Where to start?

[paulmon]

I've been competing in the Trillium BMWCC autocross as my first crack at the sport, and I'm addicted and have beeen quite successful. I'm looking for information on getting into the SOLO2 event held around the GTA but can't find the information I'm looking for. For example, I know there is an event this Sunday at the Bronte GO station but can't find out what time and what the cost of participating is. Is there a master schedule somewhere with this information?

Secondly I need to know what class my car would be in. I drive a 2002 MINI Cooper S. However it has been well modified for the BMWCC events. My mods are listed below, if you could tell me what class I would be in and what kind of other cars I would be participating against that would be great. In BMWCC I'm classed as "BMW Front Wheels Drive" which basically means I'm only competing against other MINIs. Here's what I've done to the car:

Lightweight Wheels
22mm Rear Sway Bar
1" Lowering Springs
Cold Air Intake
Cat Back Magnaflow Exhaust
15% Reduction Supercharger Pulley

Next seasons mods are already being planned:

Front Camber plates
Rear Camber Links
Big Brake Kit
New Rubber

My guess is that the 15% reduction pulley bumps me to a "very" modified class where I'll get killed. I plan on getting a stock size pulley for these events next year and can swap back and forth in around 20 mins. How do my other mods, and future mods, effect my class?

Can anyone provide me with assistance and tell me where I can find an event in the coming weeks, what time they start and how much they cost to compete in?

Regards,

Paul
---

Southern Ontario MINI Club
http://www.somc.on.ca/

[Taylor]

Paul:

First off... Welcome.

Secondly... may I present to you - "Wired Motorsports.com" (http://www.wiredmotorsports.com) - full of all your local amateur motorsports goodness, including an events calendar!

Thirdly: I wouldn't worry too much about the pulley. I've heard it's a whopping 1 point. I'm guessing a bit here but you'll be in BSP based on Regional Rules (in effect for Sunday's COMP Club Event (Bronte Go Station)). If you were to come out to tomorrows Push-It-To-The-Limit event at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, you would be in B Mod. Luckily for you, the quickest Mini (or rather quickest driver with a mini) is away this weekend. :) So you don't have to be shamed too much. Some come out and get in some practice. There is however another Mini, but I think he's still running stock.

As for other cars? BSP? Umm..Modified Subaru WRX's, Beetles, Neon's and Integra's. (Yeah I don't know why the WRX is a B Family car either)

BMod at PITL is more of the same..add modified Civic's (no engine swaps though)

Be ready for a shock though.. I've been to a Trillium AutoX. Those things are like driving exercises, the Bronte Lot is fairly large, and the course should be pretty quick (i.e. top of 2nd). It's also a lot more fun. :)

Don't sweat the compeittion too much, especially if you're new. Just work on improving and before you know it you'll be a class contender. The Classification Systems are setup to keep things as reasonably fair as possible. The Mini is no slouch and with that setup, it can be an FTD car.

[Taylor]

Oh and though the info is on Wired's calendar... the Bronte event will be $35. Which is a bit for local events, but it is a premium lot, it's worth it.

Tomorrow's PITL event is $25, and that includes lunch from Licks.

Most events are either 20 or 25. And there's roughly an AutoX event in the GTA every other week. Two this weekend, which is not uncommon. Another PITL event next weekend as well, and the same day there's one out in Woodstock too (another large lot, a little rough (compared to bronte) but when there are no local event's, many of us in the GTA are all over it)

[paulmon]

Originally posted by Taylor
Paul:

First off... Welcome.

Secondly... may I present to you - "Wired Motorsports.com" (http://www.wiredmotorsports.com) - full of all your local amateur motorsports goodness, including an events calendar!


Great, thanks, I'll check it out.


Thirdly: I wouldn't worry too much about the pulley. I've heard it's a whopping 1 point. I'm guessing a bit here but you'll be in BSP based on Regional Rules (in effect for Sunday's COMP Club Event (Bronte Go Station)). If you were to come out to tomorrows Push-It-To-The-Limit event at the Hershey Centre in Mississauga, you would be in B Mod. Luckily for you, the quickest Mini (or rather quickest driver with a mini) is away this weekend. :) So you don't have to be shamed too much. Some come out and get in some practice. There is however another Mini, but I think he's still running stock.


Great. Sounds like the classification works different than in the US. In the US I classified Street Modified where I would compete against 400hp Supras and the like.


