nbsp;My desire not to kill my car is making me want to go pick up a used 510 for about $1000 and auto x it <img src="http://www.zilvia.net/f/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif" border="0" valign="absmiddle" alt=':)'>

That or an old 240z.

[tnord]

the car will be fine, trust me

i would think that a neglected car suffers more abuse on a dialy basis than a well cared for car does at an autox