Corner balancing

[Bobsyouruncl]

Does anyone know where to get a car corner balanced in Washington or Portland area? 

I'm in Spokane, Wa 

[Febreze Mee]

@boxkita will be the best source. Though I'm sure calling any of the shops still standing in the PNW Shops thread, found in the PNW section, could be a good start too.

Edited February 11 by Febreze Mee

[tehspud]

Advanced Auto Fabrication up in Deer Park can do alignment & corner balancing. I think Anderson Motorsports can as well, he did my alignment when I switched from stock to my koni/swift setup, pretty sure he had scales to do balancing as well. Those are the two I know of, through the local autocross club. 

[Bobsyouruncl]

Hey thanks for that information. I will contact them.

I assume you are around Spokane? I am interested in trying some autocross and am not sure where to start around here, having never done it. Would you be able to give me any direction in that arena? 

[tehspud]

1 minute ago, Bobsyouruncl said:

Hey thanks for that information. I will contact them.

I assume you are around Spokane? I am interested in trying some autocross and am not sure where to start around here, having never done it. Would you be able to give me any direction in that arena? 

Yeah, I'm also in Spokane. Autosports NW is the only club in the Spo/C'dA area that hosts autocrosses. They have a old runway site up in Deer Park. https://asnw.org/events/ is the event calander for this year. They also have an active facebook group where you can ask questions and whatnot, search for "Autosports Northwest" the picture is of a yellow s2000. Super friendly bunch. ASNW's events are all-day, so you'll get morning and afternoon runs, usually 8-10 total depending on how many people show up. You can run in the novice class your first weekend, that'll make you a bit more visible to the folks that can ride along and give you pointers in-car. 

The SCCA rulebook can be super frustrating to navigate as far as figuring out what class your car is. I'm pretty sure you've done a bunch of engine stuff, including different turbo, right? I think we can shortcut it to say you'd be best classed in "XA". But let me know, I'm a self-professed "rules nerd" so I can guide you through that as well. 

 

There's also Sand and Sage Sports Car Club down in the Tri-Cities. I haven't ran with them yet, though so I can't say much about their events. 

[Bobsyouruncl]

That would be super helpful. 

Ya I bought the car and the stock turbo crapped the bed 1 month into owning it and ended up having to buy a new short block and rebuild the whole thing. 

I got bit by the "while I'm at it" bug and long story short, it ended up making 360ish awhp after being tuned by GDT Dom at Tier One. 

It was quite the process as I have never pulled a motor in my life and had to learn alone on the fly. The car was on the dyno something like 8 times working out problems with old sensors and coils till it finally got sorted out right before the green speed debacle and got its latest tune. 

I just put tarmac 1 coilovers on it and am planning on refurbing all the bushings, getting wider tires and new sway bars. I'm not 100% sure what direction to go with sway bars  and bushings yet. 

I've always wanted to try autocross or some kind of track driving. I like driving fast and pushing the limit and need a safe forum to do so. I also have kids with the same interests so it's something we can share. 

I'm not sure if that gives you a feel for where the car is at or not. 

Does a guy just show up and say, "hey I'm new what do I do?" 

[boxkita]

upgrade your suspension before doing the corner balance. otherwise you are just burning money.

aaf builds stupidly fast e30 road racing cars. having them do your alignment/ corner balance would be good idea.

youll want to have a road route tgat you are comfortable driving with left & right turns. helps if you have data logging and video. everytime you get balanced, you'll run the course again to compare times and sections.

everyone thinks they are fast until they get passed by a miata on track. fastest car on track is invariably a miata. you are not driving a miata, ergo, you are not fast.

track driving an lgt fast is very expensive. like well-paying job expensive. If it's not expensive, you are not fast.

autox'ng an lgt is mostly tires, and setup. brakes are marginally useful but only if they have maximum bite instantly. aero is useless. learning how to modulate the gas pedal and steering input is hardest thing. understeer is a thing on the lgt especially autox. 2nd gear is only gear you need.

for autox:

if you have c/o and 360hp, yer probably in SM. Cadillac, corvette, slicks, money-money.

stay novice as long as you can. ask for an instructor. ride in lots of cars. get a timing app (harry's lap timer, track addict, etc). Aim data makes dedicated stand alone options - Solo/Solo DL. 

