My First Auto -X (FAST)*VID*

[Little Nicky]

Went out and got a couple runs in first one is me with the chrome roll bar.The other run is my step dad,we both had the blue miatas.I couldnt floor it you can see when i did it just spun the tires in 2nd gear lol.
YouTube - 1st autoX (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DzL8SRxBu4)

[w0rd]

Thanks for posting the video.
Step Dad needs to keep his hands on the wheel.

[Little Nicky]

Thanks for posting the video.
Step Dad needs to keep his hands on the wheel.

LOL he wasnt trying hard cause his tires were shit,that was a put-put run.

[Loren]

The image stabilization on that camera is incredible! Of course, if you can turn it off, it makes for a better autox video. ;)

Looks like you did okay your first time out. You need to remember to remove all the loose stuff from the car, though. That water bottle in the console shouldn't be there. Danglies on the mirror aren't a good idea, either.

The hand on the shifter habit is a hard one to break. I used to do it a lot, and probably still do it some. Your dad kinda does like I used to, though. He DOES use the right hand when he needs it. (the hardcore one-handers try to palm the wheel through EVERYTHING) w0rd is right, though. If both hands are on the wheel all the time, you're able to react quicker. It's best to try to get into that habit.

[Alizarin]

Odds are, when you need to shift, you won't be sawing at the wheel anyways.

[jblaine]

FWIW, my 2 personal bests of the day were done with 1 hand/palm through 90% of the course. That's not a recommendation of anything other than use what works best for you.

WRX steering ratio + 2 hands with "technique" = Suck

[Loren]

Very true. A lot of "driving style" comes down to "what works for you". The arguments for/against left-foot braking fit in that category. It works for some people, others are just as fast without it.

[Little Nicky]

MEh,ill stick to heel-toe.

[Loren]

MEh,ill stick to heel-toe.

I heel-toe, especially at the track. But I also LFB when it is beneficial. Good to have a variety of tools at your disposal!

[Alizarin]

I heel-toe, especially at the track. But I also LFB when it is beneficial. Good to have a variety of tools at your disposal!
Left foot braking is supposed to be a great way to eliminate turbo lag... I just can never get it right, since my left foot is so used to pressing in the clutch, I all but lock up the brakes if I try to LFB. :lol:

[Little Nicky]

Ya its always good to brake boost coming outta a turn.I also think my ball joints are shot which is making my car very violent and making alot of noise.Not so much before auto-x than after lol.

[Loren]

Left foot braking is supposed to be a great way to eliminate turbo lag... I just can never get it right, since my left foot is so used to pressing in the clutch, I all but lock up the brakes if I try to LFB. :lol:

Practice it on the street, you'll never learn it in the competition environment. User your left foot to stop while you're coasting up to stoplights and stuff. I went through this, myself. You CAN train your left foot to modulate the brakes.

(the next hurdle is teaching your leg to keep track of which pedal your left foot is on!)

[Loren]

Ya its always good to brake boost coming outta a turn.I also think my ball joints are shot which is making my car very violent and making alot of noise.Not so much before auto-x than after lol.

If you're talking about a Miata, it's unlikely that your balljoints are bad unless the car has been wrecked or driven for a long time without balljoint boots. More likely: the alignment bolts aren't tight enough and your alignment is slipping under hard cornering. Makes a horrendous creaking and popping noise.

(hint: the factory spec on those bolts is not enough to hold the alignment under autocross use... they have to be REALLY tight)

[Little Nicky]

If you're talking about a Miata, it's unlikely that your balljoints are bad unless the car has been wrecked or driven for a long time without balljoint boots. More likely: the alignment bolts aren't tight enough and your alignment is slipping under hard cornering. Makes a horrendous creaking and popping noise.

(hint: the factory spec on those bolts is not enough to hold the alignment under autocross use... they have to be REALLY tight)

No when i go over speed bumps and stuff it clicks kinda sounds like caliper slap.

[Loren]

Bad shocks?

I could drive the car and probably have a good idea.

[Little Nicky]

Bad shocks?

I could drive the car and probably have a good idea.

:lol: No shocks are fine,just put new springs on it also.I could figure it out if i just went under it but i get arrovated to easily.

[Driftz28]

Great vid man... Did you pre-register for the next event?

[fastforward]

If you plan on doingmore autocross events and want to shoot them, try moving the camera up closer, there are several mounts you can use and then add a wide angle lens. You get pretty good results. This way you can see the track and driver and study what you are doing.

I'm no pro....but here is one of my vids:
YouTube - SVT Focus Autocross (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CaFFX6P7og)