ELM327 OBD2 USB Adapter

Turn your laptop into a OBDII scan tool.

ELM327 OBD2 USB Adapter.

The Death Of The Manual Transmission Is Getting Closer

It was recently announced that the 2014 Porsche 911 Turbo will not be available with a manual transmission, following the GT3 in dropping it from the options list. The only choice from now on will be Porsche’s PDK dual clutch 7-speed. While the PDK is an awesome piece of technology, I have mixed feeling about Porsche dropping the manual. Everyone now knows that semi-automatic transmission are much faster than rowing your own gears, but I can’t help feeling disappointed in the decision. I’ve always thought of the 911 as a purists car. I will probably never own a 991 turbo, but this is a trend that the whole industry has been shifting toward for the last ten years. You can no longer get a manual transmission in any Ferrari and many of the most exotic cars in the world do not offer one. As someone who enjoys shifting the gears myself, I have mixed feelings.

On one hand, you have the purists that will never give up their clutch pedal. Sure, sure the paddle shift is faster around the track, but there is nothing like that feeling you get on a well-timed downshift and powering through the gears. Good driving technique is rewarded and the challenge will raise anyones blood pressure. Shifting your own gears connects you to the car on another level. You feel one with the car and have complete control. If you have never driven a high performance manual transmission car on the limit, it is hard to describe. I’m not a huge fan of driver aids. When I drove the F430 with paddle shift it was a phenomenal car, but I felt like I was playing Gran Turismo. It was great for a novice like myself, just jumping in the car and driving on the track. I could concentrate on the my line and not have to take my hands off the steering wheel. The automatic blips on the downshift made my spine tingle with the tubi exhaust the car had. Still, I couldn’t help but feel the experience would have been even better if the car had been a manual. Sure the lap would have been slower (much slower in my case), but the experience would have been driving nirvana. There are financial advantages as well. A manual gearbox is much simpler. It is fairly easy to replace and won’t cost you your 401k if you had to buy a new one. I would also be wary of modifying a car with a paddle shift transmission. I would not want to grenade a transmission that expensive.

On the other hand, there are obvious reasons why a semi-auto transmission makes sense. The big advantage is the speed of the shift. Shifts are measured in milliseconds. There is also no opportunity for missed shifts.  That combined with not having to worry about a clutch can lead to much faster lap times on a track. It makes everyone a better driver. Even In a straight line the semi-auto is faster. A lot of the problems that plagued early paddle shift cars are now gone. They were known for being jerky during lower speed driving. From what I’ve read, that has been fixed. I don’t remember any jerkiness in the LP560 I drove earlier this year. It is also nice to be able to throw the car into automatic mode when you’re feeling lazy. It is the best of both worlds. You’re able to drive it as an automatic and not have the increased drivetrain loss, but you’re also able to have full control when you want to drive it hard. As technology gets more advanced, people want the latest and greatest when they are paying $150,000 or more for an exotic vehicle. It only makes sense to have a paddle shift transmission standard.

So I’m torn on how I feel about the eventual death of the manual transmission in high performance cars. It is such an integral part of the pure driving experience. I can only hope that the auto manufacturers of lower priced sports cars keep it as an option. Even if it’s only because of the cost savings for them. I understand that you’re giving up a small amount of speed, but that’s not the point of a great car. To me it is more about how it makes you feel when you drive it. I think some of that is lost when you only have to press a couple of buttons.

image from wikimedia, author Alexandre Prévot

2011 Ford Mustang Clutch Replacement

Literally a couple of days after I wrote my blog post about my Ford Mustang reaching 60,000 miles with not many issues, the clutch gave out. I was making a spirited run onto the highway and when I shifted from second to third the clutch went to the floor and stayed there. I had to pump it up and I barely made it home. It was  slipping like crazy and while starting from a stop there was a lot of chatter. I thought about just taking it to the dealership, but after reading the online service manual I decided to save some money and change it myself in the garage. Since I only had jack stands I knew it was going to be a pretty painful experience. It is not the first time I’ve replaced a clutch so I do have some experience. Fortunately it went out on a Saturday and I could get to work right away.

