Yes, great post! I also have best success adding at least a little power during the oversteer. It may just counter my natural instinct to get off the gas. It is a curious phenomenon that the car is settled in faster turn more by accelerating into the turn. Sure, read the physics and it makes sense but put your butt on the line and your logical thinking goes up against your gut-check.

Allan, I'd agree that most road track situations can be expected but I find that is not true of your first run at Auto-X. You (okay, I) just can't look at a corner and know oversteer is likely. On the S02's I get more understeer at most corners, which makes oversteer a bigger suprise when it happens.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Penforhire
[B]
It is a curious phenomenon that the car is settled in faster turn more by accelerating into the turn.

 

Allan Haggai,

I agree about anticipation and I wanted to reinforce a point.

When you get to the point during your lapping where you are getting say a bit of oversteer at a particular point on the track, and you have recognized it and expect it the next time around, push "anticipation" a bit further and add a bit of opposite lock just BEFORE the oversteer starts. Doing this is real "anticipation". Knowing what the car will do before you begin to sense that it is actually doing it.

I like doing stuff like this. I think it brings you closer to the car, makes you more sensitive. And faster too.

 

Great post! I enjoyed reading this thread and will try to keep this in mind.
Deborah

 

Hey, Cedric Tomkinson that's a cool pic under your name, is that you or someone else? It's a pretty nice shot of the car and person. I apologize for my ignorance. I am very curious at the moment.

 

Penforhire... I agree totaly on your autocross point. You only get three runs and you'd better take some chances early.

About smoothness; an instructor told me years ago to treat all of all of my inputs to the steering, brakes and throttle as if they were rheostat (dimmer) switches, not on/off switches. Good advice! I practice it everytime I drive and when I hit the track I just keep doing it, but at 9 tenths!!

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RSXTypeR
[B]Hey, Cedric Tomkinson that's a cool pic under your name, is that you or someone else?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Allan Haggai
[B]

About smoothness;

 

One more thing about anticipation, I remember reading a Rick Mears interview several years ago about Indy. The writer pointed out that a driver must have incredible reflexes to handle the car at 235 mph. Rick clarified by saying something like "At these speeds, if a driver is relying on his reflexes, he's already in the wall. You have to KNOW exactly what the car will do as conditions change and stay ahead of it."

Now, is a bit extreme to apply that to our little 2.0 liter street car, but the basic idea that you have anticipate and pay attention is universal.

 

I think there is a big difference between a "correction" and an "unanticipated spin". It is a lot easier to correct for a loose end when you are expecting it. When you don't expect the loss of traction, you can't predict how much countersteering to dial in. Its just a reflex action. If you underestimate, or are slow, the car spins. If you overestimate, the car will snap back the other direction quite violently. My technique is to apply more than enough steering to catch the initial spin, then gradually retain control of the car in the subsequent steering corrections. I agree with the smooth steering or throttle input to correct a tail-out condition when you are expecting it.