Anybody tried autocrossing?

[TRDman]

I've been trying to think of some racing I can do with my (completely stock) Vibe. Drag... No. Street... Ha. So perhaps autocrossing? Has anyone tried this? Any suggestions?

[Mavrik]

Well I may try some autocross this year but will be doing some drag to see (if any) increase my car has from the mods going onto it. I know there are some here who autocross their Vibes but I forget who.

[tnpartsguy]

I have autocrossed in the past (Regional H Stock champ 2 yrs running) in a 1986.5 Toyota Celica GT. Not planning to try it in the VIbe, found out that it's just too expensive a hobby for me, because I like winning way too much!!

[AKLGT]

not yet, but planning on it this coming season in the LGT. i think Mav may also be racing too, but we'll see since it seems most of the events are held on saturdays and he has to work.

[Mavrik]

Yeah... probably sticking to track days then as most autocross is on saturdays.

[mcgusto82]

i would love to see what the vibe can do on autocross track. unfortunately there isn't a good track near. plus the ones close enough to make a weekend of it only want semi professional cars.

[apbengal]

Yes. I autoX my 04 GT all last season.
While not the quickest nor the easiest to keep from body roll the Vibe performed better than expected.
I entered as a Novice in mostly the Finger Lakes region in and around Rochester but I also ran some events in WNY near Buffalo.
I won Novice G stock in one event and most of the other competitors pretty much laughed at the fact that a Vibe beat out some faster cars.
Not that I am any good but I had AutoXed an entire season a decade ago in a Chevy Spectrum.
Most of the events I felt overwhelmed by the competition, sloppy drivers with more powerful and more agile machines.
The Vibe needs the best tires you can afford and maybe some suspension mod to balance out the towering ride height and body roll.
Any suggestions out there?!?!?
Later

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[mcgusto82]

where exactly are you racing at apbengal?
do you know of any good sessions around mid to lower NY?

[Mavrik]

Other then a set of springs with a 2 inch drop, front and rear strut bar... good set of low profile tires... not much else you can do to the suspension.

You run that stock there Apbengal?

[apbengal]

I havent autoXed any farther East than Rochester but I know that there a more than a few cool events in Central NY region in Syracuse and Albany. Those cities are still a haul for you.
I would look up the SCCA region closest to you to find a schedule.

[Vibe_of_the_thing]

You've gotten some sound advice here. I did it for a few years and it's fun but expensive (though much less so than real racing). The Vibe really isn't terribly well-suited to autocrossing. I would go so far as to say that's especially true for the GT because they base the class designations on (peak) power-to-weight ratio, so the peaky power curve would be a disadvantage. If you just want to go out and have fun and learn about controlling your car at the limits, though, there's no cheaper way outside of donuts in the parking lot.

Personally, I recommend attending an autocross school if your region has one (I learned a LOT there), or going to a Porsche Club of America High Speed Driver's Education. Both of these will be more expensive than autocrossing (the Porsche Club one is a lot more), but having somebody who knows what they are doing ride with you and/or take you around the track is absolutely invaluable. Porsche club one is a lot of fun because you're on a real track and the speeds are high. There is more potential for damage to your car, but wheel-to-wheel racing is strictly verboten and I haven't seen many incidents (in fact none spring to mind at all).

[TRDman]

I appreciate the all the advice. I know that the season here doesn't start until March, but it runs until (possibly?) October. Have no idea about schools here, but it shouldn't be too hard to ask around.
Thanks again. If I do end up doing it I'll post some pictures.

[Vibe_of_the_thing]

To make it easier, here is a link to your region's Porsche Club Driver's Ed:
http://www.pca.org/ovr/driversed.html

Apparently they run at Mid-Ohio. I am very jealous, although Houston's track is pretty cool too because it's a 3 mile road course that also goes up on the high-banks.