car question for auto cross
08-02-2008, 12:12 PM
#1
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car question for auto cross
Hey guys-
My Dad and I just recently got into auto cross with the Golden Gate Lotus Club (GGLC). We have been racing with my 2002 subaru wrx. We have done small things like sway bars, extra set of tires with falken azenis, steering rack bushing...BUT we are beginning to discuss the future of our new hobby and what to do. We may get into track days as well but for now our focus is on auto cross. The wrx has 82,000 miles on it and were worried that the life of this car is being shortened and won't last forever as the car to auto cross with. Therefore we are interested in getting a car strictly for auto cross. If you guys were going to get a car for auto cross + track days and wanted something relatively cheap what would you guys go with??
Thanks
Greg
My Dad and I just recently got into auto cross with the Golden Gate Lotus Club (GGLC). We have been racing with my 2002 subaru wrx. We have done small things like sway bars, extra set of tires with falken azenis, steering rack bushing...BUT we are beginning to discuss the future of our new hobby and what to do. We may get into track days as well but for now our focus is on auto cross. The wrx has 82,000 miles on it and were worried that the life of this car is being shortened and won't last forever as the car to auto cross with. Therefore we are interested in getting a car strictly for auto cross. If you guys were going to get a car for auto cross + track days and wanted something relatively cheap what would you guys go with??
Thanks
Greg
08-02-2008, 12:47 PM
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^^ I was thinking about that...but the more I thought about it I really like the awd I have in my suby...I know that limits the list a lot but I'd like to try and stick to that. Any other suggestions from any one?
08-02-2008, 02:45 PM
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^^ you think? 82,000 seems like quite a bit to me. Just went to an auto x event and now the brake system is calling quits on me. I'm just afraid to invest in this car when it is also my DD and it die on me after a year or two more of auto x.
08-02-2008, 02:56 PM
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I think you will be fine in all honesty. You should just throw some better brakes on it, get yourself some coilovers, and you should be completely fine. If none of that works, then go get yourself a miata and call it a day.
08-02-2008, 03:02 PM
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^^ I'm actually happy to hear you guys that you think the suby will be just fine of a choice. Just to continue the discussion...I also would like to do a few performance mods such as cobb ap, UP, DP, dif. CBE. Would this make a big difference in the longevity of the car's life?
08-02-2008, 03:15 PM
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It all depends on how your tune is. If you get yourself a crappy tune, then your car will not make it too long. If you were planning on doing engine mods I would try and find a bunch of STI parts(vf39, STI TMIC, and then DP, UP, fuel pump and injectors) Get yourself a tune, and you will have one hell of a good autoX car.
08-02-2008, 03:33 PM
#9
just be careful what you upgrade, bigger turbos and boost will bump you out of STX and into street mod (SM).
I would get your brakes fixed, get a decent pad (Axxis ultimates?) and see how the car is.
Theres a bunch of us from BAIC that regularly compete AutoX.
I would get your brakes fixed, get a decent pad (Axxis ultimates?) and see how the car is.
Theres a bunch of us from BAIC that regularly compete AutoX.
08-02-2008, 03:53 PM
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I am doing most of my auto x through the Golden Gate Lotus Club just because you get a TON more runs than SCCA. Since it is a club they are more relaxed and there is no class system.
08-02-2008, 06:46 PM
#11
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Stay with the WRX! It's a great AX car. AX really isn't that hard on your car, especially if you compare it to doing multiple track days. I go to Thunderhill a few times a year and you really go through brake pads, tires, etc. Not to mention what it's doing to bushings, bearings, etc.
A Cobb AP is an excellent investment for a DD because of it's flexibility, like switching octane maps or switching back to stock for the drive home. I had Mike at GST Motorsports do the tune on my '04 STi and I highly recommend him. He set me up with a map for 91 octane and one for 100 octane.
Don't get too crazy with the mods. Suspension is a must, for brakes I use Ferodo 2500's on my stock Brembo's, and since you have an extra set of rims try a set of Toyo RA1's. You can find used ones that will last through several AX events.
We AX once a month up here in Redding. Check out www.trinitytouringclub.com.
Good luck!
A Cobb AP is an excellent investment for a DD because of it's flexibility, like switching octane maps or switching back to stock for the drive home. I had Mike at GST Motorsports do the tune on my '04 STi and I highly recommend him. He set me up with a map for 91 octane and one for 100 octane.
Don't get too crazy with the mods. Suspension is a must, for brakes I use Ferodo 2500's on my stock Brembo's, and since you have an extra set of rims try a set of Toyo RA1's. You can find used ones that will last through several AX events.
We AX once a month up here in Redding. Check out www.trinitytouringclub.com.
Good luck!
08-03-2008, 10:34 AM
#12
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It all depends on how your tune is. If you get yourself a crappy tune, then your car will not make it too long. If you were planning on doing engine mods I would try and find a bunch of STI parts(vf39, STI TMIC, and then DP, UP, fuel pump and injectors) Get yourself a tune, and you will have one hell of a good autoX car.
Stay with the WRX! It's a great AX car. AX really isn't that hard on your car, especially if you compare it to doing multiple track days. I go to Thunderhill a few times a year and you really go through brake pads, tires, etc. Not to mention what it's doing to bushings, bearings, etc.
A Cobb AP is an excellent investment for a DD because of it's flexibility, like switching octane maps or switching back to stock for the drive home. I had Mike at GST Motorsports do the tune on my '04 STi and I highly recommend him. He set me up with a map for 91 octane and one for 100 octane.
Don't get too crazy with the mods. Suspension is a must, for brakes I use Ferodo 2500's on my stock Brembo's, and since you have an extra set of rims try a set of Toyo RA1's. You can find used ones that will last through several AX events.
We AX once a month up here in Redding. Check out www.trinitytouringclub.com.
Good luck!
A Cobb AP is an excellent investment for a DD because of it's flexibility, like switching octane maps or switching back to stock for the drive home. I had Mike at GST Motorsports do the tune on my '04 STi and I highly recommend him. He set me up with a map for 91 octane and one for 100 octane.
Don't get too crazy with the mods. Suspension is a must, for brakes I use Ferodo 2500's on my stock Brembo's, and since you have an extra set of rims try a set of Toyo RA1's. You can find used ones that will last through several AX events.
We AX once a month up here in Redding. Check out www.trinitytouringclub.com.
Good luck!
Thanks for the info! I checked out the website of your club looks like a lot of fun. Only prob is I live in Walnut Creek area so the drive would be LONG, I would have to leave the day before and stay somewhere. How many runs do you guys get??
08-03-2008, 06:29 PM
#13
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On a typical day we have 40 cars show up and everyone gets 4 runs. At the end of the day, if there's time and we're not too tired, we allow "fun runs" for a small fee. If you're ever in the area on one of our race weekends let me know. BWT it's about a 3.5 hour drive.
08-05-2008, 09:58 PM
#14
I think everyone has a different idea of whats a fun car. Otherwise everyone would probably drive the same thing. Try getting ride-alongs from people to see if you can figure out what is fun to you.
08-05-2008, 10:09 PM
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82,000 is not a lot. I have 135k on my car. Still running strong.
Regardless, some items are just going to die on you whether you auto-x your car or not. My shocks were gone by 110k. My brakes were shot way before that. Anything that is wear and tear is going to go at some point. Now, if you are worried about the drivetrain... well... I don't know what to say. But... Glen and Karlton and Gagan have been auto-x'ing for a bit and yeah... their cars haven't had any real catastrophic failure.