Audi TT for STH Autocross

I don't own and didn't build the car, so I don't think this goes in a build thread. But please move there if so deemed.

So I've been thinking about STH class since I rode in my buddy Thomas's 2016 Audi TT that is built for SCCA STH Autocross class.

Rode in it in October, BRUTAL acceleration. APR tune, intake, downpipe. This results in 390lb ft of torque going through a DSG box into AWD. 

Mentioned to him in November I had no Co driver for 2019 in my G street Focus. So if the opportunity came up I'd like to warm tires for him.

Didn't hear anything back on it until 3.5 weeks ago when he offered me the tire warmer Co-drive for the entire 2019 national solo and prosolo seasons.

Fast forward to today. 

Thomas is out of town, but I went to the same practice event Mazdadeuce was at today in Houston, because Thomas tosses me the keys for the weekend and tells me to have fun and report back how it feels once I'm comfortable in the car.

In short Audi is a rocket sled, the car is lowered on MCS double adjustables with camber plates. Suspension works well and the car is a happy camper. 

Car has one flaw in that it lacks a front diff. This is its Achilles heel, it cannot claw out of corners. Learn to drive around it and the car is extremely capable. But it's definitely FWD biased and I didn't realize how good DSG boxes were.....

The DSG turns this car into a rocket sled with the following instructions. 

1. Tell passenger to grab door handle for entire ride.

2. Depress Gas pedal fully to the floor.

3. Turn wheel as needed through fast to moderately narrow transitional elements. 

4. Apply brakes in straight line before turning to prevent car from pushing early and into mid corner. 

Makes me really consider taking my focus to STH with a LSD install and tune. These cars are insanely fast! 

​​​Here's a picture of the Audi. 

​​​​​The THULE roof box is used to carry 2 of the race tires. Only 2 tires fit properly in the car with tools. 

Really neat little car, I'm excited for 2019 and beyond. 

Also the car owner Thomas is the guy who runs National Autocross News. Check it out at NAXN.ORG or on Facebook!

Crazy awesome day of autocross. Put down a 66.5 today good for 3rd in Raw time, and 5th in pax. My best finishes ever in my home region houscca and the course conditions actually improved after my heat. I ran PS4S in wet conditions and the guys who beat me had Co drivers and were able to run the BFG'S or Bridgestones and get heat into them. 

Got a congratulations from Zachary Sober for my driving and that alone meant the world to me.  He drove the Audi a couple times in 2018 and every time he drove it he threw it into limp mode so he was impressed with the fact that I didn't put it into limp mode even one time.

And I got the win in STH class... which wasn't truly worth anything except for winning this awesome "SOLO" Cup..... Holding for laugh...

But the Audi impressed a lot of people this weekend. It's not without fault. But I'm pretty sure I can drive around the handling faults of the chassis now and it's just a barrel of laughs.

This car is absurd and an absolute blast to passenger in. I predict that we're seeing its one year in STH before someone protests and gets in moved to hang out with the STi. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

This car is absurd and an absolute blast to passenger in. I predict that we're seeing its one year in STH before someone protests and gets in moved to hang out with the STi. 

I wonder if that will happen to most of the TTs as in general every generation of Audi TTs featured better suspension geometry and additional camber allowances vs their vw gti siblings. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

This car is absurd and an absolute blast to passenger in. I predict that we're seeing its one year in STH before someone protests and gets in moved to hang out with the STi. 

This is its second year in STH in all fairness, but I understand what you mean. 

The fact is though, I'm driving around the faults of the chassis... and yeah.. It's hooked up on corner exit. But I'm giving up lots of time in mid corner and corner entry because of how and when I have to brake and the fact that I can't put down power mid corner or it will push out into oblivion....

A FWD VAG platform with a proper diff could definitely be a potent contender and we still don't know if this is faster than the flyweight DSM that won last year. 

The TT should not be in STH.  My reasoning is that I am going to STH. LOL  I love the mini-R8 looks of that thing!   

I haven unhealthy desire for a TT. This is not helping! 

z31maniac said:

I haven unhealthy desire for a TT. This is not helping! 

Nor does the fact that there are apparently a larger percentage of Audi TTs with over 150k miles than Miatas!

https://jalopnik.com/move-over-miata-the-audi-tt-has-more-examples-over-150-1833032377

Kind of an interesting stat, although perhaps the fact that it's data points only come from cars that were sold makes it a bit flawed. I've always found the Audi TT a handsome car, right from day 1. And the VR6 and I5-powered models make some great noises

I've been trying to figure out how I could possibly afford a TT RS............that noise..............it's just glorious. 

I don't think the better half would enjoy me having a car payment larger than our mortgage. 

z31maniac said:

I haven unhealthy desire for a TT. This is not helping! 

