Good AutoX tips from Andy Hollis (sometimes teaches the EVO school)

ANDY'S TOP TEN AUTOX DRIVING TIPS

[I saw these posted on another forum, and thought that they would be helpful to you guys too]

1) Position first, then speed. Positioning the car perfectly is more important than trying to attain the highest potential speed. For example, you will drop more time by correctly positioning the car nearer to slalom cones than you will by adding 1 or 2 MPH in speed. Same with sweepers (tight line). Same with 90-degree turns (use all of the track). Also, position is a prerequisite for speed. If you are not in the correct place, you will not be able go faster. Or at least not for very long!

2) Turn earlier...and less. To go faster, the arc you are running must be bigger. A bigger arc requires less steering. To make a bigger arc that is centered in the same place, the arc must start sooner (turn earlier).

3) Brake earlier...and less. Waiting until the last possible second approaching a turn and then dropping anchor at precisely the correct place so that the desired entry speed is reached exactly as you come to the turn-in point is quite difficult to execute consistently. Especially when you consider that you get no practice runs on the course, and the surface changes on every run, and you aren't likely to be in exactly the same position with the same approach speed on every run, etc. Better to start braking a little earlier to give some margin of error. And by braking less you can either add or subtract braking effort as you close in on the turn-in point. This will make you consistent and smooth.

4) Lift early instead of braking later. Continuing with the philosophy of #3, when you need to reduce speed only a moderate amount, try an early lift of the throttle instead of a later push of the brake. This is less upsetting to the car, is easier to do and thus more consistent, and allows for more precise placement entering the maneuver (remember #1 above).

5) Easier to add speed in a turn than to get rid of it. If you are under the limit, a slight push of the right foot will get you more speed with no additional side effects. On the other hand, if you are too fast and the tires have begun slipping, you can only reduce throttle and wait until the tires turn enough of that excess energy into smoke and heat. Don't use your tires as brakes!

6) Use your right foot to modulate car position in constant radius turns, not the steering wheel. In a steady state turn, once you have established the correct steering input to maintain that arc, lifting the throttle slightly will let the car tuck in closer to the inside cones. Conversely, slightly increasing the throttle will push the car out a bit farther to avoid inside cones. It is much easier to make small corrections in position with slight variations in the tires' slip angle (that's what you are doing with the throttle) than with the steering wheel.

7) Unwind the wheel, then add power. If the car is using all of the tire's tractive capacity to corner, there is none left for additional acceleration. At corner exit, as you unwind the wheel, you make some available. If you do not unwind the wheel, the tire will start to slide and the car will push out (see #6 above).

Attack the back. For slaloms (also applicable to most offsets), getting close to the cones is critical for quick times (see #1). To get close, we must move the car less, which means bigger arcs. Bigger arcs come from less steering and require earlier turning (see #2). Now for the fun part... When you go by a slalom cone and start turning the steering wheel back the other way, when does the car start to actually change direction? Answer: When the wheel crosses the center point (Not when you first start turning back!) How long does that take? If you are smooth, it takes .25 - .5 seconds. Now, how long is a typical person's reaction time? Answer: about .5 seconds. Finally, how long does it take to go between slalom cones? Answer: Typically on the order of 1 second. Given all of that, your brain must make the decision to begin turning the steering wheel back the other way just *before* you go by the previous cone!!

Since this is a mental issue, a good visualization technique to get used to this is to think about trying to run over the back side of each slalom cone with the inside rear tire of the car. To hit it with the rear tire (and not the front), the car must be arcing well before the cone and the arc must be shallow. Attack the back!

9) Hands follow the eyes, car follows the hands. 'Nuf said.

10) Scan ahead, don't stare. Keep the eyes moving. Looking ahead does not mean staring ahead. Your eyes must be constantly moving forward and back, and sometimes left and right. Glance forward, glance back. Your brain can only operate on the information you give it.

Bonus Tip: Don't forget the stuff in between the marked maneuvers! Too often we think of a course as series of discrete maneuvers. There is typically more to be gained or lost in the areas that are in between. Pay special attention to the places where there are no cones.

--
Brian

 

thanks man i was looking for some tips before i do my first auto-x next month but it looks like alot of this is for people who have been doing this for awhile. i am extremely nervous and am still not sure i want to do it, but I know if I back out now i will never have the balls to do it later. any advice for someone just starting out?

 

i am doing it at the subaru challenge next month i dont think they let you have anyone ride along. i know they will let me walk the course which was one of my biggest concerns.

 

Works excellent for N/A and supercharged cars...

However, turbo cars that do not spool instantly requires a completely different driving style in regards to throttle input and timing.

I hate the 2.0L WRX.

 

i haven't done an autoX yet either, but i think the most important thing of all time is...





they're just cones, they won't hold a grudge if you hit them

 

Andy Hollis gave me the nick name of "dirty girl" once when I had hit 10 cones over the course of 3 runs... little did I know that I had busted my control arm tab and had no effective front sway bar.

Amanda don't be nervous... there are plenty of "noobs" showing up and everybody was a noob at one point . Brett is the only noob that we make fun of. We should be doing ride alongs so hop in with as many people as you can and feel free to grab an instructor when you do run. Also show up early so you can get as many course walks in as possible.

 

thanks, zach told me they are just cones and the most he is gonna do is just be pulling them out from under my car for days. i tend to get nervous when other people are in the car with me trying to teach me something at times because when i was learning to drive i had my mother screaming at me the whole time. I tend to learn better by watching and you can ask zach if i ride with someone for so long i start to pick up their driving habits.

