Actually, you want the clutch engaged in case you need to get on the gas for one reason or another -- such as driving around an incident in front of you.

Sometimes it's better to get through the incident than it is to stop for the incident. If you have the car out of gear, your only option is to stop.

 

The Z definetly is an understeer heavy car. If you are oversteering you need to back off the throttle a little bit when exiting the corner. My main problem was shooting into the turn too quickly, late braking, and the plowing in with the only way to recover to induce throttle oversteer. I'm already getting ready for next time: Find my optimum pressure, try to visual the line more clearly, repeat slow in fast out in my head a few times

 

Slow in, fast out is only sort of right. In autocross, you need to identify the slow sections and actually go slow in them and be patient. Then go as fast as possible in the other sections. As you get better there will be less slow sections. I autocross all the time in my 89 Civic Si, no plans to autocross the Z when I get it (okay, well maybe a time or 2 just to see what it feels like at the limit).

 

You know, the Z is actually a much different animal on an autoX course than on the street. The car "at the limit' behaves completely different from what I expected. It actually rotates quite nicely, but the power overstear does take some getting used to. I used to autoX my civic, so i was already used to dealing with the front-end plow. The only problem I have now with the Z is that some of the slow sections are really too slow for 2nd gear. This is a problem i never had with my '03 Z on 17" rims, but it's a problem with my '05 on 18".

The best 2 pieces of advice I got (and i'm still a relative amateur by any standards) were
1. Look ahead, FAR AHEAD. (this also helps you to...)
2. BE SMOOTH. You might think that SLAMMING that throttle as early as possible or JAMMING THOSE BREAKS RIGHT AT THE LAST SECOND is the fastest way around the course...it's not. I see my fastest times when I'm focused on smoothe imputs.

 

i did de-spare my car i think it caused more poweroverteer as there isnt any weight in the back.
Look ahead is really hard if you are new and dont know the track set up lol...
smooth is hard too...
its hard sport... mentally and physically you need to be really tough and be ready for anything...
i thought i was a good driver until that opened my eyes lol

 

Yeah, that damn RX-8 beat me this past weekend for 1st! Grrr.

1st time running the Z in the auto-x (ran a Prelude before) and what a blast! Took 2nd in class behind the RX-8 and in front of a DB Z!

I'll be at the event in Aberdeen, MD on October 30th. Love to see some of you southern NJ and PA guys come out and auto-x and have some fun! B-stock with only 3 cars isn't that much fun!