nukblazi

Just wanted to let those interested know, My '02 C Sport Coupe did much better then I or another member who was there thought it would.

The car handled very well, drifted well, did very well considering it was stock except for the tires. This was a basially open mod event. The "Fastest Time of the Day" was produced by a modified late model Corvette @ 47.n. My best time of the day was 54.3n despite a significant fishtail.

I made 5 runs. The first with ESP and taking it easy to get a feel for the course. I ran a high 57 or 58 with a passenger.

The next two I ran with ESP disabled at the dash. One run I hit a cone and ended up with a 55, the other I almost lost it, and I got a high 54.

The last two I ran in Dynomode, I ran these two really close to knowing where and how hard to drift without losing it. Try to push it harder and improve times, I again almost lost it in the first coming out of a large sweeper. I was almost completely sides ways and recovered. The second run I really, I mean really lost it in the double chicane. Super tight chicane lead directly into a wider one but the distance between the entrance and exit was shorter. I lost it on the deflection from the entrance of the first one, I recovered by the exit of the second and made it through the gate. Freakin hairy as *****. Wild **** fishtail... wish I had video.

The first run I received 0 penalties and I hit the 54.3, the second run was still in the low 54's but with the penalties it'd be a second per cone and I hit at least 3 cones regaining control.

I am aware that 7 seconds is a large gap on an auto X course. Just keep in mind that the FTD was produced by a seasoned verteran in a high output, highly tuned Vette.

I was classed in E, I think 1st place in E was 49 or 50 seconds. Tuned e36 M3's being driving by experienced, certified instructors where hitting 49s and 50s. That's how close I was, at least in my own head If I had just not lost it that little bit... Again, I was on street tires, stock suspension, first competitive AutoX.

I only had two pics left on the Camera so I took one of how freakin chunked my left front tire got, and one of my car with the rest of the cars in the stagging area in the background.

I will get the roll back tomorrow and scan and post the pics then. If you haven't autoX'd your MB you have NO IDEA what you are missing. Next Sun. I will try to get some action shots

The largest problem was that my trailing rear tire came off the ground and spun while drifting. The course was heavy on the long driftable right handers, so my passenger side rear was wore about 1/8th - 1/16th more then the drivers side, down to the wear bars on the inside and center. I am hoping the H&R sport springs and a set of sways will resolve that one. Camber adustment would be nice too. The H&Rs are here, the sways should be on the way. I wanted the Evosports but with my budget and need for new tires I couldn't reasonably justify the 2x price. Hopefully next round I will try them out and be able to write up my opinion on the diff between them and the Eibach sways.

My car goes in for service tomorrow, if I get it back in time, I'll have everything install by this Sun. to compete with. It is going to be the same parking lot so hopefully it will help me get the times down.

Pics to come... I'll take more of the cone damage and tires... too funny.

C230K

Sounds like you did good for the first time, get better with time on the track, think tire pressure is the most important in a stock car. Great write up, waiting for pics
tks
Tom

Jens C320

Well this isn't about auto-x in my C320, but in the spirit of things I'll post my first auto-x with my newest car:

Run 1
Run 2
Run 3 <-- Whoops
Run 4

It is encoded with Windows Media v9 so you'll need Windows Media Player 7 or better.

nukblazi

My machine is all goofy so I can view the movies ... That is a good pic Tom

I started with 45 F 38 R, this took car of the understeer, but it was a cloudy day so I went down to 41 F 36 R. That worked, I was just pushing too hard. I didn't notice any oversteer with the back tire pressure there, it just felt like the fat butt of the coupe just wanted to come out at the end of a good drift.

I am off to work, will post pics tonight when I get home.