I wanted to pull the trans before ordering the parts to see what I was dealing with. Just in case I had to order more parts than I originally thought I needed. I jacked the car up and put it as far up on the jack stands that I could. The first thing I did was disconnect the battery. Then I went to work disconnected the front subframe cross-bar. It is easy with just four bolts. I also marked everything I took apart so I could line everything up the same way when I put it back together. The manual tells you to drop the front subframe to angle the engine back, but I did not do this. I really didn’t want to mess with the alignment. Next I disconnected the driveshaft at the trans, rear-end, and the center bearing. I did not remove it totally, just kind of pulled it out the back a little. I didn’t touch the exhaust at first. That was a mistake. Later to get the trans out I had to disconnect the passenger side cat and loosen the ball joint to swivel it out of the way. I did not have to drop the whole H-pipe. Next I removed the starter. The top bolt is a pain in the butt.

I then climbed into the car and started to take the shifter apart. This is fairly straight forward. Pop the surrounding plastic and four cap screws hold it in place. It is probably easier to take off the rear shift bracket first from under the car. This allows the shifter to drop down and you can get to the rear bolts from the top more easily. After the shifter was free I started to look at all the connectors that needed to be taken off. Feel around the top of the trans to make sure you get them all. You can also disconnect the clutch line. There is a little metal clip you pry out and then the fitting pulls off. The little metal clip likes to fly off so pay attention when removing it.  Be ready to catch the dripping brake fluid. Next I used my car jack to support the transmission. At this point I did not have a trans jack. With the weight on the jack I marked and removed the rear trans mount. Pretty straight forward. Next it is time to tackle the transmission to engine bolts. I found the best way to get to these bolts was from under the car. If you have skinny arms you can even get to the top ones from under the car. You obviously can’t see what you’re doing but you should be able to feel them.  I used a piece of cardboard to keep the bolts in the same orientation that they came out in.

Now it was time to pull the transmission back and lower it from the car. This was a little sketchy with the car jack I was using. As you come down you should stop and double check to make sure all the connectors are disconnected. You will also have to make sure the shifter clears the H-pipe as you lower it. With the jack stands I have, the car was not high enough to slide the transmission out. Instead I just pushed it back to give me room to work on the clutch. Removing the clutch is pretty straight forward. There are six bolts on the pressure plate. Once out you should be able to pop the pressure plate and clutch off the dowels. Be careful, the weight of it can catch you off guard.

Once I had the car this far apart I started to order parts. I had no idea what clutch kit to get. After searching the forums and reading a bunch of reviews I settled on the Exedy Mach 500 kit. I also went ahead and ordered the Exedy steel flywheel, ARP flywheel bolts, and Exedy throw-out bearing. I ordered a new exhaust gasket for the cat from the local dealership. I had all my parts by Wednesday, but did not get a chance to work on the car until the next night. Before I could put it back together I still had to remove the flywheel. Using my impact I took out all the bolts and removed it. My next job was probably the most difficult. Removing the pilot bearing from the crank. First I tried the grease method. This didn’t do anything except make a huge mess. I had to go to AutoZone and borrow a slide hammer anda pilot bearing attachment. This made easy work of removing it. Still it was very tight and there was no way the grease method was going to work. You might as well just get the slide hammer right away.

For reinstalled the bearing I removed the crank trigger wheel so I didn’t hit it with the hammer. Using a large socket I drove the new pilot bearing into place. Then I put the trigger wheel back on and the flywheel, torquing it to the recommended spec from ARP and using the lube. Before installing the flywheel, I had to tap the pressure plate dowels into place. I decided to replace the throw-out bearing next. The new one I bought from Exedy looks exactly like the stock one. I think it is the same part, but since I was in there I decided to replace it. It is only two bolts to replace. Now it was time to put the new clutch and pressure plate into the car. Remember to clean off the rust preventative off both the pressure plate and the flywheel surface. The clutch has to go in with the flush side toward the engine. The hub side that sticks out toward the rear. You should be able to get the pressure plate up on the flywheel dowels, but be careful not to drop it. It is heavy. I put a little blue Loctite on the threads of the clutch bolts. Just get the clutch bolts started and insert the clutch alignment tool to center the clutch.

It is important to torque the clutch bolts in a star pattern at only a couple turns at a time. Drawing the pressure plate evenly onto the flywheel. Torque to the appropriate spec in the manual. The manual says to use new clutch bolts, but I didn’t. For reinstalling the transmission I bought a proper trans jack. There was no way I was going to safety install it on the car jack. I also enlisted the help of my brother since I knew it was going to be a tough battle putting it back it. I was right. It was a huge pain in the butt to get everything lined up to get the transmission to mate up with the engine and slide into place. I recommend cleaning up the dowels on the transmission with some Scotch-brite. Mine had some corrosion and would not slide nicely into the engine. Be mindful of all the connectors and not to pinch any wires. After going up and down a million times, we finally felt the input shaft go into the pilot bearing. I was still not able to get the transmission to sit flush against the engine because of the dowels. I had to put the bolts in and draw the transmission onto the engine for the final 0.75″. I know that is not the correct way, but it worked.

