stray
New member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2004
- Location
- Simi Valley, CA
Prepping a RWD Volvo for autocross.
1.Why Autocross?
For additions in the future/ open to contributions from more knowledgeable guys than me.
Stage 2
So, why Autocross?
Simply put, it?s the cheapest, easiest way to legally flog your car in a competitive environment. And it?s fun. Really, really fun. There?s no safer way to get familiar with the limits of your car?s grip, and that will help make you a safer, better driver on the street. And when you do make a mistake or the unexpected happens, you?ll be better able to react and be less likely to bend up your car.
And perhaps the best reason for a t-bricker to autocross is that it?s cheap. Most organizations will let you use a less-expensive motorcycle helmet, and even if you do need an SA rated helmet (more on this in a second), you can usually pick one up for not a lot of money on Craigslist or Ebay. Even if you can?t do that, you can pick up a good SA helmet for around $130. Check out Zamp helmets for cheap stuff that meets all the standards and is still pretty comfy. Entry fees range the gamut from $15 for a few runs at some clubs to $50+ for longer, all day sessions that usually get you 15-20 runs.
Let?s talk about intent for a second...
I mean, what do you want to end up with when modifying your car? What is your intent? We can reasonably break this up into two categories - street car and race car.
Street Car - I?d classify this as a car that isn?t necessarily a daily, but that gets most of its use on the street. It drives on the street regularly, not just to and from race events.
Race Car - This is a car whose main use is on the track / stage / strip / whatever. It might be driven on the street sometimes (to and from events / shows / meets), but most of the intended mileage is track or competition mileage.
Now ask yourself... what do I want?
I bet that 99% of Turbobricks members would answer ?street car?. So the following article is mostly devoted to prepping a car for autocross and yet keeping it a viable street car.
Driver Level vs. Car Level
One of the biggest misconceptions about autocross is that you need a ton of modifications to make it fun/ be competitive. To that, I?d say that it again depends on your goals. If (like most brickers) you are looking to go have fun, maybe learn something about driving, and just generally test your car out on track, then you don?t need anything aside from normal stuff that you likely already have. if you?re seriously thinking about building a Volvo for class-based competitive autocross... I?d say reconsider. You might get to be competitive in your local events, but without going nuts like Towery, you?re going to have a hard time regionally. So my philosophy is that it?s about the cars you beat, not the ones you lose to. Yes, the slick-shod E36 beat you again, but you smoked the guy in the stock viper, and that?s awesome. Even more important is competing against yourself. It?s always satisfying to push yourself harder each run and see your times drop throughout the day.
And for most beginning autocross drivers, modifications are actually an impediment to learning. Yes, that?s right - if you modify your car too much before knowing what you?re doing behind the wheel, you?re not going to learn as quickly or as well. So if you want to learn - really learn - about your car and about how to drive any car on it?s limits, start with as close to a stock car as you can manage. That leads me to the first stage of actually preparing your car for autocross.
Preparation for your first autocross.
?Stage 0? is a great place to start. There?s lots of info on what that entails, but it?s basically a really thorough tune up and replacement of anything the car needs to run and perform well. Specifically for autocross you're going to want to be sure that your wheel bearings are good (grab the front wheels while parked and give them a shake. If there?s a bunch of play and/ or an audible clicking... might be time for new bearings) and that your brakes are in good shape.
Tires are crucial in autocross too. You don?t need the biggest, stickiest tire you can fit in your fenders, but your tires do need to be in fairly decent condition. Just make sure they?re not down to the wear marks, and you should be fine.
Check your organization?s tech sheet and go over it before the event. Most of the time, they require three or four major things.
No major leaks - Basically you shouldn?t have to fill your car with any fluid (except gas) during the event. Small oil or coolant or PS fluid leaks are probably fine.
Battery tie down - This is pretty self explanatory. Some Volvos (all?) have a retention system in the battery tray. Grab your battery and give it a good yank and a shove. If it wont move, you?re probably fine (which is to say that you will be totally fine, but that they might not like it during tech and might fail you... might). Still, making or buying a tie down isn?t a bad idea just to be sure. Don?t forget to put some tape on your terminals, just in case.
Lug nuts tight/ wheel bearings good - again, this is pretty self-explanatory. Bring a lug wrench with you just in case, but if you torque your lugs correctly the night before (or the week before) you should be fine. Also, most organizations have someone on site to check lug torque during tech. If they?re not right, they?ll either tell you, or toque them for you.
A helmet - Don?t forget to check the organization?s requirements here.
