Advanced Driving Technique

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Vaxen
zodicus did a good job of explaining this[/URL], restated below in my own words:
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yea it's called the traction circle. Wheels can only do 100% of any one thing, so if 100% of the tire's traction is being spent on braking then you can't turn. Which sounds like like a super-simple concept but you can't believe how many don't get it.

I've been in about a dozen on-street crashes (always as a passenger) and most of those were due to understeer. People trying to take some corner, the car understeers, obviously there isn't enough traction to make it through that corner, so what do they do? Turn the wheel in more!

So if 82% of your tire's traction is being used turning the vehicle then you can only brake or accelerate to use the remaining 18%. Which is why, when you're coming out of a corner (especially in a fwd drive) you can give it more gas as you unwind the wheel. Since less turning means less traction being spent on turning means more traction available for acceleration.
 
BonzoHarry
I've been in about a dozen on-street crashes (always as a passenger) and most of those were due to understeer. People trying to take some corner, the car understeers, obviously there isn't enough traction to make it through that corner, so what do they do? Turn the wheel in more!

So if 82% of your tire's traction is being used turning the vehicle then you can only brake or accelerate to use the remaining 18%. Which is why, when you're coming out of a corner (especially in a fwd drive) you can give it more gas as you unwind the wheel. Since less turning means less traction being spent on turning means more traction available for acceleration.
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Very good analogy. There are so many people who do exactly the opposite of what they should be doing.

Another example is when people slam the brakes on instead of just lifting off the throttle mid corner to get the nose to tuck in.
 
zed300
The idea in Suzuka is to enter and exit 5turns linked together as though it was one .Remember there is only one ultimate line in and out of a corner given the traction/speed.
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I take those esses through very inside line, but the magical moment comes with fifth left corner, where I often fail, because it's very dificult to maintain good speed in fourth curve and yet have the good line to accelerate fast from this fifth curve. But I really fell in love with Suzuka, it's really magical circuit.
 
I read this tidbit of advise somewhere else in the forum and it helped me IMMENSELY. Two foot braking. After driving for 20 years (regular driving, not racing) it takes a bit of getting used to, but saving tenths of a second every time you brake by using left foot on the brake really adds up. And yes, I have found myself getting in the truck after a good bout of racing and putting one foot on the gas, and one on the brake.
 
zibs_2000
I read this tidbit of advise somewhere else in the forum and it helped me IMMENSELY. Two foot braking. After driving for 20 years (regular driving, not racing) it takes a bit of getting used to, but saving tenths of a second every time you brake by using left foot on the brake really adds up. And yes, I have found myself getting in the truck after a good bout of racing and putting one foot on the gas, and one on the brake.
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Once you've mastered the correct lines and maximised your corner exit speed, I think left foot braking is a huge benefit to going faster.
 
BonzoHarry
I've been in about a dozen on-street crashes (always as a passenger) and most of those were due to understeer. People trying to take some corner, the car understeers, obviously there isn't enough traction to make it through that corner, so what do they do? Turn the wheel in more!
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That's because them Yank cars handle like boats. :yuck::sly:
 
Lots of good advice so far.I think the only thing I can add is to race as if there is a egg under you right foot. This way you will be smooth on the exits, if you mash the gas,you break the egg.Even pressure makes for ore controlled exit.:idea:Also,running TT's and free laps are fine to get you brake points down,but,don't forget that in a race you will be dealing with areo push and late/early braking from other drivers.This will change you style as you adjust to the changing surroundings.:)
 
Here's the deal, there is tons techniques involved in high performance driving and tons of ways to teach them. I say keep it simple, every person on this board will have some advice for you , there are some very talented drivers on this board. But if you listnen to all the pointers from 100 different people it will leave you more confused than when you started. I have attended many high performance and racing schools and the easiest way to learn all those techniques without spending thousands of dollars is to read this book. It explain everything from how to hold the wheel to the most advanced techniques. It will make you faster, smoother and cleaner in this game and in your real car. I encourage everyone to read this book.


http://www.amazon.com/dp/0837602262/?tag=gtplanet-20
 
rabbitude
Here's the deal, there is tons techniques involved in high performance driving and tons of ways to teach them. I say keep it simple, every person on this board will have some advice for you , there are some very talented drivers on this board. But if you listnen to all the pointers from 100 different people it will leave you more confused than when you started.]
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:lol:Thats true,he might start to pull his hair out.:boggled::D:)
 
If all else fails, resort to the PIT - Precision Immobilization Technique! :lol:

120px-Pit_maneuver.svg.png


Joking...
 
my advice would be to "Know the track". I make sure i remember the line/apex of the corner, the gear and also the rough speed in MPH for every turn on a map, This way you can get each corner almost spot on each time you do it and also ensures consistancey.

Although sometimes i'll be 1 or 2 seconds off the pace, so i'll download the ghost replay from a top 10 lap and go from there.

:D
 
Keith Code (California Superbike School) put out a series of books for going faster round a track on a bike. I found them very handy to think about what i was actually doing (on the road as well as the track). A lot of the methods can be applied to driving cars too.
look for 'A Twist of the Wrist' by Keith Code. If your a motorcyclist, its essential reading.
 
ripping_silk
Keith Code (California Superbike School) put out a series of books for going faster round a track on a bike. I found them very handy to think about what i was actually doing (on the road as well as the track). A lot of the methods can be applied to driving cars too.
look for 'A Twist of the Wrist' by Keith Code. If your a motorcyclist, its essential reading.
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Yes I've heard it said that a method for two wheels is to look where you want to go and not directly at the road infront of you. As for four wheels I would suggest the getting the right tune for the trac, and make sure you knwo exaclty how your car is goign to behave to your input's, that way the car becomes predictable which inturn allows you to focus more on the track.
Peace,;)👍
Rusty*
 
Vaxen
Unfortunately, "Going Faster" is out of print.:indiff:
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That's funny. I just got my copy this July from Borders in Melbourne.