The rest of the reinstalled is pretty straight forward. Remember to line up everything you marked earlier. Re-apply Loctite to any bolts that looks like it had it before. I used blue on everything that needed it. Torque all fasteners based on what is in the service manual. This is also a good time to replace the clutch line with a braided SS aftermarket line and the shifter rear bushing with a stiffer part. I didn’t, but will go back and do it later.  If everything is put back together you can re-fill the reservoir with new brake fluid. It will take a huge amount of pumping to get your pedal feel back. At first it will go straight to the floor. There is no bleed and it is supposed to bleed itself by pumping the pedal. I could never get the pedal feel as good as it was before with just pumping, so I used my vacuum bleed pump to bleed it the way the manual calls out. I did not have a rubber stop to use on the reservoir top so I went to Lowes and bought a rubber bathtub plug that fit in the hole. I then poked a whole through it and pushed one of my vacuum fitting into it. Worked perfectly and after vacuum bleeding, the feel was much better.

The last thing you will have to do is the crank sensor re-learn procedure. I didn’t do it right away, but after the 500 mile clutch break in procedure, the CEL popped up for mis-fires. So I went to the dealership and they were nice enough to do the procedure for free in about 10 minutes. The CEL didn’t come on until I started driving the car normally and taking it above 5000 RPM. The Exedy clutch break in is very specific and I was not driving the car aggressive enough to cause a CEL during that time. After the re-learn I have had no issues. The new clutch has a very similar feel to the stock clutch. Maybe just slightly firmer and the grab is very nice. There is also no chatter and you can still slip is nicely. I do not notice a large difference with the “lightweight” flywheel. Which is fine with me. While I am not thrilled about having to change the clutch at only 60,000 miles, now I don’t have to worry about it for a long time when I do more engine mods.

Where Have All The Ricers Gone?

When I was in high school I used to sit in class and dream about owning a 99-00′ Honda Civic SI as my first car. I used to list out all the parts I wanted to buy for it.  Browsing the internet for different modifications I could do. An obnoxious exhaust, APC altezza taillights, an aggressive body kit with EVO style fog light, even underbody neons. I was a full-fledged wannabe ricer. I didn’t know any better. There were no other car enthusiasts in my family to show me the light. The movie The Fast And The Furious had just come out and the ricer movement was in full swing. While the term rice is usually associated with Asian cars, I consider any car with over the top appearance modification ricey. Of course ricey is entirely subjective, but I feel I think most would agree with what I consider rice.

With the sixth Fast and Furious coming out this year it got me thinking about how the car culture has changed here in the US. I very rarely see a newer car riced out anymore. The only cars that seem to be carrying on that style is lower-income people who have bought the previously riced out cars from the 2000s. Most are falling apart. I can’t remember the last night I saw a new Civic with any distasteful modifications. Even The Fast and The Furious movies themselves have ditched the gaudy look for more performance oriented modifications. Most are  vehicles that any car enthusiast would love to own. I’ve seen some of the muscle cars that will be in the new movie and they look more like cars that would go across the Barrett-Jackson auction block for good money. Filled with supercars and other rare sheet metal, the cars in last few movies are so much better than the cars of the first two. I’m sure much of this has to do with a ballooning budget and freedom to build better vehicles.

I don’t know if the fact that I don’t see these types of cars anymore is because of my age and I’m not around that crowd anymore, or if the scene has truly shifted. The car scene here in Charlotte has gone down hill in the last 10 years with the cops cracking down on street racing. It drove even the ones who were there just to hang out away. No longer do big crowds of car enthusiasts hang out in parking lots every Friday and Saturday night. In Columbus Ohio there used to be 200-300 cars show up on the weekend nights. Probably 70% of the cars were riced out.  Now most enthusiasts only go to organized car shows during the day. Or they actually use their cars for events like autocrossing and drag racing. I still like to go out cruising when the weather is nice and I come across very few riced out cars. It seems most have changed to a more understated look with an emphasis on performance. I see more cars with turbos and superchargers than giant wings now. The flashy show-only mods seem to have fallen out of favor with even the young crowd. I think even the people driving ricey cars don’t even want that junk on their car anymore. I think most now buy it like that or go through a brief ricer phase like I did.

