with my cars ive found it is better to go in fast and scrub off speed with
the front (turned) tires than try to speed up within the slalom and get
progressively more out of control.
that is, dive in a bit hot as even my car will understeer if i crank the
wheel while going mostly straight, the slaloming action will tend to scrub
off speed. as the car slows the weight is on the front and the turn-in is
good, allowing you to scrub a little more speed off. jerking the wheel,
however, means an exciting and attention-getting spin.
the C4 corvettes ive ridden in seem to handle throttle-tromping very
elegantly. in my car, not a chance. :)
-james "TORQUEstosterone" creasy
-----Original Message-----
From: Kevin Stevens <kevin_stevens@hotmail.com>
>
>>I think THE, or is it "A", most important technique to master when
>>negotiating slaloms is "discipline". By this I mean, never overdrive
>>the front end of the slalom as this causes you to get, progressively,
>>"late" turning on the cones as you proceed through the slalom. This
>>is the most frequent mistake, independent of other less effective
>>slalom techniques employed, that we all succumb to at times.
>
>Agreed. Unfortunately, the SECOND most frequent mistake made in slaloms,
>especially extended ones, is to go in slow and get "comfortably" up to
speed
>around the third or fourth cone. If it's a constant spaced slalom, you
want
>to be AT speed from the first cone on. This wasn't possible for most cars
>on Sunday's course due to the 90 degree left before the slalom, but I
>managed to get "up to speed" by the second cone. Incidentally, I heartily
>disagree with the direction everyone was taking the slalom in the afternoon
>(outside of first cone/inside of last). By that time the dirty/clean
>difference was too great to go the other way, but I'd sure have liked a
>harder charge onto the back straight...
>
>>Also, unless there are significant cone spacing differences in a slalom I
>>don't think using brakes, once you're in the slalom, is
>>effective, as it's both time consuming and disrupts the car balance.
>>Remember, negotiating a slalom is a delicate balancing "dance".
>
>Don says this because he hasn't mastered the intricacies of left-foot
>braking. This is why I kicked his butt at the Divisional, and why he is
>doomed to ignominy and failure at Nationals unless he begins using LFB
>immediately. The fact that he is "dancing" on only one foot also explains
>his unfortunate social ostracism.
>
>KeS
>
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