Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Autocross and Open Track 1st AutoX of the year

I finally went to the first Solo II of the year today in Buffalo. I'm happy that I improved quite a bit. I used to be about 5 seconds behind the average time, but I was right above the average today and got 28th out of 94 overall. The car was having a little problem on the course though... It seemed like it was out of fuel after one of the right hand 180. The car was bogging really bad for a second or two before accelerating again. First I thought it was because I was running with 1/4 tank of gas so I went to the gas station and filled it up to over 1/2 but the problem was still there... I wonder what's going on. That alone probably caused me a second or two (I was less than 2 seconds behind the 1st place SVT Focus).

Congrats on the nice improvement. 28th of 94 is a great showing for your first event of the year. It took me a couple events before I get up to speed after the break.

As to your bogging problem... I really don't think it is a fuel tank (1/4 full vs. 1/2 full) issue. I have been running most events with the fuel light on, sometimes ending my runs with more than a needle's width below the red line. I have had no fuel delivery problems.

You might try replacing your fuel filter if you have not done so in a while. Additionally, you might also look into removing your upper and lower intake manifolds and giving them a good cleaning. I am definitely due for the latter.

I have noticed bogging exiting slow 180s that I did not downshift to 1st gear. The motor just doesn't pull hard from real low RPMs. Problem is that if you do downshift to 1st gear, your car is loaded up on one side exiting the turn, so now, with high RPMs and torque, you spin the inside front wheel trying to accelerate. Bit of a Catch-22.

On a side note, those SVT Foci are pretty fast through the cones. While I don't feel they are going to be competitive Divisionally or Nationally, they are capable of giving the Contour a run for its money. I just got back from a South Bend,IN event where a SVT Focus showed up on Hoosiers. I had a stellar last run, and beat him by a little bit. That run put me 2nd overall in PAX, just behind former FM National Champion Scott Nardin. I was shaking when I got out of the car. One of the corner workers came up to me as I was changing tires and told me I had the car up on two wheels through a sweeping left-hander. I have only seen a few cars ever do that, so I it is hard for me to believe... But it was a fast run. :rolleyes:

Just want to explain it a little better. The 28th out of 94 placing was after the time adjustment based on the class I was running. Not sure if that's how everybody else do it though.

As for my car, the fuel filter has been replaced a few months ago, so was the fuel injector wiring harnesses. Maybe you're right about the dirty intake manifolds. I have to look into that. Those bogging really slowed me down a bit.

Ditto. I finally figured this out on my 3rd run at my last event, and shaved 2 or 3 seconds off my best of the day. Still sucked, but the lesson was obvious. Sometimes, you just have to downshift. Later, other drivers were saying the same thing, that on that course on that day, it seemed the more they shifted the faster they went.

Even with my rough, ham-fisted shifting, the improvement was significant.

This is weird... Why would the car do it after 180's? It doesn't happen if I'm just flooring it going straight.

I have noticed this in a few instances besides 180s. It is just that, typically, this is the only way this symptom manifests itself on AutoX courses.

For instance, on the street, when approaching a red light, I will slow, downshift to 2nd, and nearly come to a stop... The light turns green before I halt completely, and I floor it, experiencing the same bogging of the engine.

With 106K on my odometer, I think I am well overdue for a cleaning of the intake. I suspect that this may help, though not totally alleviate, the problem.

hth

For me I think it's psychological. Everything on course goes by so quickly that I feel like I'm going fast. Tight 180's offer a particular challenge, because there is quite a bit to think about at that moment, the outside cones are flying by (not that I would notice if my eyes were in the right place), and I'm fighting with the g's to stay in my seat. I feel like I'm going really fast, but I'm not.

It's not in my head I'm telling you. The bogging didn't come on until after I finished the 180. It felt like the engine stalled for a second.

Just a question but do you have a quaife? wouldn't that stop the inside wheel spining on exiting a corner? Do people with Quaife's have the same issue?

I know it's not a "mod" that you can run out, buy and install! I was just wondering.

I have Quaife, but it's not in the tranny... it's sitting in my bedroom right now.

I didn't mean to say that the bogging is in your head, but that you may feel as though you're going fast enough to stay in 2nd gear even though you really should have downshifted. That's been my personal experience. I dunno about you, but I never have found time to look at my tach during a run, especially while negotiating a hairpin.

Of course, it wouldn't be a stretch to think that you're a better driver than me (lots of people are) and I could be way off. Really just speculating, here.

I didn't have much time to look at the tach, but I did glance at it quickly. It was at around 3-3.5k rpm.

The result is posted online at http://www.wny-scca.org/results/2002/02event5.pdf

I'm third in G-Stock, and 28th overall.

We have a guy running a Lincoln Town Car (yes you read that right) and he told me how to stay in your seat. Go to housewares and get a roll of that non-slide rubber shelf liner and put it on your seat. It works GREAT!!