Using the handbrake to balance during cornering.
Discussion
Why would a car become unbalanced in a long sweeping bend - especially in a FWD car? I can only imagine that happening if you come into the bend too quickly and jump on the brakes thereby shifting the weight forward quickly. Select the correct speed and gear for the corner prior to arrival.
With all due respect, and i am happy to be corrected, using the handbrake sounds like a bloody stupid idea which will see you punch a large car shaped hole in the hedge/house/oncoming traffic.
With all due respect, and i am happy to be corrected, using the handbrake sounds like a bloody stupid idea which will see you punch a large car shaped hole in the hedge/house/oncoming traffic.
I can see how it could have a similar effect to using light left-foot braking but without the power/brake conflict of interest at the front wheels. Not sure how advisable it is though, would only take a small bump for you to pull the handbrake a bit harder and lock the rears. The only time I really use the handbrake while moving is for understeer avoidance in tight corners on loose stuff.
brum said:
Why would a car become unbalanced in a long sweeping bend - especially in a FWD car? I can only imagine that happening if you come into the bend too quickly and jump on the brakes thereby shifting the weight forward quickly. Select the correct speed and gear for the corner prior to arrival.
With all due respect, and i am happy to be corrected, using the handbrake sounds like a bloody stupid idea which will see you punch a large car shaped hole in the hedge/house/oncoming traffic.
With all due respect, and i am happy to be corrected, using the handbrake sounds like a bloody stupid idea which will see you punch a large car shaped hole in the hedge/house/oncoming traffic.
a lot of driver input in a little time is likely to lead to a big bill!ETA To the OP - Handbrake during long corners? No f
ing way in case my position is not clear
Edited by LaSarthe+Back on Tuesday 17th June 23:20
Kozy said:
Where do the advanced drivers stand on this? It's a practice I've used many a time, adding a touch of handbrake into a long sweeping bend gives me the impression of balancing the car when it could become unbalanced and enter a state of under/oversteer. I'm just not sure if it's a 'proper' technique if you no what I mean?
This is with respect to FWD cars.
It's a very handy technique to force a car to oversteer round a very sharp corner when it is naturally inclined towards terminal understeer. Rally drivers and autotest drivers would find this handy from time to time. This is with respect to FWD cars.
Back on public roads, for somebody trying to negotiate a long sweeping bend it strikes me as a potentially bl**dy dangerous thing to do and liable to send you off the road backwards. Since you're still alive, I assume you haven't ever applied the handbrake hard enough to cause oversteer at any any significant speed. I hope you'll take my word for it that it's not something you want to do. Any perception you may have that it is balancing or stabilising the car is entirely misleading, it is doing the exact opposite. If you were unfortunate to be involved in an accident and it was discovered that you had lost control after pulling the handbrake on I think there's a very real chance that you would face a charge of dangerous driving.
GravelBen said:
I can see how it could have a similar effect to using light left-foot braking but without the power/brake conflict of interest at the front wheels. Not sure how advisable it is though, would only take a small bump for you to pull the handbrake a bit harder and lock the rears. The only time I really use the handbrake while moving is for understeer avoidance in tight corners on loose stuff.
My experience is similar, in my case on ice driving trips to the frozen north. With FWD, left foot braking to simultaneously apply gas and brakes controllably tightens the line - and I agree it is effectively doing the same thing as applying the handbrake. I remember one 4 wheel drive car which was particularly reluctant to turn in, and needed more than a bit of LFB (though of course going slower would have done the job!). In that car, without doing anything like a handbrake turn, I found it effective to use the handbrake. But that was on a safe off-road facility. In common with the others who have responded, I cannot see the handbrake balancing a car on a long curve.Just for clarification, my handbrake cannot lock the rear wheels, even in wet conditions. I was not implying the use to get the back end out, quite the opposite in fact. It could be likened to left foot braking, using it to counter understeer. Thinking back, I haven't really used this on long sweeping bends as I previously said, and I do not do this in everyday driving (despite 'many a time'). I have however used it once or twice negotiating tricky corners as a means of balancing understeer.
I DO NOT drive about everywhere handbrake turning around bends during heavy traffic, so please don't try to make out that that is what I meant.
I DO NOT drive about everywhere handbrake turning around bends during heavy traffic, so please don't try to make out that that is what I meant.
Edited by Kozy on Wednesday 18th June 15:03
Edited by Kozy on Wednesday 18th June 15:04
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