New owner / autocrosser

B

Bentiac

Member
Hi folks,

I traded in my 06 CS RX8 for a Mazda 2 last night and I'm already loving it... Plan is to autocross this in RTF - HS. I've got a lot of reading to do but here is my plan so far:

-TRMotorsport C1 wheels http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=C157042400CG&wheelMake=TRMotorsport&wheelModel=C1&wheelFinish=Light+Grey+Painted&showRear=no&autoMake=Mazda&autoModel=Mazda2&autoYear=2013&autoModClar=Sport&filterFinish=All&filterSize=All&filterBrand=All&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Weight
-195 Direzza ZII
-Corksport shocks
-K&N drop in
-HP Plus brake pads
-Possibly an A/C delete

Does this sound about right? What are your thoughts on a thicker sway bar? What about a lighter muffler?

Any feedback is appreciated.
 
He is getting the shocks to run in RTF-HS. Not STF

Oh and welcome. The 2 is great for going fast, or just having fun like me.
 
02semiata said:
OOOO I though he was going to start in HS and move to STF I didnt notice it said RTF. My bad. Then again he listed A/C delete soooo lol
Click to expand...

A/C delete shouldn't be illegal based on the Canadian models. I basically got the base model with the A/C package and the only reason was that they didn't have a base model without A/C in the province and they would have had to bring me one from elsewhere. In stock classes, as long as you make all changes to another offered trim / remove all components of anything that wasn't standard, you'll stay legal. I'm not sure if the models offered in US come with a standar A/C or not.

As far as tires go, I have to deal with a lot of rainy events where temperatures could be reasonably high... if I had to have a single set of tires for both dry and wet days, the direzza I think would be the better choice.

Thanks for the tips on the RSB... and I'll have to stick with the corksport in my class.

This car is going to take me some time to get ready for the class but meanwhile I'll autox it for fun and post videos.
 
kwaits92 said:
If you switch front sway bars I hear the fiesta bar fits and is thicker.
Click to expand...

Good to know! But is the front roll so much that upgrading the FSB would show an improvement? Or is it just going to cause more understeer? I wonder if anyone has tried both and can share their experience.
 
I you have autocrossed before RTF or HS are going to be an up battle against Mini's and Fit's, and Mazda 3's; I would go straight to STF.

If this is the beginning of your autocross passion get decent tires and get seat time.

Andres
 
I've been autocrossing for 8-9 years now but haven't been as active lately and have been mid-packing. I'll consider STF... didn't realize the 2 was more competitive there... but come to think of it I saw Andy Hollis win STF at NT a couple of years ago (then again he is Andy Hollis). I've got some researching to do :) I made the mistake of competing in CS vs. STX with my 8 and the MR2s, FRSs and special edition NCs killed me.
 
One thing I've noticed about my 2 is that the windows tend to fog in humid weather, hot or cold, and the AC is the only really effective way to prevent it. I'm not sure how much difference in times you'd see from removing it, but it might be worth keeping in the car just to keep the windows clear between runs.
 
Bentiac said:
I've been autocrossing for 8-9 years now but haven't been as active lately and have been mid-packing. I'll consider STF... didn't realize the 2 was more competitive there... but come to think of it I saw Andy Hollis win STF at NT a couple of years ago (then again he is Andy Hollis). I've got some researching to do :) I made the mistake of competing in CS vs. STX with my 8 and the MR2s, FRSs and special edition NCs killed me.
Click to expand...

Yes, Andy Hollis is an amazing driver and he is a bible of knowledge, I learned a lot from him, but that doesn't mean the car with a decent driver can't win as well; it might take seat time and practice , we proved it. As an experienced autocrosser you might get frustrated in HS or RTF because the competitiveness of the sport at higher level. STF is a lot of fun and you will Pax first locally at every event and Nationally you can be recognized. The STF book is written , just read it !! and enjoy it.

PS. I might be selling my KSport set up if you are interested ( we beat David Heddricks with it at Blytheville).

