First time autocrosser

[BossII]

Hello, so hopefully this year i'll finally be able to autocross. I have to fix my radiator on my car after it blew out the bottom tank My car has 15 Yo tires on it they're still decent shape, i think they might be too old to run autocross though So i'm hoping to be able to replace my radiator and get a new set of tires. My other question is i'm trying to find a helmet, the only ones i can find are motor cycle helmets are those okay to use? I live in vernon and with them upgrading the arena i see the track will have to be moved. I'm hoping to be able to race in vernon, if not kelowna is a nice drive. Any tips for a newbie autocrosser? Also the car i'm hoping to run in is a 1992 Thunderbird SC with only 112k KMs, should be a blast.

Here's to hopefully racing in the spring and meeting new people

[Brain]

Welcome! Sorry.....somehow I never noticed your post.

I'll copy and paste the helmet requirements, but they are sort of confusing. The club does have some loaner helmets - not necessarily enough for everybody, so sharing a helmet in the heat of summer can be ...... unpleasant. Most people just go with the Snell M rating. They're significantly cheaper than SA, but are NOT legal for most other forms of motorsports if that matters (and not legal if you have a rollbar/cage). Most motorcycle shops carry the M rating helmets, as does Princess Auto sometimes. You will see helmets with a DOT rating (even in Walmart) - they are not legal for autocross.

So far I don't think we have any other options in Vernon, although we haven't given up yet either.

Any tips? Yup - just come out and try it. Keep an open mind and lots of people will be willing to help. We'll set you up with some experienced drivers to show you the ropes etc - it's a pretty fun way to kill some time and burn some tires.

C. Driver Safety
i) Helmets
a) All drivers and passengers must wear helmets conforming to either the
latest or two immediately preceding Snell Memorial Foundation
standard or bear an approval sticker of an ASN affiliate of a foreign
country. The following standards are acceptable:
(i) Snell Foundation - 2005, 2010, 2015 M or SA,
2010 SAH. Snell 2000 is no longer acceptable
after 2016
CACC Autoslalom Rule Book Autoslalom Event Regulations
3-7
(ii) SFI Foundation - 31.1A, 31.2A or 31.1/2005
(iii) British Standards Institution - BS 6658-85 type A/FR
(iv) FIA 8860-2004 and beyond
b) Snell 2010M, 2005M or 2000M rated helmets are not acceptable for
vehicles equipped with a roll cage. These drivers require a helmet which
meets one of the FIA, Snell SA, SFI or BSI standards listed above.

[mcsinc]

As a new member, I have to approve the first 3 posts. This board didn't notify me that he had made a post, or maybe I missed the notification

and not legal if you have a rollbar/cage

Does this include the roll hoops in the S2000 and MX-5?

[Brain]

Does this include the roll hoops in the S2000 and MX-5?

M helmet is fine with factory roll over protection. If the factory protection is padded enough to protect your fleshy melon in a street crash then it's soft enough for an M helmet.

The rules actually say M helmets aren't legal with a roll cage. However, I don't see where the rules provide a definition of when a roll bar becomes a cage. In fact the two terms seem to be interchanged in various places. The point is though that an M helmet isn't designed to sustain multiple hard impacts such as might occur from an unprotected bar right behind/beside your head.

Basically by definition an M helmet is for motorcycles, but is legal for autocross. Motorcycle helmets are typically designed to sustain one major impact while SA and above are for motorsports and designed for multiple impacts, fire protection, etc

There is this reference to padding on roll bars though.
J. ROLL BAR PADDING
i) Braces and portions of the main hoop subject to contact by the driver’s or passenger’s
helmet, as seated normally and restrained by a seatbelt or harness, must be padded with a
non-resilient material such as Ethafoam(R) or Ensolite® or other similar materials with a
minimum thickness of 0.5 inch

[See23]

Welcome BossII

I was hoping your name was the car you drive.

[BossII]

Okay cool, so a cheap helmet from Canadian tire or other retailer should work as long as it's got a M rating. A helmet with the proper rating is more preferred. That makes tracking down a helmet easy. I'm guessing places like amazon would be good to also look at getting a proper helmet.

Now tires, i'm going to be getting a new set for the car in the spring anything i should know? I plan on going from the 225/60/16 to a 245/50/16 give or take. I seen some stuff about 200 tread wear rating, will i have to factor that in when buying tires?

I'm excited to do autocross for the first time, then there's that nervous feeling and it's not even close to the season yet

If Vernon doesn't get a spot I'll have to drive to kelowna, which isn't bad it's a nice drive.

@see23 I do want a boss mustang one day The supercoupe will have to fill that void.

It's all good you missed my post, was wondering if someone was on vacation and forgot to check the site lol.

[Brain]

The only retail box store that I've ever seen carry a Snell M helmet is Princess Auto. Canadian Tire, Walmart etc are usually only DOT rated which is not legal for autocross. Doesn't mean it's not worth looking - just saying they usually don't have what you need.

Yup - Amazon, Ebay, etc there's even online helmet stores that are sometimes cheaper. With the US exchange where it is the local stores might be competitive.

Yes - for local racing you want 200 TW or higher. Not that it really matters - there are classes for lower treadwear ratings it's just easier to be competitive on a "Street" tire.

[BossII]

Ah okay tracking down a helmet will be a little bit of work but should be able to find one. That's good to hear about the tires, because i didn't plan on being too picky.

[SkinnyG]

LordCo sells RCI brand in both M and SA. I have the M version, and it's certainly adequate.

Race on whatever tires you have for your first season. Crappy tires force you to drive smoother. Or sloppier. Sloppy is fun and a crowd pleaser....

[BossII]

So running on a set of 15 yo tires should be fine? I have put about a 1000kms on them and they seem to be fine. No noticeable weathering on them. Yeah should be fun to throw the Supercoupe around

Thanks for the info i'll look at lordco, How much was your helmet?