 

Just don't pick up bad habits.... and I never really drive along with my husband anymore due to differences in driving style. I've found it works better to get an instructor that is not your significant other. Besides my SO prefers 100hp hondas ;P some guys just can't handle horsepower.

 

Yes it's time to pass the torch to Keith... you are right. But you will always be Brent to me, Brent.

 

its been good to learn how to drive a manual trans car but he drifts so riding with him to learn auto-x is probably not the best idea. i guess i will have to see who i can jump in with at the subie challenge.

 

What car are you going to be doing it in? I had my first autox about a month ago. It's an absolute blast!

Don't worry if there isn't a novice instructor present, they don't do much else out of the ordinary. Just walk the course as many times as you can. Then when you think you've done it enough, walk it some more. Before I got out there I was shitting bricks, especially when I was in the car on my way to the start. But once you hit the throttle and get moving it all leaves you head. You end up focusing on nothing but the drive ahead. Remember that the rev limiter is your friend and that you have more than one lap. The first lap can be horrible and crap, it doesn't matter you WILL get faster.

For me it all came down to learning the course more and more. On my final lap I felt I knew the course like the back of my hand, in fact I still remember it now! Just relax as much as you can, ignore everyone elses times and just have fun!

 

thanks man thats what i needed to hear.

i will be driving a 1993 anniversary edition SVX. yes the edition is importatnt to how the car runs cause it has the boxer engine.

 

i only teach EVERYTHING newb :gaysex:

 

I think all SVX's have a H6 boxer engine. Hmm not sure about your auto tranny and how the gearing is but preload it on the line. Then just drive it like you stole it!

 

my daddy lied to me he told me they were the only ones with the boxer engine but appaertly according to mr. racecar aka tougetuned this car was geared more towards performance. ... i have 3 more horsepower than a stock wrx? but i guess my weight negates that

 

The H6 is a good engine, I was semi-planning on dropping one in my late Suby. Have you done the exhaust on it yet? Some of the sound clips on youtube are like Ferrari/Aston bastard childs. You've got some good power there and don't have to worry about turbo lag. Just go out there viewing it as a legal opportunity to drive crazy!

 

good point, no we havent toughed her my first big thigh was going to be to get her repainted cause one she is the anniversary edition, and she is #23 off the line out of 301 so i want her to look better then she does, then we were going to see about putting a cold air intake on her.

 

Bah bugger the painting! Put an exhaust on there and then some coilovers and you'll be smiling from ear to ear!

 

lol she already sounds mean! but yea that was next after the cold air intake

 

There will be plenty of seasoned autoxers there to help out.... you'll have your choice of national trophy winner drivers:
There is karen kraus 2008 DSL champion
her codriver Prosolo DS winner Justin Rest
multi-time national trophy winner Steven Rankins
national trophy winner Jay Parcon
multi-time National Tour winner Steven Kornhaus

 

I can't wait...Just make sure you have fun!!!

 

thanks for all the help guys i appreciate it, now its time to take a deep breath and just do it.

 

i thought all fairly recent subarus had boxer engines ??

 

And don't forget the newly crowned autocross king...Brett. :bowdown:

This event is all about fun. You'll do great and if you don't, who cares.

 

Sorry clay there is no national "I beat Clay in Meredith's Car" Title.....

Edit: Guys are always asking me if I have any sisters that autox..... Trust me any chick out there autoxing is cool!

 

well i'm sure there's only so many cones you can kill before they get upset with you...

and it really is about FUN... unless you're a really competitive person. you get to go out there for chump change and throw your car around in a way that would normally get you a ticket.

 

^^ Amen

 

i've noticed some how i have attracted this guy that likes car and drifts and i cant get him out of my house now, he wants to marry me and keep me for ever ... lol, i had some guys on another forum ask me if i had sisters, the answer was yes i do, and no you cant date them.

 

After going to nationals for the first time..... I enjoy myself so much more at regular autoxs... if people are serious they should be beating you at nationals cause that's the only time it really matters . The rest is just for fun and practice! To me the real fun is improving my driving, meeting new people and hearing my hubby moan about me destroying tires.

And no matter how many cones you hit I'm sure Brian has hit more in one run

 

He didn't earn the Cone Carnage name by being nice to cones.

 

so try to hit less cones than brian, dont be a noobface like brett and just have fun? that about right?

 

Why is Brett a noobface?

 

The Justy and 360 was the only USDM SUBARU that did not have a horizontally opposed engine.

Otherwise there is a decent list of other models that SUBARU produced that do not have H4's or H6's.

 

Actually we just give Brent crap all the time.... Keith (lost in the woods) is the real noob.....

Also Keith has been to more autoxs than most people but still hasn't drove at all. Keith is banned from riding in my car until he *actually* autoxes.

 

lol ok well i hope you all will watch and get a good laugh at me trying to do this. cause its going to be a bigger distaster than the first time i drove the WRX

 

Trust me the only thing I've laughed at was a grassroots challenge car that was a mid 80s mitsubishi mirage hatchback with stock suspenion and like 300 whp cause that car was just funny loooking.

 

lol yea i would probably laugh at that to.

 

thats going to be me so please dont laugh! you can after when we are trying to figure out how i got a cone somewhere it shouldnt have gone.

 

:rofl: was this a certain Matt?

I've heard a couple of complaints about the course layout last week, people saying it was too easy to get lost on.

 

There was one section in particular where a lot of people DNF'd, including myself. I'm pretty sure I didn't get close to any people though!