Dum Dum Head

I just had my 2nd autocross today and WOW! I just can't believe how fun it is to toss this car around. It's so easy to control and the sound of the engine is just too cool. I just wish we had more than 3 runs or a course longer than 40secs (for me...fastest time of the day was a 34).

But...what gear do you fast guys run in? I'm running practically the whole thing in second gear and it allows me to be fairly smooth and have enough time to think about what are the best lines through the corners, but the car just doesn't have enough torque to really pull out of the corners in second. I'm kind of afraid that if I try to do the track in mostly first gear, the car will be hard to control because of the high revs and weight distribution stuff. I think there is also the fact that driving around at 8000-9000 rpm is just such a different feeling that I feel hesitant about it. Do you guys just heel-toe into first before the slower corners?

Anyways, I'd appreciate any tips. Thanks in advance.

RacerX

Usually, I leave it in second once I perform the inital shift. However, on one course last year I did the first half in first and stayed in VTEC. I ended up shifting to second just before a slalom that I took flat out, went around a fairly wide curve, and nailed it for the straightaway. I loved that course!

Again, it's kind of course dependent, but I USUALLY leave it in second unless I drop below 2500-3000. When you shift down, you have a period of time where you are not accellerating, ditto with the shift up. You are actually coasting, which is bad on the autox course. If you can run the course in second above 3500, keep it in second, which will give you more powerband to use without losing time in the shift. However, my experience is based on our courses, which are usually about 45 seconds for top drivers, 49 seconds for me, so they are a little longer than yours.

jguerdat

I have yet to autox my S2K but, based on 25 years experience (yes, I know I sound like a dunderhead asking all my questions but it's really just anxiousness to get to the first event), 2nd gear is the most appropriate for most cars in most places in most events. Sure, there are places where it can help to be in first but you need to be able to justify WHY before you do it. I'll experiment on a run if some places are slower than I'd like but I've found that when I do this it's still a crap-shoot as whether it helped. Sometimes I can gain half a second or so but sometimes it helps not at all or even slows me down.

Second gear aids smoothness. Less acceleration can easily be converted to gained speed by driving SMOOTHLY and going faster through the turns. I used to run a '70 Fiat 850 (both Spyder and Sport Coupe at different times) which had a 903cc engine (and that was the BIG engine). I could run with well-driven 455CID Firebirds although I couldn't accelerate for beans. The key was to not lose speed in the first place.

Practice smoothness and keeping maximum speed up through the turns and slaloms (it may be much faster than you think). Explore the true limits. Wait till you see God and THEN brake. First gear use is more of an advanced technique compared to the rest...

Overdrive OP

Kind of a hard question and a common subject of discussion between the S2000 guys I race with.

I personally use the general rule if I am not above 5k or so in the revs by the time the throttle is to the floor, I should have shifted. That is about 35mph in second so I shift alot! Now one the other hand I am very comfortable with heal-toe shifting and shifting is not a distraction for me 99% of the time. If shifting takes any of your concentration, or you have a hard time being smooth with the throttle in first(gets touchy!) you are probably better off in second. Driving smoothly and on line is the most important thing.

Also, one of the dangers when shifting to 1st is the tendancy to slow down more than you have to. Bottom line is if you can't heal-toe very well and maintain threshhold breaking, you will always be slower shifting... if you can try it in the slowest corners and compare your times.

Ole
White/Red

Dum Dum Head

hm, you guys make sense. So I guess I should just gain more experience by concentrating on being smooth and consistent. That would mean staying in 2nd the whole time. I guess I should think of it this way, if I'm complaining about coming out of a corner with not enough revs, I should have been going faster through the corner. After only 2 events, I do think I need more experience before I can shift without disrupting the car's weight balance and my concentration.

Thanks for the input.