I am thinking about joining Solo to have a bit more fun with me car in a safe and controlled environment. I will start off by taking their novice classes.

I was wondering if anyone has ever went to a Solo (Autocross) event with their TL. How do the TL's perform on the track? Anything I should be aware of? Any mods I need to complete?

Thanks,
Mike

 

ck out threads by MichaelBenz and thread titled Putting the TL on a diet
He is running serious competative times in a gen3 TL thats been ~well prepped~

a lot of members try a-cross as a start in car control

another good option is track days/lapping days/high performance driving schools held at local road race tracks everywhere
Car clubs that rent the track for a day-- allow other car makes to join in, often for a full day cost of 200-250$,,thats with a pro race driver as your in-car coach,,getting you to go faster, brake later and harder and turn into the apex correctly.. better each lap

Most drivers come away wondering how they survived on the street this many years!
your car control and `situational awareness` are changed forever

Warning- track days are addictive--the abilty to go full throttle- full brake for 30 minutes at a time,,with no opposite direction traffic,, and a 35 foot wide roadway you use every inch of = awesome fun
and cost less than any speeding ticket

 

Agreed, check out Michael Benz's threads. He did really well in auto-x especially considering the TL's long wheelbase. I think once he got the hang of it he took first place in points for the year.

If you have the 6mt or TL-S, the stock brakes should be good for this. If you have the 5at, you're going to want to at least upgrade brake pads.

A larger rear swaybar is a must. You should probably go with one of the larger ones since you will want the tail to rotate around those tight corners.

If you plan on running on an aggressive street tire, factory a-spec suspension will do nicely. Michael Benz was on a-spec with a larger RSB and he was running either R compounds or slicks and while he did very good, there was a ton of bodyroll.

 

Just be advised that mods like different anti-sway bars or A-spec suspension will take you out of the "stock" class and put you into "street prepared," or into a different "stock" class for A-Spec.

The SCCA will permit certain limited mods to a car-- used to be air cleaners/filters, aftermarket shocks/strut inserts, etc.-- without moving the car to a different class in Solo II, but as soon as you start swapping out suspension bits, the class changes.

Best mod for autocrossing in stock classes: good sticky tires and air pressure in said tires. Have fun!

 

I told my wife that if she was going to get the TL one of my conditions was that she had to autocross it with me at least once. I was surprised. It actually did pretty well all things considered. Autocross is a great form of amateur racing because it builds useful real world driving skill. I've been autocrossing my Prelude for about 5 years. Just don't expect the TL to be a nationally competitive car no matter what you do to it. Get an extra set of wheels/tires for track days because a set of tires that will last for 30k on the streets will only get about 50 miles of wear on a cone course.

 

I did a PDX through SCCA a year and a half ago in my stock 2004 tl. only cost me like 175 and it was probably one of the most fun things I have ever done.

 

Interesting. So could you do a TL-S swaybar combo, factory Brembos, and a-spec springs since they were all factory on the TL?

 

I have a 5AT TL Type S 2008.

 

If they let you, it would be beneficial to run a-spec springs. The rest, you have covered.

 

^ question. what about novices in 6mt cars? how pathetic would it be if you couldn't heel toe? i'd love to track my track (wtf? edit: CAR), especially with a pro driver next to me! but i'd be too embarrassed to show up! lol i can't heel toe...i wear size 13 shoes!

 

The TL and TL-S are both in the "G" Stock class.
However, the A-Spec springs were not a factory option on the TL-S, so the steward or techs, if they are told or spot the difference, could place the TL-S into Street Prepared rather than Stock.
Same for a TL with TL-S or aftermarket sway bars.
A 6MT TL('04-'06) with A-Spec springs should fit into the same class as a TL A-Spec, though.
The courses will be set up so that you will use 2nd gear mostly, so shifting would be minimal.

 

Just checking in as I was bored...lol. I won the year points series in Street Mod class to be exact. Its kind of the catch all soon as you go bolting up a nonstock supercharger...pretty much do what-cha-want class where honestly you can get outclassed quick! Took a lot to keep up in that series...lol.

I'm still around...just own and run my own forum now thats local to my area that keeps me busier than heck all the time.

 

Good to see you back! You should drop by more often. The 3G section has changed a lot though.

 

To anyone reading this thinking of trying autocross, go do it! You will have a blast and you might learn a thing or two about the way your car handles when you push it to the edge.

 

Congratulations! Good to see you back! Keep charging!