5SpeedP5

Well guys, ive been reading about you guy's experiences with autocross.... and really have wanted to get into it since i got my p5...

So really i kind of know what happens, but could use some good explaining.... also i dont know what to do or where to look to get involved, as im here in boring ol' lincoln nebraska. I will be running my 2002 protege5 (5speed), i currently have the stock alloys with stock dunlop tires (still atleast 95% tread) but am planning on upgrading to a set of Moda R3 Wheels with a set of Toyo TS-1 tires to wrap around them (unless there is something that would be better).... so i was woundering what else i would need to invest in to make a great car for autocross

Thanks in advance

mazdaspeedwest

agreed. You will still be quite competitive in stock class and with that you will learn the basics of the car and driving technique. here are some links to help out.

http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm
http://www.scca.org/amateur/solo2/index.html
http://www.lvrscca.org/news/ax-stories/tips.htm
http://www.moutons.org/sccasolo/stre...ing_rules.html

always makes me to see another Protege finding the legal way to race.

5SpeedP5

thanks for all the great info guys!

about keeping stock, will changing the wheels will keep me out of the stock class, because i was planning on regaurdlessly changing the wheels with those modas and a set of toyos soon (by may or june).....

5SpeedP5

i was thinking probably toyo ts-1

5SpeedP5

yeah ill do so!, if you have any recommendations for good tires thatd be great.... those are just what i concluded from other posts in the wheels section that i should get, Like i said, i know nothing about this.... im still learning

rowan

Wow, that's pretty restrictive wheel sizes they have in those regulations (only 1/4" off of stock? )...
In the Mobil1 Ontario Regionals I'm pretty sure the rules state that you can put anything on as long as it doesn't stick out past your fender. hehe.. that's probably too lenient though.
It's tough to find a good set of tires that'll fit on a 16x6" wheel. 16x7" makes it a little easier I guess...

All the people on the solo forums for Ontario are talking about trying to get Hoosiers shipped up... But I think Yokohama and Khumo are both sponsors for the series this year. (If I'm remembering right..)

I'm new to this too .. just waiting for April 7th for the open house so I can sign up for the Solo II school (which isn't until May 5th!!)

It sucks because they finally posted some of the Solo II regulations like a month late, but they didn't include the Protege 2.0L engine ! wtf? I had just talked to the guys a little before at the auto show and they were all "oh yeah we just finished classifying the P5 ..." heh oh well. It seems there's too much Solo I hype going on 'round these parts.

mazdaspeedwest

Street tires:
Falken Azenis - Great tire, a ton of ppl run them and they are not expensive either...best i've seen is $289 installed ($62 per tire)Expect about a 3-4 month lifespan if you compete regularly and daily drive them.

Kumho Ecsta 712 - I run these in 16" and have used them to thier limit, not as good as the Azenis, but a pretty close second IMO. My 16's were $400 installed ($85 per tire) Expect about a 5-6 month lifespan if you compete regularly and daily drive them. I got mine back in early December 2001 and after this past weekends 30+ runs, it's time to move the fronts to the rear and vice-versa, and since it was learning on these tires, they wore out faster.

R tires:
Hoosier - just the best, i'd save these for the National and Pro events, if i could afford them

Kumho Victoracer or Ecsta V700 - heard good things about both, they only differ by maybe $20 a tire. $130-150 each.
No idea on lifespan...

Pure Energy

I'm not a fan of Hoosiers. They only seem to work with high spring rates. We got two sets for our SSB car when the BFG's were gone and went slower!! They did all kinds of strange things as far as grip and chunking.

I've had good luck on the other hand with the Kumho's. I even ran FTD in a CRX with my ex g/f's set.

my . 02

Pure Energy

I don't think they work without a high spring rate. I have to admit they work on alot of cars but I can't get them to work on one that's stock!!

Pure Energy

Not something we really had the option of on an Integra!!

David

I like the Kumho, I'm going to get a year and a half from them. and I paid $115.