Actually Autocross a smart!?!?!

[Old smart]

I recall the days of the mid-last century when they had informal parking lot "gymkhanas." They were much slower and more complex than what SCCA Solo II has become. A GK course might include such things as multi-figure 8s around a pair of pylons before setting off to the next feature which might be stopping and backing into a tight parking box and then going on to some slalom or whatever. Often out-and-back, with a stop and turnaround at the far end. I suspect that a smart would do exceptionally well in a GK where maneuverability counted as much or more than speed. Anyway....

For those who know, are some SCCA Regions formally classifying the smart, or are they giving "courtesy" classifications? Neither my region ("Old Dominion," S.E. VA) nor the NSR speak of smarts - yet.

[randyzimmer]

WOW!
93 views and 8 members writing in just a few overnight hours!
Pretty surprised.

Didn't know if I needed to expand on this but I guess I got my answer.
What I did cost me under $400 for ~ 4 seconds of improvement.
In racing terms, that's a bargain!

Background:
Ran the car stock and noted;
ESP engine management pretty good, not invasive like BMW's.
ESP brake force pretty disruptive but OK.
Worse with passenger - initiated with lean?

Ran the car stock with Fuse #11 removed.
Good:
Engine power consistent.
No more single front brake in corner surprise.
Bad:
No ABS means front brake lockup with every application.
6 to 12" of air under rear tires - very disturbing.
No big gain in times to offset danger.

Sound control reported "0" on sound meter.

Now for the changes:

Front tires:
I bought two rear tires ($65 each Tire Rack) and put them on the stock (narrow) front rims.
Push is reduced.
Direction changes are more pronounced.
Braking without ABS is now possible.
Still not great tires but if they hadn't worked out at all, (like, if they didn't fit the rims) I'd have had some replacement rears in stock for the future.

Roll!
Having the basic tendency of the car to lift the rear wheels off the ground was bad.
Front sway bars in stock class are free.
I removed the front bar, and drilled holes just far enough from the bend to get the nut back on.
This was done by grinding flats on both sides until a 5/16" - 3/8" flat was formed and then a small hole bored and then incrementally opened up to the size of the attaching link dia. The inconsistency of the sway bar metal was ruining bit after bit.
Some steel was soft and other parts hard. I drilled from both sides as far as possible then I finally finished up with a carbide burr where the drills refused to drill.
The "new" bar was amazing once reinstalled and transformed the car. Still soft over bumps but stiff in roll (just like it should).

Noise:
Still no dyno data but the $26 chrome tip (install detailed somewhere else) looks and sounds cool.

The H&R springs ($165 Tire Rack) weren't tested alone so the improvement in time for them is unknown and they did not solve a perceived problem other than lowering CG and reducing ESP induced power loss, but if the car didn't need the fuse in to stay healthy, that wouldn't matter anyway.
They are not legal in a stock class AFAIK (I don't read Solo rules much) and may not be the biggest speed contributor anyway. I'd like to see what someone else finds about them. They do make a change in the car's everyday feel and it looks cuter.

What I only found out yesterday is that lowering changed my front toe form 1/16" in to 1/4" out.
I hadn't rechecked toe expecting the bump steer to be better engineered. I guessed wrong. I'm sure the toe-out made my turn-ins better but that's probably why my MPG isn't so great.
Chances are you could get 75% to 90% of my improvement with the two tires alone.
(I do believe the springs contribute some, but not dramatically - don't know for sure)

More info:
The scangauge showed;
.8 mile course
.020 gal @ 18.5MPG
51 MPH maximum speed

My friend Mike's Shelby Mustang showed a max of 57!
Unfortunately, his time was 10 seconds quicker, 3rd in PAX and I was ~40 of 80.

[randyzimmer]

More info I forgot:
With the car's suspension and grip "tuned" better, the ESP became startling and mildly "dangerous" locking a front wheel when the car felt it was needed and changing course abruptly (due to the wider tire's increased grip).
This week, my situation was reversed, I needed to remove the fuse to make the car "safer".
Fuse 11 is at the end of a row, is a 20A and when you get the right one, all the warning lights on the dash are angry!
It is tough to pull, pliers or a fuse puller are needed.
rz

[Wizco]

Less than a second off an SM2 Miata?

Running my smart with stock tires, and absolutely no changes other than tires pressure, the best I could muster was 5 seconds behind the SM2's. (I normally autocross an SM2 Miata, hence the benchmark).

Traction control was my biggest PITA. I'm flat out through a slalom, and can feel the car arguing with me. I'll have to try pulling the fuse, is that legal for stock?

Running 4 rear rims/tires on the car helped the understeer, to the point of getting loose before the ESC reels it in.

Glad to see someone else is trying the smart in autox.

[Carl242]

Cool!!

I wonder how SMART treats the warrenty for people who autoX. I read something by a guy who'se warrenty was pulled on his MINI even though he was an influential autoX'er in his region, and appeared in promitional material for MINI.

That might deter me from autoX'ing until my warrenty is over . . .

[Old smart]

Originally Posted by randyzimmer

... The H&R springs ($165 Tire Rack) weren't tested alone so the improvement in time for them is unknown and they did not solve a perceived problem other than lowering CG and reducing ESP induced power loss, but if the car didn't need the fuse in to stay healthy, that wouldn't matter anyway.
They are not legal in a stock class AFAIK (I don't read Solo rules much) and may not be the biggest speed contributor anyway. I'd like to see what someone else finds about them. ...

Randy,

Here is a matrix gleaned by my Region from the NSR to make some pre-self-scrutineering easy: Old Dominion Region SCCA - Do-it-Yourself Classing

[Dave Van]

I used to run SCCA Autox back in the 70-80's in a 1966 Mustang. More info on the sway bar mods would be great....I have yet to get under the car so I can't 'get it' yet...maybe I will after I get under the car. Sounds GREAT!

[Wizco]

Originally Posted by Carl242

Cool!!

I wonder how SMART treats the warrenty for people who autoX. I read something by a guy who'se warrenty was pulled on his MINI even though he was an influential autoX'er in his region, and appeared in promitional material for MINI.

That might deter me from autoX'ing until my warrenty is over . . .

Mini is a real nightmare on warranty. 2 autocrossers in my region have had warranty claims denied. Annoying, as they make a big deal of the cars competitiveness in their advertising.

It's a calculated risk. I'm running the smart on street tires, bone stock, and on most days. I'm running the Miata, so I'm not too concerned about warranty problems. I'm just looking to find the limits on the smart where the worst that can happen is hitting a couple of cones.

I will add, that I have a reputation locally of being the guy that can spin anything. I can't do it in the smart. (Gotta pull that fuse )

[jwight]

Valid point; doing anything such as Randy has done on his car will invite warranty trouble should something go wrong. Doesn't mean don't do it, just be aware that you'll probably void the warranty if you do. And I'm guessing pulling the fuse will leave an electronic trail that a smart tech will be able to follow.

[Wizco]

Invite is probably a strong word. Mini is really hardline on warranty. Mazda, not so much. Other companies, somewhere in between. I don't know where smart is going to fall.

Changing springs should not have an effect on drivetrain warranty, but might on a suspension claim. I have no idea how much record keeping the smart ECU(s) are capable of, but doubt that it can tell the difference between a removed fuse and a blown one.