As for other cars? BSP? Umm..Modified Subaru WRX's, Beetles, Neon's and Integra's. (Yeah I don't know why the WRX is a B Family car either)


The Scoobies don't scare me, I beat the ones in the BMWCC events quite handily. Except for the damn STI that showed up last time. :( ;)


BMod at PITL is more of the same..add modified Civic's (no engine swaps though)

Be ready for a shock though.. I've been to a Trillium AutoX. Those things are like driving exercises, the Bronte Lot is fairly large, and the course should be pretty quick (i.e. top of 2nd). It's also a lot more fun. :)


What do you drive? If I hit the top of second in the MCS I'd be doing well over 115kph. My tall first gear is actually helping on the tight BMWCC events, no shifting!


Don't sweat the compeittion too much, especially if you're new. Just work on improving and before you know it you'll be a class contender. The Classification Systems are setup to keep things as reasonably fair as possible. The Mini is no slouch and with that setup, it can be an FTD car.

That's my goal, come out and see what the SOLO2 stuff is like. Damn, the wife's going to kill me. ;)

Cheers,

Paul

[Taylor]

Umm... my car is pictured there in my sig. :)

Yeah top of second at COMP is a periodic thing, depends on the layout for the event. We probably average a section that gets up to.. I dunno.. 85-90? I'm guessing though, never really eyeballed the speedo.

[andrew1984]

oh, be scared.


be very very scared :cool:

jk

[paulmon]

Originally posted by Taylor
Umm... my car is pictured there in my sig. :)

Yeah top of second at COMP is a periodic thing, depends on the layout for the event. We probably average a section that gets up to.. I dunno.. 85-90? I'm guessing though, never really eyeballed the speedo.

Ya, I'm blind how else can I explain missing your sig.

85-90? I know what you mean about eyeballing the speedo. When I was at the Mosport DDT early in the season someone asked me how fast I was getting on the straight (if you can call it a straight) I had no idea. 85-90 would really suck as it would mandate second gear for me but only by a hair. 1st gear hits redline at ~75kph, or so. Granted every course is different. :)

I might go to the Hersey center event on Saturday to check it out.

Cheers,

Paul

[JoeT]

You should come out to the Corvette Club Solo on Sunday.. Make it a point to do so, you won't be sorry.

I used to run MDS, that's a tight lot. But the BMW gang usually organize a fun event. Starts at 8:00 done by 12:00. When my car was stock, I used to run against Rolf Lange and John Dimoff, nice bunch of guys.

Yeah, Scoobs are nothing to be afraid of... Check out the current class standings in SoloOntario for BSP and CSP.

http://www.soloontario.com/solo2/2003/pdfs/classes.pdf

Hope to see you out there. Friendly rivalry is lots of fun.

[ice/solo racer]

Paulmon you will be in BSP with the mods listed,all of the mods planned would be allowed in BSP under the current rules(that is expected to change for next year however).
If you took the lowering springs out you could go down a class to BSS,but since that class is the largest and most competitive in the series IMO staying where you are is OK with me,I allready have enough touble with 2 very well driven cooper S's:) .
Come on out on sunday,you'll enjoy the lot me thinks.If your bored you can say hi,I have a nuclear butterscotch corolla GTS with a park bench mounted on the hatch.

[finboy]

go around one set of cones... its the same everywhere

don't watch.. drive and have fun

one thing great about this sport is the different flava's each club brings to a solo II event

they're similar... but different


be there!!

:)

[paulmon]

I'm going to try and make it to one of the events this weekend. My biggest problem is time. :(

ice/solo racer, bad news, the springs aren't in yet so you might just have to live with me in BSS. Springs should be in next week.

I'll try and make it out to one of the events this weekend, if not this weekend then the PITL event on the 27th.

Cheers,

Paul

[paulmon]

I've now decided to try and make it out to the Bronte GO event. If I'm not mistaken they have "Fun Runs" which I'll give a go. When do they usually let people do these fun runs, at the end of the event I would assume? Are helmets required for the "fun runs?"

Cheers,

Paul

[J.C.]

I am not sure if they will allow you to run the fun runs if you don't run the event. Helmets are always required. If you don't have one loaners are provided.

P.S. Here are the Solo II regs FYI if you want to read up. Cooper S starts in BSS by the way.

http://www.soloontario.com/solo2/pdfs/2003Solo2Regs.pdf

[finboy]

Originally posted by paulmon
I've now decided to try and make it out to the Bronte GO event. If I'm not mistaken they have "Fun Runs" which I'll give a go. When do they usually let people do these fun runs, at the end of the event I would assume? Are helmets required for the "fun runs?"

Cheers,

Paul

depends on the club..

but usually, only the drivers who started at the event can take "fun runs"

either in your own car, or swap keys with someone else

99% of the time.. people who didn't participate, are denied, but more than welcome to attend any future events

just show up!!

new blood is good

[paulmon]

Good point about the fun runs, that's got to be for insurance purposes. :( Oh well. I don't have the time this weekend to compete but I will stop by and say hi.

