How to setup you car and Driving tips for STS or STX
07-15-2002, 01:17 PM
#1
How to setup you car and Driving tips for STS or STX
Setting up your car for auto-xing.
The most important mod you can have is a good set of tires. The STX or STX cars at nationals will either have S-03, BFG g-Force KD, or Falken Azenis Sports, unless I'm there. I'm running 225/50/16 Bridgestone OEM S-02's on 300zx NA rims. I would highly recommend this tire to anyone who is realy serious about this. This tire sticks like glue way better than the S-03. This tire really help my times out.
Second mod is Struts or shocks. The best aftermarket strut for the maxima is the KYB-AGX.
Third is an alignment. This is a must, problem is if you use an autocross alignment on the sstreet you'll kill your tires, but if you use a street alignmet on the track you won't get the most out of you tires at the track. I'm running a -2.5 deg on each side and 1/4" of toe out in the front. The cambers great I may try more later but the toe is too much. I'd go with 1/16 or 1/8 depending how much camber you have.
Forth is spings. Linear springs are the best because they'll give you a consistant travel than progressive springs.
Finally is power mods. Power helps but if's not as important as the others.
Driving Tips
There are six rules for autocrossing that if followed will make you a good driver.
1) Look ahead - You must all ways look ahead if you don't don't worry about the other 5 rules because they won't matter. This is my biggest problem I've been focusing on this for the last year.
2) Brake Early - Remember slow in and fast out. If you enter a corner too fast you'll lose more time and speed trying to recover.
3) Turn Early - This gives you car time to set it's self up for the turn.
4) Power out of the turn - Any time your wheels are not pointed strait your losing speed. Compensate by adding a little power out of the turn.
5) Have fun - If you your doing the above properly you should be winning and you be having a lot of fun.
6) Slower is faster -
Good Luck and have fun
Blade
The most important mod you can have is a good set of tires. The STX or STX cars at nationals will either have S-03, BFG g-Force KD, or Falken Azenis Sports, unless I'm there. I'm running 225/50/16 Bridgestone OEM S-02's on 300zx NA rims. I would highly recommend this tire to anyone who is realy serious about this. This tire sticks like glue way better than the S-03. This tire really help my times out.
Second mod is Struts or shocks. The best aftermarket strut for the maxima is the KYB-AGX.
Third is an alignment. This is a must, problem is if you use an autocross alignment on the sstreet you'll kill your tires, but if you use a street alignmet on the track you won't get the most out of you tires at the track. I'm running a -2.5 deg on each side and 1/4" of toe out in the front. The cambers great I may try more later but the toe is too much. I'd go with 1/16 or 1/8 depending how much camber you have.
Forth is spings. Linear springs are the best because they'll give you a consistant travel than progressive springs.
Finally is power mods. Power helps but if's not as important as the others.
Driving Tips
There are six rules for autocrossing that if followed will make you a good driver.
1) Look ahead - You must all ways look ahead if you don't don't worry about the other 5 rules because they won't matter. This is my biggest problem I've been focusing on this for the last year.
2) Brake Early - Remember slow in and fast out. If you enter a corner too fast you'll lose more time and speed trying to recover.
3) Turn Early - This gives you car time to set it's self up for the turn.
4) Power out of the turn - Any time your wheels are not pointed strait your losing speed. Compensate by adding a little power out of the turn.
5) Have fun - If you your doing the above properly you should be winning and you be having a lot of fun.
6) Slower is faster -
Good Luck and have fun
Blade
07-15-2002, 06:51 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 399
nice tips
however , I will have to ask you why you think linear springs are better ?
I have progress tech springs ( which are linear/sport) & they totally
suck I always get the feeling I am pushing too hard especially in the hair pin corners I feel the car down on the bump stops scarry
i am also running on koni's
what spring do you have ?
I have progress tech springs ( which are linear/sport) & they totally
suck I always get the feeling I am pushing too hard especially in the hair pin corners I feel the car down on the bump stops scarry
i am also running on koni's
what spring do you have ?
07-20-2002, 03:43 PM
#3
Linear springs feel better because of the way they behave-- linear, vs. progressive spring rate.
It's usually less comfortable for the street.
For STS/STX, I'd run JIC coilovers or a set of Cattman units, if you can find 'em. I've ridden and driven Cattman gen1's, Cattman gen2's, and GC/Koni, and the integrated design of the Cattman units was by far the best.
Homie97SE in SoCal is very happy with his JIC's, 400lb front/273lb rear.
It's usually less comfortable for the street.
For STS/STX, I'd run JIC coilovers or a set of Cattman units, if you can find 'em. I've ridden and driven Cattman gen1's, Cattman gen2's, and GC/Koni, and the integrated design of the Cattman units was by far the best.
Homie97SE in SoCal is very happy with his JIC's, 400lb front/273lb rear.
07-24-2002, 11:15 AM
#4
Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 82
Blade, I remember meeting you at The peru Pro Solo last year. Aug 18th I think. I guess I can throw in my 2 cents on this one. I've driven sleeperSE's car a few times at events and at one event I put in a fun run that was in the top 5 times for the day. Mind you his car only has a rear sway bar and 15x5.5 wheels with azenis on them. I found the key to driving the max quick is as always to look way ahead and being able to drive the car at 11/10ths smoothly. You have to be extremly careful not to let it understeer. If you look and plan ahead you can drive it like this. I had a day with Matt (sleeperSE) in the rain and I taught him how to smoothly drive the car completely sideways around a Pratice autox course. Since then He's been turning heads left and right as People stand in amazement at his times. The Max can do some good things in the right Hands.
