Advanced car control
Discussion
This has been done to death im sure. But I have just purchased a gt4 celica st205 import 255hp & is there somewhere (reasonably priced) I can go with my car & have some instruction in a safe enviroment or even jsut somewhere I can push it so I get used how it feels without worrying about plod/tree/hedge/another car etc
Thanks in advance
Thanks in advance
There are a number of good options. Andy Walsh is often mentioned.
My personal recommendation is Don Palmer - http://www.donpalmer.co.uk/. A great coach and great fun.
Cheers
My personal recommendation is Don Palmer - http://www.donpalmer.co.uk/. A great coach and great fun.
Cheers
stefan1 said:
There are a number of good options. Andy Walsh is often mentioned.
My personal recommendation is Don Palmer - http://www.donpalmer.co.uk/. A great coach and great fun.
Cheers
Hey Steve, you omitted to mention that he also pays much better commission. My personal recommendation is Don Palmer - http://www.donpalmer.co.uk/. A great coach and great fun.
Cheers
Best wishes all,
Dave.
p1esk said:
stefan1 said:
There are a number of good options. Andy Walsh is often mentioned.
My personal recommendation is Don Palmer - http://www.donpalmer.co.uk/. A great coach and great fun.
Cheers
Hey Steve, you omitted to mention that he also pays much better commission. My personal recommendation is Don Palmer - http://www.donpalmer.co.uk/. A great coach and great fun.
Cheers
Best wishes all,
Dave.
Another vote for Don Palmer.
I had a Sainz for a bit (so similar to your car) and it was very benign on the limit, although I found that the locking diffs behaved unpredictably sometimes; you didn't really know what the car was about to do on low grip surfaces where power application dominated precedings. At higher speeds with weight transfer ruling the roost it was a very friendly thing indeed.
I had a Sainz for a bit (so similar to your car) and it was very benign on the limit, although I found that the locking diffs behaved unpredictably sometimes; you didn't really know what the car was about to do on low grip surfaces where power application dominated precedings. At higher speeds with weight transfer ruling the roost it was a very friendly thing indeed.
Had the same desires after I bought my TVR Griffith particularly with the rep they have.
A friend and I recently did a day with Andy Walsh of Car Limits, as I wanted to know what the car felt like when pushed to it's limit - and to know what my limits were.
We booked the day for 2 of us using the TVR. It gave each of us plenty of time in the car, but cost us more, as the cost of the day was shared between 2 of us, not 4 - the max for a day's course).
It was a fun day with lots of spinning the car trying to get round a corner at high speed and other exercises. I was certainly made aware of how much I didn't know about car control!! But even a day between 2 of us wasn't enough to feel I'd graspped this new knowledge and be able to put it into practice without thinking if I needed it.
That said, I do feel more confident I know the car better and would recognise when I was getting close to its limit and I also have less of a fear of it's reputation.
It's quite hard on the car though - tyres particularly, and I had to replace the fronts (they were half-worn to start, and the rears that were good to start with certainly looked well used after. I also got the wheels aligned etc, as the pounding the suspension received knocked them out of line. So that is a cost that needs to be factored in.
At the end of it all, though, if I have learned enough to save myself and the car from ending in a ditch when I take a corner faster than I should, or hit something slippery on the road, then the cost of the course is going to be far cheaper than the repair I would have had to pay for - and we had fun too.
A friend and I recently did a day with Andy Walsh of Car Limits, as I wanted to know what the car felt like when pushed to it's limit - and to know what my limits were.
We booked the day for 2 of us using the TVR. It gave each of us plenty of time in the car, but cost us more, as the cost of the day was shared between 2 of us, not 4 - the max for a day's course).
It was a fun day with lots of spinning the car trying to get round a corner at high speed and other exercises. I was certainly made aware of how much I didn't know about car control!! But even a day between 2 of us wasn't enough to feel I'd graspped this new knowledge and be able to put it into practice without thinking if I needed it.
That said, I do feel more confident I know the car better and would recognise when I was getting close to its limit and I also have less of a fear of it's reputation.
It's quite hard on the car though - tyres particularly, and I had to replace the fronts (they were half-worn to start, and the rears that were good to start with certainly looked well used after. I also got the wheels aligned etc, as the pounding the suspension received knocked them out of line. So that is a cost that needs to be factored in.
At the end of it all, though, if I have learned enough to save myself and the car from ending in a ditch when I take a corner faster than I should, or hit something slippery on the road, then the cost of the course is going to be far cheaper than the repair I would have had to pay for - and we had fun too.
The Red Baron said:
Had the same desires after I bought my TVR Griffith particularly with the rep they have.
A friend and I recently did a day with Andy Walsh of Car Limits, as I wanted to know what the car felt like when pushed to it's limit - and to know what my limits were.
