Real Fiero Tech

Hi all,

I have been discussing Fieros a lot lately with some of my friends which has got me loitering around here a little more.

It's been quite some time since I've posted here and I've gone through a lot of cars in that time. I have also got heavily involved in SCCA autocross. I think I started in 2017. I am now co-chair and course-designer of my local region and I do about 20 events a year including a few national events each year. I've gotten decent at it and have trophied at a National Tour as well as taking a few overall wins at local events. I know its not for everyone but I quite enjoy it.

I still have my RX-8, although its been sitting in the garage because of a wiring issue that I havent been able to resolve. I have a new engine wiring harness waiting for me to install it: I also owned a couple of STI's for daily-driver duty:
Most recently I had a Veloster N. This car was an absolute blast. Easily the best FWD car I have ever owned. The steering on this car is amazing and the e-diff it has is as good at it gets. Unfortunately it was just always a step below the Civic Type-R and when you are trying to be nationally competitive, you have to be in the 'right' car.....

So this year, I'm in the 'right' car. It took me 7 months from order to delivery but I now have a 2023 Camaro SS 1LE. It will take me some time to learn this car, but I had a couple of co-drives last season in Alpha-Platform cars (Another 1LE and a Cadillac ATS-V) and I knew this was the car for me. I pretty much have to write off this season as far as being truly competitive as it's going to take me some time to get up to speed in this type of car, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Images broken

Thanks for coming back and posting!

Should be fixed now. Just uploaded them to the site instead

Awesomesauce! Looks like a fun story!

As fun as a Veloster may be, the 6th Gen is in a completely different league! I'm really curious about it, as I've heard they have absolutely phenomenal handling.

AkursedX wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:41 pm It's been quite some time since I've posted here and I've gone through a lot of cars in that time. I have also got heavily involved in SCCA autocross. I think I started in 2017. I am now co-chair and course-designer of my local region and I do about 20 events a year including a few national events each year. I've gotten decent at it and have trophied at a National Tour as well as taking a few overall wins at local events. I know its not for everyone but I quite enjoy it.

Oh wow. 20 events sounds like a lot!

What is the breakdown of your automotive hobby, time-wise, in terms of these sub-activities:
1. Wrenching
2. Racing
3. Admininstration of SCCA

pmbrunelle wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:05 pm

AkursedX wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 12:41 pm It's been quite some time since I've posted here and I've gone through a lot of cars in that time. I have also got heavily involved in SCCA autocross. I think I started in 2017. I am now co-chair and course-designer of my local region and I do about 20 events a year including a few national events each year. I've gotten decent at it and have trophied at a National Tour as well as taking a few overall wins at local events. I know its not for everyone but I quite enjoy it.

Oh wow. 20 events sounds like a lot!

What is the breakdown of your automotive hobby, time-wise, in terms of these sub-activities:
1. Wrenching
2. Racing
3. Admininstration of SCCA

I don't do a ton of wrenching at the moment. The nice thing about Street-Class is that I'm limited in the mods I can do. My Veloster N only had a rear swaybay and wheels and tires. My Camaro will only be getting a catch can this season and if I sell my RX-8, maybe I'll be able to afford wheels and tires later on this season.

Actual race time isn't much. Most courses are 35-65 seconds depending on the site I'm at. The courses in my region are usually around 35s. Administratively I put in a fair amount of time. Course setup the day before is usually 3 hours but I've made it a family event as both of my kids love coming to help me set up and my son spends all day Sunday's hopping in the passenger seat of whatever he can. But overall out region is pretty laid-back with a solid group of core people who I've become good friends with so I don't see it as 'work' per-se. I enjoy it a lot more than the drag racing I used to do.

The Dark Side of Will wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 9:01 pm Awesomesauce! Looks like a fun story!

As fun as a Veloster may be, the 6th Gen is in a completely different league! I'm really curious about it, as I've heard they have absolutely phenomenal handling.

Yeah, the Camaro is another level. The first time I drove one at autocross, I was sold on the idea as they are so much more nimble than they should be.

Glad to see the updates.

Camaro looks good!

glad to see you back!

I'd love to get my Fiero to a few auto cross events. I'd like to get the new engine built first though, the current LX9 isn't very happy. I probably wouldn't be competitive at all in whatever class my car would end up in, but I bet it would still be a riot. I would definitely have to turn the boost down to nothing, and/or get way more aggressive tires, 75% throttle in 2nd is enough to blow the tires clean off without hesitation, which makes fast maneuvers tricky.

do you have any specific tips for someone wanting to get into autocross?

ericjon262 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 12:59 pm glad to see you back!

I'd love to get my Fiero to a few auto cross events. I'd like to get the new engine built first though, the current LX9 isn't very happy. I probably wouldn't be competitive at all in whatever class my car would end up in, but I bet it would still be a riot. I would definitely have to turn the boost down to nothing, and/or get way more aggressive tires, 75% throttle in 2nd is enough to blow the tires clean off without hesitation, which makes fast maneuvers tricky.

do you have any specific tips for someone wanting to get into autocross?

The big thing I like to say to newcomers is to just have fun and focus on your personal self-improvement with the car. There are very few first time novices who I have come across who are competitive right out of the box. Especially if you bring a Fiero. Most regions have a structured novice program who will work with you to get you understanding how to get the most out of your car. Our region gets a lot of novices so we focus a lot on trying to be as inviting as possible. We even allow instructors to drive a novice's car if they are willing. We also class our novices separately so they can be a little more competitive against each other.

Another big thing for novices is to get to an event early and try to find someone experienced and willing to course walk with you. The most interesting aspect of autocross is how every event is a different course. Being able to understand and figure out a course quickly and understanding where you need to be looking is critical to success.

I autocross in a bunch of different regions so you might have a different experience than what I stated. But you might even want to try different regions to find a place that fits you. Funny enough, I met a fellow Fiero-member, BigFieroMan from the Pittsburgh autocross region so who knows, you might even find other Fiero people too!

Thanks! My car would probably put me in a class that the car itself probably wouldn't be competitive because of the extensive modifications, that most better cars probably don't need! I'm going to put some feelers out there and see if I can find a local group.

AkursedX wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 9:43 am Yeah, the Camaro is another level. The first time I drove one at autocross, I was sold on the idea as they are so much more nimble than they should be.

Screenshot 2023-03-20 9.42.59 AM.png

Basically the entire modern performance industry is based on using huge tires and sophisticated suspension geometry to make boats turn like fighter jets. It's both awesome and weird.