wrightster Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 just reading on the net all the diiferent advice on handling a rwd car in a skid situation , loads of different advice none of it really consistent, what advice would you guys offer say if you are going round a corner/roundabout and you feel the back going out ? maybe a daft question but just wondered what you thought ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Loudon - Sponsorship Liaison Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 As in snow - opposite lock !! To reduce the occurrances of this happening though, lower your rear ride height by 5mm increments until it happens very rarely unless driving like a getaway driver from a bank job. JL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrightster Posted April 3, 2003 Author Share Posted April 3, 2003 increments until it happens very rarely unless driving like a getaway driver from a bank job cheers mate , i am from liverpool !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Fairly basic really, steer into the skid (the front wheels should keep pointing in the direction you want to go) and lift off the gas (unless you want to do a nice impressive power slide ). I've been 'practicing' on slow roundabouts. Go into a roundabout to turn right, entering fairly slowly in second (so the front wheels don't wash out), and as you get the nose pointed into the roundabout boot the throttle. The back end should step out as you get the rear wheels spinning. Usually letting go of the steering wheel is enough to correct the slide, as the front wheels will tend to naturally move to the straight ahead position. Depending on how far out the tail goes, you'll need progressively more 'opposite lock' (left in the roundabout case) to bring the rear into line. There's no substitute for doing it a few times when you mean to, so that you know what to expect when it happens when you weren't expecting it! Edit: Blimey, two other replies got in while I was typing that! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oioi Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 lift off the gas andy should have mentioned lift off GENTLY. a sudden lift off will transfer weight forward robbing the back of grip and giving the front loads. definate spin time. a light ease with a little (or a lot depending on how violent the back is going) opposite lock until you start to feel the car come back. as soon as the car starts to come back unwind the opposite lock. remeber your trying to get the back straight not to act as a pendulum, you therefore need to have the opposite lock off before your straight. i have in the past clipped the inside of a roundabout with the back because of over correction. OiOi (currently reading Going Faster by The Skip Barber Racing school - very helpfull! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studbuckle Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Usually letting go of the steering wheel is enough to correct the slide, as the front wheels will tend to naturally move to the Please NO! Don't let GO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Perhaps I should have qualified that. By 'let go' I don't mean 'Lift your hands in the air and wave them around', I mean 'release your grip, allowing the wheel to return to the centre while in your fingers'. That better? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bananaman Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 wrightster I'm thinking of going to do a day with Don Palmer who will teach you how to drive on the limit. See here It's £395 EACH for 3 people for the day at Buntingthorpe Nr Leicster. Oh & a new set of tyres at the end of the day may be needed. Fancy it, later in the year? Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studbuckle Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 By 'let go' I don't mean 'Lift your hands in the air and wave them around', I mean 'release your grip, allowing the wheel to return to the centre while in your fingers'. That better? Better but you're still out of control. You should feed the wheel back. Allowing the wheels to self centre using caster action is asking for fishtaling IMHO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 I bow down to the greater knowledge of a member of the IAM . I know what to do, I'm just not very good at describing it Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studbuckle Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisbin Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 I know what to do, I'm just not very good at describing it Does that apply to many subjects.....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adhawkins Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 Anyone who's been in one of my (infrequent) software training sessions will know the answer to this is 'pretty much all of them'. Andy (who can do, but can't teach. I leave that to the Welsh Wizard ) Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrightster Posted April 3, 2003 Author Share Posted April 3, 2003 Andy (bananaman) yes that would intrest me let me know nearer the time (my finances are still recovering) i had been tentatively looking at that sort of thing anyway Dont worry folks i wont be letting go of my steering wheel as i have said before i may look like a pi55ed monkey but i am not that daft !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minghis Posted April 3, 2003 Share Posted April 3, 2003 If the slide is going too far and you feel you may 'lose control' ease off the throttle - get on the clutch - keep your hands on the wheel and only hit the brakes if you're far enough away from kerbs and stuff. Dipping the clutch takes all drive (and lift off oversteer) away from the rear wheels and as long as you're not on the brakes should save embarrasment. Picture the car as a see-saw - adding weight to the front will lift the back. As the back is lifted the contact/grip on the rear is reduced. If you can be generally smooth between power, steering and brakes you should try as much as possible to have an even distribution of weight. This is why you should avoid heavy or fierce braking after the point that you've turned into a corner, the weight transfers forward (the nose 'dives' and the counteraction of that is the rear lifting. This is what will cause you to get oversteer, as well as self induced power oversteer which is probably one of the reasons we love our cars....... Minghis. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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