Andres
 
don't go building a HS 2 just yet, talks of combining HS and GS next year will make the 2 less competitive in stock class. If you do buy shocks i believe koni is working on some inserts :)
 
Bentiac said:
Hi folks,

I traded in my 06 CS RX8 for a Mazda 2 last night and I'm already loving it... Plan is to autocross this in RTF - HS. I've got a lot of reading to do but here is my plan so far:

-TRMotorsport C1 wheels http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/WheelCloseUpServlet?target=runWheelSearch&initialPartNumber=C157042400CG&wheelMake=TRMotorsport&wheelModel=C1&wheelFinish=Light+Grey+Painted&showRear=no&autoMake=Mazda&autoModel=Mazda2&autoYear=2013&autoModClar=Sport&filterFinish=All&filterSize=All&filterBrand=All&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&filterWeight=All&sort=Weight
-195 Direzza ZII
-Corksport shocks
-K&N drop in
-HP Plus brake pads
-Possibly an A/C delete

Does this sound about right? What are your thoughts on a thicker sway bar? What about a lighter muffler?

Any feedback is appreciated.
Click to expand...

Welcome to the club. I daily-drive my 2 and it is stupid fast in the twisties around my house, even on the OE tires. I have currently dialed it back from its championship-winning setup to something that my wife is more willing to tolerate on the bumpy roads in the city, and may be dialing it back some more to something legal for the Stock (err...Street) category.

Your planned mod list is good. Once past the obvious wheel/tire selection, the single most important thing to do is get some more rear roll resistance, which in Stock has to come from a rear bar. I use the Racing Beat piece, as it is larger than the others. The other biggie is shocks, though for Stock you'll be limited to things that will fit the OE springs. Without good shocks, you will overshoot the springs in transitions causing a lot more wheel lifting and body roll...possibly dangerously so (there is a pic floating around of a 2 way up on 2 running in HS on Hoosiers. No, I won't post it).

Note that the above is a bit of a guess, as it is quite possible that using a larger front sway will actually help more than the rear bar. Larger front bar will reduce body roll, limiting the tendency for the front to decamber in a turn, thus improving front grip. Without testing, it is hard to know for sure whether that effect is larger than the change in relative roll resistance, front-to-rear. The chassis is fairly stiff, so the rear bar may limit the body roll enough, while still providing better balance. Luckily, bars are cheap (compared to other stuff). That answer will depend a lot on shock selection.

The second most important thing is power (or fixing the lack of it). Taking it to an extreme for Stock, you'd replace everything from the second cat rearward. That saves weight and also unlocks some power. It will be a bit boomy depending on muffler selection. Don't cheap out. I like the Burns/Coast Fab products.

Curious...do Canadian cars even have two cats?

Oh yeah, skip the brake pads. OE brakes are plenty. You'll hate HP+ pads on that car. Way too much bite. HPS would be better, but don't do well cold...which you will get a lot of where you live. Just stick to OE.

Edit: Thinking about weather in the PNW some more, a rear bar is "adjustable" in the sense that you can loosen the attachment clamps. This could be VERY useful in wet weather running. Otherwise, the car can be a handful in low-grip situations, when it is setup for high grip.
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the tips Andy! I'll have to get under the car to figure out the cats. We have had to deal with noise restrictions of 89db at our local pad so I have to be extra careful with the exhaust. I used to run the 8 without a muffler and just an L-pipe right out of the cat... on a dry day i would measure at 89 db but much higher on humid days... might need to experiment with that on the 2... but exhaust is probably the last on my list along with A/C delete.

As far as the sway bars go, I guess I need some experimenting. A couple of cars back (an olds Alero in GS) I tried both front sway and rear sway upgrade and the FSB + neutral toe in the back worked great and I preferred it over the RSB.

I too need to keep wife in mind when picking the class but I'm more leaning towards STF after doing a bit of research. (Might stay in RTF-HS for a year though). The .799 HS paxing of 2012 was great but doesn't sound like we will be going back to that.

The best thing about the 2 so far is cheap cheap parts! With the money I had to spend on a set of A6s for the RX8, I can get coilovers + wheels + set of Direzza ZII. With the amount I save on gas in 1 year (just at the events), I can get bars and more. I can finally race without going broke...
 
So I have my first two Autox coming up in the next two weeks, I bought the TRM C1 wheels and ZII tires for now but will probably get a more dry appropriate tire + UL / Enkei later. This should be enough to keep me entertained for the next nine winter events and keep me in RTF HS. Coilovers and swaybars next summer and start of an STF build.

I'll post results and video!
 
Did my first autocross in the 2 this weekend... I had a big smile on my face the whole day! Had good improvements through out the day but could have used a few more runs to learn the car better. 2nd/9 in RTF and 19th / 71 overall.

I could have benefited from a rear sway bar. I think my plan is to get an adjustable RSB for this winter until next summer when I move to STF.

Video and pics:
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showthread.php?123803843-Autocross-Pictures-and-Videos&p=6219096&viewfull=1#post6219096
 
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