Does anyone race their C36 or C43? Thinking about broadening the car's racing career to Autocross. Would be great to get some feedback re: others' experiences. Will the car be competitive in an SCCA format?

-drags

 

it depends on how sanctioned and bracketed the races are and how many/ what kind of cars attend.

if it is a highly populated event in your area and the bracketing is set up fairly (you need a diverse enough group of cars in order for this to happen), you will have a lot of fun because you will be competing against other heavier sedans that are closer to the c36's weight and size. in that case, you will have a good chance at proving the c36 as a competitive car.

if it is a more empty local event and there are not enough cars participating to set up fair bracketing and classes, you might get put up against cars that are leagues ahead of the c36 in handling and low end pull. if you live far from big cities that draw big autocross crowds, i dont think you would have that great of a time. the c36 is a great handler for what it is, a heavier luxury sedan, probably rivaled in its class only by the m3, but it will have a hard time trying to keep up with the smaller more nimble guys. the 4 speed auto tranny might put a hurting on you as well, since it will give you a hard time pulling out the low end torque on a dime.

also, if you want to set up your suspension to really shine in the cones, it will likely compromise the comfortable feeling that you probably bought the car for. im sure you still plan to drive the car on the street. if you bought it as a dedicated race car, you really started with the wrong platform.

good luck either way you plan to go. do some research on your local scca autox events, and maybe visit one or two of them this season before paying your dues and registering your car with them. after talking to the guys there, you might change your mind and buy a cheap miata to start with and build on as a dedicated track car. autocrossing is a very fun sport, sort of what a lot of racers graduate to after dragging in a straight line gets them bored. it is a more skilled bracket of racing, and it tests driver skill a lot more than the car's abilities, considering you are up against fair game.

 

Some serious food for thought. Thanks much!!

 

There are a few members of other forums that do some track and autocrossing. I will eventually beging to participate in both, but need to weigh out how much I want to get into it.

You can talk to speedybenz (jeff) in this forum. Also, you might want to shoot on over to the others to see if you can get more info.

Email me if you want those sites.

See you on the track?

DLS