The Official 370Z Autocross Thread
 

So I just went to my first event yesturday in the Z and had one of the best days of autox ever. I'm stepping up from a 100 whp front wheel drive Mazda Protege5 to the Z so I still have alot of adjusting to do in my driving but first time out the Z did amazing. Good enough to take 1st in BS by almost a full second and also win AS.

My competition was the local hotshoe RX-8 who was running on street tires that day both cars were equal in that respect. The course was very wide open with plenty of room to really use the power so the RX-8 was definitely at a disadvantage there but so far all signs point to the Z being more than competitive and possibly dominant in BS.

So lets get the conversation going and start sharing some advice and experience. Anybody that's been out at an autox in their z regardless of experience feel free to chime in.

PS it was very hot out there but starting from 220*F the Z only spiked up to 240* at the end of a 50 second run and was cooled back down to 220* after a short rest in the pits. Basically you definitely do not have to worry about overheating issues at autox.

PPS Here's a picture of the car and a video of my winning run (my best run actually came later but did not count for BS standings).

http://www.fullsolo.org/assets/porta...80/60/370z.gif

Video

looks great! i waanta try auto X, im just afraid id get lost in the cones, do u get a few practice runs? do u walk the track first?

Sweet video. I have def enjoyed it! :tup::tup:

Btw, this isn't you, is it? http://www.the370z.com/track-autocro...autocross.html

Personally I think autox is something that everyone should try atleast once. I understand it's not for everyone but it is a great, safe environment to really learn about your car and your driving abilities.

You do get to walk the course before you run it but you do not technically get practice runs. The hardest thing for new people is always remembering where the course goes. There a many things you can do to try and imprint it in your head better, walk it multiple times, study the course map, get a ride with another driver, but really the most important thing for new people to remember is to take it easy for a few runs and get comfortable on course before going 10/10ths.

And no that is not me, this past weekend was my first time out in the Z, good to see there are a few other people out there autox'ing though.

I also want to try it. How do you get started? Are there any places in the PA or MD area? Any info. would be helpful.

The best place to start would be by finding your local SCCA region. Here's the link where you can find that information:

SCCA - Sports Car Club of America

There is a good chance there are other car clubs in the area that put on autox events but I can almost guarantee that the SCCA club will be the most organized and safe.

In general events start at 730-800 in the morning and you will need to be there till 4 or 5pm. Entry fees are usually around $30 and you'll get at least runs at most events. Naturally the fewer people there the more run's you'll get. That's the basic information, I'd contact your local region for more questions since they all run slightly different depending on their size and the types of venues they use.

Oh and if anyone in the Houston area wants to give it a try let me know and we can meet up at the next event.

I just recently had my first Autocross event with my 370Z. Big difference going from an SM Dodge Neon SRT4 running Hoosiers to a stock 370Z. My times sucked, however that was a driver issues.

I asked a fellow 370Z owner (didn't race/purchased the night prior) who gets FTD more often than not to drive my car. He knocked 3 seconds off my best official run on the first lap. His vids are on my youtube too.

My overall experience was that I could be more aggressive with the car. I did understeer a few times and drifted around a few turns. My best times came with the VDC on. My weakness was the slalom. I never had a good feel as to how big the car was as I entered and exited the slalom.

Here's one of the vids. Not sure why the quality looks crappy I recorded on 1080 HD.

I am a novice autocrosser - I've taken my 370 out only twice. I have had an experience both times that is puzzling. After several runs, I turned the VDC OFF. However, on my first run with the VDC OFF each time, I spun out. I think this happened because I was getting a feel for the car's limits with the VDC ON, but when I turned the it OFF, I pushed the car too far. Does anyone else have any experience autocrossing with the VDC On and OFF?

Also, after the fateful spin outs, the car reacted very weird. After spinning out, for the rest of the run, the car did not respond to acceleration. I gave it gas and it revved up, but the car wouldn't barely go. It was very strange. After I finished the run I returned to the grid and turned off the ignition. After restarting for my next run, the car was back to normal. If anyone has any insight on this, please share. Thanks.

