Driving Techniques

[misterpoh]

Dunno if its a repost.

Something I found on the net. Thought it may be an interesting read for all you people interested in improving your driving techniques.

http://www.turnfast.com/tech_driving/driving.shtml

http://www.modernracer.com/tips/tips.html

EDIT : In case I upset anyone, PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS ON PUBLIC ROADS

[AsH_]

this is from... drivingtechniques.co.uk

FRONT WHEEL DRIVE

Front wheel drive, sometimes referred to as 'Wrong Wheel Drive', is both the easiest to drive and the most difficult to fully master.

Almost anybody can drive a FWD car fairly quickly, they can appear to be right on the limit when in fact they are only on the limit of the front tyres. Exploiting the genuine limits of the entire FWD car can be a real challenge.

The difficulty arises from the fact that you have little control over the rear wheels. In a rear wheel drive car you have control over the front wheels with the steering and the rear wheels with the power. But in front wheel drive both control forces are focused on the front wheels.

On top of this, the fact that putting power to wheels creates the reduction of traction, and understeer is the most uncontrollable handling characteristic means the whole set up should be a recipe for disaster.

However.... The advances in suspension and handling setups on road and race cars have lessened these characteristics and turned some front wheel drive cars into extremely drivable cars. Certainly most of the new hot hatches and even some of the older ones such as Escorts (particularly XR3 etc.) have good levels of front wheel grip.

The techniques involved in effectively driving a front wheel drive car are quite complex and require serious practice to get right. The most demanding motorsport for front wheel drive car control must be rallying or derivatives where you can be running on loose surfaces and need to find sure fire ways of creating oversteer.

SCANDINAVIAN FLICK

Used as a way of committing to medium slippy corners at speed by eliminating understeer. Particularly if the entrance to the corner is tight on a surface such as gravel, you need a way of quickly turning into the corner without the possibility of understeer.

Using left foot braking, you should aim to put the car into a sideways skid heading down the road towards the corner whilst the car is pointing in the opposite direction to the corner (e.g. pointing right heading towards a left hand turn).

The car can then be held in that position by flooring the brakes and locking up all the wheels or just balancing the brakes and throttle.

At the point when you want to turn in you can come off the brakes and let the car change direction and swing into oversteer in the other direction. It is then a case of balancing the brakes, throttle and steering using the left foot braking technique to balance the car through and out of the corner.

HANDBRAKE TURN

The hand brake is the savior of front wheel drive in many situation. The front wheel drive car is by far the best at handbrake turns and by far the easiest to master them in.

Due to the fact that the front wheels are driven and the handbrake acts on the rear wheels you can pull the handbrake without coming off the gas.

To perform a 180 and continue in the other direction.

Slow down to about 20-30ish in second gear, pull the handbrake hard enough to lock the rear wheels and steer smoothly in either direction. The car will start to swap ends. When at about 140ish degrees, hit the gas, drop the handbrake, select 1st gear and dump the clutch, all in one smooth motion (takes practice).

This should finish off the 180 and start pulling you down the road amidst a cloud of tyre smoke.

LEFT-FOOT BRAKING

Left foot braking is probably the most important technique to master in driving a front wheel drive car effectively.

In order to defeat understeer you need to provide more grip to the front wheels than the rear. To be able to commit to a corner completely and at speed you need to be sure that, when you turn in the car isn't going to go straight on (understeer).

Approaching a corner you should slow down as usual using your right foot on the brake, maybe a bit of toe and heel. When in the desired gear but still maybe too fast, swap your feet over, moving your right foot back to the accelerator and your left foot over to the brake.

It is possible with some gear boxes to change gear without the clutch without causing damage, meaning you could use your left foot to brake from full speed and blip the throttle in-between each gear. This should only be used if the gear box can cope with it, such as a competition straight cut gearbox. Whilst it is possible to do this with a synchro-mesh gearbox, they really don't like it and after prolonged abuse will just end up on the road!!!

Anyway....

You are now using your left foot to slow the car down the last few MPH and about to turn into the corner. If at this point you hit the gas with your right foot, brake with your left foot and turn in, all in one smooth motion, the rear wheels will fully or partially lock. This resulting difference in grip levels will throw the car into oversteer.

From this point, you need to balance the car by steering in the direction you want the car to travel and braking / lifting off the gas for more oversteer, more gas / less brakes for less oversteer. In reality I often just keep the accelerator planted and balance the car using the brakes and steering.

This technique overcomes understeer and allows you to keep the power on through the corner.

LIFT-OFF OVERSTEER

When cornering at speed in a front wheel drive car, the weight distribution between the front and rear wheels is fairly even. There is obviously far more weight on the outside wheels than the inside wheels. This is assuming a fairly neutral throttle position.

