What You Need To Know When Getting Into Autocross

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In Episode 11 of #ProjectBRZ I document the entirety of an Autocross day. If you ever wondered what you needed to get into this sport, I detail how the day unfolds, how you can find Autocross events, and what you should bring. This is also my second Autocross with the Solo Spec Coupe BRZ, was I able to improve my driving skills?
To see Autocross events check out www.autox4u.com
To register for events go to motorsportreg.com
Mod List:
Tires: Falken Azenis RT615K+
Wheels: Enkei TS-10 (17x8 ET+45)
Koni Sport (Yellows) Shocks
Eibach Pro Plus Kit (Springs & swaybars)
SPC Rear Adjustable Lower Control Arm and Toe Link
Solo Spec Coupe Components: www.tirerack.com/content/tire...
OFFICIAL SSC RULEBOOK: www.tirerack.com/images/pdf/2...
To purchase these components you need to have an SCCA Membership. These parts can only be bought at Tire Rack
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Intro - "Bow and Arrow" - T-Mass
ncs.io/BowandArrowNS

[@aclaffie]

So very well done. Wish there were videos like this when I was starting out.

[@jeremymitchell8470]

I liked the humility that you showed by giving us a look at how your instructor coached you through a couple laps. I can’t wait for my first autox event this coming year. I’ve spent a lot of time on track, so getting after it on a parking lot with my daily should be a blast.

[@postalpancho]

Damn that Porsche look quick as hell! Bet that ride along was fun.

[@robb3652]

Excellent. Nice job of showing how you THINK you might be maxing the car out but you're not even close.

[@migek]

It was very nice to see your POV of the event training you received from the gentleman at the end. Very knowledgeable stuff.

[@davidkosa]

You really captured the flavor of an autocross in your video. That's why I'm addicted to it!

[@KookiDowg]

I have been Sim-Racing for nearly a decade and I thought it's about time I start getting irl seat time now. It has been 5 straight months doing this but on my daily Accord lmao. Finally, I plan on Autocrossing on my '92 Prelude (I know, it's a heavy ass chassis but I could care less lol) that I bought by selling two Xbox One Xs that I won from a FM7 competition in Comic-Con. I plan on working my way up starting on the Street classes, learning the fundamentals and getting use to the G-forces and then eventually Street Touring classes once I feel I have start to get the hang of things.

[@ShiftingLanes]

It doesn't matter what you bring, as long as it works and it's safe to drive. It's great that you're Sim-racing, those skills will come in handy. Always Look Ahead! -Hansen

[@migek]

How's it going? I'm autoxing my ek soon.

[@KookiDowg]

@@migek Still going at it to this day! Although, I had my Prelude sitting on jackstands for a couple of months due to an engine swap and other things but I'll be going back at it again next month. I assure that EK will do great at autox. What class you plan on running?

[@Dr_Legat]

@@KookiDowg good luck m8. Nice to you.

[@andypacmanperez]

I have to say I've always been really intimidated by the thought of trying Autox out because it has always felt like a secret society. But watching your video it seems really fun and easy to pick up on. You killed it out there and your passengers were giving you awesome advice 👏🏾

[@danielcamacho1913]

I think the "secret society" feeling comes from the autocrossers knowing how few people *get it* When I was in the Air Force and had to explain to officers above me what I was doing with my free time, someone would always ask "How did you even find out about this?!?" as if it was something arcane. (Sure, either I have arcane powers of divination, or maybe I'm good at an internet search.) Then there were questions like "You mean drifting?" or "Is it like NASCAR?" and some of us are OK with those questions while others find it tiresome. When someone new shows up with some car that's an odd choice or just not set up right, it's tempting to poke fun, but newcomers should get a certain amount of respect just for showing up. When people chose to sit at home and watch racing on TV, the new driver at the autocross is sticking their neck out and probably *feels* like they're taking a risk, and by the end of the day they'll know a lot that the armchair racers don't.

[@andypacmanperez]

@@danielcamacho1913 great comment sir👍

[@rash_dawg]

Getting hyped for my first Autocross in a few months with the stock Toyota Yaris family car. Very Informative video. Thanks!

[@lorenzogutierrez7488]

Homie really pushed your mirrors out 😂

[@rex_s80]

Ive wanted to autocross my volvo since it’s actually quite lightweight and wide in track width. Its engine is also very peppy and i find it fun to toss in the corners and getting the tail out using leftfoot braking and lift off oversteer. I really wonder what it would be like to all out without worrying about the road conditions and other people.

[@ShiftingLanes]

You should try it out. Seriously! You’ll learn a lot more about your car in a safe environment. -Hansen

[@SynchroFPS]

Thats crazy how the instructors can pull 5 seconds out of that

[@Murgledoo]

Next month is the start of my autocrossing! I've been interested in doing this since 2002, however I just never had the time. Excited to finally get out there in my slow little car :)

[@ashleymadison9380]

I'm in Jersey and I'm going to participate in my first event tomorrow:-)

[@twobluesetterboys2774]

Thank you for the POV footage!