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

Paulmon,no offence but its kinda bad news for you to run BSS against me/Tony and a host of others:D

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
Paulmon,no offence but its kinda bad news for you to run BSS against me/Tony and a host of others:D

Not too worried for 2 reasons, first the springs will be on by the time I have the time to compete and second I'm hoping that I'll surprise the lot of you. ;) At the previous BMWCC event I was the fastest front wheel driver. The only 5 cars to beat me overall were heavily modified BMW 325s with R-Compounds, roll cages etc, oh and a 911. My times were a good 6-7 seconds faster than all other front drivers, aside from MINIs, I was 2 seconds faster than the next MINI. I'm sure the BMWCC isn't as competitive as the SOLO2 events held here. As long as I'm not last I won't feel bad. :) Your course layouts look more power oriented while the BMWCC events are very tight.

BMWCC AutoX Results (http://www.trillium-bmwclub.ca/TrilliumBMW/Site.nsf/Public/AutocrossResults.03.03)

So either I'll do well or I'm going to be tought a serious lesson. :) It's all in good fun either way.

Paul

[J.C.]

Wow I just noticed the BMW courses are about 100 seconds long. That's a really slow course or really long. If I remember correctly it is held at SCIEX. I didn't think the lot was that big. How many runs do they normally get?

[paulmon]

Originally posted by J.C.
Wow I just noticed the BMW courses are about 100 seconds long. That's a really slow course or really long. If I remember correctly it is held at SCIEX. I didn't think the lot was that big. How many runs do they normally get?

They're very tight, technical and slow courses. Each driver gets 5 runs, the last 4 count. MDS Sciex is a small lot so they can only do so much there are no straights or anything. In fact top speed is most likely hit going through the slalom.

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

Well good luck Paulmon,maybe this will the first event this year that BSP isn't out run by a BSS car(I have 3 of them,Stephen Tong in his cooper S has the other when I didn't attend):)
Look forward to the competition,although sounds like you'll be in BSP anyhow,IMO the 3 points taken for lowering springs isn't worth it as they aren't a whole lot faster than stock,simply not stiff enough to ensure competitiveness in the higher class.
But like you said its all in fun right?oh yeah your running street tires I take it?it will be real impressive if you can win on streets with no tire bonus anymore(I did it a couple events last year,but it was really close)
See you there.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
Well good luck Paulmon,maybe this will the first event this year that BSP isn't out run by a BSS car(I have 3 of them,Stephen Tong in his cooper S has the other when I didn't attend):)
Look forward to the competition,although sounds like you'll be in BSP anyhow,IMO the 3 points taken for lowering springs isn't worth it as they aren't a whole lot faster than stock,simply not stiff enough to ensure competitiveness in the higher class.
But like you said its all in fun right?oh yeah your running street tires I take it?it will be real impressive if you can win on streets with no tire bonus anymore(I did it a couple events last year,but it was really close)
See you there.

Winning? I'm not even thinking win, but hope not to be last either. I'd be happy to place in the top half of my class. Ya, running street tires, can't justify the cost right now for R-Compound. In fact I'm running the stock Pirelli Run-Flats until they're dead which should be the end of the season. How do you mean 3 points? Are you saying I can run BSS with springs if I'm willing to give 3 points? I'm not familar with the scoring structure. That's my biggest problem, some of the mods on the MINI are so easy yet they plop me into a class against R-Compound runners. I can't justify $1000 in tires plus autocross specific wheels. Most of the SCCA national competitors in the US are running the same springs I'm getting (H-Sport). I was thinking of getting some coilovers but the cheapest coilover for the MINI is $1500cdn with the LEDA starting at $2000cdn and climbing to over $5000! Ouch. :( Considering that several of the top SCCA runners are using the springs I'm getting I figure if it's good enough for them it's good enough for me. Saves me $1200 too. :)

I'm hoping to make it to the next event, I think that's a PITL event. I might stop by and watch on the 20th but not sure if I'll have the time.

cheers,

Paul

[paulmon]

Okay, I just did a read through of the rules, tell me if I'm getting this correct.

The MINI Cooper S competes in stock form in BSS but is allowed non-authorized modifications not surpasing 2 "preparation points."

The MINI Cooper S when competing in BSP is the same as above but with a maximum of 13 "preparation points."

Am I reading this correctly? Based on this my mods add up like so:

Supercharger Pulley 2 Points (Might be 3)
Rear Sway Bar 1 Points
Lowering Springs 3 Points

Exhaust, Intake etc are all permitted in BSS and BSP assuming exhaust isn't too loud.

The supercharger pulley is an interesting one Section 6.0 section B governing Supercharger/Turbocharger systems reads as follows:

.2 Modifications that affect the boost pressure control system, any or all (2 points)

.3 Addition, substitution and or modification(s) of a supercharger or turbocharger including manifold(s) (3 Points)

So my question is, does changing the pulley, which effectively gives me a little more boost fall into .2 or .3. I've modified the pulley of my supercharger so technically I've modified the supercharger. However, if this is the case a giant loophole would be present as I could attain the same boost increase by swapping my crank pulley. I would then not be modifying the supercharger but might be thought of as "modification that effects the boost pressure control system." which is .2 above.

Anyone have any ideas on this?

However the way I read this is that I've either got a total of 6 or 7 "preparation points" which puts me into BSP. Take away the lowering springs and I still have 3 or 4 "preparation points" which still keeps me in BSP. Am I reading this correctly?

Does anyone know if the Cooper S' that are running in BSS have changed their rear sway bar? I ask because it's the single biggest improvement one can make to an MCS, period.

Cheers,

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

Paulmon you pretty much have it correct,you can use up to 2 prep points plus the allowed mods for SS,so the 3 points asigned to springs puts you to BSP.
Now if you left the springs alone then you could max out the 2 points and run at the top of the class points wise.The pulley is 2 points because it affects boost pressure,if you change the turbo/supercharger then its the 3 prep points.(you can now get a factory installed upgrade that includes cyl. head,larger supercharger,ecu and exhaust)which would not be allowed as stock.
Tony Mcgrath is running Andrew's cooper S with a rear bar,he's fast but since its Tony its pretty tough to say which is the fast part cause Tony isn't slow in anything.In talking with Tony and Stephen Tong, who is certainly one of the best drivers in the series IMO,the S needs a LSD worse than it needs any other mod.
IMO the 2 prep points I'd do would be the diff and rear bar,the car goes well enough as is to stay with other BSS cars,if you going to BSP the LSD is an allowed mod for all SP cars.
What colour is your car?I saw a black one watching for a couple of rounds and was wondering if it was you.The copper corolla was lucky again and the rain held long enough to snag win #4 for the year.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
Paulmon you pretty much have it correct,you can use up to 2 prep points plus the allowed mods for SS,so the 3 points asigned to springs puts you to BSP.
Now if you left the springs alone then you could max out the 2 points and run at the top of the class points wise.The pulley is 2 points because it affects boost pressure,if you change the turbo/supercharger then its the 3 prep points.(you can now get a factory installed upgrade that includes cyl. head,larger supercharger,ecu and exhaust)which would not be allowed as stock.


Okay, so I was on the right track. :) Ya, I'm familiar with the JCW upgrade for the MCS. Total 100% waste of money. It's $8000+tax+core charge!!! The supercharger is the SAME EXACT supercharger they've simply put a caramic coating on the rotors and approx a 15% reduction in the supercharger pulley, there is nothing else different with the supercharger. It's exactly the same as stock except for those two things. The head is a simple port and polish job. The exhaust is more sound than "go" and then there is the ECU. That's it. Not worth anywhere near $8000+tax+core. Oh btw, I'm president of the Southern Ontario MINI Club (http://www.somc.on.ca/), SOMC, so there isn't much I don't know about the MINI at this point. :)


Tony Mcgrath is running Andrew's cooper S with a rear bar,he's fast but since its Tony its pretty tough to say which is the fast part cause Tony isn't slow in anything.In talking with Tony and Stephen Tong, who is certainly one of the best drivers in the series IMO,the S needs a LSD worse than it needs any other mod.
IMO the 2 prep points I'd do would be the diff and rear bar,the car goes well enough as is to stay with other BSS cars,if you going to BSP the LSD is an allowed mod for all SP cars.


Ya, I'm familiar with Tony's reputation, I agree, would be hard to say how much the bar helps him because as you said "Tony isn't slow."

LSD! Couldn't agree more, it needs an LSD HUGE. I've toyed with the idea but worked it out that it would cost me $1500 for the LSD (Quaife) alone and then another 10-12 hours installation?!! I'm not about to rip apart my own tranny and install it so that's another $1000 or so. $2500, ouch. On top of this I'd most likely be the first MINI in the GTA with this mod so there would be the "guinea pig" factor. However I might change my mind if I'm competing in BSP next year on a regular basis. That might be something I'd do for 2005. Several if not most of the SCCA STX competitors have done this.

After a little reading of the various autocross sites and MINI specific autocross sites I think I'll be getting an autocross specific set of tires for next year. If all the other cars in BSP have 'em I don't have much choice. Chances are I'll pick up some 15" or 16" wheels (AK Tire Monza $150 11lbs) with either 205/50-15 or 215/45-16 which are the common MINI autocross sizes. Just got to read up on some tire recommendations. The Falken Azenis get good reviews for the price but seem to loose out to the Yokohama 32R. Our of curiosity how long to a set of tires like this usually last? How many events? Are we talking an entire season?