07-27-2002, 04:38 PM
#5
Originally posted by Mrsideways
Blade, I remember meeting you at The peru Pro Solo last year. Aug 18th I think. I guess I can throw in my 2 cents on this one. I've driven sleeperSE's car a few times at events and at one event I put in a fun run that was in the top 5 times for the day. Mind you his car only has a rear sway bar and 15x5.5 wheels with azenis on them. I found the key to driving the max quick is as always to look way ahead and being able to drive the car at 11/10ths smoothly. You have to be extremly careful not to let it understeer. If you look and plan ahead you can drive it like this. I had a day with Matt (sleeperSE) in the rain and I taught him how to smoothly drive the car completely sideways around a Pratice autox course. Since then He's been turning heads left and right as People stand in amazement at his times. The Max can do some good things in the right Hands.
Blade, I remember meeting you at The peru Pro Solo last year. Aug 18th I think. I guess I can throw in my 2 cents on this one. I've driven sleeperSE's car a few times at events and at one event I put in a fun run that was in the top 5 times for the day. Mind you his car only has a rear sway bar and 15x5.5 wheels with azenis on them. I found the key to driving the max quick is as always to look way ahead and being able to drive the car at 11/10ths smoothly. You have to be extremly careful not to let it understeer. If you look and plan ahead you can drive it like this. I had a day with Matt (sleeperSE) in the rain and I taught him how to smoothly drive the car completely sideways around a Pratice autox course. Since then He's been turning heads left and right as People stand in amazement at his times. The Max can do some good things in the right Hands.
Your right about looking ahead. That has been the number one rule I've been trying to work on. The problem is I'm too aggressive sometimes. I just drive like I have no fears. You've seen me at peru last year, granted I'm a much better driver now then I was then but I still don't think I'm a very good drive. I still have problems figuring out which cones are the really important ones. I still palm the steering wheel sometimes {as in the second pic in my profile, I was waving at my fans
}, and I over drive my lines sometimes, but I still the best STS/STX autocrosser in the maxima in this country.
07-28-2002, 11:23 PM
#6
Member
Join Date: Jul 2002
Posts: 82
Well, I'm not racing the miata anymore, I'm co driving a S2000 now. Even though we tow the car the owner isn't super intrested in running any pro's quite yet. I doubt i'll be makin it up north anytime soon. I'll be In topeka though. I just got home for an SeDiv at roebling road this weekend. I won B Stock in the S2000, I'm extremly happy about it. First Big event in the car and we were running on some seriously old rear tires. They had a 3rd gear sweeper that I was running near 8500rpm throught. It was pretty cool to just crank in more steering and keep on the gas and just drift though it at over 90mph. Something I couldn't do in the miata.
About being the fastest Maxima in STS/STX.. HEHE Give sleeperSE the next two weeks to get his suspension/seats/clutch/flywheel/17x7.5's/exhaust and we should have a MAX OFF. HEHE it would be fun. The Miata.net forum and S2000 forum I believe are arranging a fun autox to compare cars with lots of car swaping involved pretty soon (i believe in Peru) Maybe the Max guys can get in on that.
About being the fastest Maxima in STS/STX.. HEHE Give sleeperSE the next two weeks to get his suspension/seats/clutch/flywheel/17x7.5's/exhaust and we should have a MAX OFF. HEHE it would be fun. The Miata.net forum and S2000 forum I believe are arranging a fun autox to compare cars with lots of car swaping involved pretty soon (i believe in Peru) Maybe the Max guys can get in on that.
07-29-2002, 09:07 PM
#7
Originally posted by Blade_99SE
Your right about looking ahead. That has been the number one rule I've been trying to work on. The problem is I'm too aggressive sometimes. I just drive like I have no fears. You've seen me at peru last year, granted I'm a much better driver now then I was then but I still don't think I'm a very good drive. I still have problems figuring out which cones are the really important ones. I still palm the steering wheel sometimes {as in the second pic in my profile, I was waving at my fans }, and I over drive my lines sometimes, but I still the best STS/STX autocrosser in the maxima in this country.
Your right about looking ahead. That has been the number one rule I've been trying to work on. The problem is I'm too aggressive sometimes. I just drive like I have no fears. You've seen me at peru last year, granted I'm a much better driver now then I was then but I still don't think I'm a very good drive. I still have problems figuring out which cones are the really important ones. I still palm the steering wheel sometimes {as in the second pic in my profile, I was waving at my fans }, and I over drive my lines sometimes, but I still the best STS/STX autocrosser in the maxima in this country.
08-05-2002, 05:17 PM
#8
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 446
turn early?
I'm gonna have to disagree with turning into corners early...the late apex is what auto-x is all about. That's what gives you fast exits out of the corners which leads to higher straight speeds which gives you faster times
08-05-2002, 08:56 PM
#9
Re: turn early?
Originally posted by hawkdog
I'm gonna have to disagree with turning into corners early...the late apex is what auto-x is all about. That's what gives you fast exits out of the corners which leads to higher straight speeds which gives you faster times
I'm gonna have to disagree with turning into corners early...the late apex is what auto-x is all about. That's what gives you fast exits out of the corners which leads to higher straight speeds which gives you faster times
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