If you lift off the throttle at this point, the weight will move from the rear to the front. This will mean that the weight distribution will be likely to be in the following order, most to least:-

Front Outside
Front Inside
Rear Outside
Rear Inside

If you analyse this, there will be little or no weight on the inside rear wheel, but probably a bit of weight on the rear outside wheel. Bags of weight on the outside front wheel (the one which does most of the turning) and a fair chunk of weight on the inside front as well.

If you link this situation with the steering you will have due to the corner, the result will be that the front will continue to turn but the rear will have so little traction that the car will go into oversteer.

Once sideways, the slide can be controlled with opposite lock steering and throttle. More throttle = less sideways.

SLALOM

The slalom in a front wheel drive car is not as simple as in rear wheel drive. The technique will alter depending on the surface, conditions, distance of cones etc.

The most effective way of driving the slalom is to build a rhythm and be able to keep up a good speed. The best way of doing this is to overcome understeer by either using left foot braking of throttle off oversteer.

Using left foot braking the procedure would be as follows.

Using a gear with lots of torque at the relevant speed, approach the first cone to the left or right with your left foot hovering over the brake. turn in and hi the has aiming for the slightly wide of the opposite side of the next cone. As you steer to change direction hit the brake and the gas to lock the rear wheels, delivery weight and power to the front wheels creating oversteer. As the car oversteers round the next cone wind on enough opposite lock to balance the skid with the power and brakes. When you want to change direction for the next cone, simply come off the brakes and then back on and the car will pendulum round to oversteer in the other direction.

[misterpoh]

SCANDINAVIAN FLICK

Used as a way of committing to medium slippy corners at speed by eliminating understeer. Particularly if the entrance to the corner is tight on a surface such as gravel, you need a way of quickly turning into the corner without the possibility of understeer.

Using left foot braking, you should aim to put the car into a sideways skid heading down the road towards the corner whilst the car is pointing in the opposite direction to the corner (e.g. pointing right heading towards a left hand turn).

The car can then be held in that position by flooring the brakes and locking up all the wheels or just balancing the brakes and throttle.

At the point when you want to turn in you can come off the brakes and let the car change direction and swing into oversteer in the other direction. It is then a case of balancing the brakes, throttle and steering using the left foot braking technique to balance the car through and out of the corner.



I would love to learn this technique properly..

[JasonGilholme]

Just because its a FWD doesn't mean you have to induce oversteer to take a corner effectively.

[EKVTIR-T]

This is the kinda shit that will send noob's off cliffs or into trees/walls.
Please dont experiment with these techniques on public roads ffs.:angel:

[preludacris]

pasted techniques is pretty extreme

the first 2 links are really good

hehe, i crashed on dandy trying to oversteer my car. was a really bad technique tho. dangerous.. lol

[CUL8R]

personally i dont think theory will shave any time off circuite laps.
its all about understanding how your car responds to different actions taken.
take some time on a track and experiment braking applications, throttle controll and see for yourself, everything works in theory, applying it is near near impossible sometimes.

[misterpoh]

personally i dont think theory will shave any time off circuite laps.
its all about understanding how your car responds to different actions taken.
take some time on a track and experiment braking applications, throttle controll and see for yourself, everything works in theory, applying it is near near impossible sometimes.

^^ I agree on the part bout understanding your car more than anything else.

As for thes techniques such as heel toe and left foot braking. You will really need to sit inside a car while its done. See the car enter a corner, through the apex and exit. I am sure you will change your mind after.

[misterpoh]

This is the kinda shit that will send noob's off cliffs or into trees/walls.
Please dont experiment with these techniques on public roads ffs.:angel:

So tell me, what kinda "shit" are you refering to?

As for trying on public roads, DONT ! simple.

[EKVTIR-T]

So tell me, what kinda "shit" are you refering to?

Dont misunderstand me,I was not saying they are incorrect.Only that they could get beginners in trouble pretty easily.;)

[misterpoh]

Dont misunderstand me,I was not saying they are incorrect.Only that they could get beginners in trouble pretty easily.;)

^^ Yupz, I agree ! Peace :)

[aaronng]

You don't need to do all this. Just drive smoothly and you'll be faster on the track.

[JasonGilholme]

The best peice of advice in this thread so far is the info in those links. You just need to watch your apex's and braking zones, know the balance of your car and more importantly know your limits as a driver and concentrate on extending them slowly.

Racing is fun, but it takes practice.

[sivic]

many of those techniques would be more effective in very tight courses such as autokhanas rather than on higher speed tracks

[AsH_]

be careful ppl...

[todaek9]

learn how to brake and accelerate...do not take off acc when it is not needed, but brake if it's needed...hehe...

[DLO01]

Just drive smoothly and you'll be faster on the track.

