First RWD, Which course.

[russy01]

Hi,

You are probably sick of threads like this, but here goes.

Have just purchased my first RWD car, a Honda S2000.

Im 23 and have come from a couple FWD Hot hatches. I have no racing experience (except for a couple track experience days I had as gifts). I like to push on when I can and living in the heart of somerset there are plenty of decent roads to cater this.

Im really looking for a cheap course where I can take my own car and see how it really handles, and when the back snaps how it reacts. I just really want to see how the car reacts to certain inputs in a safe and controlled environment so I can feel more at ease when pushing on a bit on the road.

I am based in Wells, Somerset (just south of Bristol), I am happy to travel within reason.

Thanks in advance.

[waremark]

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

We don't need a new thread on this.

[WhoseGeneration]

russy01 said:

Hi,

You are probably sick of threads like this, but here goes.

Have just purchased my first RWD car, a Honda S2000.

Im 23 and have come from a couple FWD Hot hatches. I have no racing experience (except for a couple track experience days I had as gifts). I like to push on when I can and living in the heart of somerset there are plenty of decent roads to cater this.

Im really looking for a cheap course where I can take my own car and see how it really handles, and when the back snaps how it reacts. I just really want to see how the car reacts to certain inputs in a safe and controlled environment so I can feel more at ease when pushing on a bit on the road.

I am based in Wells, Somerset (just south of Bristol), I am happy to travel within reason.

Thanks in advance.

I would also suggest, if you haven't already, reading threads from 10 Pence Short with regard to "pushing on a bit on the road".
Sure, limit courses to find out your ability to exploit your car on track but, these days, be very careful about where and in front of whom you might do this on public roads.
Fact is, you can make very good progress on public roads, whatever drive configuration, just by following AD methods.

[S. Gonzales Esq.]

If you want to learn about limit handling, you'll need instruction in an off-road environment as suggested in that other thread.

If you'd like to drive safely and swiftly on the road, you could try here - the AD-UK Somerset Driving Day. People there will be able to explain the training options available.

It may be a longer process than you think though - there's much more to making good progress than managing oversteer.

[russy01]

S. Gonzales Esq. said:

If you want to learn about limit handling, you'll need instruction in an off-road environment as suggested in that other thread.

If you'd like to drive safely and swiftly on the road, you could try here - the AD-UK Somerset Driving Day. People there will be able to explain the training options available.

It may be a longer process than you think though - there's much more to making good progress than managing oversteer.

I understand, thanks for the link. I'd just like to see how the car really handles first, (hear a lot about the s2000's snappy back end.)

[davepoth]

Take it to an airfield trackday, plenty of room to skid off the track.

[gdaybruce]

davepoth said:

Take it to an airfield trackday, plenty of room to skid off the track.

+1 but also hire an instructor for a session, telling him that you're new to rwd and want to find out what the car does on the limit and how to control it.

[davepoth]

gdaybruce said:

+1 but also hire an instructor for a session, telling him that you're new to rwd and want to find out what the car does on the limit and how to control it.

And possibly bring some spare rear tyres with you. Just in case...

-edit-

I have to say I never had an issue going to RWD. Granted none of the cars I've ever driven have been especially powerful (best was probably a 944 non-turbo) but I found it surprisingly intuitive.

Edited by davepoth on Tuesday 21st June 22:43

[Hooli]

davepoth said:

I have to say I never had an issue going to RWD. Granted none of the cars I've ever driven have been especially powerful (best was probably a 944 non-turbo) but I found it surprisingly intuitive.

I think you've just summed up why I find RWD much safer. It feels natural to drive that way, where as a FWD seems to be trying to do the wrong thing unless I tell it otherwise.

[jbi]

get yourself a steering wheel and pedals, download this

www.lfs.net

and start practicing.

It's how I learned, and I personally would never have another FWD again if I had the choice.

[Dr Jekyll]

I've owned FWD and RWD, an driven a few 4WD. Can someone please explain to me what I'm supposed to be doing differently on the road in a RWD car as opposed to a FWD car.

[russy01]

Dr Jekyll said:

I've owned FWD and RWD, an driven a few 4WD. Can someone please explain to me what I'm supposed to be doing differently on the road in a RWD car as opposed to a FWD car.

Alright clever clogs, You shouldnt be doing anything differently if you are driving safely on the public highway. However you know that a FWD and a RWD will handle fairly differently once driven much harder, however unlike yourself I have not owned RWD before, so I want to accustom myself to oversteer and other driving techniques incase the back does break loose on a wet roundabout or something. Is that good enough?

[Dr Jekyll]

russy01 said:

Dr Jekyll said:

I've owned FWD and RWD, an driven a few 4WD. Can someone please explain to me what I'm supposed to be doing differently on the road in a RWD car as opposed to a FWD car.

Alright clever clogs, You shouldnt be doing anything differently if you are driving safely on the public highway. However you know that a FWD and a RWD will handle fairly differently once driven much harder, however unlike yourself I have not owned RWD before, so I want to accustom myself to oversteer and other driving techniques incase the back does break loose on a wet roundabout or something. Is that good enough?

I appreciate exactly what you're trying to do, I was simply responding to other posters comments such as saying RWD seems more 'natural'.

[Pontoneer]

russy01 said:

Hi,

You are probably sick of threads like this, but here goes.

Have just purchased my first RWD car, a Honda S2000.

Im 23 and have come from a couple FWD Hot hatches. I have no racing experience (except for a couple track experience days I had as gifts). I like to push on when I can and living in the heart of somerset there are plenty of decent roads to cater this.

Im really looking for a cheap course where I can take my own car and see how it really handles, and when the back snaps how it reacts. I just really want to see how the car reacts to certain inputs in a safe and controlled environment so I can feel more at ease when pushing on a bit on the road.

I am based in Wells, Somerset (just south of Bristol), I am happy to travel within reason.

Thanks in advance.

You could do a lot worse than go along to Mercedes-Benz World at Brooklands and do one of the Mercedes-Benz experiences where you can be let loose in the likes of a C63 on their test track and skidpan , with an experienced instructor by your side . There are a whole range of different courses available in different cars - altogether a fun day out from which you should most likely learn a lot .

Click the link below for further info

http://www2.mercedes-benz.co.uk/content/unitedking...

Edited by Pontoneer on Wednesday 22 June 20:43

[vonhosen]

russy01 said:

Dr Jekyll said:

I've owned FWD and RWD, an driven a few 4WD. Can someone please explain to me what I'm supposed to be doing differently on the road in a RWD car as opposed to a FWD car.

Alright clever clogs, You shouldnt be doing anything differently if you are driving safely on the public highway. However you know that a FWD and a RWD will handle fairly differently once driven much harder, however unlike yourself I have not owned RWD before, so I want to accustom myself to oversteer and other driving techniques incase the back does break loose on a wet roundabout or something. Is that good enough?

Did you accustom yourself to oversteer in the FWD cars ?

[russy01]

vonhosen said:

russy01 said:

Dr Jekyll said:

I've owned FWD and RWD, an driven a few 4WD. Can someone please explain to me what I'm supposed to be doing differently on the road in a RWD car as opposed to a FWD car.

Alright clever clogs, You shouldnt be doing anything differently if you are driving safely on the public highway. However you know that a FWD and a RWD will handle fairly differently once driven much harder, however unlike yourself I have not owned RWD before, so I want to accustom myself to oversteer and other driving techniques incase the back does break loose on a wet roundabout or something. Is that good enough?

Did you accustom yourself to oversteer in the FWD cars ?

I dont see where you are going with this. But No because it's much harder to make a front engined FWD car to oversteer. What's your point?

[Bacon Is Proof]

russy01 said:

What's your point?

I'd guess his point is that you shouldn't be driving in a way that you will need to know what you are asking about on a public road, but that's just a guess.

[vonhosen]

russy01 said:

vonhosen said:

russy01 said:

Dr Jekyll said:

I've owned FWD and RWD, an driven a few 4WD. Can someone please explain to me what I'm supposed to be doing differently on the road in a RWD car as opposed to a FWD car.

Alright clever clogs, You shouldnt be doing anything differently if you are driving safely on the public highway. However you know that a FWD and a RWD will handle fairly differently once driven much harder, however unlike yourself I have not owned RWD before, so I want to accustom myself to oversteer and other driving techniques incase the back does break loose on a wet roundabout or something. Is that good enough?

Did you accustom yourself to oversteer in the FWD cars ?

I dont see where you are going with this. But No because it's much harder to make a front engined FWD car to oversteer. What's your point?

Go & practice where ever you are going to drive the new car hard (as I assume you did in the FWD cars). It will obviously be somewhere off road & fit for purpose with safe run off areas, because that's only where you are going to be driving the car hard isn't it.

[davepoth]

russy01 said:

I dont see where you are going with this. But No because it's much harder to make a front engined FWD car to oversteer. What's your point?

If you can't make an FWD oversteer, you aren't exploiting the handling properly.

[russy01]

Knew it would turn like this. Thanks to the chaps who have come back with helpful answers to my questions. I like the idea of MB world or an airfield day.