[@MrAgustincuenca]

no better feeling than cutting those times over and over every pass. Nice job!

[@floyd4311]

Nice job driving dude. I’m starting now. Looking for my first event!

[@johnkelly6942]

This was very helpful! Bought a new S550 GT 3 months ago and really want to give this a try.

[@theautocrosschannel1563]

Nice video! Glad that there is a "need to know" for autocross beginners, I would love to make a tutorial based on something like this! Subscribed.

[@wolffamilyadventures5950]

Brz i love the turning radious.first time i drove one noticed alot of good uphill down hill qualities.i plan to do these in my modded 97 legacy chuckles

[@Toma_Sucin]

Its crazy that you can hear who the fast drivers are based on how much their tires squeal. Its easy to watch your run and point out the abrupt hand movements, but as a novice myself, im just as guilty. We all start somewhere tho. Great video!!

[@CCRSCCA]

Good job man!! You're getting better, cutting 4 seconds is great! I've won events by .001 seconds... and lost by .001 seconds. You had some good instruction at that event. Practice looking ahead on the street... and keep those turning movements smooth. We usually run 4 heats, I like that format better than 3, if you have enough cars. Work 1, drive 3, work 2, drive 4, etc. Keep having fun!!

[@ShiftingLanes]

Thank you! The prior event was 4 heats but only 6 runs. I have another session tomorrow at the Meadowlands again and I hope to have that video up by Monday. Good call on keeping the turns smooth. I'll be focusing on that and looking ahead in the next session -Hansen

[@razorback9374]

Old video but I've been thinking about getting into this for awhile and just picked up an 01 trans am I'd like to set up for it. This was a good beginners video.

[@blakerobinson8]

I’ve been watching a ton of auto cross videos on KZbin, even though I have a 4th gen camaro I really want to get into this it seems really fun. I’ll def be signing up in San Diego once my car is all fixed up

[@rtatis]

Nice video Hansen. Nice improvements throughout your runs. Keep it up!

[@ShiftingLanes]

Thank you, Rad! Can’t wait for the next event! -Hansen

[@BKMDano17]

That's good video well done no stupid music in the background thanks

[@edshepherd3256]

Nice video. I'm trying to get the nerve to do this. Your video is very encouraging.

[@buhhwee2166]

I love the way you nonchalantly slam the Porsches door

[@DocWalt]

Man, great job on the videos! Awesome for novices to see what goes on at autocross.

[@ShiftingLanes]

Thank you so much! Look for many more to come! -Hansen

[@gwcrispi]

Very good tutorial.

[@dannykao]

Great video for new autocrossers! I can't believe this is the first time I have seen this videos and it's been 4 years +. Sorry to ruin your audio from my yapping on the mic, (I was the announcer for your heat) but I am definitely getting a kick of the it. Hoping you are catching James by now. :)

[@jeremylueders9606]

Epic video brother, well documented and awesome to see it from a beginners view point 👌🏻

[@hiighcalibre]

Dude I've been looking into track days but this is my backyard and so affordable, I'm gonna come do this shit!

[@ronnybaize]

Great video

[@mobgarage1418]

Great job! Skills will improve! That car ran just shy of the gt4. 😂

[@freddyw1735]

Man that looks like a blast! I need to give that a go this spring. What cameras are you using in the car and for filming yourself as you're walking and talking?

[@paovang1548]

looks fun

[@MyNameIsNidos]

I thought I recognized that lot haha, love Metlife Stadium! Too bad my Jets suck 😂

[@MS-wd7gp]

I wish we have auto cross in Germany... But our parking lots are way too small 😥😅. Love your videos man. Enjoy your car

[@ShiftingLanes]

You should ABSOLUTELY start an autox group in Germany. People will attend! -Hansen

[@benburgerz]

AMZING IN NPERSON COACHING

[@Th3_0_h8]

What tires are u running?

[@ggongi3141]

Nice video! I used to run with this region when I lived in NYC, but they had the Englishtown site back then. I wish the Met Life Center had been around when I was there -- the lot looks great. You may also want to check out NYR SCCA, NASA NE, and the Metro NY PCA and BMWCCA. PCA and BMW were using the Nassau Coliseum lot when I ran with them, but PCA would sometimes run at Jones Beach which was great, and some clubs would occasionally get the Orchard Beach lot in the Bronx which was also very nice. I'm looking forward to watching your progression in auto-x. Driving a momentum car like the BRZ will force you to become a better driver: you'll have to learn how to carry as much speed as possible through turns, and make as many straights out of the course as possible, because you can't rely on power to dig out of the slow sections. And I think you'll find, if you haven't already, that auto-x is addicting. The camaraderie, the tweaking and modding to get the most performance out of the car, trying to do do an element just a little better on the next run. The next time an Evolution Driving School event comes to the area, by all means sign up. They have top notch instructors, and really break down how to attack the varying elements you'll encounter in a typical auto-x course. Speaking of the camber that you talked about in the SSC install video, on the FT86's, I think you'll find that less than 3.5 deg front will result in unacceptable wear on the tires' outer edges. If you come to STX, you can run all the camber you need, and mostly get rid of the torque dip too. I'm running -3.6 front, -2.7 or - 2.8 rear on my FR-S. My car's borderline embarrassingly loud, rides pretty firmly, but I still love driving it every day. Although I sometimes cringe when I drive by police cars -- I promise officer, I'm not a 16 year old Fast and Furious wannabe!

