First time autocrossing tonight - I'm hooked!!!

I joined the KC Subaru club and took my 07 gti 5 door out. It was my first time doing any kind of formal racing ever and I'm totally hoooked.

It was an awesome layout - we get to use turns 1 and 2 of the 1/2 mile asphalt track (24 degree bank, but we had to stay 1/2 way down) and then had cones set up in the infield. It was a bit more treacherous than many autocross courses I've seen because of the solid obstacles, but it was a really good time. I paid 20 bucks and got 10 runs (actually only 8 b/c of a CEL). My time improved by almost six seconds from the first run. I was a bit slower than all but 2 of the STIs but most of that was because I was too much of a wuss around the turns. That bank is freaky.

I have a bone-stock GTI aside from APR stage 1. Frankly, I think the wheel spin the extra torque introduced hurt my time more than it helped.

The brake assist (or whatever it's called) really hurt. I don't brake aggressively often enough to know when it's about to set in and the pedal dropped out several times. But I only hit one cone all night!

Anyway, I'm going to figure out how to overcome my fear of speed through the turns and am sure I can shave another 4 or 5 seconds next time around!!

glad to hear man. Got mine tomorrow

Yes, it is fun and addicting. I felt the same after my first autox and track day.

Glad to see another person hooked on autox. The hba is a killer. It sucks, I have hp+ pads on the car and I barely need to press the pedal for it to kick in. I found a way around it somewhat, don't stab the pedal be as smooth as possible. Sometimes I find myself breaking too early and coming in too slow. Being as smooth as posslbe helps, but on occasion there are those tight corners where it kicks in and screws me up.

I'm sure theres a fuse or two you could pull to get rid of all your annoying driver "assist" features.

Awesome, glad you had fun. Take that thing on the track now and you will really be hooked!

Sweet! Can't wait for my first time (pun intended).

I went to my first autocross yesterday. Needless to say, I'm hooked! My car is bone stock and I am really impressed with how it performed, but I am very happy with my improvement. I improved about 10 seconds between my first and second runs, and then 2-3 seconds each run after that. Fastest time for me was 1min. 7sec. (1min 9sec w. a cone penalty). With some stickier tires, better pads & fluid, and a RSB, this car will be awesome, and I can't wait to get out there again and learn, and have fun!!!:thumbsup:

neutral n9ne said:

I have a bone-stock GTI aside from APR stage 1. Frankly, I think the wheel spin the extra torque introduced hurt my time more than it helped.

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i agree. next time try running in stock mode if you have it. you might surprise yourself and run faster times.

veedubin said:

I found a way around it somewhat, don't stab the pedal be as smooth as possible. Sometimes I find myself breaking too early and coming in too slow. Being as smooth as posslbe helps, but on occasion there are those tight corners where it kicks in and screws me up.

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smooth is the key :thumbsup: you can be smooth slowly or quickly. obviously quickly will be faster. finding where/what "too quick", and thus HBA activation, is the biggest challenge.

Thanks for all the input. Here's an in camera video another driver posted on youtube:

Video

It doesn't do much justice to the speed, but gives you an idea. I think my next investment will be better tires. These continentals just don't cut it.

The local VW/Audi shop here recommended an extended rear sway but that I remove the front sway altogether. That didn't sound right to me.

By no means do I wish be a wet blanket, but I urge all newbie racers to get a sense of the Big Picture before leaping into the deep, dark pool of mods. In other words, don't start that journey without first knowing where you'll end up.

It's soooo tempting and easy to make that list of go-faster goodies. Easier yet to to hit the internet with credit card in hand. Pretty soon, you salivate at the mere sight of a UPS van in the neighborhood. Christmas in July!

I recommend that before you do that, get a rule book and figure out at what level you want to (and can afford to) compete. More often than not, an enthusiastic rookie will go out and buy something that makes his car faster AND bumps it up to a higher class, and in that higher class you'll often find that MANY mods are allowed.

I'm not saying don't do it. Just go in with your eyes open and with a clear plan and with the understanding that if you only have a couple of the allowed modifications you'll have a tough time competing with the deep-pocket hotshoes that have ALL the legal mods, and perhaps more.

Dynjo said:

By no means do I wish be a wet blanket, but I urge all newbie racers to get a sense of the Big Picture before leaping into the deep, dark pool of mods. In other words, don't start that journey without first knowing where you'll end up.

It's soooo tempting and easy to make that list of go-faster goodies. Easier yet to to hit the internet with credit card in hand. Pretty soon, you salivate at the mere sight of a UPS van in the neighborhood. Christmas in July!

I recommend that before you do that, get a rule book and figure out at what level you want to (and can afford to) compete. More often than not, an enthusiastic rookie will go out and buy something that makes his car faster AND bumps it up to a higher class, and in that higher class you'll often find that MANY mods are allowed.

I'm not saying don't do it. Just go in with your eyes open and with a clear plan and with the understanding that if you only have a couple of the allowed modifications you'll have a tough time competing with the deep-pocket hotshoes that have ALL the legal mods, and perhaps more.

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Agree with this. I didn't know I was going to become a autocrosser when I first started modding. Thankfully none of the mods I did bumped me out to a higher class like dsp. Thankfully I chose APR which allows me to turn the ecu to stock for events which keeps it STX legal. You really want to keep the car in Gs or stx. For stx you can do things like suspension, lines, swaybars,intake, exhaust,sticker tires that are not r comps up to 245 wide etc.

I agree with everything stated by Dynjo. As an absolute noob to autocross I have to say you should go out first before you decide on mods.

In my case, I got the APR to get extra speed for the fun of it and NOT for autocrossing. I now know have a much better sense of what items would make me faster in autocross. Also, right now, I see this as a part-time hobby. I'm not real concerned with my pax score, etc. I just want to the thrill of driving. That will probably fade after a while and I'll start worrying more about my official times...

That's cool. I like to draw a distinction between what guys used to call "hot rodding" and racing. Both are fun, but sometimes the needs of one conflict with the needs of the other.

I started off as a pure hot-rodder (mods based on what I thought was cool and fast) and then turned into a serious racer. The intensity and discipline of racing can wear you out over time, so now I say to hell with rules and classes and competition and am back to hot-rodding. No pressure!

Yeah, I wish I had heard that advice before I did my engine swap.

Now i'm in Street Modified. :thumbdown: