autox is fun

[faust]

Ran the last events of my first autox season this weekend.

Saturday was cold and wet. I'm running Conti ECSs, which helped me get to #2 out of the 16 novices who showed up. Even with those tires, traction was dicey -- I spun it on my second run, and just about spun on the 3rd but managed to save it. I guess I was lifting the throttle a little too much in that corner.

Sunday was dry and sunny, totally different traction story. Came in #4 out of 29 novices, 0.163 seconds behind third place.

Looking forward to next year. Will be running H street, hopefully with a couple other FiST drivers who also started this year.

As a new autox driver, the driver mod should be my top priority. To that end, I'm planning on a SoloStorm setup before next season starts. Also will see about options for coaching, and maybe doing an Evo school.

Car wise, once I've worn the ECSs down to the cords, I'll replace them with RE-71s. Also leaning towards a set of Bilstein B6s sooner or later.

 

[RAAD88]

AutoX is great for building technical skill.

 

[Cdnmr2v6]

B6's are very similar to the stock struts & shocks. If you are wanting a performance upgrade I would at least go with the B8.

 

[Ford ST]

This gets debated constantly but the B6 and B8 are the same I promise you the only difference is the body is shorter for lowering springs over an inch or more.

They have the exact same valving if you don't believe me you can contact Bilstein other people already have.
Swift actually recommends the B6 with their lowering spring because they were meant to work with the stock dampers.

Shock absorbers

Bilstein B4 - These are classed as a replacement damper. A few B4 variations exist depending on the vehicle application but these are all intended to replace the standard shocks fitted when the car was new.

Bilstein B6 - A non adjustable sport damper which is painted yellow. The B6 damper is designed for the motorist that wants a sporty ride without lowering the car or changing the original springs.

Bilstein B8 - just like the B6 shock absorber but shorter. These are only for use with lowering springs or where listed for vehicles with factory sports suspension. The are shorter to ensure the all important coil spring pre load as lowering springs are shorter than OE springs.

https://www.bilstein-shocks.co.uk/pages/confused-bilstein-buying-guide





Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk

 

[Erick_V]

This gets debated constantly but the B6 and B8 are the same I promise you the only difference is the body is shorter for lowering springs over an inch or more.

They have the exact same valving if you don't believe me you can contact Bilstein other people already have.
Swift actually recommends the B6 with their lowering spring because they were meant to work with the stock dampers.

This was discussed a lot in my Mazdaspeed days and confirmed by Bilstein themselves

 

[Cdnmr2v6]

Thanks, I didn't realize that.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

B6's are very similar to the stock struts & shocks. If you are wanting a performance upgrade I would at least go with the B8.

The B6s I have are significantly different than the stock units, with noticeably different behavior on the street and the autocross course.

 

[faust]

The B6s I have are significantly different than the stock units, with noticeably different behavior on the street and the autocross course.

How have the B6s been for you? Better overall on street and autox? I hear that the softer rebound vs. stock doesn't always feel faster, but does tend to lead to better times.

 

[Pablo Pistoffo]

How have the B6s been for you? Better overall on street and autox? I hear that the softer rebound vs. stock doesn't always feel faster, but does tend to lead to better times.

I love them! The stock units seem a lot stiffer, and the more autocross I do, especially on the fairly rough surfaces we have up here, the more I realize that stiff doesn't necessarily equal better for performance driving. Maybe its different on a perfectly smooth track, but I'd never go back. Even with the Swifts, which are noticeably stiffer than the stock springs, body motions are more controlled, less jerky, and a lot easier to drive around. I'd say that Swifts+B6s are almost as comfortable for most driving as the stock setup, but if I didn't autocross, I'd probably just have the stock springs with the B6s for a nice ride and decent performance (plus ground clearance).