GT350 Autocross

[nastang87xx]

Enjoy. This was my first run of the day this last weekend so there's a few clear mistakes. But it was a great time. Running AS on Hankook RS3 v2 305/30-19 all the way around. It's a wild friggin' ride.

[ame]

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[TDC]

Nice run. Compared with a track day I feel the autocross really makes the heft of the GT350 apparent. However, my runs were on factory rubber. How did you like the Hancooks?

 

[GT_Dave]

Good video . . . Looks like we are at about the same level for autocross. Those Hankook tires seem to have less traction than the Michelins.

 

[nastang87xx]

Thanks guys.

The problem right away I noticed is that they need some heat. I should have line locked em for a second before firing away. The traction between the SS's and the RS3's is pretty close but the RS3's have an advantage in side wall stiffness and tight corner grip. The Michelins I think are a tad hard for autocross with a softer side wall. Great for track of course but not ideal for autocross. The RS3's I think will be a good all 'rounder for me. I like the SS's more on the street but we'll get there when we get there with wheels and all that stuff.

 

[nastang87xx]

Nice run. Compared with a track day I feel the autocross really makes the heft of the GT350 apparent.

It feels lighter than it is but it's still clearly a heavier car. It's pretty outclassed in AS unless you have a DRIVER behind the wheel to exploit all of those tiny little things that make the GT350 so hilariously nimble...with the right driver. I'm not one of them.

Let's just face it, for normal mortals, the C5 Z06 at 3200'ish lbs with almost the same footprint is just outclassing us. You just don't get a chance to use all 526 horsepower in the car.

 

[Shift]

Good stuff man! By the way, is that a superman combo I spot?

 

[Minn19]

Cool video, thanks for posting. I've done a few track days before, but never an autocross. So stupid question. Does it look as hard to see where the eff to go in person as it does on the video? I'm doing my first one in a couple of weeks and this make me a little nervous to do something :headbonk:. Looked really fun though.

Also, I have a tech pack car. Anybody have any issues with the dreaded limp mode while doing autox? I'm thinking since they are such quick runs no, but thought I'd ask.

 

[TDC]

Minn, tech pack here and to date no limp mode at track, autocross or on street.

In my opinion you really want to walk the course 2 times and try and get the course layout figured because yes you can go off course easily. My 1st time I went on the wrong side of cones for 4 of the 6 runs because I didn't walk the course. The 2nd time I walked it twice and had it straight in my head and never went off course.

 

[Minn19]

Minn, tech pack here and to date no limp mode at track, autocross or on street.

In my opinion you really want to walk the course 2 times and try and get the course layout figured because yes you can go off course easily. My 1st time I went on the wrong side of cones for 4 of the 6 runs because I didn't walk the course. The 2nd time I walked it twice and had it straight in my head and never went off course.

Thanks for the info and the advice. I definitely plan to get there a bit early and walk the course. Will try and familiarize myself as much as possible with the layout before my first run.

I'm looking forward to this, like I said it is the first time I've done it, but this is at an airport and has a little twist. After the last corner they have a 1/2 mile top speed run on the runway. I'm not real familiar with my car yet, but getting a run at it in second, I figure I should be moving pretty good at the end of the 1/2 mile.

 

[nastang87xx]

Good stuff man! By the way, is that a superman combo I spot?

Yep! It was actually a mistake by the dealer, I originally decide on black stripe white accent but the combo has grown on me. I relate it back to Ford Performance colors.

 

[nastang87xx]

Cool video, thanks for posting. I've done a few track days before, but never an autocross. So stupid question. Does it look as hard to see where the eff to go in person as it does on the video? I'm doing my first one in a couple of weeks and this make me a little nervous to do something :headbonk:. Looked really fun though.

Also, I have a tech pack car. Anybody have any issues with the dreaded limp mode while doing autox? I'm thinking since they are such quick runs no, but thought I'd ask.

If there is one huge piece of advice I can give you is look ahead constantly. It feels weird at first but if you look ahead, you can set yourself up correctly because unlike a track, it's not completely laid out for you. There's decision making involved that can differ from car to car. Apexes aren't necessarily immediately obvious and things happen FAST. It may seem like stuff goes on quicker at 120 MPH on a track but on autocross there's a lot more going on even at say 30 or 40 MPH.

Don't worry about limp mode. You're out on course for about 60 - 70 seconds depending on course and autocross is about as hard on your car as doing a spirited pull onto the highway. Brakes on the other hand......

 

[Spacebird]

Good stuff man! By the way, is that a superman combo I spot?

My thoughts exactly! It works on this car.

 

[Minn19]

If there is one huge piece of advice I can give you is look ahead constantly. It feels weird at first but if you look ahead, you can set yourself up correctly because unlike a track, it's not completely laid out for you. There's decision making involved that can differ from car to car. Apexes aren't necessarily immediately obvious and things happen FAST. It may seem like stuff goes on quicker at 120 MPH on a track but on autocross there's a lot more going on even at say 30 or 40 MPH.

Don't worry about limp mode. You're out on course for about 60 - 70 seconds depending on course and autocross is about as hard on your car as doing a spirited pull onto the highway. Brakes on the other hand......

After doing a couple of HPDEs and BMWs M school with instructors, the main theme is keeping your vision constantly where you want to go. After watching your video and how quick the corners come up, I can see what you mean about the difference between this and a traditional track. No pun intended. ;)

 

[Leonard]

Does it look as hard to see where the eff to go in person as it does on the video? I'm doing my first one in a couple of weeks and this make me a little nervous to do something :headbonk:. Looked really fun though.

Apex cones are always hard to pick out on video -- it will be easier in person. Walk the course MULTIPLE times. The first course -- you're just getting an idea for where the course goes and deciding which cones are the apex cones. The apex cones are the important ones as they define the line you drive -- the rest of the cones are mostly unimportant.

When walking the course it helps to squat down from time to time -- You stand taller than you sit in the car so the higher perspective looks different than the sitting perspective in the car. Sometimes something that looks fine when standing can appear to be a 'sea of cones' at car level. Squatting helps you identify those spots. Also elevation changes can cause cones that are visible when standing to be hard to see behind a hill when in the car. The better you learn the course before your runs the better you'll be able to find your way through it 'in the moment'...

 

[nastang87xx]

Another tip, do NOT use Track Mode for autocross. Use Sport Mode instead with Traction and Stability off (a slow count to 5 holding the traction control button). It is entirely way too stiff and has trouble with putting the power down. Often times with autocross, you're pretty much in the meat of the powerband such as right around 4000 - 6500 RPM so you're at max torque constantly. Get ready to manage some oversteer. Take it easy on the throttle even though you'll be tempted to just go for it. Do a nice count in your head as you're rolling into the gas coming out of a corner, think of a nice and easy "one one-thousand". If you don't, big smoke show will be coming lol.

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