Disclaimer: Even Katie might think this is a little long but it is full of
autoX content.
As a someone new to this sport I am fascinated with everything about it
including the current conversations about classification, modifications, and
new member attraction/retention.
I believe that I might have some interesting input having just run this
season (my first) in the D Stock / Novice 6 class. My basic impression is
that I will not be very competitive next year within the non-novice class
(not just because I will finally face the veteran talent) but rather because
I have yet to find a class that matches well with what I want to do with my
car. Though it may be a radical concept to some here I may actually want to
perform modifications to my car that are not solely autoX motivated.
First I have some thoughts about cost containment that I have not seen
mentioned here. I drive my car daily (21k in 9 Months is what I call True
Street) and intend to do so for the foreseeable future. My car shipped with
"performance" tires with a 220ish treadwear rating. These tires have worn
pretty quickly (within 21k miles) and in a way that is heavily influenced by
the 30 miles (being generous) that they have seen autocrossing. I would be
hesitant to take them for a spin (literally?) in heavy rain at this point.
The tire wear that I have seen combined with the poor wet weather handling
characteristics of the stock tires has led me to believe that having a
second set of wheels is the only way for me to really contain costs and
achieve optimal performance during two very different types of driving.
This is a problem, I am guessing, for most everyone who drives their autoX
car daily rain or shine.
I also have another problem which is less common. My stock front and rear
wheel widths are different. Couple that with uneven tire wear and the
result is a recipe for buying rubber I can't use due to inability to rotate.
I hope to buy Michelin Pilot Sport A/S rubber (4 tires =~ $1100 treadwear
440) for my street usage and for now will try out a very cheap set of 4 half
used Hoosiers (~$150) for autoX. Any commentary on the above choices is
very welcome.
There are modifications to my car that I would like to make that I believe
are simple and reasonable that would put me into a class where I would
certainly be out of the competitive range. Herein lies perhaps the most
generally interesting portion of this diatribe. The types of folks who are
likely to be interested in autoX are likely to do things to their cars
before the first event they attend that will put them into a prepared class
where they will likely be intimidated and out classed. Of course this
should not come as a surprise to these folks but I think it does surprise
them and I am guessing that a lot of attrition happens here.
In case it is of interest the ordered list of things I would like to do to
my car is as follows:
1. 18" wheels and tires for for day to day use. Mainly for looks and same
width front and back so I can rotate them. I would pick the widest set that
would fit front and rear which is 8-8.5". This mod most would agree would
net me a performance disadvantage. However it looks like on a rainy race
day I could not elect to run these wheels with my all season tires in a
stock class.
2. 17" stock (or stock sized) wheels for AutoX. Unfortunately stock on my
car is already too wide in the back for STS/X. I would like to run the
widest wheels I can but at this point I feel stuck between a choice of stock
or narrower than stock wheels.
3. Front and rear anti-sway bars. I have been told that this is a very
rewarding modification for aggressive driving.
4. Height etc. adjustable coilovers.
For the most part I think that the reasoning for the above is generically to
put together a car that can be quickly and easily set-up for use on 880, in
the lot at Candlestick, or (when I know what I am doing and can afford it)
at Thunderhill.
Finally a question:
If someday I decide to run my car (2001 BMW 330i) in SP what class would it
fall in? It is not specifically listed so my guess is CP by virtue of the
"All sedans over 1.7L and under 3.0L not otherwise classified" catch-all.
Thanks for reading and thanks for any feedback
Matthew
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