2002 Tacoma for Autocross

Now that I have Trudy upgraded to an OEM level Sport truck status (in my mind) in regards to handling characteristics it is a whole new truck to drive.

For our resolution this year I thought it would be a blast to try an autocross for the first time to get some time behind the wheel and improve my driving skill. So I signed up and am registered for the So Cal Club SCCA Autocross this weekend!

I have never tried an autocross at all, so I am wondering if any forum members may be out there that have actually tried this and may have some tips for me?

Here is ol Trudy, I spent the last year getting all the mods done to improve handling performance and of course some creature comfort items too. Wheels and tires were the number one game changer hands down! Lowering almost 3" helped a bit too for hugging the Earth.



The Sports seats added a bunch of lateral support (and comfort!) compared to the stock bench.



I have of course went through all the factory required high mile maintenance in hopes she will hold up, no leaks, everything is secured. Even got a new oem seat belt that retracts like brand new!

Anyone else out there want to give it a shot in the So Cal area can head out to Fontana AutoClub Speedway by signing up as well?!

 

Tip: Be ready to buy new tires.

 

Care to elaborate on your experience a bit more?

Did you autocross with you Tacoma and is one day going to leave notable wear, or will they be trash?! I know results vary, just wanted your take. Do you still autocross or was it too costly tire wise?!

My tires are pretty darn new and have maybe only 3k miles or so. I do wonder how much wear this will put on them..

 

Just based on the vehicle, weight, steering, suspension. Tacomas are not built for autocross. Your suspension needs major reconstruction to prep for such abuse. The first thing that will give first are the tires.But if you did the proper mods you never know. Post your results. HAve fun

 

It also depends on what treadwear tire you're running, and how hard you push it. My roommate and I do some auto x up here in Maine/northern NH, and with running low treadwear and low tire pressures, you can eat up a set of tires after a few events. You can also have fun with regular street tires, you just won't be pulling as many G's in the turns or braking as late. As stated above, the heavier weight of the truck will wear tires faster than a Miata would simply because they're not working as hard. Most guys who get into it have two sets of wheels/tires. Sticky 200 tread for the course, and normal 400 or more tread for the street. Also pay attention to the rules that govern what class you're in. I know you're just going out to have fun and probably not be seriously competitive, but running a 100 tread tire can put you in a modified class (beyond what you probably already are) and not even close to running the same times as other folks in your class.

 

I don't know what the rules over there are for the club you're going with, (especially due to covid) but the club I run with encourages ride alongs for new drivers with more experienced ones to get you going. I spent my first year riding with as many people in as many vehicles as I could, and having senior competitors ride along with me to give me advice. They can tell when you're not pushing as hard as you truly can, or when you can brake later into a turn. It's a lot of fun, and typically full of really good people happy to help learn.

 

Thanks for the reply,

The Tacoma is definitely not a sports truck in stock form and trucks are not sports cars by any means! Although mine is built perhaps at least to keep up with an SRunner in the turns thanks to fatter modern performance tires. Plus my truck is some what light-ish at roughly 2700 pounds to help traction and tire life.

I didnt go for major reconstruction on my suspension, but a 3" drop and some new shocks should help the cause a bit. I am not looking to be competitive and I honestly didnt even know what class to sign up for.. as you said I am indeed mostly looking to have some fun!!

 

Very nice input, thanks @BananaMan!

I am running my street tires just to go and test the waters and see what the truck does. This is a great idea to have an extra set of wheels and tires to mount for dedicated usage if I decide to keep gong back for more! I am hoping to find out what class my truck is just as I built it. Although I realize if I wanted to be more competitive for autocross I would have built it likely starting from class requirements. I also plan to install a supercharger soon, so this may change the class too I imagine.

I was reading about the ride alongs and I would love to take advantage of someone's experience for sure, and hope the covid rules allow this.

Do you have any footage of your Tacoma on the autocross by chance? I would love to see it, your truck looks bad ass!

 

Make sure where you want to participate allows trucks. Some venues won't.

Learn how to mark your sidewalls to check for rollover so you can correct pressures between runs. I'm guessing you'll need a lot more pressure in the front and less in the rear than you'd use on the street.

If you like it, get one of these. You'll get more podium time.

