Oh, and if you do go to Sebring, stop by the GRM booth. We'll show you the light.
Oh, and if you do go to Sebring, stop by the GRM booth. We'll show you the light.
FifthGear2014 wrote: Did you guys do some crazy drifting and stuff when you were hanging out with your friends? And wheres an auto X?
Don't drive like a douche on the street. What city are you in? I am sure someone local can point you in the direction of auto cross. Be warned that it's really hard and you'll prob come in last .....for a while....but it's a TON of fun and you'll meet some great people.
What are your parents thoughts on you auto crossing etc? You're prob on their insurance etc so before you get too fired up I would talk things over with them.
I think it's time we nudge this thread towards a better course.
How do your parents feel about you modifying the car? This will impact your choice of modifications.
I asked my mom today and my step father and they said they were perfectley fine with me modifying it but they said i have to do it with my own money. i said thank you very much so its a set thing im gonna start this summer cause ill have alot of free time this summer
I wouldn't mod it just yet, however a good alignment on the stock stuff will make a huge improvement in handling. Find a good chassis tuner and have them do it, again I am sure a local GRMer can point you in the right direction.
What is a GRMer?
It's a common term for users of this site.
Here are some bad (well, expensive) ideas to get you started:
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/results.jsp?sort=Weight&autoMake=Toyota&autoModel=Corolla+LE&autoYear=2006&autoModClar=&filterSize=All&filterFinish=All&filterBrand=All&filterSpecial=false&filterWeight=All&filterNew=All
To get your skills up to speed quickly, check out:
Street Survival - http://streetsurvival.org/
NASA Car Control Clinics - http://nasacarcontrol.org/
BMW CCA also holds car control clinics. Check out their web site for locations - https://www.bmwcca.org/forum/index.php?forums/car-control-clinics.118/
The car control clinics are actually alot of fun. Kinda like mini autox or practicing for your favorite sport.
Thanks!
Oh, and you're in the Central Florida SCCA region. You can find autocrosses at cfrsolo2.com
The next one is February 8th and 9th at Sebring
Ok Thanks 
Good luck buddy. I don't think I'd personally spend any time or cash modifying that car, but to each their own. I'd spend it on something that was special- I had the "coolest" car in my high school too, except it was only the coolest to me.
Just please, and I mean this sincerely, take some cues from Tommy and use some punctuation. You will be so much easier to read and understand. I'm betting more people will treat you like their son/buddy, and you'll get better advice.
Ive found all of his later posts in this thread to be 98% ok.
Welcome to GRM!!! (I don't think anyone said that.)
We are an opinionated bunch on here but don't be afraid, and don't worry too much about your minor bout of immaturity the other night. Most of us are much older and still fight with bouts of maturity. Smart people, great advice, just not necessarily mature. Just ask our significant others. 
I am 37, a Mechanical Engineer, have supplied and launched vehicles with BMW and Mercedes Benz. I have sold cars for a living in school (Carmax President's Club) and in one year had 12 vehicles titled in my name. With all that experience, I always ask the Hive Mind (our collective knowledge) their opinion first. That is the level of information you have found.
There has been some good advice on here. Leave stock (or mostly, wheels and tires are wonderful mods that will wake up how that car looks and drives. Just remember get a lighter wheel and tire package if you want better performance.)
But let me make a suggestion that was very similar to one that was made earlier, but with a twist.
Buy a second car. On here, the answer is always Miata. I know you like Mustangs, (I love them personally) but with part time job money, insurance and fuel costs will eat you alive, (maybe a good college graduation present?) Either way get a second car so when the mods go sideways (eventually something always does) you will still have something to drive. The $20XX Challenge should give you some great ideas on what you can do with proper research, sweat, and summer yard mowing money. (Those guys spank supercars for less than money than a new set of tires on some cars. Cool stuff.) That will leave your Corolla as a great commuter for your college car (you have no idea how much a car you can fit your friends in and not cost you an arm and a leg to operate [fuel, tires, maintenance, etc.] is truly worth till college,) and a toy you can mod and race till your hearts delight.
A driving school is always a great choice too. Now we aren't talking, "put your turn signal on here and wait 3 seconds before turning." driving school. We are talking High Performance driving schools. Learn from the pros on how to drive really fast. At almost 16 the BMW Survival School is a great school choice for you. You will learn with people your own age and you drive BMWs at the factory track in South Carolina. It isn't a full on driving school in the high performance sense, but it is a fun and brilliant gateway drug into the world of high performance driving. If you can't make there from Sarasota (city on your profile) check your local track or some of the more reputable driving schools. I know Bondurant does one at Seabring in Florida. On top of that your insurance company should give you a break after you successfully complete the course!
Street racing. Standard old man response here, don't do it. I am being a very big hypocrite for saying that as from the time I was 16 till about 25 I did more than my fair share. Just be careful and check your ego. Better drivers than all of us have been killed from egos taking control.
Most importantly, enjoy that first car. You only get one first car, and you have a good one there. My first car was an 88 Mercury Tracer hatchback, ~90 hp and an automatic. I loved that car.
Once again welcome to GRM, can't wait to see you on the boards more, and keep posting pics. As we say, "Pics or it didn't happen"
P.S. Just one more thing. Nazis are real. On here they are Grammar Nazis. Post like you are writing to your folks. Most of us here are old and texting lingo for posting is generally frowned upon. Mostly because we are old and it frieghtens us. Now where did I put my Metamucil?
I was going to direct you to Street Survival but see that amg_rx7 has already done so. I've been sending all of my neices and nephews when they get their licenses and they've all enjoyed and benefited from it.
Check out autocross for sure. You can do it with your bone stock Corolla and will have a blast while learning tons about car control. If you arrive and simply say "I'm new to this, can you offer me some pointers?" I can pretty much guarantee that you'll find that more experienced guys are always happy to help beginners out by walking the course with you, riding along with you or taking you for a ride. Don't worry about how your times compare with others yet, just strive to make each run better. Heck, that's what most of us who've been doing it for years try for! Be aware that when running at an SCCA event you'll need to have a parent sign a minor waiver if you're under 18.
Good luck, Jeff
Good book if you want to get into autocross. I'm an engineer in my late 20's and still re-read my copy at least once a season. http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Solo-Racing-Techniques-Autocross/dp/0962057312
Heres the big question for you: What exactly do you want to get into doing with your car and with cars in general? Do you aspire to build a career around cars somehow? What do you want to learn about working on cars?
as far as what to do with cars, heres a basic list to mull through.
-Fun street. having some fun on back roads (Keep it LEGAL! street racing can ruin your future)
-Showcar. To most here its a side focus. Showing your car off to others.
-Drag. Dragstrip. 1/8th or 1/4 mile dragstrip. you know the drill.
-Autocross. Courses taken one car at a time against the clock. Requires some investment and dedication. watch this for an example of autocross at its highest levels. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpIWaSSk3Ms (pay attention at 3:05!) There are national champions on this board.
-HPDE/trackdays Events at real racing tracks that are not usually timed (to my understanding). This requires more investment (figure something close to $500 - $1000/weekend) than autocrossing. There is risk involved. If you crash your car, your insurance doesn't cover it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN5xPnivtRo
-Time Trial Similar to HPDE in many respects. Bit more crash risk, your pushing harder. This is lapping against the clock.
-Wheel to wheel. Big game, thousands of dollars per year. If this is your goal, I would suggest considering Karting as it is cheaper (more attainable at this point in your life). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-pdOYfBNqA or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IglGUf5bCtA Don't knock karts, they can be FAST, faster then many cars.
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