Guest brwneydtrouble Posted April 19 Report Share Posted April 19 Ok, first time at the Auto X yesterday and im HOOKED!! I can't wait to have a car that I can actually run the track in, for my first time i just watched. Im trying to get a project car and its kinda a toss up between a 95 240SX 5-speed with a blown SR20, or a 91 MR2 5-speed non turbo each possibly for a grand.Im really tring to shoot for the MR2, since 1) its different, 2) it already runs and ready for the course!The 240 on the other hand......SWEET. Nuff said.What do you guys think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintron Posted April 19 Report Share Posted April 19 Go for the MR2. Right now the NA's are ruling E-Stock.Turbos are fun, but B-stock puts them up against S2k's, Boxsters and other stufff... and those are newer cars with more advantages from the factory... plus turbo maintenence is a precision hobby and can really get to be a bummer when things go wrong. the NA sounds like lots of fun. You'll love it - just realize that the tail is something you WON"T be able to screw with like you will on a 240. Driving an MR2 = NO DRAMA, but lots of fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brwneydtrouble Posted April 19 Report Share Posted April 19 What do the different classes mean? Thats one thing we couldn't figure out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomicapples Posted April 19 Report Share Posted April 19 240 has a longer wheel base. mr2 are so short that it wont be able to swing its ass into a drift like 240s. if you lose control of the tail, its harder to control. most likely you will end up in a 360 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kretrop Posted April 20 Report Share Posted April 20 Originally posted by brwneydtrouble What do the different classes mean? Thats one thing we couldn't figure out. Cars are classed to make them competitive. You won't find a Festiva racing against a 911, because it wouldn't be fair.I assume you're running at an SCCA event. My suggestion would be to get your hands on a rulebook, as they'll tell you what cars go in what classes. You can check out www.scca.org as well.I have 2 Miatas. One (my 95M) is stock, so it races in CS (C-Stock). However, my local region (Philly) has introduced a new group of classes this season, and they're designed for street tire use, so when I run the 95, I'll be in STX2. My 02 Miata has a turbo on it, so it runs in SM2 (Street Modified 2-seater). I boosted the car shortly after I bought it (new), but this past weekend was my first time autocrossing that one. It was... interesting The rulebook will tell you what you can do within each class, how they're decided, which cars go where, etc. Check one out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teklord310 Posted April 20 Report Share Posted April 20 Awesome! Another one bitten by the autox bug...I've never run with SCCA, but their classing if very strict. If you show up all modded you will end up running against some sick people. Enjoy! AutoX is awesome, but track is way more exciting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintron Posted April 20 Report Share Posted April 20 or if like me, you show up nearly stock, but with a boost controller... then you also will be competing with serious people.like the kind of people who bring their cars on trailers.stupidest regulation IMO. There should be a class for BPU turbo cars. freaking arcane regulations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brwneydtrouble Posted April 20 Report Share Posted April 20 Yeah, im totally bitten by the bug. The guy that was selling the 240 changed his mind, but the deuce owner is still thinking about it. He's buying a new car and wants to sell it. I guess ill have to just be a little more patient.SCCA has quite a few events down here all year long, the next one I think is at the end of May. Hopefully they will have it at Moroso which just unveiled its new road course which I hear is amazing. That would totally rock, instead of autocrossing in a parking lot with a sea of cones. You can just imagine how many people were going WAY off course. Im thinking of just signing up for a membership with the SCCA, its not that expensive.Kretrop, the miatas kicked serious ass out there!! There were also a LOT of WRXs but it seemed like the drivers weren't pushing then nearly hard enough to get their full potential. The IS300 also turned out impressive times as well as the Minis.I really can't wait to get my project car and get started already. Im dreaming about suspension upgrades, sway bars, cusco braces, roll cages, sticky tires...