"durty" (durtyMD)
02/07/2014 at 21:05 • Filed to: rx7 mazda scca driving skills bmw z3 south carolina
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"durty" (durtyMD)
02/07/2014 at 21:05 • Filed to: rx7 mazda scca driving skills bmw z3 south carolina | 1
| 20 |
Hello all, I'm a driving enthusiast. I DD my '98 z3 with the 1.9 4 banger and a 5 speed (above). I wish I had unlimited funds for track experience, but I don't. Some background about me; I just got my SCCA regional license to race (the world's slowest) a joint venture '79 RX7 (also above at Roebling road in front of the GRM Focus) in IT7/ITA. I don't have the time or funds to do more than 2 races a year at this point, but I want to feed my driving spirit and build skills.
My question to y'all jal-opponauts is this:
What do you do on a daily basis to improve your driving skill? Here is what I've thought of for myself.
-drive a stick and be mindful of the car's feedback, or "listen with my ass" if you will.
-rev match, and generally try to be as smooth as possible with all shifts and turns. Smooth is fast, and in the rain especially sharp and jerky inputs are punished. (Senna was smooth as silk and as we all know it never rained on Ayrton)
-when I have a green arrow and no traffic in my immediate path I try to brake as late/little as necessary and take a relative racing line around the corner (within reason, I'll go wide in my own lane and track out into the next lane that I've just turned into)
-when changing lanes on the freeway I even try to hit the reflector nubs so that I'm being mindful of where my tires are
-I love GT5, and I know that we can learn a lot from simulators, but you just can't get that same feeling sitting in your living room.
I know a lot of it is silly, but it makes me happy.
So to the Jal-Oppo-verse: What else do you do to improve your skills?
N/A POWAAAHH
> durty
02/07/2014 at 21:09 |
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Get off the straight freeways/main roads, and drive the curvy back roads once it a while. It keeps you fresh
TheOnelectronic
> durty
02/07/2014 at 21:13 |
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Drive with the top down and windows open. You may be surprised at what you can tell just by listening to the tires and suspension.
On public roads where conditions are variable, don't focus on driving fast; work on lines, techniques. You've got the right mindset in terms of "smooth is fast.", and you can practice smooth at any speed you like.
Weight Transfer is massive. Learn to feel and interpret how your car's weight is shifting around, and be mindful of how that effects your grip. Like you said, try to make everything smooth. Sudden movements shock the system, but consistent inputs allow the system to compensate.
PowderHound
> durty
02/07/2014 at 21:14 |
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Hit apexes within your lines
feather-throttle-not-hair
> durty
02/07/2014 at 21:16 |
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I definitely try to be as smooth as possible when shifting and always rev match my downshifts. I double clutch all my downshifts too, because, hey, it's fun.
I also just got a steering wheel for GT/Forza complete with three pedals and a shifter.
lastly i do this from time to time. Okay, probably doesn't help me go faster, but its fun. So there.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
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durty
> PowderHound
02/07/2014 at 21:17 |
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I always find myself looking for apexes and practicing hitting them. I just wonder if it makes any difference. I feel like at least I'm being active in my driving experience.
JGrabowMSt
> durty
02/07/2014 at 21:25 |
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I drive a manual. Every day is a learning experience about driving better. It is, of course, a 1.5 ton death machine.
In all seriousness though, I feather the clutch. Learning to not just shift smoothly, but get the car rolling without any backwards movement is an art that takes lots of practice and experience to get right. It may add a little extra wear on the clutch, but it wont threaten the life of it nearly as badly as just dumping it.
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PowderHound
> durty
02/07/2014 at 21:26 |
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The big thing is trying to make it smooth. You can hit apexes but try doing it with the most minimal movement of the wheel and as smooth as possible. Smooth is fast.
Jeff-God-of-Biscuits
> durty
02/07/2014 at 21:40 |
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Trollish answer but still valid. See what is going on around me. Seriously though, think about what is going on with the cars surrounding you, and think about the ways they could try to take you life. Then formulate best course of action scenarios.
Also, try to recall things about locations that you just passed. I am always the the one that spots the groundhog, or deer in the treeline, or the myriad other weird things on the side of the road.
Both of these will help your perception, which will allow you to react faster with more confidence.
JACU - I've got bonifides.
> durty
02/07/2014 at 21:47 |
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After I had a tumor in my brain removed, I tried to drive but committed many near-unforgivable driving sins. Mistaking right-turn-on-red as a directive to GO, braking later than I should, becoming confused with yield intersections. A couple of mistakes that resulted in two low-speed collisions put my driving on hold for several months. It's only been the past couple of years that I've gained enough confidence to drive assertively again.
I'll probably not track a car again, but when I drive I concentrate on smoothness and consistency, and I'm much more the defensive driver than I used to be.
revrseat70
> durty
02/07/2014 at 22:46 |
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I walk or bike to work and classes. So driving doesn't happen for me every day. Especially with Texas weather and its unpredictability. So I do things in my head a lot. I heel n toe with my feet on the ground or on the cross bar of my desk. I look for the racing lines on my bike and even walking. I do have fourza and a fanatec csr wheel with shifter, pedals, and really good earphones. I know that's limited in that I can't feel weight transfer and nuances. However, It really helps me in that I have an eye for all of those aspects of driving with less perceptual inputs than you get from an actual car. But I plan on joining a monthly autocross near me for the first time this year to learn a lot more.
heliochrome85
> durty
02/08/2014 at 00:04 |
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WELCOME SAM!
SPNKiX
> durty
02/08/2014 at 00:35 |
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Harrison Voorhees
> durty
02/08/2014 at 02:34 |
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A clutch kick a day keeps the doctor away.
JDIGGS
> durty
02/08/2014 at 03:49 |
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Practice hand placement.
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durty
> JACU - I've got bonifides.
02/09/2014 at 00:53 |
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thanks for sharing. I'm glad you're back on the road again. Your brain just needs time to figure out how to make those connections again. Keep up the good work
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durty
> feather-throttle-not-hair
02/09/2014 at 00:54 |
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Pretty sick drift man. I can get my car sideways in the rain, but I haven't found the confidence to do a full drift doughnut.
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durty
> SPNKiX
02/09/2014 at 00:54 |
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One is all you really need
Conan
> durty
02/10/2014 at 22:27 |
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I drive an unnecessarily long yet almost completely empty twist filled route to get home from work. It is my favorite road and my favorite part of the day.
TownaceNoah
> SPNKiX
02/11/2014 at 20:15 |
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Sucks about the above-the-knee amputation, kid.
Flavien Vidal
> durty
02/14/2014 at 10:00 |
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iRacing, rFactor, track days, driving my corvette all winter long in the snow...