good autocross setup??
 

hey what is a good setup/combo of mods to make an rx7 an autocross beast?? J/W for future plans,thanks for the info!

big brakes
coilovers
swaybars
light-weight wheels
sticky tires

- Hoosier autocross tires
- Koni adjustable dampers
- Ground Control coil-overs with Eibach springs
- Volk TE-37 wheels
- Down pipe, Resonated Mid pipe, GReddy Power Extreme, or RB muffler (something to add a little backpressure)
- Pettit, M2, or any other true cold air induction system
- Intercooler sprayers (upgraded IC helps too if you have the $)
- Radiator sprayers (Upgraded Radiator if you plan to race for long periods of time or in hot weather)
- Bonez High performance brake pads
- Keep the stock brake rotors (slots and holes take away from friction, which you need to heat up your pads quickly)
- take out your passenger seat, spare tire, and anything else that you can unskrew or unbolt.
- Polyurethane or Vinyl bushings
- A'PEXi Power FC ECU upgrade (boost control, timing control, air/fuel control)
- Sreet Port and 3mm seals
- M2 upgraded Ball Bearing Twin Turbos
- GReddy aluminum intake arm with extra injectors
- and race with only 1/6 of a tank of gas, so there is not a large transfer of weight when you take turns sharp----any weight transfer will make the back end want to kick out.

WITH THAT SET-UP YOU WILL BE UNSTOPABLE!
(Oh, and that is also my christmas list, minus the mods I already have)

Hope that Helps, Kevin (KEMRX7@aol.com / KEMRX7---->AIM)

I suggest you read the rules of the Auto-X club you want to race with and see what they allow for the classes. Both mod. list so far would be illegal or put you in a class that the RX7 is not competitive using SCCA rules.

Hope this helps,
Dan

cheat like a muther
 

buy an R1, cut your stock springs, upgrade your sway bars and paint them black, hollow out your cats, replace stock catback with Apexi duals, install a K&N with RB intake duct, install billet flywheel, street port your motor, install ball-bearing turbos (along with requisite fuel and ECU upgrade), install quarter-inch wheel spacers for your stock wheels, mount 245/45-16 Hoosier A3S03s, replace brakelines with steel braided versions, use Hawk HP Plus pads, get a good set of 4-point harnesses and a Bell M3 SA2000 helmet--AND CLEAN HOUSE IN SCCA'S SOLO II SUPER STOCK CATEGORY!

See you at the Nationals!

Not sure what SleepR1 is trying to do, but if you show up at the SoloII nationals with that config and try to run SuperStock you will be disqualified.

That mod set would not even be legal in ASP.

Dan

Chadwick is right about being knocked out of any competitive classes....

Here's my suggestion:

Stock FD: Stay stock and run in Super Stock and get some Kumho or Hoosier Autocross Tires.

Modified FD: Worry about suspension and wheels/tires first. The rx-7 already has more than enough power for 95% of courses. Upgraded shock and springs....wider wheels....17x10" all around. Auto-x Tires. Upgraded front sway bar from M2 or Tripoint. Exhaust....Intake,downpipe,IC....computer is tricky because ASP rules are very unfriendly to RX-7's. Most likely people won't car on a local level though. NO boost controller which would take you into a higher class.

Just remember Auto-x is 95% driver so worry about the car last. It's also all about stickiness not power.

~Alex

Need to fill your tank!
 

You might run into fuel pick up problems if you run less than 1/2 tank of gas.
Violent turns cause the fuel to slosh all over the place. My car cutout & coughed during one event. I talked to M2 Brian & he said it was common problem with low fuel qty.
Anyone else notice this?
The tires are the most important link. Then driver ability. The car has more than enough power & suspension for stock class. It just takes skill to use it all.
Pick up a stock rims & buy some 245-45-16 cross tires. Then start practicing. Good luck & have fun.

dan and sled
 

Take it easy Dan, that was just a tongue-in-cheek post, regarding the amount of cheating that goes on in the stock classes at my local level:) To their credit, most people don't care until you start winning every time.