It's a neat car!

z31maniac said:

I've been trying to figure out how I could possibly afford a TT RS............that noise..............it's just glorious. 

I danced with a first-gen 3.2 Quattro in downtown Alexandria, VA traffic this fall. It made some awesome noises too, and I was having fun chasing it around with my 245hp Miata in traffic.

z31maniac said:

I've been trying to figure out how I could possibly afford a TT RS............that noise..............it's just glorious. 

I don't think the better half would enjoy me having a car payment larger than our mortgage. 

It doesn't hurt that they look like mini R8's

yupididit said:

z31maniac said:

I've been trying to figure out how I could possibly afford a TT RS............that noise..............it's just glorious. 

I don't think the better half would enjoy me having a car payment larger than our mortgage. 

 

It doesn't hurt that they look like mini R8's

No joke. 

My phone is having a hell of a time trying to post this so photos and text and getting broken apart. Trying to add images has crashed my chrome browser twice and made me retype everything.

Today was day 1 of the Mineral Wells champ tour. I fought like hell today and couldn't keep the Audi under me. Tire temps were a major issue for everyone with standing temps in the 50's and winds above 25 mph. 

I managed to dial back enough on run 3 to get a clean one in and get a decent time on the board. But I was overall unhappy with my driving.  I am in position to fulfill my job as Co driver by warming tires and also by being in 2nd place to win a Tire.

Tomorrow I will fight like hell to be in a better spot and challenge for the win against my Co driver and car owner. 

Today's results with me sitting in 2nd... damn BFG's just didn't want to work without heat... 

Hover mode activate! Water heater insulation is the cheap and easy way to help retain heat in the wheels and tires. 

A post about a TT where it has not been E36 M3 on for not being enough better than a GTI, or for not being dynamically superior to a Cayman? This has been refreshing! 

It should be a better autocross car than a GTI, though.

Sounds awesome.  The specs on that car are nuts.  Is there a diff allowance for AWD in STH?

I think half of the cars in STH should be kicked back to their respective ST* classes (mostly STX I imagine?).  A lot still wont be competitive (no more STF), but still...

Got home from Mineral Wells and just passed out. Exhausting weekend. 

Day 2 went a lot better than day 1. Temps were colder but a lack of wind made tire heat much easier to keep. I went out of the start and didn't launch, just accelerated and still managed to loop the car right after the timing lights. But I got through the run and got a great feel for the course while pickin up a few cones. Got to my 2nd run and we actually had some heat in the tires. Got a good conservative run in and jumped up into 2nd right behind Thomas. Thomas got his 2nd run in clean and opened the gap on us to the point where I could have gone for broke to maybe try and beat him. Or I did what I chose to do and increased my pace in a conservative manner for run 3 and locked down 2nd place. It is my first trophy at a national Tour after finishing one spot out of trophies last year in SSC and it was worth 1 BFG in contingency for the Audi. So maintaining the position was enough for me.

Thomas and I have the Grenada ProSolo coming up in 2 weeks with 26 cars in our S4 class... combo PSI class of DS,FS,GS and STH. That is going to be the real test.... 

Thomas took a DSQ for his final run because Ty Morton was asking him how fast he was driving and Thomas offered to take him around the course for his final run since it was a victory lap anyway. 

That's going to be a neat event. And congrats on the trophy, you've been working on it for a while now. 

ProDarwin said:

Sounds awesome.  The specs on that car are nuts.  Is there a diff allowance for AWD in STH?

 

I think half of the cars in STH should be kicked back to their respective ST* classes (mostly STX I imagine?).  A lot still wont be competitive (no more STF), but still...

STH was created partly for 2 reasons, Hot hatches are popular across the club. and with the new rules about ST classes and open boost... it was easier to separate a lot of Turbo cars from STX than leave them there until it created an imbalance..  

Yeah, I get it.  It just seems to be a mega disparity from top to bottom in that class.  A Fiat 500 and Sonic Turbo are "Hot" hatches, and in the same class as a 400hp AWD TT.  

Seems to me they could leave the lower tier cars where they were, although I guess most of them were probably buried there as well :/

There is no place for slow commuter type cars any more in SCCA autocross. 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

There is no place for slow commuter type cars any more in SCCA autocross. 

Yeah.  That was a more extreme case, obviously those cars aren't going to be competitive in any class.  But if that is the case, why bother moving them?

What about the Fiesta ST, Civic Sport/Si, Focus ST, Veloster, Speed 3, Cobalt, SRT-4,Eclipse, etc?  <-All that is what I think of when I think Hot (or Warm) hatch.  11 second Audi TT is not what comes to mind.  Whats the bar for 'slow commuter type cars'?