We'll see. This is starting to get well beyond the "WAF" or Wife Acceptance Factor. ;)


What colour is your car?I saw a black one watching for a couple of rounds and was wondering if it was you.The copper corolla was lucky again and the rain held long enough to snag win #4 for the year.

Unfortunately that wasn't me was too busy this weekend with the family. I've got a dark silver S with black roof and black hood stripes. I'm going to head out to the PITL event next week where I'll no doubt be crushed but I still love it! Congrats on the win. :)

Anyways, enough of me babling. :(

later.

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

Just tell your wife the LSD will help the car in the snow this winter!:rolleyes:
After doing a ride along with Doug in his mazdaspeed protege that has a limited slip from the factory,the thing is amazing on corner exits with full throttle in first gear possible.
I wouldn't be to sure on your mini being the first with a diff,right after Tony offered me congrats on my win at mosport he hinted at talking Andrew into installing one.:( (which sucks for me and others)

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
Just tell your wife the LSD will help the car in the snow this winter!:rolleyes:
After doing a ride along with Doug in his mazdaspeed protege that has a limited slip from the factory,the thing is amazing on corner exits with full throttle in first gear possible.
I wouldn't be to sure on your mini being the first with a diff,right after Tony offered me congrats on my win at mosport he hinted at talking Andrew into installing one.:( (which sucks for me and others)

I can guarantee that Andrew's current car won't be getting an LSD, it was written off this weekend. :( Some dumb lady decided to park on the higway he was driving on, Bang! Andrew is alright but the car might be a write off. The amazing thing is that the drivers door still worked and Andrew just got out of the car. The Altima wasn't so lucky, Andrew said the drivers rear wheel was almost in the drivers seat!

As for the LSD in my car, it's just too pricy right now. I can't justify it. If, or when, I get completely killed next year in BSP I'll think about it for 2005. I got my pulley down in Philly and they've done the LSD a few times so I'd go down to Philly again and get it done. I'm going to find out how much it costs including labour to satisfy my curiosity. You're preaching to the converted with little money to actually buy it.

I wonder if Quaife would sponsor me. :) I'd paint my car pink with flowers if someone would sponsor me enough to get the diff. :D

I've also read that the diff in the MINI and the one in the SVT Focus are the same so getting the Quaife from Ford might actually be cheaper. I'll look into that. If I could do it for under $2000 I would seriously consider it but considering the diff for the MCS is $1050us under $2000 is very doubtful.

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

I just heard about Andrew's car!glad to hear he is OK.

Sucks about the car but at least it can be replaced,on the bright side for me at least Tony won't be driving that one at the double header weekend!

BTW my corolla is also LSD less,sure would like one but I too can't really afford it.Its too bad cause it really is the only thing from having a very real shot at FTD at nearly every event.;)

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
I just heard about Andrew's car!glad to hear he is OK.

Sucks about the car but at least it can be replaced,on the bright side for me at least Tony won't be driving that one at the double header weekend!

BTW my corolla is also LSD less,sure would like one but I too can't really afford it.Its too bad cause it really is the only thing from having a very real shot at FTD at nearly every event.;)

FTD?

I had my dreams of BSP domination killed today. My current insurance company (TD Insurance stay away!) won't insure a lowered vehicle. So I've cancelled my springs. While I could install the springs and not tell them with the current state of the insurance industry I don't think that would be wise. Having a cancelled policy these days you might as well take out a mortgage to pay for the insurance on the car. I'll start looking for a new insurance company before next season but I doubt I'll have much luck...

So I'm going to do BSS, damn 37 cars at the last event, I'm dead. :( I'm going to order a stock size pulley which I can swap back and forth between events. Takes 30 mins. Sure I could just "pretend" that it's a stock pulley but that's not my style. So it's 15" AK Monza Wheels (11.5lbs) and some 205/50-15 Victoracers and I'm all set. However I'll wait until the changes to the 2004 rules are posted to see exactly what I'm going to do. The wife will be happy I just saved $1500 in other mods. Ya, I know, half way to an LSD. :)

I don't know if I can handle being taken by a Corolla. ;) I really can't let that happen. LOL. ;)

Cheers,

Paul

[J.C.]

LOL now that is funny. They don't insure lowered cars? I guess they have their reasons. So get coilovers and raise and lower the car at will. Yes its a little work but so is changing the pulley.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by J.C.
LOL now that is funny. They don't insure lowered cars? I guess they have their reasons. So get coilovers and raise and lower the car at will. Yes its a little work but so is changing the pulley.