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintron Posted April 21 Report Share Posted April 21 try dreaming up a stock class car first, with some slicks.that'll improve your driving skills a TON. Then move on to the SM2 and modified classes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brwneydtrouble Posted April 21 Report Share Posted April 21 I was discussing the pros and cons of both the 240 and the MR2, and was told that the 2 like porsches have a tendency to spin out if you let off the gas in the middle of a turn. True? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintron Posted April 21 Report Share Posted April 21 Yes. It is a simple pendulum effect.~43% of the weight sits on the front tires of a stock MKII MR2.Now imagine that car moving into a corner. The other 57% is over the back end. You yank the car around in a corner, that mass wants to go straight and pull the tail with it. If you step hard on the brakes at the same time as you yank, you're decreasing the traction available to the rear tires at the same time that weight wants to keep going in a straight line.You offset this by braking early, bringing the nose to rotate properly and accelerating as you exit. Keeping the pedal down when things get hairy is what keeps you on the track. The bonus to the Midengine design is that the decreased stability on weight transfer also means an increased ability to plant the rear tires on corner exit more reliably, so you can get on the gas earlier in your exit, plus nothing is as easy to flick into a corner as a car with the engine in the back.It's not a dramatic driving style at all. Nothing like the tail-sliding fun you see 240's and RX7's do on corner exit, but the MR2 isnt about sideways behavior. It just wants to be stuck simple and clean, and it will reward good technique.Conversely if you fuck up, it will punish you real bad.You can screw with this a little by changing tire size, and adjusting the alignment. I had 195/205 F/R on the stock car. The stock tires are ridiculously small for the weight. Up it to at least 205 front, 225 rear and you'll notice a big difference. Also, you'll find that if you get a 91-92 model, you can adjust the rear to toe-in about 1/8" per side. Makes a MASSIVE difference for stability and predictability.That's the thing dude - MR2's wont really spin as easily the first time, but if you get the tail to wiggle a little in one direction and then suddenly it sticks, the tendency to snap spin into the other direction is higher than it was to initially break the tail loose.Hence snap oversteer.This is why you NEVER see porsches wiggle their rear ends on a racetrack. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kretrop Posted April 23 Report Share Posted April 23 Originally posted by cintron try dreaming up a stock class car first, with some slicks.that'll improve your driving skills a TON. Then move on to the SM2 and modified classes Actually, if you really want to get good at it, don't worry about slicks for a while. Using street tires will allow you to experience more mistakes. By knowing where you're making mistakes, you can correct them. By correcting them, you get faster. Once you get faster, slicks will help you get even faster than that.Starting out using slicks masks many of your mistakes, since they're so grippy. So, yes, you'll most likely get around the course faster than you would on street tires, but you won't be getting around the course quite as fast as you could be on the slicks.Personally, I run Bridgestone Potenza S03s on my 95M. Great tires. I will be putting Azenis on my 02 very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintron Posted April 24 Report Share Posted April 24 then i suppose i'm glad i cant afford slicks now.i'm just running crappy kumho 712's. I'd love to have a better tire like the S03's, but i go through a pair of rears every 8k. Stupid midengine layout. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brwneydtrouble Posted April 26 Report Share Posted April 26 Originally posted by kretrop Personally, I run Bridgestone Potenza S03s on my 95M. Great tires. I will be putting Azenis on my 02 very soon. I used to have the S0-2's on the S, they didn't stick for SHIT. Hydroplaning all over the freakin place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintron Posted April 26 Report Share Posted April 26 Hydroplaning?? WELL DUH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kretrop Posted May 2 Report Share Posted May 2 S02 and S03 are different tires I had S02s on my 94 Probe GT in 225/45/17 size for a while; I was very happy with them. I did not race that car, though.I have autocrossed and road raced my S03s in the rain, as well as doing 130+ miles everyday as my commute. Pheonominal wet grip. No hydroplaning unless you're going through some really, really deep stuff. They definitely get a bit more slippery as they get closer to the tread bars, but that's to be expected. They do follow ruts in the road, however. Lots of tramlining. These are in the 195/50/15 size. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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