Autocrossed the Fit today

[JamesBizzle]

Originally Posted by wyy183

OK - This is very basic info and I'll try not to get too technical.

Look at your tires. See where the tread is? It extends slightly over to the sidewall of the tire. If you are going past the tread, then you are rolling the tires under your car. Increase air pressure so that you are not in danger of rolling the tire off the wheel. This is an unsafe condition.

Now, if you are not using all the tread, then you may have too much air in your tires.

Let's increase the level of technicality just a bit.

Once you have your tires in a "safe" zone, you can begin to look at other factors. How does it handle? A general rule is that whichever end of your car is sliding, you either add air to those tires, or reduce air in the others.

For example, if your car is understeering, or pushing, quite a bit, add more air to the front tires, or try reducing some from the rear tires.

This works for most "normal" tires. Some racing tires (BFG T/A R1's, for example) for backwards because of their sidewall design.

DISCLAIMER - you should never run your tires above the pressure posted on the sidewall. This is a COLD number.

Hope that helps!

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Also, the picture that I have posted, above, was taken in Huntington, WV. So whatever kind of air that they have there - that is what went in the tires

Thanks for clearing that up.

[Popeye]

Originally Posted by Jetydosa

Well Ive wanted to take it out there for awhile now, our last event of the season I finally managed to get both my cars to the event site so I could drive them both

Don't the HFP wheels take you out of HS class and into StreetPrepared ?

[Jetydosa]

They would put me in STS but I was running as "time-only" since I had already run in my other car.

[MINI-Fit]

Originally Posted by Jetydosa

They would put me in STS but I was running as "time-only" since I had already run in my other car.

If you had stock wheels for your FIT-
In your region what is your competition in stock class?

Upgrading tires is your best bet to help in autocross.
Best is with a dedicated R compound tire such as the Kumho V710 if you can find it in a size that will fit your given stock sized rim.

Falken Azenis and Hankook Z212 street tires will work for street and autocross but not as well as R compound tires (not for the street).

For tire pressures you can chalk your tires at a given pressure, drive and see how the chalk has worn off. Or you can use a tire pyrometer (infrared or probe) and measure temperatures on the inner tread, middle and outer tread of each tire and see how uneven the temps are at the immediate end of your run. Tires cool off fast so get the readings right away. You want even temps across the tire but you won't get it since you won't have enough negative camber to wear the tire evenly. So you read the temps and ajdust the pressures to improve the differences you find.

[Jetydosa]

Locally we have a 84 CRX that is very quick. I was only about ~3 sec slower than him on these crappy (for autox) Falken Ziex 512s so I was pleased with that. I also only did 1 run in the Fit (although I had already had 4 in the ITR).

If I ever do run it in HS Ill get another set of stock 15" rims and I will definitely use the 710s. Im not sure if the 225 Kumho will fit on the front but Id prob use 205s anyway so I could rotate them front to back for longer life.

[ryotto]

I love your 1997 Integra Type-R, a rare car you have there.

I have a 94 Integra GS-R that I autocross with stock suspention. I have 205/50/15 Hankook Ventus RS-2 Z212 tires on it and at the last auto-x I had to run 55psi in the front tires just to keep the tires from rolling over onto the sidewalls. I know I need more negitive camber up front because I have to run over the maximum PSI just to keep them off the sidewall.

read this article on how to adjust your tire pressure for autocross. http://www.team-integra.net/sections...?ArticleID=398

You dont want your tires to roll over past the treadblocks and onto the sidewall.