Keeping traction in a FWD

[bjk]

Question. When a FWD loses traction, what is happening and what's the best way to correct it? I find that sharper corners are a lot easier, but on the broader ones I can't judge how much grip I have left as easily.

[PHIL069]

Sometimes you need to turn in more and give more power mid corner, sometimes you need to back off a bit mid corner if you under-estimated it, sometimes you need to straighten the car and brake gently and firmly.
It all comes down to experience and practice, and tyres, road surface, temps etc.
You can do advance driver training courses, which would be highly recomended these days.
Back in my time it was all trial and error, I done a few 180's in error in my younger days. I've had to straighten a motor bike mid corner and brake when I have under estimated a corner, luckily for me there was a driveway in the direction I had to take which gave me more braking space.
On the bathurst trip last year, I gunned it through a cold damp corner and my front tyres started to loose grip and squeal, I had to slow down mid corner and keep the car turning in and made it through.
On the Putty road run I started to loose grip mid corner, the road was dry approaching but water was running accross the road mid corner, I had to gun it a bit harder and turn into the corner more.
On the run to the bonfire this year, it was raining coming down the twisties just before Dwaynes place, Vectose and I gave it a bit of a go, I had Daniel riding shotgun, got to a very very wet mid corner, gunned it and the front wheels spun in the water, took my foot off the juice and immediatly gunned it again, wheels spun again, off the juice again and gunned it again, found grip and flew through the corner, this was all in a split second descision. Daniel was a bit gobsmacked and thought we were going to loose it, I new we weren't.

All I'm trying to say is that there is not a simple answer to your question as different circumstances required different solutions.
The only way to be sure is to drive slow

[bjk]

Thanks! I have yet to spin all the way around, but I did bump a guard rail last night. only a scratch, but it was a bit of a lesson. I guess it's knowing what to do when it goes to sh*t that I'm wondering about, although I seem to have fared okay. A friend told me it's better to keep accelerating. If I understand right, I think it makes sense. If the brakes lock up and the tyres are just sliding, getting them moving might stop it and allow me to follow the corner?

didn't help that the tyres were still "cold", and it was a road I'm still getting used to.

[PHIL069]

Your guard rail bump is called learning.
You just can't keep accelerating in all corner losses, sometimes it will make you have a bigger accident.
When you have to brake mid corner you try not to let the wheels lock up, or you will loose grip and slide out. If you have to brake in a corner you will do better with your wheels pointing staight as well, do your braking and turn back into the corner.
You need to practice some emergency braking, it's up to you to determine how much peddle to use, if your wheels lock up you need to release the peddle and brake again.
Get up to speed in a back area, ie no traffic, like an industrial area at night, check your mirrors and brake as if in an emergency, when stopped check your mirrors again and be ready for an immediate take off, in real situations it's always good to be ready to go again incase there is somebody about to smash into your rear. In time you will know the braking capabilities of your car and yourself. If you lock up the brakes, release and re-brake. If you practice this often it becomes second nature when you realy need it.
Even better if you can practice on dirt too.

EDIT: Just like to say that the 180's I found myyoungself in were in V8 rear wheel drive cars.

[shadowarrior]

I had a habit of feathering my brakes and sitting right close to the steering wheel..and my cornering estimates were all over the place.......too much motorbike experience...brain kept saying, yeah you will be fine if you take that line, you always do on the bike....wrong :\

Took some tips..even though my brain said...WTF are you doing?!?!?! But I have faired well since...kept practicing new things I learnt, and watched 10001 videos on advanced driving training exercises.

My driving is a little better now...better than how I drove on my trip down to the Bonfire...Sahin can vouch for that I guess...he has sat with me throughout the bonfire trip and recently he and Taz sat with me on small Supercheap runs

[bjk]

I'm usually fairly alright, but a few times I've pushed it a little too hard before entering, don't leave myself enough time to brake and lock them up as I'm going around the corner. Been thinking I might have to hit up some videos, and maybe even some courses like Phil suggested.

[BorepYano]

I found a much easier solution to the traction issue, got a car with traction control.

sorry, didn't have anything to add as Phil explained it pretty well. If u r going to try to find the limits of the car, then do it in a safe space, i.e. take it to the tracks, or the Fast and Furious 6 runway. lol

[vanadinite]

If u r going to try to find the limits of the car, then do it in a safe space, i.e. take it to the tracks, or the Fast and Furious 6 runway. lol

HAHA!!

[Daniel2019]

Yeah, god damn it Phil. Was having a nice snooze until then

I usually just dont go over 30km/h.

[bjk]

lol! Maybe I'll make it down (or was it up...) to the track at Mallala some time.

Yeah, god damn it Phil. Was having a nice snooze until then

I usually just dont go over 30km/h.

All the time? You're one of those people I overtake, haha.

[PHIL069]

lol! Maybe I'll make it down (or was it up...) to the track at Mallala some time.

Yeah, god damn it Phil. Was having a nice snooze until then

I usually just dont go over 30km/h.

All the time? You're one of those people I overtake, haha.

.....and then hit a railing

[bjk]

lol! Maybe I'll make it down (or was it up...) to the track at Mallala some time.

Yeah, god damn it Phil. Was having a nice snooze until then

I usually just dont go over 30km/h.

All the time? You're one of those people I overtake, haha.

.....and then hit a railing

No, I did that because I'm an ambitious moron occasionally. I wonder if the guy a way back in the Subaru saw me.

[PHIL069]

lol! Maybe I'll make it down (or was it up...) to the track at Mallala some time.

Yeah, god damn it Phil. Was having a nice snooze until then

I usually just dont go over 30km/h.

All the time? You're one of those people I overtake, haha.

.....and then hit a railing

No, I did that because I'm an ambitious moron occasionally. I wonder if the guy a way back in the Subaru saw me.

I was only ing

[bjk]

And I was being honest.

Don't make me drive to your house!

[Daniel2019]

Do it..

Your tappets will be silent by the time you start to make your way home

[PHIL069]

And I was being honest.

Don't make me drive to your house!

Do it!
You should make it as there aren't many corners, it's all straight road.

[bjk]

Nah, I'd probably get busted for speeding.

Maybe one saturday I'll have a day trip up to your place.

[Shane001]

Sorry boys, but if you're still on the brakes half way from corner entry to apex you're doing it all wrong

FWD, brake hard and early, off the brakes shortly after turn in then full throttle, point the wheels where you want to go an drive it out

Disclaimer: I accept no responsibility if you crash or kill yourself or others lol!
Do it on the track!

[bjk]

Sorry boys, but if you're still on the brakes half way from corner entry to apex you're doing it all wrong

FWD, brake hard and early, off the brakes shortly after turn in then full throttle, point the wheels where you want to go an drive it out

Disclaimer: I accept no responsibility if you crash or kill yourself or others lol!
Do it on the track!

Actually, I think I may have been doing just that, and I can feel when it's working especially on a few corners.

Hoping the rotors group buy goes through soon so I can get them and the new pads on!

[PHIL069]

I agree Shane,

on a race track you already know the corners, on a public road you could come accross lots of unexpected circumstances.

What if you set yourself up for a corner at a certain speed...and...

you misread the corner and you are going way to quick to pull yourself through.
or
you hit a water run off just after the apex and start to slide/aquaplane
or
you get to the apex and there is an unseen obsticle in your way
or
the corner has a second deeper apex that was unseen
or
there is a tonne of loose gravel you haven't seen
or
etc

Again. all I'm saying is you need to know how to get out of unforseen circumstances, braking or avoiding in a corner may have to be executed.