I think if you turn the car off VDC resets. I didn't spin with VDC off but on one of my Runs I drifted throughout the whole turn.

With the VDC off I had to be mindful of when I hit the gas, usually it was too soon and too much.

anybody found a lightweight sport pkg-equivalent BS-legal wheel set yet? my understanding is that the the stock sport pkg wheels are 19x9 +47 23.2lbs (front) and 19x10 +30 23.8lbs (rear).

as for tires, how about the 295f/315r A6's mounting up on the stock wheels? isley, you lurking here yet?

I have yet to find a wheel that is lighter than stock and in the same sizes. Almost everything out there is 19x9.5 and 19.10.5 for whatever reason. I am also doubtful that those tire sizes will fit or be good on the stock wheels. It would be ideal to run 275/305 in my mind but those don't exist.


Also for everyone else.. Never autox with the VDC on, it robs you of and unbelievable amount of power. Turn it off and learn to drive, remember the throttle is not an on/off switch. Try and feed it in slowly as you exit the corner and feel for the amount of grip you have.

not surprised to have a limited aftermarket. hopefully we'll start seeing some more choices in the near future. as for tires, i've seen both 285 V710's and 295 A6's square on the 350Z, and grip is fantastic. those are on 18x8/18x8.5 though. 295/315 is as close to ideal, given the choices that currently exist the way i see it, especially with 9 and 10" wide wheels. of course, this is coming from someone that runs 225/45/15 on 15x6's currently, and planned on moving to 275/35/15 on the same 6" wide wheels, lol.

excited to see what happens in vail next weekend :D

How are you getting your tires to the track? I seriously doubt 4 wheels/tires will fit in the cabin of a 370, and there are no trailer hitch options yet.

I don't have a 370z yet, but I want to race in BS and drive to the track without having to rely on someone to carry my tires.

I think he is talking about his ITR.

in my ITR, yes, i can cram 10 r-comps in there :eek: that's one thing i'm definitely going to miss!!

as for the hitch, a 350z guy up here had one fab'd up a few years back. hoping the same can be done for the 370z. time will tell i guess!

i miss autoxing at the stadium. i used to run my spec v there.

If I can get (4) 285/30/18 to the track in my 350z, you'll surely be able to get 4 there in a 370z...

Boardkat, hurry up and get that 370 so we can retire the 350.

hahaha. and i'm not so sure we'll be able to fit the 295/315 combo in as easily..

oh, and if anybody knows somebody looking for a clean, low-mileage ITR, send them my way!!

No rear hatch impeding strut tower brace in the 370z ftw. I guess we'll find out when the time comes, but the hatch brace in the 350z is what kills it for hauling tires.

OP, goodjob getting the new car out there! Keep at it and keep filling us in with the results!

I had a similar experience to AutoX Z a couple of weeks ago at an SCCA event. There were 7 cars in BS and I finished 2nd .9 seconds behind first. The first place finisher was an RX-8 with $7K shocks on A6's. So a good result for me considering I was on street tires. Finished 31st out of 150 in the overall PAX'd results, which was the fastest non-race rubber car. Oil temps were only a smidge over 240 on the 65 second course, although I hit 260+ routinely on longer courses.

Normally I run local events that are open class and do pretty well there. In the SCCA system it looks like the Z could well dominate the class, which means they're ultimately going to eventually bump it to AS. Even in AS I think it's a competitive car.

i don't think it's an overdog in BS. the rx-8 is a formidable opponent. given a little time to develop (anxiously waiting on what ast/koni/moton have to offer in the near future), people might have to rethink BS as a spec-rx8 class though. but if it bumps to AS, it doesn't stand a chance. the s2k and gxp z0k will eat it alive. think shorter wheelbase, better power/weight ratio, wide tires to boot, and camber. mchugh runs the wheels off his c4, and has his hands full with less accomplished drivers in those two cars. i'd take a c4 over the 370Z in AS any day, too.
in any case, if the BS/CS merger goes through, it becomes a course-dependent class, with the 370Z outgunned most of the time by the mx-5 msr, '99 sport and solstice z0k. but i'd still give it a fighting chance on a wide open concrete course. very interested to see how ruff and his co-driver glenn austin do in the "outdated" 350Z in lincoln! :D

I think the 370Z has a very good chance of being an overdog compared to the RX-8 on most courses. Thats not to say it needs to get bumped to AS. I think its about time for the RX-8's reign to end and for BS to get a bit faster, especially when compared to CS.

As for the competitiveness in AS it probably doesn't have a great chance however I will offer this data point. At the last event I was at AS consisted of an S2000 CR with hoosiers. I can't comment on the quality of the driver but I beat him on street tires.

good job but... i think you know the quality of that driver based on this statement :D

Pics?

Yes, my comment about AS was also based on beating about half of the AS field running on Hoosiers (including a good driver and friend of mine in a C4). If I was on Hoosiers I would have easily won BS and came pretty close to matching the top AS driver who is no slouch.

Now I have to decide whether I want to go to the regionals, where the competition will really step up. I'm on the fence because I'm not sure if I want to show up on street tires and get embarrassed.

Saturday, August 1st, 2009 Autocross Prince George's Stadium, Bowie, MD
 

I'll be at the Capital Driving Club autox tomorrow at Prince Georges Stadium in Maryland.

Anyone else running?

My tires are with boardkat since we are co-driving my Z next weekend and he is going to haul my tires there.

Anyway, in a 350, one in the spare tire well, one on the rear deck right behind the seats, and 2 in the passenger seat.

How are you guys running numbers? I felt like an idiot when I tried to put my magnets on the door. I stood there for about a second wondering why they wouldn't stick and then I remembered...D'oh!

Yeah the magnetic doesn't work too well, LOL. The fenders and rear are steel but they are tool rounded for magnets to work.
I'm using reusable vinyl numbers. I get them from iZoom graphics, they have great turn around.

www.izoomgraphics.com

I have old magnets from my old and they worked on the rear fender. However they were hard to see and are not technically legal to be placed there so I need to pick up some vinyls too.

^:wtf2:


Hahaha I figured the spam or whatever was going to get deleted.

Has anyone else noticed that with the synch-rev on the car momentarily continues to apply the throttle even after you let off and hit the brakes?

I ended up just turning it off, it's not like I'm downshifting anyways on the course. With the system turned off the car behaved as expected or until I got to happy with the throttle and steering. :)

Took 2nd place in BS today against two 911 drivers and a 350Z. 1st place was an RX-8 running Hoosier A6s. He had almost 2 seconds on me. I'm still working the driver mod but confidence and skills are building up.

Good stuff. Hoosiers, if they're new are probably good for about 1-2 seconds so you really aren't that far behind the front runner there. Keep it up, there's definitely no replacement for good quality seat time in any type of motorsports.

On another topic, anyone had any luck finding a good lightweight alternative to the stock wheel? I was thinking the Nismo wheels might be a good option but I haven't found any official weight, or cost, on those.

i've looked into this as well. nismo wheel was the only stock-legal wheel i could find. Scott@FontanaNissan can't get 'em right now, since they're on backorder. i've seen 'em go as cheap as 2k on ebay, though. and if you're local to matteson, il - there's a pick-up only, no-reserve auction that ends in a little over 2 days:
19" 370Z Genuine Nismo Forged alloy wheels:eBay Motors (item 270440985956 end time Aug-20-09 08:14:40 PDT)

and another with a buy-it-now of $2300:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Nissa...Q5fAccessories

at this point, you're probably better off buying a set of sport pkg wheels for half that price.

I just finished running my first ever autocross here is CO. I was able to improve 2 seconds per run so things were heading in the right direction. The car is more than I can handle at this point so I will be working on my driving skills.
People were very excited to see a 370Z at the event. I just wish I could have done it justice.
FYI, I ran the indexed AT-street tires class.

I thought this was a cool picture with the 350Z in the background.

http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._2262641_n.jpg

Nice! I was originally sign up for BS but changed to AT since all the 350Z's were running in that class.

[QUOTE=IMWEZL;177407]I thought this was a cool picture with the 350Z in the background.

there was a at class? :3

shows how long ive been away from autox

Must be a local region thing, I've never heard of it.