What is the correct way to drive through a curve (spirited driving)?

[Porsche Chick]

Originally Posted by thstone

That technique is well known as trail braking (and I mentioned it in my earlier post).

The first thing that I want to say is that there is no single "best" way to take a corner in a Boxster (we all have roughly equal cars) because so much depends on the skill level of the driver. Jay and Perfectlap's points are both valid - the technique employed depends entirely on the driver skill level.

Once a driver gets the basics down, then trail braking and several other advanced techniques are quite useful and probably faster.

For example; one of my favorites is to enter the turn faster than the turn can be executed. The innate understeer at turn in will scrub some speed; then completely lift off of the throttle to purposefully upset the balance - this will put weight onto the front tires and unweight the rear tires. At the same time as lifting the throttle, give the steering a big input. The rear will literally slide as the car rotates in mid-corner.

What you've done is purposefully created the start of a spin. The trick is to drive out of it.

As soon as the car starts to rotate (this happens FAST in a mid-engined Boxster so if you wait until its already rotated, its too late and you will spin), jump back on the throttle hard; this will shift weight to the rear tires and they will hook up. Done properly, you can then drive the car out of the corner at full throttle.

Fast in - fast out.

This and many other techniques should be in every performance driver's toolbox and this is one thing that I love so much about performance driving and racing - no matter your skill level, there is always more to learn to improve your capabilities.

The important takeaway is to get good instruction so you properly learn the basics and then work your way up to more advanced techniques. And the best place to learn is on the race track where the cost of a serious mistake is minimized.

Isn't this basically drifting through a turn?

I need to actually ask my dad about this, he's a DE driver for AMG/Mercedes.

I still won't let him drive my car, though.

[thstone]

Originally Posted by Porsche Chick

Isn't this basically drifting through a turn?

No, its not drifting in the sense of sliding the car all the way through the turn. If you were watching, it is likely that you would never notice the rear slide around - its very subtle and only for a moment to get the car to rotate thru mid-corner. No big slip angles and no big tire smoke.

[Porsche Chick]

Originally Posted by thstone

No, its not drifting in the sense of sliding the car all the way through the turn. If you were watching, it is likely that you would never notice the rear slide around - its very subtle and only for a moment to get the car to rotate thru mid-corner. No big slip angles and no big tire smoke.

Awwwww . . . where's the fun in that?