What track skills do use use on the street?
 

During a drive with friends, one noticed that I tended to use the entire lane and hit the apexes every time (he races on the side). I had not thought about it, just seems to be the correct way to do it. Other than speed, wondering what track habits and skills that you take with you to the street.

Heal to toe downshifting, hitting the apex in corners and four wheel drifts.

I drive just the same but I try to keep my 360s to a minimum if there is oncoming traffic ;)

I think that once you have the skill it's impossible to drive and NOT use them.

Driving home from the Phoenix Pelican gathering last Saturday I had a guy in a Cougar come flying up on my tail as I approached one of my favorite 360 degree transition ramps. Much to my delight, there was no traffic ahead.

He was sitting a few feet off my bumper at a fairly high rate of speed... every time I accelerating so did he. I guess he skipped threshold braking in school because as we headed into the ramp he finally backed off a little, and then a lot. My foot was on the floor until the last second, then I nailed the brakes and turned in.

I do a little right foot steering around the loop, accelerate and track out. I kept checking my mirror for the Cougar and began to wonder if he'd lost it in the curve. Finally he emerges. I resume a reasonable speed and he blows my doors off in the left lane just to prove his point. I grinned all the way home!

Lifting oversteer...as in backing into the corner.

Oops...you meant on purpose?

Alertness and extreme caution

i learned some new ways to pick up women at the track...........i've used them on the street but they don't work as good as a $50 bill:D

I struggle with the heel/toe technique. Maybe one day. I do finally have the double clutching down to an art. I've tried the left foot braking but don't see why any driver would ever use this technique, although I've heard of some race car drivers doing it.

Lee, I also look forward to 360 degree ramps. This is one of the few places where you can stay within the speed limit and still enjoy your car; and since the posted speed on the ramps are recommended, you shouldn't get a ticket as long as you maintain control.

Looking ahead.

left foot braking can be a major improvement in driving but i like to keep it for the track, the advantage is the time needed to move your right foot from gas-brake-gas lets the engine revs lower, this technique isn't for everyone and takes alot of practice to get it right.
in my front drive shelby omni it lets me keep the turbo spooled up under braking.
when done right in a 911 you can get right to the limits, but practice is the key, find a style your comfortable with and grow from there.

Track driving has made me much less adventurous on public roads. Too little can be predicted, and too many things can go wrong.

Exactly my experience.

To me, I think its because 1) the track quenches the need for speed, and 2) a few track spins teaches you that once you lose control of a car, you are only a passenger on a 2800 lb missile - not something I ever want to experience on the street.

I drive like an old woman most of the time. But when the roads are open and clear of traffic I like to imagine im on a race track and find myself crossing the double yellow to ride the apex ,but I havent yet peddled through a corner with the a$$ hanging out. Call me inexperianced or call me a wimp. I am learning though. When im in my 300zx im dangerous but that ive become used to after 6 years. Ive only been driving a porsche for 8 month`s and half that time was served in a 912. My R/S replica was only just registered 3 month`s ago after the 5 year project of building it.

Kurt Williams

If it's real late some nights I'll hit up Stunt Rd./Piuma Cyn. which usually quenches my need for speed as well. With literally no one on the cyn and the few that do show up are always going the opposite way (and you can see them coming up because their headlights are shining from 3 to 4 miles away) it's nice to let it hang out a bit before returning to where the cops care. I'll throw some ass and do some threshold braking along with heel-toe and rev-matching. We had a student in the class of 2001 (one class above me) pass away weeks before he graduated because him and his buddy decided to take his buddy's mom's benz 300E up to 130 on a street, they flipped numerous times and hit a light pole.......after that I stopped doing the stupid ***** on the populated streets during daylight hours. Don't even get me started on the losers here in the valley that try to street race you, I usually just laugh and give them the finger and pretend to pick my nose with it, heheheeh.

later,

amir

i completely spun the a$$ end of my car for the first time at my last autocross, and let me tell you, that was one of the most helpless feelings i've ever experienced. i can't imagine having that happen on the street in the middle of a turn with oncoming traffic...

http://www.pelicanparts.com/support/smileys/pukey.gif

There is a book called the 911 perfomance driving handbook by Vic Elford (or similar title or name) and it talks about weight balance between the front and back of the car. I put some of this into practice on the track and it was great. On a very wet day in big 80 - 100mph sweeping corners in a mild four wheel drift I would find the front starting to slide out. Instead of thinking "Oh *****" I would back off the gas a bit and it would move more weight on to the front tires and they would come nicely back in. The same with the back wheels by puting the power on.

The wet track was good for learning just what the car does in adverse conditions.

One very wet hair pin I was understeering very fast towards a barrier and hit the brakes big time. Supposedly a no no with a 911 in a corner and the tires suddenly got excellent grip and it shot 'round the corner. This was another case of moving the wieght forward and giving the tires more bite.

Bill '79SC

that is a killer book. i've read it twice. there is another one i read that's really good called 'secrets of solo racing'. (there's a 911 on the cover). great stuff in there that can help your high performance driving skills, er, at least it could help me...

i don't know about the rest of you, but i'm one of those idiots who drives around the roads every day pretending i'm race car driving, whether i'm in my porsche or in my jeep. i'm not driving fast or reckless, mind you, but i'm heel/toe'ing like a bastard and making sure my hands are in the perfect position for turns, shuffle steering, etc... i also can't stop playing gran turismo 3 on my playstation 2.

[blush]

Like Randy said, the looking ahead/situational awareness stuff is directly transferable from the track. I blip the throttle to downshift but I was doing that years before I used it on the track. I never heel toe on the street as I pretty much only use the brakes to stop, not to slow down. If you drive at legal speeds you don't really need to brake for off ramps, just downshift so you have some throttle control.
I think track experience makes you more inclined to drive your way out of trouble instead of just locking up the brakes in an emergency.
-Chris

Adam - you're a riot! I've been heel/toe driving since I got the car and do it street and track. Elford's book is a great read! I always check my hand position and look for the apex on evey turn when on the street.

Thanks
 

I'll search out the book on performance driving and read up. One clarification, when I talk about track skills on the street, I'm not necessarily speaking of speed; but the other things that allow you to control your car better and take turns smoother, but this brings up a question:

If the posted speed on a freeway is 70 and the posted speed on the 360 degree off ramp is 25 (yellow sign), is this not a recommended speed that you should not receive a ticket for if exceeded as long as you maintain control of your car?

Also Randy, I once saw your concept of looking ahead taken to the extreme. On a freeway with moderate traffic, I did a double take when I saw a woman using binoculars to look ahead down the freeway while maintaining a 65mph speed. She would drive then put them up to her eyes for 2-3 seconds then drive more. I stayed safely about 2 lanes over and watched her; couldn't believe what I was seeing.