Ya, that was a thought but the only coilovers for the MINI that will let the car go back to stock are LEDAs that cost $1300us. And for that price their not ajustable aside from height, $1800us for fully ajustable and $3500us for fully ajustable with remote reservoirs. Ouch. Granted it is a thought but I think I'd rather spend that kind of money on an LSD. A Cooper S with R-Compounds, LSD and a rear sway bar would be a killer.

I can hear the wife loading the gun as I type this... ;)

Paul

[J.C.]

Damn thats pricey! I have seen them before and wonder if they drive aswell as they look.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by J.C.
Damn thats pricey! I have seen them before and wonder if they drive aswell as they look.

They're entirely custom built for each application. To order them I'd have to get my car completely corner weighed and then send that information to the LEDA dealer (or LEDA themselves) and they will then have them built for MY car. :) Pretty sweet. They do that at all price levels.

Paul

[Logan]

I don't know if I can handle being taken by a Corolla. ;) I really can't let that happen. LOL. ;)


I feel the same way... hasn't helped ME any though...

Welcome to BSS!

[paulmon]

Originally posted by Logan
I feel the same way... hasn't helped ME any though...

Welcome to BSS!

I'd love to know how he keeps winning with a Corola! Corolla's aren't suppose to do that! ;)

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

Everyone keeps saying the solo 2 has more to do with the driver than the car-so maybe it has less to do with the fact its a corolla and more with who is commanding it!:D

Joking everyone,no need to smear me for that one.

Paulmon bring the mini out for some fun,you might pull off an upset and send me home with my tail between my legs.But I don't think you'll have much success on street tires.

Oh yeah FTD stands for fastest time of the day,which I've only been between 2 to 4/10's off of so far.Not to shabby for a 18 year old corolla,approx 115hp and tires that fit inside the fenders eh?

[Martini Focus]

Originally posted by paulmon
They're entirely custom built for each application. To order them I'd have to get my car completely corner weighed and then send that information to the LEDA dealer (or LEDA themselves) and they will then have them built for MY car. :) Pretty sweet. They do that at all price levels.

Paul

When I got my Leda's they only had one kit available and over the past 2 years I tried to calm it down. It started with 410lb front springs and 380lb rear. I've since got down to 280 front and 250 rears with lighter oil in the shocks themselves. I can vouch for the quality and performance it's better than anything I have ever had before. I'll be happy to pop a wheel off and let you have a look if your interested. If anyone is looking for information on them the factory in the UK isn't really much help, but racersedge in Nashville is great. They rebuilt mine this winter and they came back looking better than new.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
Everyone keeps saying the solo 2 has more to do with the driver than the car-so maybe it has less to do with the fact its a corolla and more with who is commanding it!:D

Joking everyone,no need to smear me for that one.

Paulmon bring the mini out for some fun,you might pull off an upset and send me home with my tail between my legs.But I don't think you'll have much success on street tires.

Oh yeah FTD stands for fastest time of the day,which I've only been between 2 to 4/10's off of so far.Not to shabby for a 18 year old corolla,approx 115hp and tires that fit inside the fenders eh?

Well I'm looking into a set of autocross wheels and tires but I doubt I can afford it for this season. It's the R-compound runners in the BMWCC autocross that beat me now, thankfully there are only 4 of them and they aren't in my BMWCC class. I must admitt that the fact that R-Compounds are a must to be competitive must push away some new people from getting into the sport. BSS' rules are almost the same as STX in the states, but at least in the states they have lower class for cars such as the MINI to run in while here it's BSS or BSP so your talking R-Compounds as a must. Makes cost of entry into the sport much more expensive. :(

Wow, not bad at all for a 10 year old corolla. How many prep points is the corrola allowed in BSS?

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

The corolla starts out as a B3 car so it has 8 prep points for SS,its a 1986 so it passed 10 years old awhile ago.
I've used all 8 points this year,last year I ran the car with 5 points used and competed on azenis for the class champ.Last year a 2% street tire bonus was in the rules,but was removed for this year.
I agree whole heartedly that to attract newcomers a tire bonus should be used or street tire classes be created to give people more choices.Having said that though you'll enjoy solo's much more with a dedicated set of fresh r's,I've run on hand me down used r's and the grip is barely better than a street tire like an azenis.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
The corolla starts out as a B3 car so it has 8 prep points for SS,its a 1986 so it passed 10 years old awhile ago.
I've used all 8 points this year,last year I ran the car with 5 points used and competed on azenis for the class champ.Last year a 2% street tire bonus was in the rules,but was removed for this year.
I agree whole heartedly that to attract newcomers a tire bonus should be used or street tire classes be created to give people more choices.Having said that though you'll enjoy solo's much more with a dedicated set of fresh r's,I've run on hand me down used r's and the grip is barely better than a street tire like an azenis.