And that?s really it. If you meet these requirements and can afford the entry fee/ gas, you are good to go. Have fun!
Stage 0.5
Stage ?0.5? is some of the very most basic mods that help at an autocross.
The first thing to consider in any older Volvo is driving position. 240?s are decent, but the 7/9 series cars are both pretty awful, at least for me. They all need serious help to be considered ?good?
So consider getting some nicer seats. Old BMW?s, 80?s VW?s (GTI?s and some Jettas, specifically), RX7?s, 240sx?s, Celicas... all of these are great places to find a ?new? set of seats. They?re all a huge improvement on the stock stuff, and they can all be found pretty cheaply. Just look for something with decent bolstering and you should be fine.
Getting a decent steering wheel in will help too. Using an aftermarket wheel requires a fairly expensive hub or adapter, but the upside of this is that most of them can accept extenders to move the wheel where you want it. Also, having a smaller wheel speeds up the steering response slightly, as well as increasing the level of feedback you get through the wheel, which is important for avoiding understeer.
Stage 1
Everything up to this point has been to help the driver out, to make your 240 a viable car to autocross with, and to make it a better platform for learning to drive seriously. This stage should be considered the most basic level of modification for your car after your first few autocrosses. They are not mandatory, and they shouldn?t be done until you?re comfortable with your car and comfortable that you can?t get any more out of the stock stuff - which really shouldn?t take too long.
OK, so wtf is stage 1? I define stage 1 as kind of an extension of stage 0. Instead of just replacing and renewing the stock part, we?re upgrading them.
The easiest and one of the cheapest things to upgrade on the 240 are the swaybars. There are several write-ups on uber-cheap methods to upgrade your sways, from doing double sways to simply using a used turbo piece on your NA car, but your best bet is to go for a nice set from either iPD or Kaplhenke. A general rule: if you have the cash, buy from Kaplhenke, but if you don?t, iPD works okay. Ben?s parts are always superb quality, well engineered, and very desirable. Just expect to pay a little more. If you can?t stretch for those just yet, pick up a set from iPD, then sell those when you have the cash together for the Kaplhenke peices.
Swaybars reduce body roll. Simple as that. This article : http://tinyurl.com/ck7sple is part of a larger series that everyone should read, and it explains why that?s a good thing. In general you can expect better steering response and a tighter ?feel? to the car.
Another part that is fairly easy to replace, though significantly more costly than a set of sways, is the shocks (or dampers). There are two popular bolt in performance solutions for 240s right now: Koni and Bilstein. Konis are harsher, but better in a lowered car and provide some adjustability, while bilsteins are a decent improvement over the stock junk while still retaining some volvo ride quality for teh streetz. To make it simple: If you?re not lowering the car and/ or are concerned about your ride quality, buy the bilsteins. If you don?t mind a bumpier ride and plan to lower your car (we?ll talk about this soon) the Konis are excellent. It all comes back to what YOU want. There is no silver bullet absolute 100% this-is-the-best-accept-no-less solution unless you have a very specific goal in mind. And if you?re just starting out autocrossing, you shouldn?t! You should just be concerned with messing around in your car and having fun! Who cares if you don?t have the uberest of the uber-badass parts? It?s more fun to beat people on ?lesser? stuff anyway.
Last but not least for stage 1 is going to be bushings. Again, we come up against the old question: street or track? Poly bushings are a great in-between solution that doesn?t cost a whole hell of a lot to buy. HOWEVER - if you?re starting to feel like you might want to go nutzo-crazypants (a subjective term) with your checkbook and are considering updating all of your bushings to solid pieces (I?m pretty sure Kaplhenke can do that for you) then maybe wait a bit. If some of your bushings are screwed (they totally are) then replace them with new OEM stuff and save your pennies for something shiny and nickel-plated from Ben in a season or two when you decide that you know what scrub radius is and that you?re tired of yours sucking.
Reassess:
So by now you should have something between a fun daily and a mild (gutless) track car. What you?re driving now (with the possible addition of an LSD) will teach you nearly everything there is to know about driving quickly in the real world. You will learn to slide the car, how to avoid understeer or oversteer, and how to really brake. And soon, oh so soon, you will want to go faster.
Oh yes, you will want to go faster...
More to come!
1.Why Autocross?
- It?s fun!
- On track skills to on road skills.
- The Dollars/giggles ratio.
- A short discussion about intent.
- Race car or fun car?
- Which do I really want?
- What?s the difference?
- Car level vs. Driver level.
