Karting in the Wet

[TiG]

Now as some of you know Zak's been trying to teach me stuff about cars, and over the last few weeks i've been karting twice, and last night i went again, but sadly this time the track was well wet, it was pouring down with rain and my two teammates had just completed there stints with a lot lighter conditions, so me being about 9 and a half stone in weight gets in kart and LEARNS a whole new lesson in driving.....

UNDERSTEER is the ultimate word, with the other guys full lock was a positive option it eventually did turn, however i've a feeling it was down to there slightly enhanced weight. When i put full lock on - nothing well nothing until it was virtually stationary, which was useless for me. So i worked out less steering input actually worked out as more steering of kart, once i'd mastered that along with the most delicate feathering of the throttle i managed to stick in the quickest lap time of our team for the night.

To say drowned rat was a good way of refering to me when i finished my stint was pretty spot on.

But i did teach me sooo many lessons even if the car was RWD. so many things that i learnt on feeling the feedback from the car in the wet, learning that before that session i am virtually sure i thought of the accelerator as a ON/OFF switch and not something that can be gradually applied especially in tight hairpin corners.

I think i did no end for my driving.. and i'd still like to see a hexus kart or track day

TiG

[Jiff Lemon]

the joy of RWD - Steering with the throttle...

[CocoPops]

hmm Hexus Karting Day, now that sounds like a laugh

[DaBeeeenster]

I went karting on an ice track when I was last skiing in Europe. Studded tyres, but they didn't help much!

I know what you mean about understeer. On ice it's kind of weird, it's either full on understeer or full on oversteer; you dont spend much time pointing forwards

Great fun; if you ever get a chance definitely do it. You do get a good feeling for the car and basic behaviour, albeit at an extreme in terms of grip...

[5lab]

a rwd car will only oversteer if the front has already started to turn - understeer is caused by the wheels never having a chance to try and grip. if ya want more oversteer just turn in gently without much power then boot it

seems to work in the volvo anyways..

[TiG]

heh, the only time i saw someone oversteer last night resulted in the kart in front of me desimating the tire wall on the right hand side of the track when the corner was a 180° Hairpin left.

It looked PAINFUL to say the least....

TiG

[[jF]]

This reminds me, I need a good karting sesh

[Vimeous]

Twas a great sesh el TiG.
Understeer, understeer, gentle throttle, less understeer, more throttle, teeeeetering, more throttle, snap to power on oversteer, MORE THROTTLE, lurid slideeeeeeeeee.

and repeat till end

Rox

[Zak33]

Originally posted by TiG
So i worked out less steering input actually worked out as more steering of kart, once i'd mastered that along with the most delicate feathering of the throttle

and that tiny little sound, was the penny dropping

LESS IS MORE.....you had so little traction available from the low friction levels, that you had to make sure that what little you DID have was never exceeded.

Which brings us back, full circle to a previous thread.

The amount of grip available to each front tyre, especially as you were sitting over the BACK wheels, was so small, that requesting full "dry track" cornering grip put the request OUTSIDE the ability in any direction. Its like asking a Hard Disk to Defrag itself with no spare room ON the hard disk, to move things too.

Your request must be for LESS than the amount of grip available....the trick is to ask 99%. THEN it will turn to the max amount available....from the point that you have achieved a change of direction at the front, you request more ACCELERATION from the rear with a throttle opening. In doing THAT, you cal lfor nearly 100% of those tryes grip and they then start to slip sideways as they are using all their grip going forward.

Fangio......one steering input, thousands of little throttle openings and closings per corner.

Moss.......constant throttle, and thousands of little steering inputs.

Karting in the wet is ACE