So the first event went pretty well. The very first run I went on I tried to go to hard in a transition corner and lost it. After that I picked about 2 seconds from the second run and third run. I had someone who is really experienced ride with me and give some pointers. He was helping with what to look for for the tires and air pressure. He also pointed out that the tires I have are crap for autocross. They are basically all-terrain street tires with a 600 treadwear rating, so basically I need to get new tires. But I have to say that I had alot of fun and will DEFINITELY go again..

 

Personally I would leave the tire on for now. They will teach you a lot about car control and how it responds when traction is lost.

 

Bug has been caught..................

 

Yea, I was thinking of keeping the wheels and tires, but there was a guy who had a great deal on his wheels and tires he had for his 240. I have been bitten unfortunately, with the only cure being speed..

 

^This. Bad tires make mistakes very obvious.

If you get a great deal on new wheels/tires, great. But I would still recommend killing the "bad" tires and learning before you use the good tires.

 

Yes I understand, however doesn't it work the other way also. With poor tires the mistakes occur more than they would if you had better tires with better grip?

 

Surprisingly, no. The primary difference between good tires and bad is the "cost" of mistakes. Bad tires tend to accentuate mistakes where good tires tend to mask them.

Your times will come down if you mount a set of race tires on your car. -Even if you do it before you improve your skill-set. However you will still make the same mistakes (generally speaking), but they will just be less obvious while you are making them.

Race tires will make you faster than crappy street tires, but they won't make you faster than other drivers on race tires if they make less mistakes than you. And while driving on the race tires, you may not notice many of your own mistakes. You come across the line with what "feels" like a great run, but still find yourself off the pace and wondering what went wrong.

On crappy tires, you stand a much better chance of understanding "what went wrong".

 

What are some of the most common mistakes drivers make on the street tires who don't have the proper skills? Not throttling properly? Taking the wrong lines in turns and trying to steer your way around it?

 

#1 common mistake - Over-driving the entry into corners.
#2 common mistake - Over-driving the exit from corners.

 

Hey man, sorry about the ancient bump...

Intro: I am a brand new Z owner. I bought a 2003 with 115,000 miles about 3 weeks ago. It's my first sports car ever. When I was right out of college (2003/2004), I worked at a Nissan dealership when the very first Z rolled onto our lot. I swore I would own one someday. Here we are!

I'm hoping to attend an SCCA event. I live in Pensacola. I have no experience racing or driving. Was curious if you ever went back? Any tips for a first time driver?

As far as I know, my car is 100% stock.

 

I'm going on my 3rd season of autocross so there are guys out there with MUCH more experience than me and they might have some better input than I could give... But things I would recommend:
1) Get there early and walk the course. Then walk it again. Then walk it again... You get the idea. IMO the biggest challenge to autocross is learning the course and then applying what you learned at speed.
2) Get an instructor or experienced autocrosser to ride along with you. Ride along with them. This will let you see the course many more times and at speed. It will also give you an idea of how far you can push your car. When I first started, I had no idea that a car could be driven at that level (and remain controlled).
3) Smooth throttle inputs, smooth steering inputs. Hands at 9&3.

Hope this helps! Your first time out, just have fun with it and try to improve your times each run. Oh and welcome to your newest addiction, may God help you.

 

Resist making modifications without doing your homework. I see a lot of people making modifications that bump them into $$$ classes right away.
However, only if you plan to doing a lot of events or want to be competitive in your class. Have fun! Walk the course with an instructor. Use your phone or gopro (or equivalent) to video your runs. You learn a lot from seeing your run. Have fun!

 

All of these are good suggestions. I'd also suggest looking into the SCCA "Night out at the Track" event series. There's some in just about every part of the country and will give participants some controlled exposure to higher speeds in street cars.

 

I was actually thinking how amazing it was that these drivers can even remember which direction to turn. All I see are cones streaking by in these videos! I'm sure it takes a little getting used to. But yes - I can see how course study would be the key.
LOL... I've been waiting a long time for this. Can't wait to jump in!

 

OK, away we go! I am officially an SCCA member.

First event 4/17.

Just ordered a G-Force Pro Phenom SA2010 Helmet.

Next up: more maintenance.