For my first car I ended up getting a Pontiac Grand Am. Not really the type of car you can modify or even rice out. I still got a tasteful wing (well I thought it was tasteful at the time) and 18″ wheels. After adding some lowering springs, my focused soon turned to making more horsepower than the looks of the car. I designed and built a custom turbo kit with all the spare money I made from my job. This led to the career I have now. It was really a huge waste of time, but I learned a lot. Still there is a part of me that has always wished I could have gotten that Civic SI. It’s probably a good think I didn’t since I would have ruined a great car. I got my first taste of modifying a car with some potential when I purchased a MKIII Supra Turbo and never looked back.

Where do you think all the ricers have gone? Is it where I live? Are they even gone at all?

2011 Mustang GT 60k Mile Review

This week my 2011 Mustang GT rolled over 60,000 miles. I thought I’d post a now out of warranty review on the car so far. I’ve had this car nice June 2010 when I bought it new. Since then it had been my daily driver and also my weekend warrior. It was the first Ford I have owned. Up until the introduction of the new Coyote 5.0 engine, I would never have considered a newer Mustang GT. I’ve felt for a long time they have been underpowered compared to the other cars in its class. The redesign in 2010 took some getting used to for me. My mother actually bought a 2010 and I really liked the updated interior. I love the Sync sound system and the Bluetooth connectivity. When Ford finally announced the new engine selection, I made a trip to the Ford dealer to see when they would get the 2011s in. Some dealership were getting them in early 2010, but I couldn’t find the color I wanted. I wanted a Kona blue with the tan interior. I also wanted it to be a premium with the Brembo brake package, HIDs, and 3.73 rear gear. Ordering the car would have taken too long so I asked the local Ford dealership to keep an eye out for one.

A week later the local dealership called. They said that a dealership in Winston Salem had one with some of the options I wanted. The car was the right color combo, a premium, and had the 3.73 gear. It did not have the other two things I asked for. I decided I could add the Brembos later and I wasn’t even a fan of the Brembo wheels. The HIDs I could also live without. Now I did one of the dumbest things you could do when buying a new car. I bought the car sight unseen. I was happy with the price and what they were giving me for my trade in. I completely rushed into signing the paperwork. I had to wait a couple of days for them to drive the car down and prep it. It was too late to go back because I already signed on the dotted line.

When I picked up the car the relationship got off to a rocky start. Once I got home I noticed an intermittent engine tick that sounds like a bbq grill igniter. I also felt a clunk in the front that transmitted through the pedals. I called the dealership and they said they would look at it the next day. They wanted to keep it overnight, but it was my only car so I insisted on a loaner.  What they did next was insulting. They brought out a dirty 6 year old Altima that somebody just traded in. The inside was disgusting and it was obvious the car needed some mechanical repair. They wouldn’t even give me my 2007 Scion tC back for a day that I just traded in. Clean I might add. I drove home not touching anything I didn’t have to in that car. Not the way I wanted to be treated after just spending over $30,000. The next day they said to come pick up my car. When I arrived I was told the engine tick was normal and they did feel the clunk in the front. They said they would open a case with Ford and see what they would recommend. I never heard from the dealership again. I never went back and I wouldn’t buy another car from them.

Soon the engine tick problem started popping up on forums with other new 5.0 owners. 3 years later there is no fix. So far it has not influenced the performance, but I’m always wondering if something will fail down the line because of it. To this day my car still does it for the first 1,000 miles after an oil change then goes away. It’s very loud and can be embarrassing when people notice. The clunk didn’t go away until I upgraded most of the suspension. If I would have drove the car before I bought it, I would have waited for another car. Oh well, live and learn. Other than those two problems I love the car. It was one of the first 5.0 Mustangs in Charlotte and I received a lot of attention. Everyone at the first Cars & Coffee I went to wanted to look at it. It was cool to have something unique. More 5.0s quickly started showing up and the exclusivity was gone. Still I was having a lot of fun driving the car everyday. It made my 30 minute commute much more enjoyable. The car had plenty of power and decent handling in stock form.

Good enough that I just drove it stock for the first 10,000 miles. I didn’t really want to do anything to the car at first, but soon felt the modification itch. So I started with a simple Roush cat-back exhaust. While the exhaust is quite loud, it has zero drone. One thing I would not tolerate. After that I replaced the shifter with one that had a shorter throw. I did not want to do any mods that could affect the cars powertrain warranty so I did not get the very popular cold air intake and tune upgrade. While the car is not crazy fast, I was satisfied with the stock acceleration. In 2011 I decided to start working on the suspension. I order the Ford Racing adjustable handling kit. I thought this would be a pretty good compromise between ride quality and handling. Multimatic from Canada engineered the kit and they know a thing or two about Mustang chassis. They build the Mustang Grand Am race cars. I also wanted a minimal drop so I didn’t have to mess with the rear pinion angle. Once installed I noticed a nice increase in grip. The large amount of brake dive the car had stock was nearly eliminated. After these modifications I started autocrossing the car.

The last two mods I have completed was adding the Brembo front brakes and larger wheels to fit around them. The Brembo 4 pistons front brakes don’t stop any quicker than the smaller standard brakes, but they are more resistant to fade. The larger wheels would allow me to run 275 width tires on all four corners. I wanted to keep the tires all the same size to keep from increasing the large amount of low speed understeer the car already had. The tires were probably the biggest inprovement to reduce my autocross times. Also I started to play with the suspension setting to dial out the understeer. I could never completely get rid of it, but I was able to make the car more neutral. As far as the car itself, I did not have to do any other maintenance other than oil changes. I am getting 25 mpg average on the highway and 19 around town. Not bad for 412+ hp. I’m also not the best at getting good fuel mileage. I like to use the right pedal when sensible. The only interior wear the car has is the steering wheel cruise control buttons. The black paint is chipping off.

I also found that the exterior paint is easily scratched. The car came with a lot of scratches in the clearcoat when it was new. Probably due to some careless lot porter washing it incorrectly. In the three years I’ve owned it, the car has never left me stranded. While I take care of it, I also drive it very hard. I bought the car to drive and have fun with, not to look pretty. I’m driven it on a 15 hour road trip to Canada. I’ve trashed it on the Tail of the Dragon a half dozen times. I also drive it in the snow. It is actually not bad in the snow. I was able to make it to work during a bad snow storm a few years again with little effort.

After 60,000 miles the car feels as tight as the day I bought it. Now with the clunk gone, there are no rattles or sounds. I have not experienced any transmission problems that have plague many 11+ GT owners. Nor any clutch problems. The engine consumes very little oil and pulls as strong as it did the day I bought it. The body has a few scratches, mostly from hitting cones during autocross, but the car still cleans up nicely. Now with no warranty I’m debating whether to continue modding it and how far to go. Should I step up to track days from autocross or just enjoy the car as is? While the 412 hp is nice I have been jaded by faster cars and the idea of adding some form of boost keeps creeping into my mind. I like the car enough that I don’t know if I’ll ever sell it.

The big question is would I buy it again? My answer is yes and no. If I only had to buy one car and daily drive it, yes I would buy it again. Would I buy it as a weekend or fun car only…. no. I think I would rather have a used C6 Corvette. Similar power, but lighter weight and much more competitive in autocross. Now the burning question is, leave it alone or take it to the next level (boost)?

Drive Your Sports Car The Way It Was Intended

Many race fans often dream about getting the chance to experience the thrill of driving all out on a race track. To most it stays just a dream because of the lack of opportunities and the perceived financial barriers. There is a way to get 90% of the fun with only 10% of the cost of a normal track day. You don’t need a race car or any racing experience. Anybody with a driver’s license can participate (there are jr. kart classes too) and no matter your driving skill, I guarantee you’ll have fun. You’ve probably heard of autocross, but if haven’t experienced it, this is for you. If you’re not familiar with autocross it is a single timed lap through a temporary course set up with cones. The run usually lasts 50-70 seconds depending on the location and speeds can get up to 70 mph. This may not seem fast, but the tight corners will challenge anyone of any skill level. You get multiple runs to try to improve your time a position.

Autocross had been around for decades and is becoming a very popular way to push your vehicle to its limit in a safe environment. There are a few sanctioning bodies with SCCA being the largest. I’m actually a little embarrassed to say that last year (2012) was my first year doing it. I’ve known about it for 10+ years, but never took the plunge. The extra bit of motivation I needed came from the girl I was dating. Yes, you read that right! After we went to our first event together I was hooked. I couldn’t believe I waited that long to try it. My Mustang was essentially stock at the time and I had a blast. That is the best thing about autocrossing. You can drive almost any car as long as it is safe. There are plenty of different classes to keep you racing similar cars and to keep up your competitive fire. Even if you are not competitive within your class, you still have the personal challenge of improving your time.

I was actually really nervous about competing in my first race. Would I mess up and take out half the course? How many cones will I hit? I quickly realized I had nothing to worry about. Hitting cones is part of the game. Even the best drivers hit cones as they try to get the most out of their run. You will hit cones! You will spin out! So don’t sweat it. Just have a good time and learn as much as you can from the veterans. Most regions are excited to get new novices every year and do as much as they can to make them comfortable. My region, Central Carolina Region (CCR) was very helpful my first year. They have someone assigned to look out for the beginners and conduct a novice course walk every race. I’m assuming this is the same for all regions. For you first time concentrate on learning the procedures and safety rules. Make sure to introduce yourself to as many people as you can. Most people will be more than happy to help you if they are not busy prepping their car. Having an experienced co-driver helped me immensely.

To find your region check the main organizations website (SCCA, NASA, etc). Each region will usually have its own website for event registration. On the day of the event arrive at the recommended time on the schedule. If you are new I suggest arriving early. It will give you some time to see what other people are doing. Don’t hesitate if you have any questions. I suggest looking at the online rule book before the event to figure out what class your car will be in. You should also empty out your car of everything except the things you’ll need for the day. The car will have to go through tech with nothing in it. You should wear some comfortable closed toe shoes that you can run in. If rain is in the forecast bring a cheap poncho. Autocross is a rain or shine sport. Some other things you might want to bring are your helmet(Snell rated) if you have one, some painters tape in a contrasting color for your door numbers (Door, not window!), a small cooler with drinks and snacks, sunscreen, tire pressure gauge and pump, and any tools you may need. Maybe a chair too. I’m sure I’m forgetting something! I try to fit everything in one backpack that I can leave in my pit spot.

When you arrive empty your car and put your numbers on the door. If you don’t know what to do, look at somebody next to you that is making temporary numbers. Some regions will want you to take your drivers floor mat out. The only thing you want to bring to tech is your helmet. Get in line for tech and when it is your turn shut your car off and pop your trunk and hood. They will give your car a quick inspection. Checking for leaks and pulling on your wheels feeling for any issues.  They will make sure your car is empty. If you car has any mechanical problems do not race it. Even if it a small problem, driving a car hard will amplify the problem. You will not get on anybody’s good side by slipping a non-mechanically sound car through tech and breaking on course. If you have any doubts, ask!

After tech it will be time for a course walk. Many people have their own rituals for the course walk. Some of them amusing. You can usually tell when someone is very serious about learning the course and dont’ want to be bothered. Others will be on a leisurely walk chatting away. For your first time walk it a couple of times to get an idea of how the course flows. Don’t beat yourself up if you forget all the corners. I rarely can remember the whole course and to me it looks different at speed. After the course walk you can wait for the drivers meeting. Pat attention to who runs the region and all the rules. Listen for them to announce the run group and work group you’ll be in. That’s right, everyone who drives also has to work. Novices usually run with their base class. After the meeting there will probably be a novice walk of the course. This is a great time to ask any questions you might have. They will also go over what you have to do when you’re working on the course. If you’re new and not disabled you will probably run for cones. Listen carefully to all the instructions and safety rules.

If you work first, report to the timing trailer and sign in. Get your assignment and head out on the course if you’re running after cones. Talk to your corner captain and tell them you are new. They will show you what to do if you’re still not sure. I won’t go over all the rules, like never turn your back on a car. You’ll get it all if you pay attention in the meetings. I will say that working sucks, but it’s apart of the sport and fair. There are other non-running positions you can volunteer for once you’re not a novice anymore or can’t run.

What you’re really here for is to drive. When it is time for your run group make your way to the starting grid in your car. Someone will direct you where to go depending on how many drivers you have. Each car is allowed two drivers. Having a co-driver really adds to the fun in my opinion. It also allows you someone to compare to while driving the same car. For your first time you can have someone ride with you that will help you through the course. You’ll have people come up and ask if you need an instructor if you have the “N” on the side of your car. I suggest taking the offer if you don’t really know what you’re doing. You can always take a solo run later. It’s also a good way to get to know some people. For your first run just take it easy and focus on staying on course. At first the track can look like a sea of cones and can be intimidating. This is where a vocal co-driver can come in handy. You are going to get at least 3 runs. Most regions allow 4 or 5 runs. For your first run your adrenaline will be pumping, but try to stay calm. The run will be over before you know it!. Try to improve over each run. Don’t be afraid to get close to the cones.