- Modifying to match your skills.
- Class considerations.
- Tires/ maintenance
- Seats/ steering
- Suspension. Sways/ Bushings/ ?sport? shocks.
For additions in the future/ open to contributions from more knowledgeable guys than me.
Stage 2
- Springs/ shocks/ arms
- Diff
- Coilovers
- Severe weight reduction.
- Stripped/ braced/ rollcage.
So, why Autocross?
Simply put, it?s the cheapest, easiest way to legally flog your car in a competitive environment. And it?s fun. Really, really fun. There?s no safer way to get familiar with the limits of your car?s grip, and that will help make you a safer, better driver on the street. And when you do make a mistake or the unexpected happens, you?ll be better able to react and be less likely to bend up your car.
And perhaps the best reason for a t-bricker to autocross is that it?s cheap. Most organizations will let you use a less-expensive motorcycle helmet, and even if you do need an SA rated helmet (more on this in a second), you can usually pick one up for not a lot of money on Craigslist or Ebay. Even if you can?t do that, you can pick up a good SA helmet for around $130. Check out Zamp helmets for cheap stuff that meets all the standards and is still pretty comfy. Entry fees range the gamut from $15 for a few runs at some clubs to $50+ for longer, all day sessions that usually get you 15-20 runs.
Let?s talk about intent for a second...
I mean, what do you want to end up with when modifying your car? What is your intent? We can reasonably break this up into two categories - street car and race car.
Street Car - I?d classify this as a car that isn?t necessarily a daily, but that gets most of its use on the street. It drives on the street regularly, not just to and from race events.
Race Car - This is a car whose main use is on the track / stage / strip / whatever. It might be driven on the street sometimes (to and from events / shows / meets), but most of the intended mileage is track or competition mileage.
Now ask yourself... what do I want?
I bet that 99% of Turbobricks members would answer ?street car?. So the following article is mostly devoted to prepping a car for autocross and yet keeping it a viable street car.
Driver Level vs. Car Level
One of the biggest misconceptions about autocross is that you need a ton of modifications to make it fun/ be competitive. To that, I?d say that it again depends on your goals. If (like most brickers) you are looking to go have fun, maybe learn something about driving, and just generally test your car out on track, then you don?t need anything aside from normal stuff that you likely already have. if you?re seriously thinking about building a Volvo for class-based competitive autocross... I?d say reconsider. You might get to be competitive in your local events, but without going nuts like Towery, you?re going to have a hard time regionally. So my philosophy is that it?s about the cars you beat, not the ones you lose to. Yes, the slick-shod E36 beat you again, but you smoked the guy in the stock viper, and that?s awesome. Even more important is competing against yourself. It?s always satisfying to push yourself harder each run and see your times drop throughout the day.
And for most beginning autocross drivers, modifications are actually an impediment to learning. Yes, that?s right - if you modify your car too much before knowing what you?re doing behind the wheel, you?re not going to learn as quickly or as well. So if you want to learn - really learn - about your car and about how to drive any car on it?s limits, start with as close to a stock car as you can manage. That leads me to the first stage of actually preparing your car for autocross.
Preparation for your first autocross.
?Stage 0? is a great place to start. There?s lots of info on what that entails, but it?s basically a really thorough tune up and replacement of anything the car needs to run and perform well. Specifically for autocross you're going to want to be sure that your wheel bearings are good (grab the front wheels while parked and give them a shake. If there?s a bunch of play and/ or an audible clicking... might be time for new bearings) and that your brakes are in good shape.
Tires are crucial in autocross too. You don?t need the biggest, stickiest tire you can fit in your fenders, but your tires do need to be in fairly decent condition. Just make sure they?re not down to the wear marks, and you should be fine.
Check your organization?s tech sheet and go over it before the event. Most of the time, they require three or four major things.
No major leaks - Basically you shouldn?t have to fill your car with any fluid (except gas) during the event. Small oil or coolant or PS fluid leaks are probably fine.
Battery tie down - This is pretty self explanatory. Some Volvos (all?) have a retention system in the battery tray. Grab your battery and give it a good yank and a shove. If it wont move, you?re probably fine (which is to say that you will be totally fine, but that they might not like it during tech and might fail you... might). Still, making or buying a tie down isn?t a bad idea just to be sure. Don?t forget to put some tape on your terminals, just in case.
Lug nuts tight/ wheel bearings good - again, this is pretty self-explanatory. Bring a lug wrench with you just in case, but if you torque your lugs correctly the night before (or the week before) you should be fine. Also, most organizations have someone on site to check lug torque during tech. If they?re not right, they?ll either tell you, or toque them for you.