Theres a page in motorsports on autox for the lgt. written by one of the fastest autox-ers.

first day:

yes, just show up. probably have to pay yer fees first.

bring lunch, water, folding chair, tire gauge, full tank of gas, and a positive attitude. closed toe shoes probably helps for the cone shagger phase.

[boxkita]

225 tw tires on 8" wide rims is best for track/autox. you can get get wider or you can buy better tires. better tires is better than wider tires.

with your hp & suspension upgrades, slicks are probably in yer class

[Bobsyouruncl]

1 hour ago, boxkita said:

upgrade your suspension before doing the corner balance. otherwise you are just burning money

To what extent? 

1 hour ago, boxkita said:

everyone thinks they are fast until they get passed by a miata on track. fastest car on track is invariably a miata. you are not driving a miata, ergo, you are not fast.

I don't think I'm fast, I think I like to drive fast. 

1 hour ago, boxkita said:

if you have c/o and 360hp, yer probably in SM. Cadillac, corvette, slicks, money-money.

I can detune it, can I run it that way?

 

1 hour ago, boxkita said:

yes, just show up. probably have to pay yer fees first.

How do you do this? Online? 

 

1 hour ago, boxkita said:

225 tw tires on 8" wide rims is best for track/autox. you can get get wider or you can buy better tires. better tires is better than wider tires.

with your hp & suspension upgrades, slicks are probably in yer class

This is helpful thanks. 

[tehspud]

This breaks down the registration process for ASNW. https://asnw.org/registration/ I don’t think they take day of walk ups anymore, So definitely register online before race day. There’s a novice info section on the website somewhere, too, but boxita got it mostly right. Be prepared for whatever the weather will be, bring plenty of water and lunch, a folding chair is handy, decent shoes you can walk fast/jog in for the work assignment. Having your own helmet is nice, but this club (and most) have loaners available. Snell M or SA rated for the most recent year, currently 2020. They will have a guided course walk in the morning for novices, one of the club officers will take you through and give you pointers for sections, and clear up any confusion you might have about where the course goes. 
 

On classing, boxita might be behind the times here. A few years ago the SCCA introduced a category with very open allowances, but limited to 200 treadwear “street tires”, no racing slicks allowed, called Extreme Street (or Xtreme Street). It’s mostly geared towards people who already have heavily modified cars not built specifically to the autocross rulebook. It has XA, XB, and XU. Our cars fit in XA.  Locally it’s great, no one is trying to gain every advantage they can from an open rule set, they’re just trying to drive the car they already have.
https://www.scca.com/downloads/70320-2024-cam-and-xtreme-rules-changes-formated/download

Go out, don’t be intimidated by anyone or other cars, just try to improve your own times that day, and then the next and the next. I’m trying to get out to more events this year, so keep an eye out for a silver wagon registered. 

[boxkita]

2012 is last time I took a lgt to the track. Visual inspection put me in SM and my only competitor was a wildly modified cadillac on slicks with a professional racer. I never went back.  

I did a novice day with gr86 last year. had a blast as a novice. will do more this year.