If you spin out regain control and continue on as long as there is not red flag. If you see red flag at anytime come to a complete stop. If you were not the cause of the flag you will get a rerun. Don’t start going again until the course worker clears you to continue. If you make a mistake don’t get discouraged. Remember you’re there to have fun. In between runs you can check and adjust your tire pressures. If you have a boosted car you can open your hood to help with the heat soak. Always stay with your car in the grid area and be ready for when it’s your time to go again. After your second run you should have a feel for how long you’ll have in between runs. After your last run you can go back to the pits.

Congratulations you just completed your first autocross event! If you’re like me you’ll be hooked after your very first run. If you have already worked, you are free to leave at this point. You can also stick around for the trophies. If the event goes smooth, there might be some time for fun runs. A fun run is pretty self-explanatory. Usually you pay a dollar per fun run. This is a good time to practice some more if you think you need more experience.

If you’ve ever been thinking about autocrossing, don’t wait or put it off. I’m sorry I did and now I love it. It’s something you can do a couple of times a year or a couple of times a month. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to have fun, but I will warn you, you might want to drop some coin for some better tires after a few events. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I am by no means a veteran, but I feel I can answer most.

More info at  www.scca.org

Not Just a Sunday Drive

My parents gave me a really cool present for my birthday this year. I never ask for a gift so they surprised me by getting me a super car driving experience on group on. The company was Xtreme Xperience. They travel around to different race tracks around the county and offer driving experiences over 3 or 4 days. There are a bunch of these companies that have started over the last 5 years. Xtremes claim to fame is they let you drive the cars the way they were ment to be driven. Hard and on a proper race track with a real driving instructor. I still did not know what to expect. They had four different cars available and I had to pick two. First I chose the Ferrari F430 (one of my dream cars) and a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560. The other two didn’t seem as exotic to me. They were a Audi R8 V10 and a Porsche 911 Turbo.

I honestly wasn’t that excited before hand. I mean it was going to be cool to drive the cars, but I though you would just drive around the track slowly, parading around at a safe speed. I looked at some youtube videos and saw that they were actually pushing the cars and encouraging the driver to go faster! Now I began to look forward to the day a little more. I also went into it thinking I was going to drive the cars as hard as they let me right from the beginning. Many people take it easy the first lap and right when they start to get comfortable, the drive is over. I wanted to maximize the opportunity.

As the day drew closer it looked like it was going to be cold and raining. Major bummer! The day arrived and I left my house early to make the two hour drive to Carolina Motorsports Park in Kershaw, South Carolina. You may have seen this track on “Are you faster than a redneck” Which is a stupid show IMO. It poured the whole way there. The experience runs rain or shine and I had no idea what to expect. I arrived at the track 40 mins early and signed in. There was an option to buy more runs at a discounted price and also to add a video package. I did not opt for the video. The rain had finally been reduced to only a mist, but the track was really wet and not drying.

Thirty minutes before your schedule time they take you into a room for a short driving class. I sat in the front. After a brief introduction the instructor started going over the features of the cars. I was surprised when we were told we could shift the cars ourselves using the paddle shifters. This may not seem like a big deal in the dry, but on a wet track it could be a problem for an inexperienced driver. I suspect most left it in automatic. The instructor went over the basic lines you should be taking and all the safety procedures. When asked if anybody had been on this track probably 1/3 of the room included myself raised their hand. It seemed like most people there had some track experience.

After the class you went out to the cars where the last hour block of people were finishing. You could wear your own helmet if it was Snell 2005 approved or they had rental helmets with headsocks. I would guess there was 20 people in my time block spread out over 5 cars (there were two Lambos). Each car had a driving instructor. Some were local. As you waited you could feel the excitement building as you watched the people before you go out. Once on the track you had to follow a pace car and you couldn’t pass the car in front of you unless the driving instructor gave you permission and radios ahead. The pace car was actually a V6 Mustang with a local driving instructor and he drives the racing line as hard as the car will go. I thought it would be easy to stay with him.

