Solo with an SC1

[Anubis]

I am about to take delivery of an SC1 and will be autocrossing next year. What tire pressures are good? Does the car handle better with the spare wheel and jack out of the car? What cheap mods can I do to increase the performance. I am gonna be runnin stock class so I can't do all that much. Is KN air filter a good start?

[Anubis]

Also when would be good to put in Synthetic Oil, after the 1st oil change?

[Mr Mike]

There are several threads that talk about WHEN to change to synthetic. Personally, I'm making the switch at the 1st oil change. As far as tire pressures, when I used to a-cross, there was a track minimum pressure. I tended to run 40-45 all the way around. The stock Firestones are pitiful for the agressive cornering that 'crossers' would do so - your first mod should probably be a set of better tires. With an SC1, you don't have a rear sway bar (I think that SPS has a mod kit to add it), so expect some rear end tire lift! I always used Dunlops on autocrossing. But then, that's a (ford v. chevy) question. Everyone has a preference and volumes of reasons why their decision is the right one. Taking the spare/jack might actually hurt performance as your weight distribution will even more tilted to the front with front engine/front drive. If your club will have some 'fun runs', try it both ways and see.!

happy xing!

[saturnal1]

Your SC1 should do pretty well in auto-x once you find the limits and learn to drive the car well. A rear sway bar would be the best mod you can make, but I don't think it would be legal for stock class. The second-best mod for auto-x would probably be a pefromance alignment. For auto-x and street use -1 degree front and -.75 degree rear camber with minimal front toe-out would be a good compromise of performance and tire wear. You probably won't even notice any difference in wear other than normal. Tire pressures depend on the tire make and model, but I've found the best baseline is to have the fronts 4psi higher than the rear due to the increased weight up front. Better brake pads would also help out a lot. There really isn't any worthwhile power mods you can make and still stay in stock class, so focus on the suspension, tires, and brakes (and driver). As for the spare tire and jack, as MrMike said, it can hurt performance, but it has more to do with your driving style than anything. If you want the rear to rotate a little faster, remove the spare. It helped me when I used have the 93 SL I auto-xed, and without a rear sway bar any bit helps. Also, experiment with it both in and out, then use the way you like best. Have fun!

Alex Plaster
97 SC2