What we've learned on the track

[Hops]

Lordblood,
Could you describe the parts you are using (and where they are available) and how you are mounting them?

I find the stock mirrors to be nearly worthless. If I am 90+% sure there is no one in my blind spot I usually rock my head left and right a few inches to scan more and less angle off the mirror. If I am not 90% sure the blind spot is open I actually turn around and look, which of course can cause an entirely different safety issue. Top down seems to be the only way to get a really good rear view.

Originally Posted by Lordblood

About the blind spot issue, I got two convex mirrors for my Box. They are for big trucks, I know. But the nice thing about convex mirrors is that you see everything around you, including a big chunk of your blind spot, and you dont need to look around the entire mirror to catch what you need to see.

Cost me about 4 dollars total for 2 convex mirrors.

[Hops]

And, just to keep this discussion on track...

On the track, you leave some amount of buffer to avoid hitting the wall. On the street you leave some buffer not to cross the center line or go off the shoulder. I can't even count how many times this has kept me out of trouble over the years. If you lose traction for an instant due to ice, water, oil, gravel, etc., you need a buffer to avoid going into the danger zone. The best way I've heard it put for public roads is:

When turning right, hug the right side of your lane. When turning left, hold the middle of the lane.

The rationale for the middle on the left turn is to give the car coming the other way some extra buffer too. Hopefully that driver is following the rule too (watch the other car's line), and you can then slide a little closer to center.

[Lil bastard]

All Good Stuff guys ! :dance:

[Kirk]

>The more I think about it, I may have seen them on Suncoast's site.
>Okay, they are called aspheric mirrors.

Yes, I've seen aspheric mirrors for sale in the US. I can't recall which website they're on, but they are available and I think an individual was even selling a set on this forum before. They're actually pretty cheap from one source if I recall right.


>Could you describe the parts you are using (and where they are available) and >how you are mounting them?

I've got blind spot mirrors on my daily driver and they're WONDERFUL. It really helps when you detect a little movement in them to tell if someone is sneaking up on your left on a highway. I got another set for my SUV. I bought them at NAPA for about $1 each. They stick on with double sided tape. Unfortunately the NAPA units didn't stay though and came off when washing the car. I plan on re-sticking them with some fresh tape. Easy install and well worth the $2 total.


>So, I constantly watch for "can't go" areas: deep ditch swales next to the road, >driveway culverts, walls, deep center medians, etc. In that way, if something >does happen you must avoid, you are aware of directions that are off limits,
>which greatly shortens decision times for taking action.

I do the same thing with other cars. I scan my mirrors and I want to know (when there are multiple lanes) exactly where all of the other cars are located around me. That way if I have to react very quickly to an impeding situation I KNOW whether the other lanes are clear to move into. Sometimes you just don't have time to look in your mirrors and clear your blind spot before making an extreme evasive maneuver. Knowing where the other cars are around you lets you know what your options are. You'd hate to swerve into another lane of traffic to avoid an accident just to hit a car that was sitting in your blind spot! Again, this is where the blind spot mirrors are a big help as you can scan them pretty quickly.

The Boxster has a HUGE blind spot when the top's up and you're merging onto a highway. I literally have to look behind me and lean over a bit to clear that blind spot, but no problem with the top down... Just something to always be aware of.

Kirk

[eslai]

Some things I've learned from the track.

1. Listen to your tires.
2. Brake early.
3. Don't overestimate how fast you can enter a turn.
4. Be on the throttle or on the brakes. Don't coast.
5. Be smooth with your throttle pedal.
6. Don't lift throttle in a committed turn.
7. When you go off, don't try to be a hero and fight momentum in an attempt to get back on track. You'll flip.
8. Don't drive on the street like you do on the track.

Umm... none of that is from personal experience, of course, oh no no no!

[Quickurt]

You hit on a major one eslai - smooth.
I always told driver's school students the five most important things to remember:
1-be smooth
2-be smoother
3-be really smooth
4-be smooth as silk
and most importantly,
5-concentrate on being smooth.
You are controlling a 3000 lb car (with a Boxster) that transfers weight with every input you give it. If those inputs are jerky, you throw weight from one tire to another, instead of easing that weight around. Tires do not like to have an extra 500 lb. of vertical weight and 1500 lb. of horizontal load "thrown" on them! They tend to lose traction in really spastic ways, as well as chewing chunks of really expensive rubber out of them.
A good example is the difference between a great launch from a stop as opposed to dropping the clutch.
You also said to listen to your tires - great advice. Also learn to "feel" your tires and the loads (pressure on the springs and tires), as they transfer to the outside tires going into a corner and transfer from front to rear on that side with increased and decreased throttle (while still in the corner).


Someone want to work on all the things ABS will do for you?

[pbanders]

Originally Posted by eslai

Some things I've learned from the track.

(snip)
8. Don't drive on the street like you do on the track.