The first car I climbed into was the Ferrari F430. It was even in the exact color combo that I would own! When you get in you only have a few minutes to get acclimated to your surroundings. The cars were set in the wet weather mode. Which means the traction and vehicle stability will be very aggressive and the shifting will be slowed down. I asked if I could shift the car myself. He suggested I didn’t, but I went to manual anyways. I was warned that we were in the slowest car in the rain there. The F430 is rear wheel drive and the rest of the cars are all wheel drive. The car was actually very comfortable and the interior was exquisite. As soon as I was done looking around it was time to head out on the track. The instructor told me to be easy on the throttle.

I thought back to my plan on driving as hard as possible. I clicked down a couple of gears and tried to put my right foot to the floor. Immediately the back wheels broke loose. I eased off the throttle to try to regain grip and we were off. The all wheel drive cars in front of me drove away while I struggle for grip. I tried not to think about wrecking the car and that I only had the base $50,000 insurance option. If I totaled the car I would have been screwed. After about a half lap I was getting used to the car. Understeer into the corner and massive oversteer off the corner. I was able to go full throttle down the straightaway and the sound from the V8 engine was magnificent. The Ferrari had a tubi exhaust and the sonic ecstasy coming out of the pipes was spine tingling. I loved every minute of it.

The car did not have much lowend torque, but when it reached its powerband it gave you a nice push into the seat. It was not tear your face off fast, but was still satisfying. I felt like I was driving something that was made for the race track. The steering was sharp, the suspension was stiff and the brakes had a very nice firm feel. The car felt light and wanted to go where you pointed it despite the wet track. On the straightway every time I shifted at wide open throttle the tires broke loose. The car constantly  felt like it was on the edge. It felt like if you made a mistake it would quickly make you pay for it. I liked that. Much different from the Lambo, but I’ll get to that later. I drove the car as fast as I could in the presented conditions. The driving instructed never told me to slow down and he mostly just kept telling me I had good car control.  After two laps of sliding around and trying to keep the car pointed in the right direction, it was time to pull into the garage. I can tell you I was not able to keep up with the rest of the group so the V6 Mustang pace car was plenty fast in the rain. I think it would be easier to keep up with it in the dry.

I had a 10 minute wait for my next laps in the LP560. I climbed into the Lambo and introduced myself to the instructor. This instructor was much different from the first one. He actually provided some instruction! Almost yelling at me to clean up my driving lines. Some people might not have liked his style, but we went way faster in the Lamborghini. A lot of that is attributed to the all wheel drive system,  but my lines were also way better. Even on the wet track I was able to plant the throttle out of the corner and just let the computers figure out how much power to send to each wheel. Even though it was faster, the Lambo felt much bigger and heavier. The brakes were much different from the Ferrari. The pedal feel was soft and the steering a little vague. The car was quick in a straight line, but there was minimal exhaust noise. It didn’t feel as “special” as the Ferrari. To me the F430 was much more fun to drive and is the one I’d rather own. The Lambo seemed like a better car though if you were going to drive it a lot. Much easier to drive and live with.

The Mustang pace car ran out of the gas so the Porsche 911 Turbo was now the pace car. I was the second car in line and I felt like the pace was much quicker. I was also gaining confidence and braking later and harder. I decided on the last lap I was going to brake a lot later on the straightaway. We were flying. I do not know how faster we were going, but it was FAST for the conditions. Right when the instructor was going to yell “Brake!”, I stomped on them. The pedal was to the floor and the car was squirming while the ABS tried to maintain control. For the first time the instructor was silent and for a brief moment I believe we both thought we weren’t going to make the corner. The car slowed down just enough and I turned in. We barely made it through the sharp right hander. I actually apologized to the instructor and he said it was ok since there was no harm done. I think that was the fastest he had been down the straightway in the rain that day. It might have been a little stupid, but it raised my heart rate and was a lot of fun.

Overall I had a great time. Even with the miserable weather conditions the staff did their best to make sure everyone enjoyed the experience. After my two drives I stuck around for 15 minutes to talk to the employees a little more about the cars. Just my opinion about the cars and how they drove. Looking back I wish I had gotten the video package. I would definitely recommend this driving experience to anyone who wanted to drive one of these cars fast on a real race track.  I left with a big smile on my face. If you’re thinking of giving a car lover a gift, something like this is a great option. It is a little expensive, but you’re left with a memory you’ll never forget.