Won an auto-x, finally...

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

Well, it was a very small field, but I finally took STS over some punk ricers. I ran really well, so I'm happy. I even beat a fast DSP Sirocco and a DS WRX! Some kid with an FSAE car said, "Wow, I have a new respect for the Ford Escort!". I set him straight, but do I ever need to get my badges back on!

If anyone is in the Wilkes-Barre, Binghamton, or Finger Lakes region and wants to come to an event, e-mail me at:

ptm121 AT psu DOT edu

and we'll roll out together. Most of the events in this area are really cheap, and you get a lot of runs. I got 7 ~47 sec runs sunday, and was home by 5. Not bad.

Congradulations on the win.

Is that with NEPASCCA ? I was thinking about going to their event on the 19th since I have the day free right now. Only a 3.5 hour drive from my house

Nice job.

Congratulations!

Nice job, man!

I love auto-x.

Kudos to you!!!! I run with ASCC in Harrisburg and my best is 2nd in GS.

Heh, I wouldn't have a prayer in GS. The effing 2005 Mini Cooper S with LSD owns that class now. STS is actually slower, and IIRC, the pax is better.

Actually GS PAX is better.
PAX
GS 0.782
STS 0.799

And just so you know how screwed I am in PAX

ES 0.806

Ohh well I won my class in DC again today. I just need to wait for the results to be posted to see how bad I do in PAX.

Congratulations on your win in DC.

95 Sleeper and 2000SVTCountour (and others)...There is an AutoX at Northampton County Area Community College on 30 July. Will any of you be attending this one?

It's about 5 minutes from my house so I'll probably be there to check things out. Brian (Checker'd SVT) might be there also.

Oooh, are you saying if we go.. we can shack up at your place!?

Yeah, you're always welcome to "shack up" at my place Chad.

Thas Hot!

Originally posted by LilStrypedSVT:

Thas Hot!

Lol, just don't try anything funny. Christine will get her killer dogs on you

Good one Doug!
I forgot about my killer Labrador Retrievers.

Really it's only the black one that you have to worry about.

To keep this OT...any of you guys coming to the autoX? John (Chknhwk) where are you?

I'll see if I can make it. It would be great to bring a ton of 'tours to an event!

Shawn-

I know the PAX is better, but I don't think it should be. I want to win my class, not PAX better. The Coopers don't benifit much from a change to STS b/c they're so stiff and low from the factory. I would get a LOT faster from Konis and some light 15" wheels with low-pro Azenis. For the Contours, STS is the place to be!

I responded to this.

Originally posted by 95Sleeper:
Heh, I wouldn't have a prayer in GS. STS is actually slower, and IIRC, the pax is better.

But now you say this?

Originally posted by 95Sleeper:
Shawn-

I know the PAX is better, but I don't think it should be.

Should be? who knows. I know D.C. events are always won (PAX) by a certain GS mini driver but he also does well at nationals so maybe it is just the driver. I have been about 2.8 seconds behind him in PAX this year. My car is not the car to have for my class and is also not a national prep level car. (would need the newest tires and light rims as well as koni DA's and lots of tuning time.) I am running on 03 tires with 80 runs on them so far this year. Am thinking about STS2 next year for the miata but that would be about another 4K or so to get that setup.

Originally posted by 95Sleeper:
I want to win my class, not PAX better. The Coopers don't benifit much from a change to STS b/c they're so stiff and low from the factory. I would get a LOT faster from Konis and some light 15" wheels with low-pro Azenis. For the Contours, STS is the place to be!

Class winning is overated. I say run your car in whatever class you feel like comparing times against. or if you plan to mod for a class and want to be in the season points run it there. At the last winter philly event where I ran the MSP in STX if I had run it in DS I would have ended up in second place for DS and 48th in pax instead 9th place and 58 in pax (assuming I ran the same times in DS as I ran in STX) But at the time I was thinking about modding for STX in that car. After talking with some of they guys running the class including the guy with 30K into his WRX I decided I would rather keep it stock.

If you want to see how far you still have to go in STS go to one of the ASCC events to run against the civics there or get back to philly and run against corey again.

I have seen a few mini's run STX/STS and most of the drivers that are running them there do it because they have done some sort of mod that tosses them there not because they are prepping a car for the ST classes. I think when you see somebody prepping the mini for those classes you will find they can do even better in those classes. Yes they are hard sprung from the factory(that same mini driver thought the miata was softly sprung after driving mini's for a while(he is a former miata driver))

Congrats to the OP! I remember both of my STS wins last year, and it felt great whupping up on VWs and Honduhs in a grocery getter ... so much so that I bought a Miata!

You won't find a GS Mini moving to STS at all due to their LSD. However, they do pretty well in STX, with Cormier getting 2nd at Nationals last year.

The Mini does surprisingly well considering that out of the box, they have zero camber adjustments. Meaning that they chew up tires like Oprah on a canned ham.