Mazdaspeed Protege D Stock Tire pressures.

[griswold]

Having to adjust your driving style to any changes you make to a car are just as important as the changes to the car themselves.

You may think that your car is very loose and oversteers, whereas I may think that the car is too tight.

Being able to adapt and change driving style in different cars is what makes a good/fast driver. But, I will say, that setting up the car so that it is fast for you is more important than what is fast for someone else.

It just takes alot of seat time and tuning, but don't discount what other people think is fast, it can give you a starting point.

Thanks. Yeah, the reason I posted this was that I was taking the old "rule" of add 10 psi to stock as a starting point. It seemed to work okay, but I know that it wasn't optimal. I figured the feedback I'd get here would point me in the right direction to get started.

 

[khaosman]

Since we are talking tire pressures, what psi do you recommend in rcomps (v700s)? I haven't messed with them much, being as I'm still getting used to them. I believe I they were at 32psi.

Also this thread is very informative! Great read

 

[apexlater]

Since we are talking tire pressures, what psi do you recommend in rcomps (v700s)? I haven't messed with them much, being as I'm still getting used to them. I believe I they were at 32psi.

Also this thread is very informative! Great read

I would start at 36 all around. Mark the sidewalls on the fronts and see how much they are rolling on the shoulder. Adjust from there.

Adjust the rear pressures for how you want the car to rotate. Less for progressive oversteer, alot more for snappier oversteer.

Note: You can make the fronts roll onto the shoulder with high pressures and really bad cornering techniques. Don't overdrive the limits of adhesion the tire allows. A little slip angle is needed, but not an excessive amount.

 

[aMaff]

quick note for street tire users. I just remembered this from the last event I ran in the P5. I had the pressures at +5 in the rear and in the 1st session I was having really bad oversteer issues. For the 2nd session, I evened out the pressures front to rear, and, for that course at least, the car was very VERY neutral, and I ended up taking a class win that day (beat a WRX wagon, alson on streets ) with the times in the 2nd session being a good deal quicker than the 1st.

Just an observation...sometimes neutral > oversteer...but understeer always sucks...

 

[griswold]

Since we are talking tire pressures, what psi do you recommend in rcomps (v700s)? I haven't messed with them much, being as I'm still getting used to them. I believe I they were at 32psi.

Also this thread is very informative! Great read

LIke apex metioned, 36 is probably a good starting point. The race tires will have stiffer side walls and won't need as much pressure. My buddy was running those Victoracers on a miata and was in great shape at 35-36 psi. Granted he's very light at 2200lbs.

Back to streets, last year I was running 38ish on the stock potenzas and I've been much happier with the new Rs2's at 41+... at least on the recent course.

In 2 weeks I have another event. I'm going to try 42 front, 44 rear. I'll post results...

 

[khaosman]

I would start at 36 all around. Mark the sidewalls on the fronts and see how much they are rolling on the shoulder. Adjust from there.

Adjust the rear pressures for how you want the car to rotate. Less for progressive oversteer, alot more for snappier oversteer.

Note: You can make the fronts roll onto the shoulder with high pressures and really bad cornering techniques. Don't overdrive the limits of adhesion the tire allows. A little slip angle is needed, but not an excessive amount.

Alright, will try, thanks! I didn't get to run the rcomps on Sunday as we were racing in torrential rainfall (ughdance) It was pretty fun though and a new experience for me.

 

[griswold]

Wow. Just got the results. Did much better than I though. Placed 2nd in class! Nipping on the heels of first too. A little tuning and hopefully I'll get it next time.

 

[aMaff]

Wow. Just got the results. Did much better than I though. Placed 2nd in class! Nipping on the heels of first too. A little tuning and hopefully I'll get it next time.

good job. You can save some weight by taking that girl off of your hood too (peep)

 

[griswold]

good job. You can save some weight by taking that girl off of your hood too (peep)

Thanks.

Lol. Yeah, that was a friend of a friend putting a calendar together. He was begging for people to bring cars to his shoot a few years ago. Bastid never even got me a copy of it either.

 

[aMaff]

Thanks.

Lol. Yeah, that was a friend of a friend putting a calendar together. He was begging for people to bring cars to his shoot a few years ago. Bastid never even got me a copy of it either.

damn that sux lol at least you got the pic...

