I'm starting this... this is by all means unfinished... so the rest of you junkies can fill in what I missed, your own experiences, etc....
Stick whatever you want about getting started in here, try to keep the set up stuff 7th gen specific to keep confusion down (this is the noob thread) and keep it simple.
So here goes...
FAQ #1: What do I have to do to my car to autocross?
Answer: Nada, Zip, Zilch, Diddly Squat, NOTHING. Leave it alone, just show up and race it. You're not going to win your first time out, so don't put any money into something you don't know if you're even going to like. Bring the car, lunch and if you have one, a helmet. Most regions have loaners if you don't have one or can't find one to borrow from a friend.
7th Gen Civics fit into SCCA H-Stock, midly upgraded STS or STX depending upon what you do, then into SM if you make major alterations or any weight reduction. Street Prepared, it would fall into DSP.
www.moutons.org, read the class rules to see where you fall. There are limits to what you can modify, if you are unsure of the rules, ask BEFORE you buy parts.
Once you're hooked (it usually happens), you still do not need to turn your car into a money pit. Remaining in HS will keep the money spent on the car to a minimum since you aren't allowed to change too much. You're allowed a cat-back exhaust, R-compound tires that fit on stock size rims (14x5.5 or 15x6 and an offset within .25" of the stock +43mm), different front sway bar, and brake pads/stock sized rotors, and new shocks (NOT springs). Thats pretty much it.
STS ups the stakes to suspension mods, but read the rules carefully... not everything's legal. Diagonal braces and any bars that don't attach to the strut towers are illegal. Pillowballs are legal, but changing any other bushing to metal is not legal. Some bolt-on engine parts are legal, but read carefully and evaluate what they're really going to help. If you're really trying to build the car with autoX in mind, high end power should not be the goal, a wide powerband is. You'll be all over the rev range and getting 10 HP from 6000 up but loosing everything below 4500 isn't going to help you.
Street Mod would be for those of you with boost, swaps or carbon fiber crap. If you go here, you better go all out... and I hope you like playing with modified Evos, STis and other cars of the like. Thankfully, you can save yourself from the Corvettes, but you'll still have your hands full. Anyone with an unblown D17 here... ummmm, no comment. Take the carbon fiber eye candy off, drop classes.
I've found the following crap out from starting off.
1. Stock tires suck. If you change anything right off the bat, lose them.
2. The stock suspension is more than able to handle the car. The one thing I would suggest is the 16mm sway bar. The 25.4mm bar is a little thick for the 13 in the back, but do this after you've done a few events.
3. No blaming the car. You suck at driving. If you're not smooth, the car won't like you, and neither will the timing lights.
4. Ask as many questions as you can. No one will turn away someone who wants to learn the right way.
5. Ask for rides with people that are good. Same reason as #4.
6. Ask good drivers to ride fun runs with you. Refer to #5.
7. If you hit a cone, forget it, you just ran its punk ass over. Just don't hit it next time.
8. If you DNF (Did Not Follow), find out from Timing and Scoring where you missed a cone (if you don't already know) so you don't miss it again.
9. Walk the course, walk the course, walk the course.... as many times as you can.
I'll think of more later... ok guys.... add to it.