[@ShiftingLanes]

Thank you so much for the info. I spoke to one of the operators of the EVO school. Looks like an absolutely brilliant idea to attend. Totally agree about BRZ being a great platform. And the meadowlands parking lot is oddly amazing for autox. Let me know when you autox in the area! Cheers! -Hansen

[@ggongi3141]

You're welcome! Another thing about front camber: if you get the spacers and wind up closer to -3 in front, you probably want to soften the rear bar or go back to the stock one. With the added front grip, the car will want to rotate more on corner exit and in fast transitions. With a bigger/stiffer rear bar, you'll have to correct/lift and lose forward momentum in those situations. I'll certainly let you know if I'm ever back up there with my car -- let me know too if you're ever in the Atlanta area. We have a good auto-x lot here too.

[@ShiftingLanes]

Will do if in the area! I'm running SSC setup so I have to maintain the kit's sway bars (eibach pro plus kit). But good call on possibly changing the sway bar settings. I also plan on going midway on suspension damping(I ran full stiff on 1st meadowlands run, and ran full soft on 2nd run) for my next run. I definitely like the full soft setting, the car was very predictable.

[@ggongi3141]

Ah, I forgot that SSC makes you use all of the spec parts. I was thinking it's like Street. I've run my car bone stock, then with the TRD package, and have been ramping up an STX build over the past couple of years. I pretty much have a full STX build now, minus a racing seat and some engine/trans bushings. In my opinion, this platform doesn't need a stiffer rear sway, once you get adequate front camber. Most twins STX builds I've seen leave the rear bar stock or go softer (like with the Mann Engineering bar). The faster and harder you learn to drive the car -- i.e. get on throttle as early as possible out of corners, and stay on it through straights and quick transitions -- the more settled you'll want the rear of the car to be. That means you may want a setup that is slightly understeery (has a lot of front roll stiffness relative to the rear) through the slower and tighter elements. Such a setup will become balanced and stable as you stay on throttle through the faster elements.

[@TheChuyDewy]

subbed great vid

[@richardjohnston1555]

Interested. Newbie here... Thinking of buying a Subaru BRZ or something similar (Toyota). 2 questions.. Is a stick shift better and how long do a set of a top of the line tires last ($1,000) and can they be used for a daily driver without wearing out in 3-6 months...

[@sixtyonenine]

🙏

[@andreaziz5499]

Will racing on I-94 counts I raced my TR-8 with Chevy &Alpha Romeao

[@austinlee9291]

Going to check out my first event next weekend😆😅. Don’t plan on racing then but when I do, what suggestion do you have on tires for beginners? Worth changing?

[@ShiftingLanes]

If you’re just trying out, go with what you have. Don’t spend any money when you won’t know what effect it has on the car. Once you’ve gone several times, and want to Autox for good, look at some 200 treadwear options. Bridgestone RE71R is a good choice.

[@gwcrispi]

There are a bunch of 200 treadwear tires available because that is the minimum limit for street (stock) classes. The RE71R is the best but Falken makes a new RT660 that is just as good and much cheaper. Of course Bridgestone will come out with a new one soon.

[@davidleix8668]

Weird question but what all do you do when you bring your friends with you? Do they hang out in the paddock with you? Or do they have to stay in a spectator area the whole time? Also how much time would you even get to hang out with your boys while you’re there?

[@GrumpyIan]

If it's anything like drag racing when you enter a car it's just you otherwise you need to get 'crew' tickets for them. As for hanging out probably when you're on break.

[@akatom2u]

What was your car's highest speed here please?

[@UCOBMONC]

the older gentlemen was very right and I would let him drive my car any day!

[@seethruhead7119]

Did the instructor even explain to you what "backsiding a cone" means.

[@davecam4863]

Half of me wants to go work and see all the bad ass cars

[@fredness5300]

Superimposing all the lap times would be awesome. That second instructor looks like he shaved SECONDS off! Very nice!

[@bryantmatthews93]

Brz and frs aren't fast cars but they handle like rails

[@captainaj787]

Not me with an old Chevy S10 thinking I could do this lol

[@Malficion]

I really find the current classification kinda dumb... A Porshe GT3 RS is in the same class as a Honda Civic Si.

[@LightGesture]

1st run with lessons sounded great and on point. 2nd time with instructions the guy didnt sound as good at all.

[@LightGesture]

Run at 13 minutes you shaved off 5 seconds! Great job!

[@bawkray]

Step one: buy an entry level porsche

[@justinguarino201]

Comes still confuse me. Lol.

[@W333dm4n]

Its racing for nerds

[@camopaint0707]

That has to be the worst instructor I've ever seen.

[@kylemilford5968]

Fitment industries is literally the best wheel website I have ever seen.. Thank you !