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My car also seemed to have a bit of an understeer to it, but it might just be my lack of skills. One of the things I learned was that doing suspension modifications to your car is pointless until you modify the driver. I was told that if I had money to spend on shocks and springs, I should spend it on a driving class instead. I need to first know the limits and weaknesses of my vehicle before I can properly tune it, and I certainly didn’t hit the limits yet. Modifications need to be done to suit your driving style and your vehicle’s weaknesses.
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| Case in point. This kid had never autocrossed before. He was sure he’d do great in his highly-modified Honda. This car had a lot of expensive parts; it had a roll cage, chassis bracing, real carbon parts for lightening, and expensive coilovers. But when you have one centimeter of suspension travel, all the suspension mods in the world aren’t going to help you. Time and again, I watched this car go into a corner strong, hit its bumpstops, and then snap-understeer like a behemoth. Yeah, “Hellaflush” works great on the track. |
I think I know what I need to do next time, though. I need to accelerate more and longer (I was only full-throttle off the start line and on one straight). I need to brake harder (I never even hit ABS). And most of all, I need to stop letting the car coast; I should be on the brake or on the throttle at all times.
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I can’t think of a way to have more fun with your car for under $50. And not only is it fun, it lets you explore how your vehicle handles at the limit. Autocross lets you get into motorsports without having a purpose-built race car or even a second vehicle. You can “race” your car around a closed course in an environment where the most damage you’ll do if you mess up is killing a traffic cone. It teaches you a lot about how to properly drive a vehicle and how to properly set up a suspension. You’ll meet a group of fellow gearheads who share a passion for automobiles. But most of all, you’ll have a lot of fun.
But I’ll warn you—it’s addictive. I can’t wait for the next event.