Thomas

hobie

Go for an AMG c32 rear bar (bushings ,too). Search for info and part numbers on board. <$120. Try a much lower rear pressure, or if you go for shocks, get just the rear adjustable Konis (save the fronts for more $ later) and run them soft. Hooking up exiting corners is where you'll pick up the time, unless the courese is biased toward long slalom sections. Have fun, don't let the overly competitive types spoil it when you beat them.

avlis

I don't want to rain on anyone's parade, but I think it may be worth mentioning that the owners manual that came with my car states that using the car in competition will void the maintenance agreement (no more free oil changes). The definition of "competition" and whether auto-x falls in that catagory is anyones' guess.... And then they'd have to find out about it....

nukblazi

I am home on lunch..

Competing against the clock just may be competition. Let's see if they notice my tires

Why do you recommend the C32 Rear over the Eibach?

I got the pics back will scan tonight and attach to my original message. I've tried running lower tire pressure in the rear and felt some gnary understeer. These ratios seemed to work well. I do have a 245/40/17 on the C7 7.5 wheel. That might be why the higher tires pressure back there felt better?

nukblazi

Here are the pics... those tires were not brand new but the blocks had straight edges when I arrived. The tires were done like that after 5 runs, 2 of which were pretty relaxed...

nukblazi

the tire looks more fugged up in person, that ridge on the edge is the rubber from the other side of the tread block

Here's me staging. Sorry, a girl took the pic despite being told to get one of me on the course. I guess I am close to being on the course. The boxter at the finishing gate lost it, he got a 1:15.5...

nukblazi

here is my coupe at the end, those who were still there are in the background. That is only about half the field, the odd numbers...

nukblazi

this is the last one... There were four pics left on the roll.

I will take some more soon. This Sunday's event's online pre-reg has been met, so I have to get there early and get in on stand-by. I will have some better shots talen then.

Thomas

nukblazi

whoops, pic...

jpb5151

Man, that looks like a lot of fun. Wish I could do it.

... waiting for more pics ...

nevide

go get some eibach sway to guarantee a win next time.

nukblazi

H&R Sport Spings are on the living room floor. Eibach sways should be in the mail by now. I am hoping to have both installed by Sunday.

Braided stainless steel lines and a "bolt-to-stud conversion kit are also supposed to be in the mail.

Koni rebound adjustable shocks, ATS DTMs (maybe superleggra's but I really want the flat black 18 spoke 17" DTMs) with Kumho competition tires coming soon.

I should be competing on June 15th at the Meadowlands in a an event hosted by NASA Northeast... Pre-reg is full but there will be places in stand-by. I am talking to the NASA-X chair about how to get in for sure.

There is also a SCCA event at Englishtown Raceway Park Sat. I am going to be going but I don't think I'll be able to drive. Going to try though. I have to check the site.

OTHER MB PEOPLE PLEASE JOIN ME? REVOLT! DO SOMETHING FUN!

It really is aweome...

hobie

Why C32 rear bar? I'm not qualified to compare all the bars out there. Many posts have commented on the sizes and suppliers available. I can, however, relate my experience: I have a C32 rear bar with a stock front bar. The car is more balanced. The car has better turn in. Away from auto-x , higher speed corners reveal a much different personality: it is no longer push 'till you plow then back off. It's not squirrely, but different and faster. The bar also stiffens the suspension, this must be why MB calls the part a "...torsion..." bar. IMHO the biggest handicap for these cars at the cones is the open diff. $3500 will buy you a limited slip from Evosport. If you had that piece you could tune your suspension more purely. As it is, your going to have to compromise to take on an E36. Give up the slalom portions and make time on exits. On a budget, I'd go for a stiffer rear bar (get the balance and make both ends work equally hard) and adjustable rear shocks (bring back the squat and weight transfer the stiffer bar took away) . I'd set the rear shocks soft and the rear pressures as low as I could to make the car hook-up strong. Nuk: push on lower rear pressure....stock bars? Let's work this for feed-back and an ideal set-up. My car still has the stock rear shocks, so I'm speculating. Sounds reasonable, eh? Nice tat.

BlackC230Coupe

i am planning on doing this with my coupe oneday 2. cant wait.

