Had a great time Autocrossing today, 4 of us in F-stock, closest competetors were an 88 LB9 GTA and a 95 M6 Trans am, father son team, both nice cars. the LT1 car was runner up with a 31.xxx and I had a 30.183. We were all on street tires and you can see from the times the course was very short and tight this weekend, but a good time none the less. Anyone that hasn't done it yet, give autocross a try, it is a blast!

(for all you guys that are going to accuse me of being a rule breaker running F-stock, you are right. however slicks are allowed in f-stock and I do not have slicks so I am usually not competetive with the slick tired cars. besides I like to compete against stock and mild cars like mine.)

 

planning on building a handling car next. gonna keep the current one, just add to the collection, i'd like something on a nice 17x9.5 wheel that handles really well and it will have either a nice hotchkis spring or air ride.big brakes. motor will be like a stock lb9...i'd like a G92...but you know, i'll take what i can...though it may have exhaust and some other small things..... it'll have a 3.73 disc rearend and a 5spd with ttops. all options will be retained to include A/C, power steering(it'll have the quick ratio mind you), cruise control...etc...

 

Nice win (luckily no protest!), lol, I wasn't going to comment, but that car isn't anywhere close to F-stock... that probably isn't ESP legal ether, realisticly it would likely be in SM or CP. :shock:

 

Matt, I can tell you already that you probably dont want to run a 3.73 gear if you are going to autocross, especially if you do not plan on running slicks. I blow my street tires off with a 3.23 gear. I like the medium gear like a 3.23 or a 3.42 because on the courses I have been on so far they work well. A 3.08 or 2.73 would probably work with a torquey street motor. I know if I had a 3.73 I would probably be smacking the rev-limiter way more often and I would have to shift into 2nd on some of the shorter courses which is a pain for me, especially because I am a rookie, I like to pick a gear and stay there. Do whatever you want, but I would stick with a medium gear for the auto-x

Dewey, I know I am way illegal to be in F-stock. the fact is, I like running aginst cars like mine, and f-stock or ESP seem to be the best places for that but I am not legal for either class. I do not have slicks, so the real hardcore f-stock guys with slicks are beating me anyway. It just so happened that there was only one slick tired f-stock car there sunday and he is a club member so he usually does not steal the thunder from rookies like me by actually posting his times against ours. This was also a very short tight course which diminishes the effect of my mods. I am sure that if I went to a larger event with a set of slicks on I would waste all but the very best f-stock guys and I am sure I would be protested, for good reason.

as it stands though, I just like going out and having fun. I am going to build the car that I want to build, not follow someone else's rules about some class. If building my car my way means that I do not fit into any class then so be it, I am just out to have fun anyway. I like playing the sleeper game anyway. Last year some guy came up to me and said "you sure that thing is stock? I had one of those and I dont remember my 305 coming off a corner quite like that" I popped the hood for him and he just shrugged his shoulders and said "well I don't see much going on under here but I'm still not buying it. If you ever put slicks on this thing so it hooks up you can bet there will be some people over here to protest"

 

Yeah...wow you are way out of f-stock. I understand wanting to run with other cars like yours but you really should put her in a class at least with some resemblence of your mods

Congrats on the win, take'm where you can get'm.

 

well, i've already got the 3.73 disc rearend sitting in the backyard, which is why i was thinking of using them...i've already got it, it just has to be gone through...but you've made a good point, and when i go through it, maybe i'll put in some 3.42 or something...it's all up in there air right now anyhow, i don't currently have the funds to go and get this car yet, but when i do, it'll be nice. i'm not planning on being competetive with it, just a nice street car that handles well.

 

Thats not trying to fit into a class of cars somewhat compatable, thats sandbagging.

Don't you guys have a Novice class (for beginers or first timers?) or a street tire class (STX if I recall) Putting a 13 sec car into fstock is a gaurantee win with anyone with mediocure skills behind the wheel. Especially on a 30 second course where street tires barely have time get greasy on the edges.

At least run ESP where guys mostly have a little more experience and the cars are more performance tweaked if you want a true test of comparison.
You just wanted to win so you could say so, rather than having a challange.

and no, 3.73 are a perfect gear, especially for a little 30 sec course. You just have massive power that could overcome and spin even when you hammering it in the wrong gear rather than finessing it and driving the car, not muscling it through the course and tearing the crap out of it.

Sorry to sound snippy, but your justification is not warrented and you morally should not accept the trohpy (or look at it for years knowing you cheated)

Dean

ps- as a side note, I have a suspension that is illegal for ESP, However, all guys running ESP locally here do run race tires and modified V8's with a fair amount of suspension works within the rules. I ran ESP with a 135hp V6 and street tires---thats more being reasonable and trying to get a challange. I would never sandbag into F-stock even with a V6 and street tires, its just not right.

 

LOL well Dean it is nice to see that not much has changed around here with you and your comments. You just admitted that you are not legal for your class but you run in it for the challenge, I am doing the same thing yet you throw rocks at me.

You seem to have missed the one major point I made above. I DO NOT HAVE SLICKS. anyone that is serious about f-stock is going to blow my doors off. I am not competetive without slicks. If I had slicks and was out there blowing the doors off people that would be a little unscrupulous, but that is hardly the case here. I am in a class that although I have engine mods, I will never be competetive in without slicks. And you of all people should know that horsepower does not mean much on a 30 sec course no matter how much or how little you have. I may look at some different classes to run in next event, we'll see, but dont get the idea that I am out there just to win because I am well aware that when the slick tired guys show up i will get smoked.


In the interest of keeping this post helpful for others wanting to get into the sport maybe I should go dig up some info and post what class I should be in and why, along with some other classes and allowable mods that most of us have. that may be interesting.

 

As I stated, I did not have "slicks" as you guys must call them(racing rubber or "skins"- we out here in Calif refer to "slicks" as drag tires- just an interesting useless tidbit how different parts of the country refer to things )
I was a V6 on "street tires" and I still went into ESP (not the lower F-Stock) making sure I did not podium and in the event that I had I would not have accept the trophy and would have disqualified myself. It would not be morally right in an illegal car. I too just ran for a comparison against cars of my same genre. But don't take a trophy or points away from the legal guys that are competing seriously for point at the end of the year- You did. Please realize this and morally try to not to sandbag next time. We all like to win, but do it without cheating or disqualify yourself.

Its all I am saying.