How long does an a set of R's last you? A season? I'd love to try a MINI with Rs to see the difference first hand before having to drop $1200 on a set. The Rs will more than likely have to wait until next season. :(

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

I'm pretty new to R-compounds but my victoracers have 5 events with 2 drivers and the wear is excellent,the outer shoulder is smooth(like it should be)while all the center/inner tread blocks are still completely there.Should last another 10-15 events if I was to run that many.
Hard to tell how long a tire will last someone else,too many variables like vehicle weight,air pressures used,how high of slip angle the driver uses etc.My car is light and stiff with good camber control,being able to run -2.5 camber up front helps as well.
One thing you'll notice is the light weight of the tire which can be felt,the car just stops and turns much much better than even high performace street tires.

[ChrisM]

I must admitt that the fact that R-Compounds are a must to be competitive must push away some new people from getting into the sport.

Not at all. I placed 9th in BSS (out of 24) with Toyo FZ4's (all seasons) on the wear bars. They are a little noisey but they get the job done :)

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ChrisM
Not at all. I placed 9th in BSS (out of 24) with Toyo FZ4's (all seasons) on the wear bars. They are a little noisey but they get the job done :)

But the flip side is that I can see several people wanting to particpate that decide not to because they know they'll never win without R-Compounds. When was the last time someone without R-Compounds won in BSS?

Paul

[Martini Focus]

Originally posted by paulmon
But the flip side is that I can see several people wanting to particpate that decide not to because they know they'll never win without R-Compounds. When was the last time someone without R-Compounds won in BSS?

Paul

I'm sitting on that fence right now deciding whether to get some Toyo RA1's or some Falken Azenis. I'm not sure it matters for me at my level of experience but I need to buy tires. I look at some of my friends running R's and wonder if it really makes much of a difference. I can understand with a season or two under your belt one could use an R compound to loose that little bit of time that takes them 3 or 4 places up the ranking.

I can't say I'm worried about doing bad because I don't have R compounds, my own bad habits and lack of experience will take care of that.:)

[Logan]

I think a better question is when did someone other than Tom, Steve, or Wes win in BSS?

There are lots of guys that (I think) just come out for the fun of it, and to compete against others in similiarly prepared cars.
They come out to become better drivers, knowing that if Tom, Wes or Steve is there that the top 3 have already been decided.

I think Steve and others had a run of bad luck with the weather at the last event, allowing someone else into the top 3.... (I had good luck with it, perhaps that's why it was me).

I think most people know they aren't going to win the first events they go to. (Well, except the SuperRiceKids)

[Logan]

I've heard many people say it's best to learn on street tires.
Once you are on the limit of them, and they are what is holding you back, move on to R tires.

However, if you plan on having a dedicated set of street tires that are only used at solo's, there is no reason they won't perform all season long.

[speedevo]

why did they drop the street tire bonus? i think it'd help even the field, but they should have a street tire class but now thats just crazy talk :D

[JoeT]

Choosing between street or R's: Let me put it this way... Learning the proper technicque will gain you over 10 seconds, R compounds will gain you 3.

Just trying to simplify things.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by JoeT
Choosing between street or R's: Let me put it this way... Learning the proper technicque will gain you over 10 seconds, R compounds will gain you 3.

Just trying to simplify things.

Agreed. As I've said in the BMWCC autocross I'm usually one of the two quickest front drivers. The cars that beat me are negative camber, R-Compound wearing BMW 325 with more home grown mods than anyone knows. They also beat me by almost the exact same time every time. I'm very curious how my car would do with R-Compounds. I've got a good baseline at this point so comparing my times to the these top BMW drivers should give me an idea as to how much of an effect the R-Compounds make.

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

In the tire test done by GRM last fall R-tires or worth approx 2 seconds over azenis and g-force on a 40 second course.This test was done on the same course by the same drivers.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
In the tire test done by GRM last fall R-tires or worth approx 2 seconds over azenis and g-force on a 40 second course.This test was done on the same course by the same drivers.

Wow, that's a huge difference. Granted it still isn't enough to beat the two top cars in BMWCC, they're 5 seconds ahead of the next best drivers. Granted they've been doing this for years and years and years so we're back at the driver factor again.

Paul

[J.C.]

