What went wrong here?

[scottvd]

Originally Posted by stephen wilson

I've done that when I need to take steering out quickly when "snapping back" after counter-steering for a slide, I think that's what you mean? I'm sure you can't just let go when the tail steps out.

Scott, were you shifting from 1st to 2nd while turning, or from 3rd to 2nd?

Tons of good input here, thanks again everyone. I was shifting from 1st to 2nd. I had taking 1st up to circa 6400rpm, shift to second came just when I was really engaging the steering wheel for the turn..

[haz]

Originally Posted by scottvd

Tons of good input here, thanks again everyone. I was shifting from 1st to 2nd. I had taking 1st up to circa 6400rpm, shift to second came just when I was really engaging the steering wheel for the turn..

Oooh... recipe for disaster there. Why rev up to as high as 6400 at all when planning on turning the steeringwheel AND shifting up? You were basically asking for it, sorry. Luckily no damage, right?

[scottvd]

Originally Posted by haz

Oooh... recipe for disaster there. Why rev up to as high as 6400 at all when planning on turning the steeringwheel AND shifting up? You were basically asking for it, sorry. Luckily no damage, right?

^ ya - no damage. Mostly good came from this - because it was close to damage.. you know those near death experiences when everything slows down and there's an amazing sense of clarity.. it wasn't near death or anything but it did feel like time was about 10% normal speed and I had complete recognition of what was happening: "Second day with my car and here we go, going to wreck into the side of that pickup."

So it was close enough to totally get my attention - RWD is nothing like my AWD subbie! (:

[pharaohjb]

True... if you think about what you did:

1. Fast acceleration - presuming you're at 6400 rpm, you're near redline, and likely got there pretty quickly. Physically, that throws a lot of weight onto the rear tires (where it should be for good traction in a RWD car).
2. Upshifting - you've now thrown the weight OFF of the back tires as there's less acceleration. Not as bad as braking, but you now don't have the same force pushing down on the rear tires.
3. Turning the wheel - you've also now got a bit MORE grip on the fronts since you've upshifted and shifted the weight off the rear tires.


Hitting the accelerator again in this state is a recipe for disaster. Not only will the rear end break loose easier when you hit the throttle, the additional grip the fronts have will send you spinning easier, since they're not pointed in a straight line.

That's my estimation, anyway. Those with more track experience, feel free to correct me!

[stephen wilson]

Exactly what I was thinking, turning in with some major weight transitions.

[TeamOxford]

As a starting point, do all your braking and shifting, both upshifts and downshifts, while your car is travelling in a straight line. Do not upset the balance of the car when doing this. In other words, be smooth, with no jerking of the chassis. You will need to learn the heel-and-toe technique to do this effectively.

When entering a corner, balance the throttle, then accelerate gradually but deliberately through the apex to the coming out point. Pretend that there is a fresh egg between your foot and the gas pedal that you must not break when doing this. Power through the rear wheels is what's keeping the car on the road, so don't upset this balance by lifting (unless you are staring to spin and are ready to correct), braking or shifting.

These cars perform best when they are finessed, and offer supreme driving satisfaction when driven properly.

If you don't want to get professional instruction, there is a wealth of reading material available. Stay away from literature teaching trail braking techniques for now. Stick with the classic basics first.

And remember please, as a wise person once said to me, "You have a child now. Be smart. Be safe."

Just my three cents...............

TO