I originally posted this in the g35 coupe section, which was probably the wrong place so im doing it here with guys who are interested in responding and know.

So i would like to begin maybe doing some autoX and i was wondering if you guys have some info on 3 things:

1. whether the G is Autox ready/safe
2. if not, what needs to be done to it to make it ready (not necesarily an autox king but just ready so i can start doing it and learn and build on it)
3. what things can be done after that to improve the drivability...maybe even a list of most beneficial to less beneficial

Thanks in advance

-Cameron

 

Most of the clubs have a newbee guide. Our local SCCA club has this list:

http://www.rmsolo.org/help.html

Our cars work great for autocross. Make sure you retorque the wheel lugs to make sure that they are to spec. Hang out at a few events and talk to people. Most of them are more than happy to help out and offer advice.

 

Any car that is street legal and in mechanically sound shape is safe for autocross. All you have to do to prep your car is clean it out.. empty out any trash and loose items -- don't forget the trunk. Air up your tires to about 40psi and take an air gauge with you to the event. Sign up as a novice and request an instructor ride along with you.

Things to do to improve your times:

1) Practice. Use the instructors. Nothing you do to the car will have more of an impact than you simply becoming a better driver.

2) Alignment. Something you should do every now and then anyway to keep the wear on your tires down. If your alignment is off, it can negatively affect the car's performance. You can also go to the extreme -- extra negative camber for better performance at the cost of reduced tire life.

--STOP-- don't go past this point until you've done a few events and know what class you want to compete in --

3) Tires. Once you get pretty good and stop gaining on the leaders in your class, think about getting a second set of rims and some R-comp tires for race days.

4) Suspension. At least for the sedan, my next step will probably be a set of Koni Sport shocks.

 

I'll throw my $0.02 in.

I used to autox a camaro a while back. I just started back up this year with the G35 so I consider myself somewhat of a newbie.

1. The g is autox safe provided you've kept up with the regular maintenance.
2. You may need a helmet if your local club doesn't provide loaners. Any of the latest snell M rated helmets should be sufficient. It's been a while since I bought my helmet, but I think you can probably pick one up at a local motorcycle shop for under $100.
3. I've been posting my experiences at http://www.idanim.com/main/autocross/index.html along with video and details about any mods that I've done--all very minor for now.

I agree with ryoken. Don't try to go faster by throwing a bunch of money at the car. Seat time will make the biggest.

There's currently a recommendation before the SCCA to reclass our cars to F stock (along with camaros, mustangs, etc.). If that goes through I'll probably compete in that class next year. Another class that might make a good fit for our cars is STX. You can find the class descriptions and rules that SCCA and most local clubs use at http://www.scca.org.

 

autoxing in the coupe is fun as hell you should give it a try