88IntegraLS

good luck, I'm done with autocross. it's been fun but I've realized that I always come home from an event disappointed, and just lately i've started watching the cost in time and money for seconds of seat time, and it's just not worth it to me. This latest snakepit slickfest just opened my eyes to how I've always felt about it in the back of my mind. I'll stick with working on cars and driving them on backroads.

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

Sounds like someone's anti-depressant meds ran out.

To me the auto-x isn't just about the seat time, it is about hanging out with people that actually know a little about actual vehicle performance. In other social situations many enthuisiats speak of BOVs, big turbos, and all the body kit crap they can think of without knowing either how to drive or how to mod cars.

One of the fastest cars this weekend was a Focus! He didn't have to "build a car" to go fast like many people that don't race claim to be doing...

elron90sc5speed

iTrader: (4)

Hey turbojeff. You gonna change that avatar of yours? The yellow one is way sexier anyway.
Evev tho the two cars look exactly the same sans color. 8)

88IntegraLS

Enjoy your social circle guys, it's not worth $35 a day to me, but I'm antisocial so I want some car action for the fee, which continual slaloms / boxes doesn't give me. Some are gifted and can pick up performance driving in a minute and a half, but not me. I've gotten where I am in life by applying myself, which autocross won't let me do.

RoadRaceJosh

You can get better at autocross! I hated it at first because I got lost among all the cones several times. I was used to road racing where you can't/don't get lost, but I go back because I know if I keep doing it I'll be a better driver. It feels like less of a balet like my big old road race car did and more like a prize fight. My street car has enough grip that I have to do stupid stuff to find the limits on the street and I know better. I learned at my very first driver training at PIR that you absolutely cannot drive on the street the way you do on track. Running out of track or spinning at PIR is almost always much less costly than doing so on the street. I spun my old Conquest in turn 10 and got a bit of grass stuffed between the tire and rim, but that was it. Spun the race car a number of times and never even got a dent. Do the same on a back road and you's probably end up through a fence or wrapped around a tree. Ok, off the soap box now.

I autocross with the Oregon Porsche club at PIR. I have a friend that runs his father-in-law's '66 911 along with his wife. They are a nice group of people to run with and you can bum a really fast ride as a passenger if you know who to ask.

elron90sc5speed

iTrader: (4)

Jeff your turning into a pessimist. Your just miffed cuz school is really crappy this term. Come again when the weather is better.
Besides you'll never get better unless you keep comming.
Besides next time it will only be $16 since your now a member. :P
Don't want to waste that extra $10 for membership.

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

Another thing Jeff, I got my *** handed to me this weekend, old Hoosiers SUCK. They are better than street tires but they get old and hard, you might try some tread softening stuff.

88IntegraLS

You didn't see my runs man, I got lost 3 out of 4 times through the course and I've been autocrossing for 2 years. It's time to move on.

zjbarra

iTrader: (2)

You're sounding like a business major Jeff, come on! Maybe take a week or two off and help me get my car tuned up and what not and we can get some practice in? You always tell me to be patient well now I'm going to tell you to

elron90sc5speed

iTrader: (4)

It's time to slow down and listen to me.
You push too hard. Plus you are on tires you are not farmiliar with. Not to mention the rain adds a whole new dimention to it. And need I add that the course that day was more complex than normal?
All this plus your relative lack of experience.
Your stupid if you dont take this weekend and examine what went wrong. Then come back and better yourself.
This is all about becomming a better driver. And we all have a long way to go.

zjbarra

iTrader: (2)

Well said!

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

Anyone interested in some 245/45/16 used Hoosiers or Kumhos? They are old and hard but better than street tires. Tread softening compound will work well on them and I have some of that to go with them.

88IntegraLS

You know, I think you're right. in the past two years I've spent roughly $200 and about 80 hours standing around, and in exchange I've received about 15 minutes of seat time in parking lot cone courses.

88IntegraLS

I'll admit this abrupt change in personality in me could be signs of being more business minded, and refusing to continue to waste time / money on something that gives me little in return.

I blew off my track work assignment after my "runs" on purpose so they wouldn't invite me back. this is for real guys, I'm done. Real track driving or the medford endurocross might work for me when i have money to spend on them, but to me, autocross is just speed chess with a car, and I don't have the mind for that game.

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

The business minded idividual might take note of how much $$ and time you've spent on your car when a TII with a $150 exhaust would beat it and come with 5-lug brakes, tougher diff and tranny, bigger radiator, etc.

You might also consider how much it would have cost to buy a car with mods on it already. IE, it is cheaper to buy a race car rather than build it. This doesn't imply that buying a race car leave no room for improvement it just means you get stuff like good shocks, springs, exhaust, etc, etc.

This is in no way meant to be a flame. In 1984 I spent probably $3K fixing up a '57 Karmann Ghia, when it was "done" it still didn't have a heater, defroster or anything better than 1957 suspension. HP was delivered by a 40hp, 1200cc motor, 80mph was top speed on a good day downhill. In 1986 I bought a 1983 Dodge Colt for $2500 with 44,000 miles and beat the car for 2yrs. The only repairs it needed were brake pads and tires and it was faster and more comfortable than the Ghia in every regard. I learn a lesson from that Ghia that was worth it's weight in gold...

88IntegraLS

~3500 on the car, and a lot of fun making it what it is. I would never trade it for a TII with mods. Turbo isn't for me, and I didn't build my car for the result, I did it for the process.

You are in this game for the sport of it, I'm in it for the learning process which *by the way* can't even get off the ground in a certain field of racing where most my time is spent navigating.............

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

Just 18 days ago...

ddub

I take offense to the negative business student comments!

That being said, though, it is a very fundamental economic and financial accounting concept to weigh the cost versus the result. You must take into account time always, your time is worth something to you, everyones is, and that worth of time may not be equal to the cost or "opportunity cost" of what could have been done instead.

Weighing the gains versus the loses is not just in business, everyone does it in everyday life.

88IntegraLS

I love you!

turbojeff

iTrader: (30)

5 days ago...

88IntegraLS

Bwahaha, you're cracking me up. I saw the light, what else can I say. I'm free now, more time and money to put into my crazy ideas like twin screw supercharging and seeing Oregon's scenery from winding highway roads. Thanks for caring!

elron90sc5speed

iTrader: (4)

The title of this thread is very accurate.
Your getting slammed pretty good. lol

It is obvious to me that in all the time you spent autocrossing you learned nothing.
I think you are right when you say you do not have the mind for this game.
So take your RX-7 and join all the other motorhomes on the backroads and leave the track to real drivers. :P
Autocross. Drivers wanted.
No experience necessary.
Open minds prefered.
Zoom Zoom

zjbarra

iTrader: (2)

And you will see a lot of that scenery up close and personal if you don't refine your driving autocrossing! You'll skid yourself right into it if you're not careful.

Business is for the mentally anorexic. They decide they don't want to bite off more than they can chew so they take a nibble while engineers are in an eating competition. :P Well, that's one way of looking at it at least. The other way is that we love suffering so much that we give up social lives and personality.

Side note: It's 2 AM and I have class in 6 hours... This is my 8th hour straight studying now and I've got another 1-2 to go because I've got a quiz tomorrow so have pity on me for that among your other reasons for doing so.

Gregs

ELRON, on your link in your sig, that red fd, is that a TWIN TURBO LS1?! O_o

elron90sc5speed

iTrader: (4)

That is correct.