I don't know how I spaced on the helmet. If you are interested in track days, invest in SA rated helmet with latest Snell date code, 2020 is likely latest one. Be sure to try it on for several minutes. A headache in the shop is excruciating on the track. Again, if track driving is in your future, get a fire resistant head sock or balaclava (not the greek pastry). Helps with sweat management and gives you a few extra seconds to exit the car. 

corner balance used to cost $500-800 per visit. It took me 3 visits to get as good as possible. However I was tuning for every last second of laptime. Getting the driver weight and tuning for a flat track instead of cambered roadway takes a bit of experience with usually costs more than the firestone lifetime alignment.

the reason to create a course and datalog is because yer butt dyno is usually influenced by how badly you wanted the newest item installed. Actual data will tell you whether the changes were good or not. Picking a course that is unlikely to get you jail time is important. It's not how fast you go, its how consistently you can do each lap. If you can maintain 35mph on a road(for instance) with minimal throttle and steering that's better than drifting or crossing the yellow line. I used to 2 freeway on-ramps (one with a cloverleaf and the other with a left/right wiggle with a curb).

If you are going to replace all yer bushings, I'd do that before getting a corner balance. Otherwise you'll have to do it again. Also avoid getting a setup that encourages the rear end to hang out. Drifting is not autox.

In @tehspud, you have an experienced local. I'd contact them for their next track day and sign up too. Going with someone who's already figured out things helps alot.

[boxkita]

my first autox was done in a 1998 legacy L wagon with a fully equipped yakima rack (bike & snowboard mounts) and snow tires. After 6 runs, I was 6 seconds faster.

To a certain extent, equipment doesn't make you fast. until you can't go any faster for the whole day, you are not equipment limited. however what's the fun in not buying new toys?

[Febreze Mee]

That was such a fun day! Here's @boxkita 's GR86 from that day. 

[boxkita]

I'd forgotten about the Porsche next to me. Such a hot looking car 

[tehspud]

@Bobsyouruncl to answer a previous question, I’m using Whiteline sway bars and kartboy endlinks. 24mm adjustable front and 22mm adj rear. Been a good setup for me. 

[boxkita]

i had solid kartboy endlinks

[Bobsyouruncl]

Thanks guy I really appreciate the info. I'll have to see when I can swing coming out. 

[Bobsyouruncl]

@tehspud Where would a guy get a helmet around these parts? 

[shralp]

Great prices on helmets from https://pyrotectstore.com/product-category/safety-gear/helmets/  They are based here in Oregon. 

[tehspud]

21 minutes ago, Bobsyouruncl said:

@tehspud Where would a guy get a helmet around these parts? 

I don't actually know, I've mostly figured out my head fits best in Bell & Pyrotect helmets and get mine online. I did search the asnw group for that question though, and here's some answers for spokane local shops that carry them: 

- Westside Motorsports

- Cycle Gear

- Impel Motorsports (allegedly carries Pyrotect)

- The General Store

- Spokane Powersports

 

If you want to do track days as well as autocross, a full face Snell SA rated helmet is the way to go. There's usually a little decal that says "snell" on the outside back of the helmet, but the rating sticker can be found inside the helmet underneath the lining on the side or back (random picture from the internet)

[tehspud]

Qlispe Raceway does have track days, they're held by Turn2 Lapping (https://www.motorsportreg.com/orgs/turn-2-lapping). I haven't been yet, but a coworker did one last year as a complete novice and really enjoyed it. 

[boxkita]

turn2 is the bomb. well run events.

visit a motorcycle dealership. try on helmets . usually you'll find a manufacturer that makes a helmet that is shaped like yer head. usually all helmets from that manufacturer will fit you.

helmets should be snug but not crushing.

if you ever get to Bellevue, 425 motorsports has dozens to try on.

[Febreze Mee]

+1 for 425 Motorsports. Even giving Judson from 425 a call while trying on helmets can be very enlightening, very knowledgeable.

[Bobsyouruncl]

On 2/14/2024 at 7:21 AM, tehspud said:

Qlispe Raceway does have track days, they're held by Turn2 Lapping (https://www.motorsportreg.com/orgs/turn-2-lapping). I haven't been yet, but a coworker did one last year as a complete novice and really enjoyed it. 

I was wondering about that. Would love to try this out. 

Thanks for the info guys much appreciated.