Has anyone here ever autocrossed their mustang, if so I was thinking of trying it out next year. Looking for setups, tips, stories, what class you raced in, etc. Just any details would be nice.
Not a lot of people auto cross their Mustangs. My best guess is that they can't handle getting their rear end handed to them by Civics, Neons and Miatas. Don't let that discourage you though, those cars are in a higher class for a reason.
I highly reccomend it, it is a lot of fun. If you modify your Stang, don't go for power goodies, they won't improve your time much, if at all. First thing you'll want to do is try to solve the understeer problem. I won't try to tell you how to go about that, everybody has their own idea of what's best and it depends greatly on your budget and what class you want to race in. One thing I will warn against is lowering the car too far. Many people think that lower is better but that's not true. A 2 inch drop will probably reduce your ability to hold a corner rather than improve it unless you've spent a couple grand on a coil over kit and all the related hardware.
If you stay in the stock class, you'll race in F-Stock. In Super stock or Street Prepped, you'll be in the E class. Couldn't tell you about any of they other categories I've seen in American clubs because we don't use them in this part of Canada.
Make sure you read the rules about each category and what mods are allowed carefully. My gears alone moved me up to Street Prepped even though I only have 3 modification points, which would normally mean I'd be racing in ESS.
All that assumes you care about where you race. If you just want to go out and have a good time then mod away and race in whatever category you wind up in, just realize that if you want to be competitive you need to know the rules and what mods will be most effective given the limitations of each category.
Also keep in mind that you're going to need a ton of practise to start turning some good times. Just like drag racing, you'll improve over time and there's no substitute for being on the track.
Last thing, if you get hooked like I have, get a second set of wheels and some hard core tires. You can trash your street tires pretty quick in this sport.
i autoX my stang a bunch of times with NASA northeast. they are a great bunch of people. there was 1 other stang out there at every event, a roush stage 2. lots of fun.
dont let anyone tell you otherwise, our cars are pretty good at it. the tracks are flat, so the live rear is not a liability. and the low end torque means we can keep it in second gear, and never have to shift.
the lighter cars have an advantage, but you can still be very competitive.
Definitely give it a try...I've been doing it for years, and while I'm definitely not a stellar driver, I always have a great time.
As said above, practice is the best mod, no matter what your class (F-stock or ESP I'm assuming). Every great racer had to start somewhere. As far as other mods, tires will probably make the most difference in your times, bang-for-the-buck-wise.
Also, some regions (I'm talking SCCA) run courses definitely geared toward high-hp rwd cars (i.e. the courses are big, featuring long dragrace straights and slaloms and relatively wide turns). Chicago region for one.
Definitely join the SCCA...you'll get a discount on the races, and it's important to help keep this kind of stuff going.