A helmet - Don?t forget to check the organization?s requirements here.
And that?s really it. If you meet these requirements and can afford the entry fee/ gas, you are good to go. Have fun!
Stage 0.5
Stage ?0.5? is some of the very most basic mods that help at an autocross.
The first thing to consider in any older Volvo is driving position. 240?s are decent, but the 7/9 series cars are both pretty awful, at least for me. They all need serious help to be considered ?good?
So consider getting some nicer seats. Old BMW?s, 80?s VW?s (GTI?s and some Jettas, specifically), RX7?s, 240sx?s, Celicas... all of these are great places to find a ?new? set of seats. They?re all a huge improvement on the stock stuff, and they can all be found pretty cheaply. Just look for something with decent bolstering and you should be fine.
Getting a decent steering wheel in will help too. Using an aftermarket wheel requires a fairly expensive hub or adapter, but the upside of this is that most of them can accept extenders to move the wheel where you want it. Also, having a smaller wheel speeds up the steering response slightly, as well as increasing the level of feedback you get through the wheel, which is important for avoiding understeer.
Stage 1
Everything up to this point has been to help the driver out, to make your 240 a viable car to autocross with, and to make it a better platform for learning to drive seriously. This stage should be considered the most basic level of modification for your car after your first few autocrosses. They are not mandatory, and they shouldn?t be done until you?re comfortable with your car and comfortable that you can?t get any more out of the stock stuff - which really shouldn?t take too long.
OK, so wtf is stage 1? I define stage 1 as kind of an extension of stage 0. Instead of just replacing and renewing the stock part, we?re upgrading them.
The easiest and one of the cheapest things to upgrade on the 240 are the swaybars. There are several write-ups on uber-cheap methods to upgrade your sways, from doing double sways to simply using a used turbo piece on your NA car, but your best bet is to go for a nice set from either iPD or Kaplhenke. A general rule: if you have the cash, buy from Kaplhenke, but if you don?t, iPD works okay. Ben?s parts are always superb quality, well engineered, and very desirable. Just expect to pay a little more. If you can?t stretch for those just yet, pick up a set from iPD, then sell those when you have the cash together for the Kaplhenke peices.
Swaybars reduce body roll. Simple as that. This article : http://tinyurl.com/ck7sple is part of a larger series that everyone should read, and it explains why that?s a good thing. In general you can expect better steering response and a tighter ?feel? to the car.
Another part that is fairly easy to replace, though significantly more costly than a set of sways, is the shocks (or dampers). There are two popular bolt in performance solutions for 240s right now: Koni and Bilstein. Konis are harsher, but better in a lowered car and provide some adjustability, while bilsteins are a decent improvement over the stock junk while still retaining some volvo ride quality for teh streetz. To make it simple: If you?re not lowering the car and/ or are concerned about your ride quality, buy the bilsteins. If you don?t mind a bumpier ride and plan to lower your car (we?ll talk about this soon) the Konis are excellent. It all comes back to what YOU want. There is no silver bullet absolute 100% this-is-the-best-accept-no-less solution unless you have a very specific goal in mind. And if you?re just starting out autocrossing, you shouldn?t! You should just be concerned with messing around in your car and having fun! Who cares if you don?t have the uberest of the uber-badass parts? It?s more fun to beat people on ?lesser? stuff anyway.
Last but not least for stage 1 is going to be bushings. Again, we come up against the old question: street or track? Poly bushings are a great in-between solution that doesn?t cost a whole hell of a lot to buy. HOWEVER - if you?re starting to feel like you might want to go nutzo-crazypants (a subjective term) with your checkbook and are considering updating all of your bushings to solid pieces (I?m pretty sure Kaplhenke can do that for you) then maybe wait a bit. If some of your bushings are screwed (they totally are) then replace them with new OEM stuff and save your pennies for something shiny and nickel-plated from Ben in a season or two when you decide that you know what scrub radius is and that you?re tired of yours sucking.
Reassess:
So by now you should have something between a fun daily and a mild (gutless) track car. What you?re driving now (with the possible addition of an LSD) will teach you nearly everything there is to know about driving quickly in the real world. You will learn to slide the car, how to avoid understeer or oversteer, and how to really brake. And soon, oh so soon, you will want to go faster.
Oh yes, you will want to go faster...
More to come!
Perhaps just for the 'National' event but geez! 
