The only person I ever saw consistently get faster times while doing the
course on power oversteer was Kevin Stevens -- always entertaining to watch!
For everyone else (at least for me) it seems that is the fun, yet slower way
to do the course. When I switched from the twin turbo rotary to the V8, I
certainly noticed this effect. I got way too much power oversteer throughout
the course and my times didn't get faster until I got it under control. I
think it's an important skill to learn to control the car in "power oversteer"
mode, but you'll get faster times if you can drive right on the threshold just
shy of letting it happen.
Driving just shy of this threshold means you first have to find the threshold.
And that means driving aggressively to get the rear end loose in the turns,
which is the fun part. By this you learn how the car feels at the threshold so
you can sense it coming up, so it doesn't suprise you, and you can keep things
under control. At least for me, on the "good" days when I got this right, I
was in the middle of the pack instead of at the bottom.
One other thing I've noticed with students. . . the ones who are getting too
much oversteer, are usually closer to having the right technique down, than
the ones who are getting too much understeer. I think this is because the most
common error people make is to do things too late and "get behind the car",
and when you do this you usually get understeer. Oversteer is often a sign
that you are doing things nice and early (which is good), which means your
timing is good and you just have to use a bit more finesse to keep it under
control.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Chris Warner
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2001 11:25
To: Rob Weinstock; ba-autox@autox.team.net
Subject: RE: Handling Question
IMHO, it's not nessesary, but it can be done to your advantage. Sliding
through the corner is technically not the fastest way to take the corner.
But, when you consider the car, a turbocharged tirescreaming AWD drivetrain,
you have to consider turbo lag as well.
In a tight hairpin corner a turbo charged car has an additional disadvantage
of haveing to re-spool the turbo after taking the corner. If you slide, you
keep the wheels spinning, and you keep the boost up too. Also with an AWD
with all 4 wheels spinning has not lost it's traction, you have just changed
the way you manage your traction.
I do it, in fact at GGF I learned how to balence my eagle talon in drifts
similar to what the rally drivers do. I can tell you that the tire wear is
not that bad, no worse than my competitors in ESP.
yes it's counter intuitive, I drove Kirk Meline's Mustang to 4th place this
year in ESP. But Drifting in my AWD talon, I am at least as fast as if not
faster than I was driving in a Mustang.
Chris Warner
95 eagle talon tsi AWD
#52 esp
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net
[mailto:owner-ba-autox@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of Rob Weinstock
Sent: Thursday, October 25, 2001 11:08 AM
To: ba-autox@autox.team.net
Subject: Handling Question
I'm in Europe for awhile, and get to watch World Rally Championships about
every other week. These cars are usually all-wheel drive, 4-cylinder,
overboosted cars, such as Mitsubishi Lancer, Suburu Impreza, Peuguot 206,
Citroen something-or-other, Skoda, etc.
Anyway, on tight road courses, the drivers corner like they are on dirt. For
example, on a hairpin switch back, they will brake, turn-in, stomp the gas
which gets all 4 wheels spinning and the car rotating, then oversteer (power
steer, really) through the rest of the turn.
Is this really the quickest way through a turn? It seems counterintuitive to
what we normally do on the autocross courses.
Anybody with a V8-powered car want to go through $1500 in tires in one day
and find out if it's faster? :)
Idley curious.
Thanks,
Rob
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