On a serious note, I do agree with sled man on the fuel tank issue. I experience this at the high-speed road racing courses, so I try not to run with anything less than half-a-tank. Gas mileage on a high speed track is bewteen 5-6 miles/gallon, so a half-tank is only good for ~10 laps out at Putnam Park (1.77 miles/lap), until fuel cut-out starts.

As for autocrossing goes, I would say it's driver skill first, then tires, then preparation. Personally, I suck-ass autocrossing, but do very well on a high-speed circuit.

fuel cut during autocross
 

Definately a problem but if you upgrade your
fuel pump you can toss her around with as little as 1/4 tank.

Check your local rules. If they go by SCCA, all you can do to run in Super Stock is a catback, shocks, race tires, brake pads and the front sway bar. Alignment is of course free as well.

The fuel pickup problem is normal; keep half a tank in it.

I heard from my mechanic that 94 and 95 models have a different fuel tank will better protection from fuel starvation during turns etc. I think I've autocrossed with about a 1/4 tank and not had any problems. I suppose you could switch tanks for the same thing.

SleeperR1, didn’t see anything in your post to suggest you where joking around, it is common to use an emote like ;), :p or :D when you are joking so that people will see you are being humorous. No harm, no foul :D.


Fuel starvation is a problem with all model years for the FD3S, anytime you start pulling over 1g while turning left with a half of tank or less. Upgrading the fuel pump will not solve the problem unless you use a different pickup.

If you are not fuel starving with a half of tank, you are not going fast enough !!! :)

fuel starving
 

I disagree with the above post, where are you getting your information?

I have a 94 that was not getting fuel on hard
turns at 1/2 tank and below. After replacing stock fuel pump with the supra tt fuel pump no more problems until about 1/4 tank and even then not nearly as bad as with a half tank using the stock pump.

Where did I get my information? Hmmm…racing and taking to many others that race RX7s.

Pickup location and not the fuel pump its self causes fuel starvation unless of course you have a faulty pump that is shorting out or something. If there is no gas at the pickup, it doesn’t mater how good the fuel pump is at pumping fuel. The Rx7 suffers from a lack of baffles in the tank, which allows all the gas to move to one side very quickly. I personally didn’t think my car had the problem, that was until I started pulling sustained 1.3 lateral G’s in the corners.

Dan

I second the fuel pickup problem. Hard left hand corners with less than 1/2 tank resulted in fuel starvation, even with an upgraded pump in my car.

Mike

fuel starvation
 

I guess I had a fuel pump problem you seem much more expierienced than I. I didn't Know a rx7 could stay on line at 1.3gs I thought 1g was pretty damn good. My car has baffles in the tank and my fuel pump is very close to bottom of my baffle.

The RX7 does have some baffles in the tank, they are just not adequate to do the job. Some have used fuel cell baffling like this to solve the problem.

Dan

fuel pump
 

Saint and Chadwick,
Would you say your fuel pump helped at all with your fuel starvation problems?

I didn't see any change when I upgraded the fuel pump.

Dan

What fuel related problems were you trying to overcome when you upgraded

I was not having a fuel problem per say, was just making sure that the fuel system was not a weak leak. Last thing you want is to run lean with a rotary.

Dan

Ditto.

the_saint

Fuel pump
 

Well thats good enough for me I definately just had a faulty fuel pump. Thanks for answering all my questions and have a merry X-mas. chatwick keep pulling those G
#s and good luck racing.

Re: fuel cut during autocross
 

What fuel pump do you suggest to prevent fuel pick up problems. I have looked into a fuel cell but nobody makes one for the FD. So please do tell, what fuel pump will prevent fuel starvation on less than 1/2 tank of gas?

IM using a Cosmo pump from SR Motorsports. Didn't help, my car cutout with 1/4 tank of gas at the track.
Like the previous post stated, just changing the pump wont help.
The reason I changed mine was due to the mods I have. I didn't want to run into fuel starvation problems due to low flow rate.
If you bump your H.P. up the stock pump could be a weak link.
Mazda designed the fuel & cooling systems close to the max. When you change things you find out how inadequate they are for moded cars.