 

[khaosman]

Wow. Just got the results. Did much better than I though. Placed 2nd in class! Nipping on the heels of first too. A little tuning and hopefully I'll get it next time.

Congrats! I'm curious, what car took first?

 

[griswold]

Congrats! I'm curious, what car took first?

A miata pax'd out just ahead of me...

It was a BMWCCA autocross event, so I wound up in G class, which is stock car, street tires. They then pax'd me on D stock scca rules.

 

[gar777]

You will notice a HUGE difference if you get a more "performance" alignment done. Start with about 1/16" to 1/8" total toe out in the front and zero toe in the rear. This should help immensely with turn-in and get the back to rotate more.

I was running up to about 1/4" to 3/8" total toe out in the rear when I was running the MP3...that's alot...but that's what it took for the car to rotate the way I wanted to with the r-comps. And you absolutely do NOT want to run on the street with that alignment for very long.

It was sketchy enough just getting to and from the events with that alignment.

I run zero toe f/r and it's a good compromise for street/autox/track driving. my tire wear seem no worse than normal and the car changes direction much better than with the stock alignment. it is a bit more twitchy on the highway but that's part of the fun--not scary twitchy, just willing to go where you point it quickly. it sure makes life easier not having to try to change the alignment all the time, but I may be giving up some time on the autox course for the convenience.

 

[dolphin]

First let me say that I am not a National driver. I have been autocrossing off and on for closing in on 40 years. I have also done a little road racing, a couple of stage Rallys and taught a little driving while I lived overseas.
With this introduction, only part of the reason that the fastest runs seldom feel that fast is physical. The other part is mental. If you are thinking while you are autocrossing, you are probably late reacting. A good run can often seems like a video game.
There are several reasons everyone tells you to look ahead. One is so that your eye sees where you need to go and during the time you watch your brain figures out what to do to get there. Your mind is ahead of the car and can make small adjustments rather than larger adjustments, to get the car to where you are looking. If you are intensely focused on the path, you don't notice the driving it took to get you there.
That is why autocross schools like the Evolution School, in addition to the physical control of the car, also teach you to visualize the course. Before your first run, you should already know where you plan to be, roughly what you need to do to get there and what comes next.
An autocross is like drag racing in that how you set up at the start line effects the first part of the course. While your car is on the start line, you should be looking down the course to your first gate.
After your first run, you run it through in your mind to see where you can improve your time. Notice, improve your time, not go faster. Sometimes, slower is quicker and the Evolution courses are designed to demonstrate this among other things.

Does this make any sense?

 

[griswold]

First let me say that I am not a National driver. I have been autocrossing off and on for closing in on 40 years. I have also done a little road racing, a couple of stage Rallys and taught a little driving while I lived overseas.
With this introduction, only part of the reason that the fastest runs seldom feel that fast is physical. The other part is mental. If you are thinking while you are autocrossing, you are probably late reacting. A good run can often seems like a video game.
There are several reasons everyone tells you to look ahead. One is so that your eye sees where you need to go and during the time you watch your brain figures out what to do to get there. Your mind is ahead of the car and can make small adjustments rather than larger adjustments, to get the car to where you are looking. If you are intensely focused on the path, you don't notice the driving it took to get you there.
That is why autocross schools like the Evolution School, in addition to the physical control of the car, also teach you to visualize the course. Before your first run, you should already know where you plan to be, roughly what you need to do to get there and what comes next.
An autocross is like drag racing in that how you set up at the start line effects the first part of the course. While your car is on the start line, you should be looking down the course to your first gate.
After your first run, you run it through in your mind to see where you can improve your time. Notice, improve your time, not go faster. Sometimes, slower is quicker and the Evolution courses are designed to demonstrate this among other things.

Does this make any sense?

Yeah, one of the things I've been trying to do is look further down the course. I used to fixate on where I was at that exact time and would eventually wind up going off course. I've gotten better and planning ahead and navigating. I had no off course runs last time, which is amazing for me.

I usually get my best times when I get progressively slower times and then say to myself, "Wait, dial back the aggressiveness and concentrate on smoothness."

Of course it usually takes me two or three runs to get to that point...

Thanks for the tips.