Twonius

I've been to 3 autocrosses this summer and i'll be hitting up at least one more before the season ends. (you can autocross in the snow right?!!)


I've notcied that i've rarely been tripping the ABS. Is this a bad thing? I assume if i'm braking near threshold i should be feeling the ABS kick on. Perhaps i just need to get my foot off the gas and put more pressure on the brake.

On a related note, is anyone using left foot braking? I've done this a few times but I find it very hard to modulate, but I do tend to use more brake pressure. Plus the time saving of moving my size 10 3" to the left and then back to the right.

I can't immagine my tire pressures are yeilding optimum grip either. In an effort to tame some of the oversteer i've run the fronts up to 40 and the rears at 28. I know a lot of people run fronts much higher in autox, but i definatly didnt like the rear at 20.
(kumho ecsta ASX ). I'm forcing myself to stay on street rubber until i can actually run cosistant ( within .5 sec) good runs.


Finally. Good luck to those representing S2K at Solo Nationals next week!

PanteraKitty

Sounds like you are about ready for a driving school. Next season jump on the first club autocross driving school that is offered. I think, in the beginning, you will get more bang for your buck from one of the club schools than you will from a more advanced(and more expensive) school like Evolution. Later you may want to go through some of the Evolution schools.

Left foot braking is done easiest with a 5 point harness. Then your body stays pretty much stationary and you can control your foot better.

You do not need to get into the ABS every time you brake. Often you will do better to slow down early and accelerate through and out of the turn.

Remember that the speed out of a turn is more important than the speed into it.

Tire pressures should be high enough that you do not roll them over past the edge of the tread. If you are wearing the tops off the lettering on the sidewall, they are too soft.

Have fun at the ice event.

Orthonormal

I don't generally trigger ABS when I'm autocrossing, but I probably come close. Observers commented on the little puffs of smoke I would generate when driving the non-ABS Miata. That was from very brief lockups.

However, if you're a beginner and you're not ever triggering ABS, then it's possible that you're not braking hard enough. On the other hand, waiting to the last moment and making the braking zone as short as possible is one of the last things you should focus on as a novice. Most novices wait too long to brake, and then don't slow down enough. It's better to brake conservatively (early) to make sure that you get slowed down enough for each turn.

I don't know who runs a whole lot higher pressure in the front tires than in the rear tires. With the Neovas, I thought 33 front/30 rear worked okay. With the Kumho ASX, you have an all season tire which probably needs more pressure, both in the front and in the rear.

I don't left foot brake. You don't need to in this car -- no turbo to keep spooled, and good static weight distribution. In fact it could destabilize the car if you're not careful.

aronparsons

The pressure differences you're running are a bit extreme and it sounds like you think that is the solution to the oversteer problem when the best option for managing that is the alignment and (mainly) driving technique.

As for utilizing ABS during an auto-x, it's not a bad thing as the ABS system on the S is quite good; you need to be a very good driver to be able to threshold brake to the point that you can stop faster without the ABS.

I haven't found LFB'ing necessary in the S due to it's balance and it being RWD; more rotation, feed a little more gas (in most cases). My previous auto-x experience was in a CRX where LFB'ing was necessary sometimes, though the beefy rear anti-roll bar aided a lot in bringing the rear around.

SteveS2K33

I would agree with what the others have said to you with the exception of left foot braking, I disagree with the statement that it upsets the car. I am a left foot braker but I have had alot of racing experience so it comes natural to me but for a beginner it isn't something I would be focused on right now. This has been debated before and IMO left foot braking can be an asset with any car, turbo or NA.

Twonius

we changed over the pedal box setup on our 2006 fsae car at purdue to make left foot braking easier. And that sure as hell wasn't FWD. We did however run the 5 point setup. Its surprising how close the S actually feels to that car.

I also agree with the alignment / driving technique issue. Since i just got the car a few months ago this was the quickest way to try to make the car a little more forgiving. As i improve my technique i'm looking to add an anti roll bar when i go over to race rubber. I don't really want to jump into that stuff until i'm a good enough driver to take advantage of them as i already feel like one of those guys who buys a top of the line set of Big Berthas to learn how to play golf on.

Thanks for the feedback.

jguerdat

With the ASX tires, you should be experiencing ABS *a lot*. With R compounds, I rarely feel the ABS (except when I wait too long and I'm in the marbles) but reduce the traction with street tires, especially all-season, and I'd expect much more interaction.

I agree with the driver's school recommendation - it will get you up to speed much faster than trying to figure it out yourself...

FormulaRedline

I don't think not hitting ABS is a bad thing at all when autocrossing. Especially on some the of the tighter courses and on stock springs and shocks, it is not onyl acceptable, but faster to decelerate slower. This reduces the dive of the car and allows you to turn in with traction on both the front and rear wheels.

Threshold braking is really a technique to be used at the end of straightaways, which there are not a lot of in autocross, at least the courses I've been running.