Benihana's 14 Black Nismo Journal

Benihana

So I did an Auto-Cross day on Saturday on a decommissioned airfield in Devens MA. FWIW I have done many before in am SM Miata I had some years back and ran with mostly a Miata club, so the course was really set up for those cars.

Considering I had what was probably the least prepped car on the field, I did ok finishing about 2/3rds down the list of about 60 cars.

However, those stock Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires pretty much suck for AutoX. The 280 wear rating is just plain too hard to ask that much grip from. I really fought to keep the rears from spinning which slowed me down a lot. Then add in the tight corners this club is known for and, well, hence my not so great times.

I think a set of stickier sneakers could realistically reduce my times 4-6 seconds if not more. My first run was a 1:29.5 and my best run was a 120.4 so I feel good about my progress over the day but the tires certainly fought me the whole day.

If anyone has suggestions for a set of tires I would love to hear about them. And I'd also love to hear from you if you might have wheels and/or tires for sale. I plan to run primarily HPDE events but I can see running a few AX days in between. That way my lady can drive too.