How to drive fast...

[DR]

http://www.mx-5.org/oxford/driving.htm

[Allen]

http://www.mx-5.org/oxford/driving.htm

How about just driving normally and keeping your license?

[Howard]

How about just driving normally and keeping your license?

Nah

[Shad]

How about just driving normally and keeping your license?

But where's the fun in that?

[Allen]

You'll learn when you get your license revoked for driving without due care and attention!

If you want fun, take it to the track!

:edit: And don't say you can't afford taking it to the track, coz I can't afford insurance premiums due to those who treat driving as a bit of fun!

:2nd edit: I'm not suggesting that anyone on this forum drives like a maniac and causes accidents and insurance premiums to go up for young drivers.

Rant over... for now!

[TiG]

Big Al, this is the problem that you find, its people that don't know how to drive fast that come a cropper. I'd rather every gets taught how to drive fast safely. There are times and places on the road that you can push it a bit. And there are other times which you should stick to the limit, thats down to the person and experience of the driver.

If you don't advocate fast driving then there shouldn't be so powerful engines in cars.

TiG

[Zak33]

Gotta pull out a few bits from a very brief read.....

this bit killed me
-----------------------------------------------------
The step by step process for a 90° corner:

Begin braking.
Clutch pedal down, Gear lever into neutral.
Clutch up, blip throttle.
Clutch down, lever into second.

------------------------------------------------------

thats a double de-clutch.....now it works a treat on cars with no syncromesh (OLD, OLD cars) or ones with a knackered gearbox...

the IDEA is to spin up the shafts INSIDE the box to allign them for a down change.

In most modern cars, the double declutch is a waste of valueable time and power....(and a little extra wear on the clutch plate)

You should do ALL of what it says but NOT bring the clutch up mid change....

simply.....clutch in, blip while changing, clutch up....get the engines speed up to match road speed

what we are looking for is NO ENGINE BRAKING.....we dont wanna bring the clutch up on a slow engine cos it will slow the driven wheels more than required and unsettle the car....we want the engine speed to precisely MATCH the road speed but in a lower gear...

HOWEVER..when reading this site have in mind the context it is written in......LIGHTNING FAST MOVEMENT.....it takes a split second for a downchange like that.....AND we want NO CORNERING WITHOUT the clutch up.....yeah its gotta be pressed in for a gearchange (well...cough......no clutch is another lesson) BUT DO NOT COAST ROUND CORNERS PEOPLE....... that article is well enough written IF you read in it CONTEXT

[Angus]

HOWEVER..when reading this site have in mind the context it is written in......LIGHTNING FAST MOVEMENT.....it takes a split second for a downchange like that.....AND we want NO CORNERING WITHOUT the clutch up.....yeah its gotta be pressed in for a gearchange (well...cough......no clutch is another lesson) BUT DO NOT COAST ROUND CORNERS PEOPLE

If you don't mind me elaborating your post Zak...

You want everything braking, gears, speed sorted before you get into the bend. As Zak said bringing the clutch up can desettle the car; if you do that in a corner - could screw you up (imagine slamming the brakes on mid corner).

Another tip: use the brake to slow, select a gear and go.

you want your braking and gear change to be seperate actions, not merged together.

That's what I learnt doing my advanced driving - I'm not sure how it fits in with track driving... Zak?

[Vimeous]

Cross-your fingers, drive slowly and hope?
Problem is that once you've got a licence and mastered what it can teach it still doesn't prepare you for anything outside the 'normal' driving experience. I'm going for an afternoon on a skid-pan soon in an attempt to better control my reactions in the event of the unsuspected catching me out.

I've been that person in the wet that stands on the brakes and experiences nothing but slide. It was many years ago now but I never forget the fact that I couldn't do anything but brake for the first half-second. My mind didn't know what to do. I was lucky that I thought to get off the brakes, regain steering control, and slither round the idiot who'd pulled out the pub car-park right in front of me. So ever since I've been determined to understand how I should be driving. Oh yeah and I never buy budget tyres!

Just by being on this forum shows you think about driving. By reading and trying to understand what the site says (and its errors Zak ) then its great that you're considering how you drive regardless of wether or not you put any of it into practise.

One little note. Getting the line through a corner right, even if it's only in your own lane and below the speed limit, will save you fuel and tyre-wear. You can always get something good from these things

[J4MES]

you want your braking and gear change to be seperate actions, not merged together

unless you can heel-n-toe, which makes for more seemless braking/downchanges (otherwise you're engine braking and braking separately)