Re: first auto X, what tire pressure? (archive)

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If you don't have some tread, they may or may not allow you to run. If you have cord showing, they should not allow you to run. Blow a tire at 55 mph in a parking lot and you could wreck big time, and even hurt someone (besides yourself and your car). This is suppose to be a safe sport.

Go for pretty high pressure. I run 38 warm, but I have more tire and less rim. I'd be afraid of anything under 35, and 40 might be better. Get a gauge (even a cheep one for $2) and put in too much air, and if the tires feel like they're sliding, take out some (2 or 3 psi). Be careful, hot sunny days raise psi from the morning. The car is really, really rough riding with this much air, so I don't put it in until I get almost at the site, and I take it out before leaving.

Don't change pressures during the day more then once. It'll confuse you. Preferably, don't change at all. Measure pressure right after the run, not before.

Have fun. I've never seen a first timer even approach the times of the veterans. This is nothing like driving on the street or race track. Just enjoy yourself. Besides, tires are everything in racing, and you don't have the best tires. If you continue this, you will eventually buy some real racing tires, and you will be shocked at the difference. All the veterans have these tires already, so don't try to keep up. If you get a ride with one of these, don't try to do what they do. You're tires can't do it (trust me, I tried, and I had some of the stickiest street tires available on my Z3 when I tried).

Start it in 1st (don't spin the wheels), stick it in 2nd, and leave it there (unless it's a fast course, where you'll get into 3rd, but that is rare).

LOOK AHEAD. I never do this well enough. As you walk the course, figure out where you are looking at each point. If you look at a cone, you will hit that cone. Look where you want to go. Look beside the cone where you want the driver to pass over (2 feet right of the cone, 4 feet left). Don't ever look behind you to see if you hit a cone. You'll feel it if you do, trust me. Look even farther ahead the next run. You should be looking out the side windows, and getting annoyed at the pillers. You will be amazed at how fast you will go the first time you look ahead for the whole run. Some drivers move their mirrors so they can't see behind them. I don't, but that's just me.

You'll get lost at least once on the course. Get back on course and finish the run. We all do it.

These cars push badly (understeer - you turn the wheel and the car doesn't turn) if you even THINK of going into a corner too fast. Slow down sooner (HARD on the brakes), get off the brakes, put your foot back on the gas (lightly, just to keep the drag of the engine from slowing you down further), and turn the car. As soon as you get the car halfway turned, start feeding in gas. The first person back on the throttle hard, without having to lift to miss a cone, wins. This will feel strange if you've watched any racing, as you are not taking the "racing" line, but are really apexing late. Watch the other fast drivers to see what you are doing. At the same time, don't get tail happy. The "fast" driving on TV is all for show. The really fast drivers don't hang the tail out, they just kind of drift slightly. With those big wheels, the tail should not be more then 10 degrees from the path of the car, maybe less. Any more is just slowing you down. If you are on the gas before you get to the most inside part of the turn, and stay on it and just barely miss the outside cone of the turn, you did it right. Ultimately, you may be pointing the car in some slightly odd directions at turn in (almost as if you are going to hit the inside cone), but don't worry if you don't. I'm trying to give you seconds here. You can worry about 1/10ths after you are less then a second behind the class leader.

HAVE FUN. This is HARD. You won't get it right the first time, but neither will anyone else (they should have a Novice class, get in it).

There are many interesting things you can do in 2nd gear. Welcome to the addiction.

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