:thumbsup:

I have always associated a good circuit driver by his or her ability do drive quick in the Wet. The wet track amplifys the need for good driving skills and smoothness.

[4agte]

:thumbsup:

I have always associated a good circuit driver by his or her ability do drive quick in the Wet. The wet track amplifys the need for good driving skills and smoothness.

true but wet line is completley differnt to dry line and dry driving probably evens the cars out alot tho

one thing i notice alot with people new to the track in general is that driving on the street teaches you bad things probably the biggest one is progressively applying the brakes (like braking when approaching traffic lights) instead of applying the brakes hard right away.

Next biggest thing would have to be turning in too early or too quickly which in turn pushes the car wide at the exit driver feels like he should be on the gas hard which makes the push making things worse and scrubbing the shit outta the outside of the tyres.

Best thing to learn to do is trail braking especially in a fwd

[4agte]

The best peice of advice in this thread so far is the info in those links. You just need to watch your apex's and braking zones, know the balance of your car and more importantly know your limits as a driver and concentrate on extending them slowly.

Racing is fun, but it takes practice.

infact you dont want to watch your apex or your braking zones
you want to look 1 step ahead of what your doing for example:

before start braking look at the turn in point when you start braking look at the apex when you turn in look at the exit when you start to exit look at the next braking point this alone will shave seconds off your lap time vision is everything!!!

[chingaling]

This is the kinda shit that will send noob's off cliffs or into trees/walls.
Please dont experiment with these techniques on public roads ffs.:angel:

true dat .. but its a very interesting thread ..

[sadlerau]

infact you dont want to watch your apex or your braking zones
you want to look 1 step ahead of what your doing for example:

before start braking look at the turn in point when you start braking look at the apex when you turn in look at the exit when you start to exit look at the next braking point this alone will shave seconds off your lap time vision is everything!!!


Very good point 4agte. But if your an old salt like me, a good trick is to look across to the exit of the corner as well, in case a car has spun or spinning on the exit.

So the protocol as you approach a corner is to first look across at the exit, than you know how late to commit to your braking point, then focus on the braking point... ect

Can't tell you how many times this trick has saved me in the heat of a close racing battle. If your opponent misses seeing the obstacle before he commits to his braking point. he will have to make a drastic move during the corner, which often affects his exit speed. If you do it right an easy passing chance comes your way :cool:

Of course it also means your less likely to run into anything. It is surprising how narrow your peripheral vision becomes the harder you concentrate.

[4agte]

Very good point 4agte. But if your an old salt like me, a good trick is to look across to the exit of the corner as well, in case a car has spun or spinning on the exit.

So the protocol as you approach a corner is to first look across at the exit, than you know how late to commit to your braking point, then focus on the braking point... ect

Can't tell you how many times this trick has saved me in the heat of a close racing battle. If your opponent misses seeing the obstacle before he commits to his braking point. he will have to make a drastic move during the corner, which often affects his exit speed. If you do it right an easy passing chance comes your way :cool:

Of course it also means your less likely to run into anything. It is surprising how narrow your peripheral vision becomes the harder you concentrate.

yup very good advice anticipating things is key in racing

[JasonGilholme]

infact you dont want to watch your apex or your braking zones
you want to look 1 step ahead of what your doing for example:

before start braking look at the turn in point when you start braking look at the apex when you turn in look at the exit when you start to exit look at the next braking point this alone will shave seconds off your lap time vision is everything!!!

Yes that is exactly right.

When i said watch your apex's and braking zones, i was meaning make sure you've got these basics down first so that they become second nature and then you won't have to think about them at all.

:thumbsup:

[EfiOz]

Very good point 4agte. But if your an old salt like me, a good trick is to look across to the exit of the corner as well, in case a car has spun or spinning on the exit.

So the protocol as you approach a corner is to first look across at the exit, than you know how late to commit to your braking point, then focus on the braking point... ect

Can't tell you how many times this trick has saved me in the heat of a close racing battle. If your opponent misses seeing the obstacle before he commits to his braking point. he will have to make a drastic move during the corner, which often affects his exit speed. If you do it right an easy passing chance comes your way :cool:

Of course it also means your less likely to run into anything. It is surprising how narrow your peripheral vision becomes the harder you concentrate.

Well said! It's amazing how many drivers I come across who's field of vision ends a few feet from the edge of the bonnet. I remember one of Brocks rules to live by was look at the horizon and develop your peripheral vision to fill in the gaps. The idea being that you should be looking as far ahead as you can while being mindful of what's around you. If you ever get the chance to carefully watch a really quick drivers eyes, they're always looking far off into the distance.

[040501912]

Some where in youtube i've seen EG civic in japan sliding around the corner like he is drifting through all corners T_T

my be i shouldn't call it drifting :p coz is a fwd ??

[EK4R]

who told you FWD cant drift? ... its been done