Was about to suggest this book, but you guys beat me to it. A definite must-read for any serious driver, virtual or otherwise. It even makes watching F1 a lot more enjoyable. You'll finally realise exactly how and why pro drivers can do what they do lap after lap.
 
I'll definitely be getting those books in due course, thanks.

And I can vouch for the Cali Superbike School having done Stage 1 in July. If anyone on here is a biker, absolutely do this course. I'll be doing the full 4 stages + as time and money allow. It's not cheap, but still worth every penny IMHO.

Happy racing y'all.
 
Desmo99618
This is also true in real life:

Go slower to go faster.

Quite often you will find yourself "overdriving" in your attempts to go faster.
This is counterproductive.
Stop.
Relax.
Try again, but concentrate on being smooth, hitting apexes, braking points etc. etc.

God , I wish I could follow my own advice. :dunce:
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wherrd.

knowing and doing are different.
 
I finally went and dug-out my favorite of my racing books since I wanted to review some key points now that I'm working on modifying my (real life) Beetle suspension just a bit for autocross. I've read quite a few of these types of books, but this one remains my favorite, and one of only two which I bothered to purchase:

Speed Secrets: Professional Race Driving Techniques
By Ross Bentley

No other book I've read has been quite to concise, easy to read, and easy to understand. It's even an entertaining read, so you can sit down in a single evening and get a lot of useful info out of it.

I suggest anyone looking to get better read this and mark it up with highlighter like I did.
 
s2k2k3
One more thing occurs to me... This rule is definately valid in the game, but you should shift near the rev limit for most cars.
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This is only partly correct, but it is a common misunderstanding. What you really want to do is figure out the shifting point for a car by looking at the Torque and Horsepower curves and shifting so that, with each shift, you then accelerate through your peak torque and up to your peak horsepower.

I've read many explanations of the difference between torque and horsepower, but this one stuck in my head:

"Horsepower dictates your maximum speed, torque dictates how quickly you can get to that speed." That's still an oversimplification, but it is a good way to look at it.

An excellent example of a car which needs shifting well before the rev limiter is the Ferrari F40. Watch the speedo as you hold the pedal down and do some "late shifting" and some "early shifting" (actually correct-shifting in this car), and see the difference.
 
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TwistedNav
Torque/HP - great explanation Panjandrum. :)
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Thanks, but just to give credit where it is due, I'm only quoting someone else there. I put it in quotes now so that would be clear. Unfortunately I don't remember which book I read that in or I would attribute it properly.
 
s2k2k3
And while I'm on the topic, you should set up your gears close so you keep your revs up when shifting.
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This statement is not entirely true, IMO.... I understand you want to keep the revs high to compensate for turbo lag but if you have gear 1 and 2, for example, really close you tend to get TOO much power TOO quickly for 2nd gear turns and such.... I always try to tune the gears according to the track... adjust gears first, then test and tune it time and time again, until I feel you get the most out of EVERY gear on EVERY turn.... Takes a lot of time, but very rewarding... Gear ratios are also one of those things that should be dictated by your driving style... kind of like brake bias.. The one person might like them short while others like them long...
 
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I wouldn't consider myself as a great GT driver but i found that like a few others in this thread, watching faster peoples replays really does help, when i was trying to get into the top 10 in my Lancer IX Tuned round London i only managed 30 something place on my first go but then i decided to download the ghost for the fastest guy and i went from 30 something to 11 in only a few tries. I even figured out a line which got me round half the course faster than him.
 
Blitz187
This statement is not entirely true, IMO.... I understand you want to keep the revs high to compensate for turbo lag but if you have gear 1 and 2, for example, really close you tend to get TOO much power TOO quickly for 2nd gear turns and such.... I always try to tune the gears according to the track... adjust gears first, then test and tune it time and time again, until I feel you get the most out of EVERY gear on EVERY turn.... Takes a lot of time, but very rewarding... Gear ratios are also one of those things that should be dictated by your driving style... kind of like brake bias.. The one person might like them short while others like them long...
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Obviously any single sentence statement about gear selection is going to be "not entirely true".
 
s2k2k3
Obviously any single sentence statement about gear selection is going to be "not entirely true".
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Right, so you agree then it comes down to drivers preference and driving style....?
 
panjandrum
This is only partly correct, but it is a common misunderstanding.
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I guess Scaff has the same misunderstanding then.

"Shift to maximize POWER, not torque!" - Scaff

It is a mistake to look at power or torque gear-to-gear without factoring in the multiplication of the gear ratio. If you have a 25% difference in gear ratios between the gear you're in and the gear you're shifting into (meaning the lower gear has an automatic 25% advantage over the next higher gear), then you must take that into consideration when choosing your shift points. In most cases you will have more accelleration after multiplication by holding to the rev limit. Obviously there are exceptions.

Scaff explains this very clearly in his "When to Shift" chapter.


Blitz187
Right, so you agree then it comes down to drivers preference and driving style....?
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I agree that reading Scaff's tuning guide will give you far more and better information about gear selection and when to change gear than any post in this thread.
 
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