Originally posted by speedevo
why did they drop the street tire bonus? i think it'd help even the field, but they should have a street tire class but now thats just crazy talk :D

A few cars were doing well especially when the tire bonus was added and they were running on Azenis. The response to that was the street tires bonus was to much! So tire bonus was taken away. As a result more R's were sold this year and it turns out the people that switched to R's are quite a bit faster. That 2% tire bonus should have been more IMO, now its completely gone. :rolleyes:

[ice/solo racer]

Paulmon,the last time anyone won BSS on street tires was last season,I won all but 1 event on azenis.The only event I lost last year was on used r-tires,but it was the driver error and not the tires that cost me the win.
Oh yeah I co drove a miata a couple years ago that had those toyo fz4's,they were quite lousy in all respects-you did well Chris to get a 9TH in BSS on those things.
Yes this sport has more to do with the driver than alot of other motorsports,so why put yourself at a disadvantage right off the bat by running with less than acheivable grip?If you do this for fun and to improve driving skills and have only one set of tires than thats fine but if you are trying to be competitive and want to campare your skills to others you kinda need the r-tires.

[paulmon]

Judging from the other threads it sounds like the rules might change significantly for next season. I'm a little reluctant to do anything right now that might change my class next year. That includes R-Compounds.

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

I understand the logic in waiting to see what happens with rules for the up coming year,the CNAC rules which are appantly a very likely possibility for us to follow have a pretty different class structure.The prep points assigned to mods seem to be very close to our current rules,but the cars are moved around into different groupings.Also r-tires are a 1 prep point mod,IMO there isn't a single point on any other mod that has the potential to make you 2 seconds per 40 second course faster.
I haven't looked at where the mini is classed or what other cars its grouped with stock.

[kromkamp]

But I think it may or may not be worth a point next year if your tires are different sized than stock. IMO its worth waiting to see if thats true.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
I understand the logic in waiting to see what happens with rules for the up coming year,the CNAC rules which are appantly a very likely possibility for us to follow have a pretty different class structure.The prep points assigned to mods seem to be very close to our current rules,but the cars are moved around into different groupings.Also r-tires are a 1 prep point mod,IMO there isn't a single point on any other mod that has the potential to make you 2 seconds per 40 second course faster.
I haven't looked at where the mini is classed or what other cars its grouped with stock. \

I took a look at their rules, the MINI should have a big advantage in that. G-Stock is the class and it competes against Tiburon (V6), VW 1.8T, Neon, no Integra Type R, No Miata. I wouldn't be surprised to see the MCS reclassed.

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

I scanned the scca results from topeka and the mini was in H stock,1st place went to an '96 318i and the next 9 were all mini's.
Didn't see any mini's in the street prepared classes at all,not sure why?I hear you with regards to the cars to compete against,my BSS corolla would move to FSP under the current CNAC rules,which is a VERY good thing as the class is made up of VW rabbit/scirocco/golf and first gen civic/crx.
That narrows the field down to a much more bite sized class,I honestly didn't think I could make the corolla competitive with type R's and WRX's etc(and on paper it still shouldn't!)but with the right mods one never knows.

[paulmon]

Originally posted by ice/solo racer
I scanned the scca results from topeka and the mini was in H stock,1st place went to an '96 318i and the next 9 were all mini's.
Didn't see any mini's in the street prepared classes at all,not sure why?I hear you with regards to the cars to compete against,my BSS corolla would move to FSP under the current CNAC rules,which is a VERY good thing as the class is made up of VW rabbit/scirocco/golf and first gen civic/crx.

Most of the MINIs are in H-Stock or STX, most I know of that are "serious" are in STX. Check out www.teammco.org for a blog on one of the guys that autocrosses, just so happens to run www.minicooperonline.com as well. How many people were in the H-Stock class at Topeka?


That narrows the field down to a much more bite sized class,I honestly didn't think I could make the corolla competitive with type R's and WRX's etc(and on paper it still shouldn't!)but with the right mods one never knows.

You mean the right driver no? ;)

Paul

[roooo]

MC "S" = G-stock
MC "non-S" = H-stock

Wouldn't mind seeing the "S" moved up a bit but maybe next year they'll re-evaluate it.

[paulmon]

Just ran my first PITL event. Had a blast. My FTD was 55.7 which, if you take into account my horribly hard awful stock run flat tires, isn't bad at all. I think there might be another .5-1 second or so on those tires but I'm sure I'm giving up at least .5-1 second to a good set of performance tires and 2-2.5 second (maybe even 3) to a set of R-Compounds. The tires push really bad. My backend was also a little loose. Those stock Pirelli Eufori@ suck rocks.

So, I'm happy with that time and think it's as good as I could have expected. Stephen T. who ran a 50.x agreed that he thinks 55 was about as fast as I could expect to get on the run flats.

However I now have a bigger problem, I WANT AN LSD! :) Anyone got $3000 they could give me? ;)

Cheers,

Paul

[ice/solo racer]

Sorry Paulmon I've been in that free money line for years with no success-so get in line behind me:p
Yep the right driver is the key no matter what type of car-a decent driver in a s****y car will almost always do better than a s*****y driver in a decent car!:D