HELP In G Stock

[e9nine]

Another good tip is to co-drive the car if possible. Get someone to share the car with you. I am overall better and faster when someone is kicking my butt in my own car. It pushes me more to do  better and they can often give feedback on pressures and set up

[arthurc]

Disclaimer - NOT suggesting you're cheating, Arthur!  I just don't know if those are legal in class; we tossed a competitor at Nationals a few years ago for putting the correct strut mounts in backwards(resulted in more caster on that car).

Heh heh - that didn't happen to be an ES MR2, did it?  One of our locals was there in their own MR2.

Thanks for the heads up.  I am quite certain that they are legal since Bob Tunnell advised me about them - he campaigned a 318is back in 1992.  They also show up in this parts catalog.  And no, they are not cheap - you can get camber plates for the same price!

Yes, I am entered in Packwood.  Last year, as expected, I was eaten up by a swarm of MINIs and a huge 5s behind the class winner after two days.  I PAXed "okay" though, finishing 112 out of 247 competitors.  This year seems quite lean for MINIs so I actually have a chance at a trophy (oddly, 3/4 of us currently registered in GS are Canadians).

In any case, I have been fortunate to be doing well locally this year (top 3 PAX unless weather screws me over), and it's always a good idea to go play with the Big Boys and Girls to really get a gauge on how well you're really doing.

I will be retiring the car after this year - maybe I'll write a story about the ups (class wins and top PAX results) and downs (my co-driver taking the car through a fence) of my car's autocrossing adventure...

Art.

[Mannix]

MR2?  

Umm, maybe:).  FWIW, I truly believe it was a mistake.  A costly one, but a mistake nonetheless.  I've served on the PC at Nationals for a few years now, and it feels good to say that of all the protests I've heard, _very_ few have been people _cheating_.  Sure, some cars were found illegal, but by and large, the competitors did not strike me as _CHEATERS_, but rather, they misinterpreted the rules (or just plain screwed up).  

Yeah, I'd agree on the correction upper mounts; Bob certainly won't steer you wrong, and the listing in the catalog is good evidence.  I might get some for my car, actually.  I'd call those cheap - $240 total, really, with the bits and bobs that you should replace "while in there," and for what it gets you in Stock, it is $$$ _well_ spent.  Expensive compared to what else you can buy for the money?  Yup.  In the (delightfully twisted) SCCA Solo viewfinder, I like them!

I've always thought it'd be a fun Stock car.  Bob did amazing things getting by the Neons, too - that was cool.  Have you had any two-wheeling incidents in the car?  I guess Patty got it way up on two at some pro somewhere somhow just before Nationals (in 95?  Forget - the Year of The ACR).  Just looked - it was 95 that he won Nationals.  92 @ Nationals was in the Jetta.  Last I talked to him about E30s & autocross, he was leery from a rollover standpoint (Strelnieks rolled his a while back, too).  Looking at Schipkov's car, some of the pictures, well, yeah, I guess I can see it.  Fortunately, the 2002 has not shown itself to be a rollover threat.  We'll see.  Hope not, but at least there's no sunroof to catch the car through:).

Fence?  Uggh.  Sorry.  I've been fortunate - I've never hit anything autocrossing.  I've had cars on 2 wheels (more than a couple of inches) a couple of times, blown up a motor, but never hit anything.

Yay.  

Going to Nationals this year?  Sorry to hear you're retiring the car - what'll replace it?


Iain

[arthurc]

Here is the advice that Bob gave to me two years ago:

The propensity for an E30 318is to roll over is something to be aware of, but nothing to be feared.

Most of the rollovers were caused by a combination of driver error and inadequate shock damping.  The only time I've seen one roll when equipped with good Konis was when a slalom was laid out along the crest of a slight rise in the pavement, the driver got a little behind in the slalom and tried to maintain his speed even though the car was oversteering more and more with each slalom cone.  Eventually the car whipped around to make the last cone and, as it crested the hill along the cone line, he lost it.

We've all overcooked a maneuver and when we tried to save it the car whipped around the other direction.  Where you'll get into trouble in this car is not with that maneuver, it's if you fight to save it and the car whips around a *2nd* time -- that's when it will have built up enough momentum to roll.

So I guess my advice is this:

1. Make sure your shocks (esp. fronts) are always in excellent condition.

2. Enter slaloms under control and increase speed only while under complete control.

3. If you ever find yourself getting behind, give it up.  Trying to save the unsaveable is what will get you into trouble.

Having said all that... don't be to worried about it.  TC Kline and I made hundreds of runs in those great cars -- and not always under complete control -- and never got close to rolling one.  Like I said earlier... be aware of the potential for a problem, but don't fear it.

Umm... two wheels?  Here you go!

A couple of exceptional circumstances:

1.  It's my co-driver and he tends to drive a lot rougher than I do.

2.  I believe the car was already sliding a bit, and the pavement transitioned from asphalt to rough runway concrete.

...but yes, I have had a lot of fun in this car.  I just realized this past weekend that it has a really large sweet spot.  In a sense, the car is almost too easy to drive.  Coming from autocrossing an Audi A4, I was hoping for more of a RWD experience.  As it turns out, the car is pretty tolerant and I only really have to pay attention under wet conditions.  I have never even come close to spinning.

No, I don't think I'll ever take this car to Nationals - I am way at one corner of your country, and I'd rather find a competitive co-drive.  However, I am hoping that our club's new AM car, the Vancouver Special, will be making the trip to Topeka this year to reset everyone's PAX index!  

[Mannix]

Has the Phantom slipped off into the darkness?  

I too hope that we get the Canadian Space Program's highspeed lunar lander;).  That's always impressive.  

You are way out there, but you PacNW/Vancouver people don't seem to be afraid of the trip.  I really wonder if I'd make the trek if I lived out there - the 500ish miles I've got is sometimes tough to swallow.  

Back to work, yay....


Iain

[arthurc]

The Phantom was sold back in 2002.  Its replacement has been under construction ever since then, with MANY ups and downs.  However, it looks like it no longer falls apart after 2 runs (yay!) and it should make an appearance at Packwood and Topeka this year.  The most impressive statistic I've heard is that it accelerates from 50-70MPH at over 1G!  :eek: