S60R

Well, this weekend I had time to install my new rear adjustable sway bar and was rather pleased with the results. Can't wait to get the front one installed as well.

Until then I wanted to have a chance to test out my half completed project in a safe environment @ an auto-x in Orlando. Had a great time and competed well against a lot of serious competition. Here is the result list, some vids of my best run and some pics of the other cars at the event.

1. Carlos - Gray 335i - 42.72
2. Geo - Silver S2000 - 43.34
3. Steven - Orange 350Z - 43.72
4. White EG Hatch - 44.68
5. Eric - Silver 335i - 44.69
6. Estaban - Silver E36 M3 - 44.75
7. Tony - Black NA Miata - 44.87
8. Lime Green Lotus w/ Black Stripes - 45.28
9. Tony - Red 4D Volvo S60R - 45.38
10. Toby - Blue Civic Si - 45.43
11. Chino - Red S13 Hatch - 45.59
12. Chris - Silver 335i - 46.40
13. Juan - Red EF Civic Hatch - 46.88
14. Calum - Toby's Civic Si - 47.84
15. Steven - Red Hyundai - 47.87
16. Mike - Purple Kia Spectra - 49.60
17. Calum - Silver HHR - 49.91
18. Rick - Gray 335i - 50.22
19. Henry - Purple Kia Spectra - 50.72
20. Tom - Red Z31 300Z - 51.91
An awesome time indeed and I'm glad to see my placement in the middle of the pack.

Outside View:

Car View:

TampaStig

Try having your hands at 9 and 3.

Also understeer is not corrected by MORE steering input.

Smooth is fast

S60R

If I was driving my 911 turbo with no power steering through there your hand position advice might be helpful, but with the volvo's big wheel and variable power steering two hands arn't neccessary when navigating my land barge except when I'm steering it all the way to the locks. I also tried shifing in a few different places during the first few runs so I had other needs for my right hand as well.

Sounds like you also need to go back and rewatch the video, the car is pretty well balanced, all wheel drive and I was having no problems with understeer. The only thing I was battling was a giant turning radius that was as big as both sweepers (42 feet). I wasn't driving your go cart or S2000 through there after all, lol.

tobibeck80

Like the sound of your car, what camera mount do you use, what camera?

I use a CruiseCam short bar mount with a Sony HD hdd cam but I dont have such a good view outside the car, the angle is a little bit smaller. :-/

thats what I mean http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI0Pgp1qu30&fmt=37



Congrats to 9th place but with


I do agree


Dude you have to relocate your hands at the steering, you could turn much faster and more precise....besides if something goes wrong you will fail epicly because you couldn't correct it quick enough.

Holding the steering like this on a real track is the wrong way to do it.

S60R

There is a time and place for 9 and 3, this wasn't mine though.

If you can step away from the theoretical best hand positions and get to the important stuff like my line and speed through the track, if you have any points of incorrect application or actual bad wheel control feel free to get back to me.

tobibeck80

just saying, I can't name one single racing driver who drives like this, but you didnt answer my question lol

S60R

Well, to clarify, this wasn't a real 'race track'. We are talking a small and tight auto-x course here, not sebring.

And I'm sure that every one of the world's best racing drivers steer their cars with one hand when both arn't needed. Many of us still have old school shifting sticks we need to operate while we attempt to drive too.

Just because we race instructors and drivers ed tell you to put your hands in those positions for the best wheel control and grip doesn't mean you are required to do so 100% of the time, lol.

If I was doing a shitty job pointing my wheels exactly where they belonged and picking the right track through the course you might have a point, but since I didn't have any issues in that department the criticism from the hand position police is a bit nit picky-ish, lol.

tobibeck80

well I just thought I'd give some advice because I like to drive the Nürburgring Nordschleife (real one, not just video games) with both hands on my steering wheel, I can guarantee that I would go off the track after the first bump......and that one is on a straight.......when it works there I think it works everywhere else

I've never driven an automatic (my driving school car also was stickshift), the time my stick-operating hand is away from the steering is very short as you occasionally see in that video linked in my fist post.


but whatever you can handle best. I didn't want to be an ass about it, just giving advice.

now, to my question please?

TampaStig

LOL way to take advice and get defensive.

Two hands on the wheel is better ALL THE TIME regardless of the type or style of track (except when shifting of course.)

And if you were to carry more speed into your large radius corners and trail more brake in you would be able to rotate the car better (even with 4WD) therefore using less total steering input resulting in faster entrance and exit to the corner.

No one on here is a professional but I've driven Mid-Ohio, Daytona 24hr course, Sebring 12hr, and headed up to Lime Rock and Road Atlanta in a couple months. And have received instruction from past 12hr winners, ALMS Series Champions, and the list goes on and on through Skip Barber race series.

No one is criticizing you, only trying to help.

S60R

Hey, I'm not denying that two hands is the best nor trying to be defensive, just pointing out that I didn't find it neccessary for the limited driving I was engaging in at this event.

I've driven all the courses you mention with the exception of Lime Rock and Mid Ohio but I can raise you a Sears Point out in cali instead, lol.

I've also got a nice trophy collection from about a dozen first and second place finishes in ASP or higher against a lot of serious supercars so this isn't my first rodeo either boys. Several years ago when I was still actively racing the porsche I've also worked as an instructor and had some very satisfied and successful students.

And to stig, if you turn up your sound and listen as well as observe more carefully you would see that I was pushing my limits in and out of the turns. You still have a bit to learn if you really think that deliberately trying to throw the rear out to increase my turn rate would have been the same thing as getting through the sweeper more quickly though. Oversteer is a neccessary evil that must be kept in check, not a solution to generating a proper track through a turn. If my minimum turning radius was about 10 feet shorter I would have had a completely different attack for both big turns I will admit, and even in my own eyes was the problem I had with my car on the course that day.

If it was a more complex track or higher speeds and forces were involved though, then yes, I would have had both hands on the wheel if the circumstances required it.

All that being said, don't confuse this discussion on driving technique with defensiveness. Just pointing out that just because I decided to keep my hand on the shifter most of the way didn't compromise my steering in this case.