 

Thanks for the tip as I never heard of the marking tests, I will dig into this a bit more for sure. I wasnt thinking of tuning and tweaking to get every last second out on my first day but any bit of info is helpful since I am totally noobin here!

For tire pressure, do you start at normal street pressure than adjust from there or do you let out a couple pounds for your baseline?

Just curious how I am going to beat all those pesky Miatas on my first run with a Tacoma! JK

 

Since I just got the truck the weekend before Christmas it hasn't seen autocross yet, but I plan on taking it while it's N/A. I don't know if I'll take it after I turbo it since I don't want to risk oil starvation on the built engine. (I am looking at baffling the oil pan and putting in windage provisions too) I think if I wanted to really auto cross this truck I'd have to swap the rear gear ratio, it's a really tall setup right now with the factory gearing. I'd be banging limiter in first or chugging in second most of the time I think.

 

You mark the sidewall with a tire marker, (paint pen essentially) and after a run or two you'll see where the mark has been worn off from the tire rolling over in the turn. Remember your pressures will increase after 2 runs since the tires will warm up drastically. It's better to be too high for pressure than low, since too low will drastically increase your tire wear and lead to cording a tire rather quickly. I'd start at your normal street pressure and see how it goes, I'd be shocked if folks running with you didn't have markers/compressors/pressure gauges and be happy to show you.

 

Looks good. Those pictures make your truck look like it's at a similar ride height to a regular car. I don't see a problem passing tech.

As for AutoX, it's a lot of fun. I'm sure you'll have a good time. For now, just focus on driving the course and having fun. Seat time is the most important thing right now. Save the mods for later.

The tires in the pictures are pretty good for starting in AutoX. They're a summer compound, so they'll handle the heat and shouldn't chunk too easily. You won't be going fast enough at first to damage your tires. Just give them an extra 5psi or so up front to start. You can get into adjusting pressures later.

Have fun out there!

 

Thanks @BananaMan

Interesting point with the gearing, 1st does winds up quick in my truck too it seems and I may be paddling on the course accordingly I guess depending on speed and rpm's. Would you say generally you dont want to have to be shifting gears too much in autocross?

Oh, and I will bring my air compressor and pressure gauge too now that you remind me.

Sure hope I dont get any oil starvation hitting all them high g's in the parking lot too, I better take it easy out there to start I guess..! kiddin'

Great info here, thanks a bunch guys I am already learning more than I thought when I posted this here!!

 

I totally agree with you. And yes, if they're using the SCCA rule book he should pass tech with that ride height. I know my old taco didn't, but my new one definitely will with how low it is. I don't think they'll say his truck is a rollover risk.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lucario-runners-2006-4runner-build.165836/page-3

 

I can't believe that was allowed to run! That would never be able to run around the autocross course.

 

If you want to play with pressures, you need a good baseline first. If you look at the sidewall of your tires, you'll find triangle indicators where the sidewall meets the tread. After each run, look at where the scrub marks end. If there are marks past the indicator, increase the pressure a couple psi. If they don't reach it, lower the pressure. You'll find a good starting point for those tires for future events. Once you have that, you can start making small changes to the pressures to fine tune the grip to your liking.

But again, don't sweat it too much. Your brain is gong to be overwhelmed at first dealing with starting, reading the course, and trying not to hit cones or miss a gate all while driving a lot faster than you're used to in such a small space. Between runs you'll probably just want to decompress and get your mind reset for the next run. After a few events you'll have more headspace for stuff like tire pressures and picking different lines.

 

Thanks a bunch for your words, you are making it sound like a bunch of fun as I am hoping as well as I am sure I will be learning a lot in the process about my truck, tuning, and driving.

I definitely am more focused on my driving versus the truck itself at this time as I know I am still not able to drive this thing to it's maximum potential by any means. I have only driven it a couple thousand miles with the upgrades, and I dont drive to the limit everywhere I go of course! I am certainly open to anymore tips to help with the approach, driving, and tuning and really appreciate you and everyone chiming in here!

 

Make sure to take some pics/vids if you can, we'd love to see how it goes! I might start a thread dedicated to autocross trucks on here if there's not one already. Do you have your own helmet already for racing?