Fudge

Hey guys I recently attended a SRT Track Experience (yes I know it's not ford) and had a great time! There were other ford guys there as well, and it was fun (check out some videos from the even below!
Now I kinda want to do some road racing, or autocross, in comparison drag racing seems kinda boring (I mean you start and its over in 12-13 seconds (or less for the faster guys)!
Any one know of what is needed to get into this sport? or site where I can find events in my area?

tukatz

I did a high performance driving day in my Honda S2000 a couple of years ago. It was great, but track days are pretty expensive, and much harder on your car than autocross, and certainly much more risky.

I decided to go with autocross (which I had done a couple of times before) and located a local club that holds events every month from March to October. I had to join the club for the year ($25) and the cost of events was also $25. Also, if you don't work (setting cones back up, etc.) you don't run.

I ran several times in the S2000 and did so a couple of times in my Mustang this year. Although my Mustang is a convertible, the club's rules are not as stringent as SCCA's and I can run without a roll bar.

I love autocross where I can compete against myself or against others, depending on how serious I want to get. It is darn near impossible to hurt the car. I found my club by Googling autocross and my area.

Fudge

Thanx for the info!!
I just found a use for my ugly factory wheels (when they come off in the spring) cause I bet autocross eats up tires pretty quick!

Ministang

I'd start with autocross to learn some basic car control and then move to doing track days/HPDE/PDX events. Around here at least autocross events only cost $25-30 and I could hit an event 3 or 4 weekends a month within 2-3 hour drive. Track days are more like $200-250 and at best once or twice a month within a 2-3 hour drive. Definitely a lot more excitement and seat time at a track day, but you'll have more wear in one track day to your brakes and tires than in 15-20 autocross events. Also the risk of damage is greater because speeds are usually about double, and there are numerous other people on track with you who could have a driver or car failure.
Depends on the tires. The Yokohama AD08's I have on my Mustang have 12-15 autocross events on them, 2 hours on track, and 1-2000 street miles, and still have more than half their tread life left. They'll probably heat cycle out before I wear them all the way down.

Fudge

I was thinking of starting in autocross as well, seems easier! and cheaper!
And as you said less risk of crashing you car!

dmichaels

Check out motorsportreg.com for local auto-x and HPDE events. There are lots in the NY area. Road courses are a set but as mentioned above they can get pricey. I did a lot with my Audi S4 and never had a bad experience (aside from owing a turbo once).

Ministang

Myautoevents.com is another good place to find and register for local autocross and track day events.

Fudge

Thanx I'll check them both out!

Now just out of curiosity should I upgrade the suspension right away or go in stock, then work from there based on what the car feels like?

Ministang

IMHO you should start stock and stay that way for awhile until you are familiar with how the car handles in its stock form, identify problems you want to fix and why, and then carefully make modifications.

When I started autocrossing 14 years ago, I threw parts at my car first thing, and soon thereafter switched to full race tires, and looking back I wish I hadn't. Eight years ago when I bought another car and started racing it in stock form (with just a tire upgrade) I improved more as a driver in a year or two than I had in the previous five years driving a modified car.

tukatz

This is great advice. Modifying your car so you improve its ability to do its job (assuming you make the right choices of mods) will probably mask any shortcomings you may have as a driver. Once you have learned the limits of your stock car and become sufficiently adept as a driver to get the most out of it as it is, modifying it will make you more competitive. Along the way you will also learn what you can do to your car without changing the class in which you must run.

dmichaels

Completely agree with above

Upgrades I would endorse are braking upgrades and some grippy metal pedals for better grip.

Fudge

Hey thanx guys for the advice!!
So from what I got from the research I've done so far power upgrades are actually kinda useless in auto cross!
Most needed upgrades seem to be suspension and as stated above brakes!!!

zbrewha863

Yeah -- I would probably recommend switching out the brake fluid before you start, and maybe the pads. Depending on how fast you are at auto-x, you can boil your stock fluid, and that's no fun. Plus it's so cheap to swap it out, and you can still run it on the street (with the proper fluid). You don't need anything crazy.

As for the brake pads, I haven't autocrossed the Mustang yet, so I'm not sure how the pads hold up. Anybody know?

tukatz

I've only run autocross twice with mine - a total of 9 runs. Since the courses are typically no more than about 3/4 of a mile, and usually shorter than that, it will take some doing to wear heavily on your brake pads or boil the fluid. You are through the course in somewhere around a minute and sit for quite a few minutes between runs.

Ministang

For an autocross fresh brake fluid and upgraded pads/rotors/lines are not needed (unless you already need them for street use). In 14 years of autocrossing I've had brake fade once, and that was at a school where we were doing run after run, less than five minutes apart, and getting dozens of runs. Definitely not the normal scenario where you get 4-8 runs 10-20 minutes or more apart. For track use, fresh brake fluid and better pads should be the first thing you do.

In the five years I've had my '08 Mustang I've had around 15-20 events worth of autocrosses, and one track day, all on the original brakes. I changed my fluid before the track day. Won't do another track day on the stock brakes, but have done half a dozen or so autocrosses since the PDX at Mid-Ohio last year.

Fudge

So going in all stock (well accept for the CAI and tune that's in it so far) for next year!!

dmichaels

Agreed for Auto-x, you'll likely never cook the brakes. Advantage you'd get with a pad upgrade and SS lines is better initial bite and better pedal modulation.

If you do get into road courses, it becomes a different story.

Fudge

Yeah road course would be a lot more wear on you car and all the component I can see that the rotors I might upgrade because they'll heat up but Whitt the low speeds I don't know how well they'll cool down and I don't want them warping!
Or am wrong in thinking that I need drilled and slotted rotors for auto cross?

dmichaels

Unless you put on the parking brake after multiple laps you won't warp anything nor have any pad issues. Can park after 30 mins on a road course and not have issues typically

Tony Alonso

Many people generally avoid drilled rotors because they are more susceptible to cracking after getting heat cycled.

I won my stock class a number of years back on my stock tires, brakes, and suspension settings, mainly because I didn't overdrive the car as compared to others who were competing in my class.

As others have said, increase your experience in autocrossing first until you understand how to drive at the limit of adhesion, as opposed to making equipment changes.