Umm... none of that is from personal experience, of course, oh no no no!

#8 is the biggie for me, and it's why I try to encourage every sports car owner I know to take their car to the track for a NASA, PCA, or BMWCCA DE event. Once you've been to the track, you realize how ridiculous it is to try to drive your car at the limit on the road for more than about 5 seconds. It changes your perspective on street driving forever, and makes you a safer driver because you realize that there's only one place you can really find out what you and your car are capable of. I'm not saying you can't have fun on the street - but it's always got to be within tight limits, and your only competition should be yourself.

[FTD]

On a motorcycle, if you lose rear wheel traction, the best thing to do is throttle or stay on the throttle to recover.

This is not true in a car.

Until I am talented at recovering from understeer or oversteer, clutch and brake are a good response. Maintaining throttle was not.

[Quickurt]

Originally Posted by pbanders

#8 is the biggie for me, and it's why I try to encourage every sports car owner I know to take their car to the track for a NASA, PCA, or BMWCCA DE event. Once you've been to the track, you realize how ridiculous it is to try to drive your car at the limit on the road for more than about 5 seconds. It changes your perspective on street driving forever, and makes you a safer driver because you realize that there's only one place you can really find out what you and your car are capable of. I'm not saying you can't have fun on the street - but it's always got to be within tight limits, and your only competition should be yourself.

Amen.
I go out and find nice country roads. There are great farm roads all over south and central Georgia, that are an acceptable distance for a Sunday fun session and basically flat land with good vision through and past the turns.
That does not mean, by ANY stretch of the imagination, that they are anything more than enjoyable. NEVER go out of my lane. NEVER come close to actual track speeds, just fun places to exceed the speed limit, but not the safety limit.
Blind corners? Back the hell off and be real. There's no telling what may be on the other side of that view. If you're really lucky, it would only be a cop. Dog? Deer? Cow?

KID........??

[Mark Dreyer]

Originally Posted by eslai

Some things I've learned from the track.

1. Listen to your tires.
2. Brake early.
3. Don't overestimate how fast you can enter a turn.
4. Be on the throttle or on the brakes. Don't coast.
5. Be smooth with your throttle pedal.
6. Don't lift throttle in a committed turn.
7. When you go off, don't try to be a hero and fight momentum in an attempt to get back on track. You'll flip.
8. Don't drive on the street like you do on the track.

Umm... none of that is from personal experience, of course, oh no no no!

I can take exception to #4 above. I generally agree and teach my students this also. However there is a slight exception to this general rule. Having worked with pro driving coaches, including riding while they drive, they have taught "rolling the car into the turn". After coming off the brakes they coast for a second into the apex prior to going to the gas for track out. The car is simply carrying so much pace due to not over braking that they can't immediately go to power in the turn.

Attached is a pic of my 986 S taken at Road Atlanta.

[stjoh]

What kind of wing is that?

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Mark Dreyer

I can take exception to #4 above. I generally agree and teach my students this also. However there is a slight exception to this general rule. Having worked with pro driving coaches, including riding while they drive, they have taught "rolling the car into the turn". After coming off the brakes they coast for a second into the apex prior to going to the gas for track out. The car is simply carrying so much pace due to not over braking that they can't immediately go to power in the turn.

Attached is a pic of my 986 S taken at Road Atlanta.

In those situations, I have found it better to enter the corner faster, trail brake into the turn, and get on the throttle the moment you come off of the brake. Done correctly, this is generally faster than coasting into the turn.

[jaykay]

Originally Posted by Mark Dreyer

I can take exception to #4 above. I generally agree and teach my students this also. However there is a slight exception to this general rule. Having worked with pro driving coaches, including riding while they drive, they have taught "rolling the car into the turn". After coming off the brakes they coast for a second into the apex prior to going to the gas for track out. The car is simply carrying so much pace due to not over braking that they can't immediately go to power in the turn.

Attached is a pic of my 986 S taken at Road Atlanta.

How is the balance of your car with no front splitter and the huge wing (nice one by the way)?

[Lordblood]

Originally Posted by Hops

Lordblood,
Could you describe the parts you are using (and where they are available) and how you are mounting them?

I find the stock mirrors to be nearly worthless. If I am 90+% sure there is no one in my blind spot I usually rock my head left and right a few inches to scan more and less angle off the mirror. If I am not 90% sure the blind spot is open I actually turn around and look, which of course can cause an entirely different safety issue. Top down seems to be the only way to get a really good rear view.

If you walk into any car store (Auto Zone, Checkers, etc) and walk up to the wall near the register, there are usually little things you can get under 5 dollars.

I found stick on convex mirrors, about 2 dollars a pop. They simply have an adhesive side on the back, which you stick on the ends of your regular rear view mirrors.

It increased visibility greatly, much more then the useless stock mirrors that come with.