Fuel Pump
 

I will be upgrading my pump for the 2002 racing season. I have not had a problem with starvation however I do like the idea of added safety.

I anticipate I will need a pump that sits farther down into the gas tank or make something. My concern is fuel starvation.

I have noticed starvation in autocross with less than 3/4 tank. At thunderhill I was down to 1/4 and it was ok. However in autocrossing it starves much easier due to the sharper corners.

Thanks for your response. I was hoping you new of a pump that reached down further into the tank. I will check out the cosmo pump prior to purchasing anything.

Thanks

Spank

Fuel Level
 

Would love to see you race with 1/6th tank of gas. Unless you have done the fuel line mod you will be sucking wind because you cannot get any fuel. Unless of course you are slower than granny then your fuel level will be fine.

Re: fuel starving
 

Remember what Chadwick said, if you are running that amount of fuel and are not starving, I hope you are one of the guys that are in my class.:)

Your statement tells us how fast you are going!:o:

Don't get pissed, just pointing out a fact!

As far as the starvation goes, lower the pickup if you can(whether you get a new pump or not).

As far as AutoX setups go, I've been doing some research myself.

First of all, forget about Super Stock, unless you're out there just to have fun because there's now way you can seriously compete against a 405HP Z06 vette.

Second, decide how much money you want to spend. To be in a competetive class and not blow a whole lot of money, ASP is your place. But that means there's a whole lot of things you can't mess with. The biggest one you can't mess with is BOOST!!! I've gotten some suggestions from AutoXers that won nationals in a FD. Shocks, go with double adjustable konis(from tripoint I think). Tripoint makes the sway bars of choice as well. I forget what the choice is for ASP but call them and they'll tell you. Exhaust, forget those fancy catback systems, 3" straight is the way to go. Breaths the best, weighs the least, and it even sounds good. I got mine done for $150 and it was worth every cent. Hoosiers are great, but super expensive. Kumhos are a whole lot cheaper but not as sticky. 17" rims are probably the way to go to keep things light. And don't forget the alignment!!!

For some more money, and the ability to mess with all the boost you want, the new SM2 is your place. In street mod, you can do almost anything. You can even throw in a 3 rotor I think(any motor that was made from the same manufacturer). Stick with a sequential turbo setup. Single turbo will kill you in AutoX.

SM2 is where I'm planning on going eventually but I'm going to work my way up. See you at the track.

It is hard to say what mods you need to make the FD a beast auto-xer. There are so many posers out there modding the hell out of the cars and still getting beat by Neons, average drivers in Neons.

If you have any sort of budget, stay with stock wheels with R-compound tires. Hoosiers seem to be the fastest, but Kuhmo V700s aren't far behind, they last longer and cost about 40% less. This combo is really more than just about anyone can handle. If your losing by .2 sec then the Hoosiers will give you the edge. If your losing by 2 sec, then you need to learn to drive.

The FD is really a monster on the course in stock form. Of course we all know the C5 Vette (Z06 and std version) are faster. The C5 knocked the FD out of the trophies nationally before the Z06 came out. So besides the fact that you won't beat a good C5 driver I'd suggest ASP. Do the bolt on mods, play with setup ALOT. I ran my car in SS for two years, switched to ASP. It took me 3 alignments to get my setup to work better than stock (with custom alignment).

Bigger brakes are a waste of $$.

Removing pass seat? Dumb idea.

PFC= prepared class
Street port= prepared class
3mm seals, we all know you don't need them to run lots of boost. Running lots of boost= Prepared again...

Running with a little gas, bad idea as others have mentioned.

I think setup and driver skill is far more important than anything. Of course after you do it for a while you'll find that your 10mo old tires don't stick like new ones either:).

oh yeah, agree with Jeff. Forget about big brakes, they're not important in AutoX. Spend your money somewhere else. Also, don't go buying any crazy racing brake pads. They take too long to warm up and they're hard to modulate. I've been told, Hawk pads work the best. I have a set I just bought from RX7Store(thanks Jason), he has the best price I could find.