We booked the day for 2 of us using the TVR. It gave each of us plenty of time in the car, but cost us more, as the cost of the day was shared between 2 of us, not 4 - the max for a day's course).
It was a fun day with lots of spinning the car trying to get round a corner at high speed and other exercises. I was certainly made aware of how much I didn't know about car control!! But even a day between 2 of us wasn't enough to feel I'd graspped this new knowledge and be able to put it into practice without thinking if I needed it.
That said, I do feel more confident I know the car better and would recognise when I was getting close to its limit and I also have less of a fear of it's reputation.
It's quite hard on the car though - tyres particularly, and I had to replace the fronts (they were half-worn to start, and the rears that were good to start with certainly looked well used after. I also got the wheels aligned etc, as the pounding the suspension received knocked them out of line. So that is a cost that needs to be factored in.
At the end of it all, though, if I have learned enough to save myself and the car from ending in a ditch when I take a corner faster than I should, or hit something slippery on the road, then the cost of the course is going to be far cheaper than the repair I would have had to pay for - and we had fun too.
echo all the above, Andy Walsh is excellent. But ignore the bit on his website about 1-2mm tyre-wear. This is garbage! Its more like 4-5mm...A friend and I recently did a day with Andy Walsh of Car Limits, as I wanted to know what the car felt like when pushed to it's limit - and to know what my limits were.
We booked the day for 2 of us using the TVR. It gave each of us plenty of time in the car, but cost us more, as the cost of the day was shared between 2 of us, not 4 - the max for a day's course).
It was a fun day with lots of spinning the car trying to get round a corner at high speed and other exercises. I was certainly made aware of how much I didn't know about car control!! But even a day between 2 of us wasn't enough to feel I'd graspped this new knowledge and be able to put it into practice without thinking if I needed it.
That said, I do feel more confident I know the car better and would recognise when I was getting close to its limit and I also have less of a fear of it's reputation.
It's quite hard on the car though - tyres particularly, and I had to replace the fronts (they were half-worn to start, and the rears that were good to start with certainly looked well used after. I also got the wheels aligned etc, as the pounding the suspension received knocked them out of line. So that is a cost that needs to be factored in.
At the end of it all, though, if I have learned enough to save myself and the car from ending in a ditch when I take a corner faster than I should, or hit something slippery on the road, then the cost of the course is going to be far cheaper than the repair I would have had to pay for - and we had fun too.
I see that Andy W's place is at North Weald. I did a sprint there years ago and seem to remember its a concrete surface from an old airfield.
No wonder your tyres wore out. I would also suggest that the surface is mega grippy, so the adhesion limits of your car would be higher than you would get on a normal road, possibly making the whole excercise unrepresentative as body roll etc would be higher before the tyres let go.
No wonder your tyres wore out. I would also suggest that the surface is mega grippy, so the adhesion limits of your car would be higher than you would get on a normal road, possibly making the whole excercise unrepresentative as body roll etc would be higher before the tyres let go.
stefan1 said:
There are a number of good options. Andy Walsh is often mentioned.
My personal recommendation is Don Palmer - http://www.donpalmer.co.uk/. A great coach and great fun.
Cheers
Another vote for Don. My personal recommendation is Don Palmer - http://www.donpalmer.co.uk/. A great coach and great fun.
Cheers
I've done four or five days with him (Cerbera, V8 Vantage). Though I didn't think so initially wet days are better than dry - less tyre wear and interesting things start happening at lower speeds. Don's very flexible so if you can identify exactly what you want to learn (which isn't as easy as you think) he'll help you.
And the lunch venue near Bruntingthorpe is excellent.
Check out the Advanced Handling Skills day (if you're unconcerned about tyre wear) or the YO3PM day (less tyre wear!) here:www.ridedrive.co.uk/shop-high-performance.htmHaving done road-only and track-only training, I found courses with both elements to be miles more fun and useful ...
... e.g. this explanation from RideDrive's Handling Skills day:
Whilst it is very easy to get carried away in among all the excitement and perceived glamour of completing the two off road sessions of the day ... Unless we are to relate all that we do during the vehicle handling session, and all that we gain from the skid prevention and control programme, to how we drive a car on a road there is little point to any of it. By applying the required skills appropriately through the completion of this programme you will develop a very close driver and machine relationship with your car, in that you will end up working with it, rather than being at odds with it. This means that can always realise the very best from it in terms of your ownership and road driving experience.
www.ridedrive.co.uk/do-hp-y04pm.htm
+1 for Cadence too - top notch, if you live within reach www.cadence.co.uk - worth phoning and asking about Millbrook training, which is bl**dy brilliant!
Edited by SVS on Sunday 18th October 11:16
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