C230K

BlackC230Coupe
next month in Palm Bay Florida, i know it's about 100 miles for me, but one time is worth it. You can run against my C320.
till then
Tom

BlackC230Coupe

Palm bay? i never heard of it. Do you mean plam beach by any chance?

nukblazi

Hobie;

Regarding the tat another member said that he thinks some people think my name has some relation to ****'s. My mother works at a nuclear power plant, Nuk(e) blazi(whatever). It was initially in reference to the Toms River, NJ cancer cluster (where I grew up). The tat looks kinda wrong in the pic. There are two, one on the other forearm same location. They are two abstract people (humans). No eyes, mouth, ears, they have no senses. They are very similar, but in their own boxes, far apart. (My ex wife and I.) Thanks for noticing though

The weight transfer is what killed my times. On real hard exits the momentum would bring the **** end around. Better tires would help that. I am going to try to install the H&R springs, I hope tomorrow, the anti-roll kit the day it arrives. I will be able to write up a detailed AutoX related comparision only one week apart from stock to that set up.

The rear was set so high to counter the oversteer induced by the higher front tire pressure. Any lower, and turn in would have been nice, but I would have been fighting it.

I would like to get the LSD, obviously it is out of budget at the moment. It would've helped a lot. When I was drifting I could hear the one tire spinning. And like i said, my right rear tire wore significantly more in a single day, 5 runs, then the left.

There is an SCCA event Sat. at Racway Park, I am going to attend but I don't know if I can compete, I still have to check the site. Then Sun., the NASA-X event is at the Meadowlands. Hopefully this weekend will provide enough runs for me to really play with the tire pressures to provide definitive feedback.

answers;
The higher front pressure seems to reduce the push, if I leave the rear at my normal 32, I get oversteer, I raised the rear to compensate. Since each run the tires were spot on cold, I raised the pressures to that level.

Yes, stock everything. Only diff from showroom to now is 30k miles and a set of potenza s-03s.

My runs felt like plow til the **** starts to swing around, feather it to keep the **** from coming around. Try and get it so you just missed that outside cone before the next turn in. My runs iwith two instructors in their cars felt similar.

Anyway, really good stuff. I am going to try to find someone to video tape the next event I am in... then you all can critique me

Silver_Lana

I am happy as long as i get to race your car next time you go!

nukblazi

SL-


I would have to see you run your car before letting you run mine. Which is still conditional on me being able to run your 320 too!

So long as you know how to drive a stick I'd let you run the course. I would just ask that you use your best judement and if you weren't 100% comfortable, then not to push it. When the **** of the coupe decides to go it seems to do so very suddenly.

I installed the H&Rs tonight.

The Eibach sways were billed to my CC but I am still waiting on confirmation from the supplier??? Waz up with dat?

jpb5151

Nuk, I guess your trip for service the next day went fine? Did they mention anything about the car looking like it was pushed a bit harder than usual?

Best of luck with the newly-installed stuff.

nukblazi

Hey thank you.

They didn't mention the tires. I am curious what they will say about the stud conversion and the brake lines later.

The last time I had Eibach springs and sways installed by someone else. This time I just installed the springs. I went for a ride on my favorite on ramps and other turns.

I think the H&Rs are better, but I can't make a real comparision because I don't have the sway in there yet. Cornered better, it stayed flatter without jolting me around so much. I know the sways will change that.

The springs feel great. The car feels more connected to the road then stock or when I had the Eibach springs in there. We'll see when the sway finds it's way home. I will post some pics after Sunday.

hobie

Nuk: Tuning 101...Don't change more than one piece at a time. How is it hooking up? Thanks for experimenting for all of us. It's a tough nut, I believe the sport suspension set-ups are targeted toward back road boogie parties. I'll drink to that, but auto-x is a different animal. I'm guessing the stiffer front springs willl bring down your inside rear? Base line the springs and let us know.