ASP & Boost
 

You can run an upgraded ECU with the Fuel Cut removed and still be legal in ASP. Rule states that you cannot manipulate the boost.

I have called and it was confirmed that upgraded ECU is fine for ASP.

Allan

So what freakn class would i run in? I've got every single bolt on, BNR stage 3 turbos, street port Power FC, 17psi of boost, making about 500Bhp, front anti sway bar, tower strut brace, toe links, trailing arms, koni yellows, eibach springs.

Any ideas? I havent got into Auto cross cause I figured I'd be playing with some hardcore race cars.

STEPHEN

I was doing a search for some info...sorry for bringing this back from the dead. By the time I got to the end of the post I forgot it was old haha

STEPHEN

Still relevent though. Better a continuation of a single thread then a billion threads of the same subject with one or two responses.;)

run in street modified 2. your car is legal there and it should be the most competitive class that it is legal in.

What Class to run in?
 

As stated either SM2, AP or BP. Run in whichever class you feel you have the best chance to win in of the above choices.

I currently run in SM2.

Love to see ya running in one of the National Events.

Allan

http://mouton.best.vwh.net/sccasolo/
read this, know it. mod according to which class you want to race in. learn to drive. stock wheels with sticky tires. and for those of you who say rx7's aren't competetive against z06's, a local rx7 recently finished second in his class against 3 vettes. 2 being z06's and the 3rd a redular c5. oh, and learn to drive. wow, i too just realized this is an old thread. noise falling on deaf ears i suppose.

Don't put too much worth on regional results. Nationals is the true measure of what cars dominate a class. SS is a lost cause. No way a legal SS RX-7 will be competitive at Nationals .... I even doubt it at Divisionals. ASP is sort of a dying class; but one could be competitive there. Again though, more Z06's will start sorting out in ASP this year ... tough competition. SM2 is really the only place left to go. And it gets expensive in a hurry. I'm almost setup for SM2 and so far, appear to be competitive. We'll see at the National Tour. ;)

So what. Like redrotor pointed out Nationals is what counts. I beat guys locally in Vipers and Z06's all the time; doesn't mean my car is better.

That's why the winners win.

Given equal talent under the helmet a Z06 is a better car for autox. Why RX-7 drivers take this personally I don't know, but thems the facts.

Damon, you won't have Donovan to kick around in SS this year at the Tour. He and Amita decided to stick with the E36 and stay safely tucked away in BS. Hopefully, DFL is not in the plan for you this year. I'll be rootin' for ya. :D

it just seems that people make it out to be a lost cause, and if this guy is asking what a good setup is, he probably won't be going to nationals (no offense). good point though.

Who actually made it down to SD for nationals? I think I saw Spank in his Black SM2 but I didn't get a chance to talk to him since he was in the middle of fixing something in the back of his car.

Well crap. He failed to mention that to me :o: We had a friendly rivalry going at the Divisionals and Tours. I guess this means I automatically win by default :D Does that make Amita tire warmer or is she staying in BSL?

I think you mean the National Tour Event in San Diego? Typically when you hear "nationals" used in speaking of Solo we all assume the winner take all national championship in Topeka every year.

BSL. Man, ouch buddy .... you and 9 other Z06's. Chris Ramey is registered in a C4 ... I know that's a typo. So, make it 10; half of which I know are fairly to very good drivers. Then again, I'm chasing 2 turbo Miatas. Hehe, should be a fun weekend. :)

I figure I am either fairly good or fairly bad. Depends on your point of view I guess :p:

To run in SuperStock, Best is Porterfield brakepads, Tri-point 10way front sway bar, Either GAB super-r or Koni DOUBLE adjustable dampers, and Stock wheels with Kumho. Of course, we talkin bout R1 or R2 right?

2 neg on front with 1/32 toe out and bout 1.8 on rear with 1/32 toe in. Then again, it's all up to driver's preference eh? i prefer ladies who can swing that ass