Winter driving - reader's comment

Many thanks to Mark Rose for sending in this comment about the following article:

Winter driving tips

"You missed one VERY important thing about winter driving, the reason why you see so many cars in the ditch backwards!

When there's a shallow compactable snowbank on the shoulder, DO NOT brake when you clip it! When most people feel the pulling on the passenger side they instinctively brake to slowdown and regain control. However, because the drag in compactable snow is so much greater than the relatively smooth road surface, and the center of momentum is to the side and not behind the front wheel, this causes the car to pivot around the wheel that suddenly has a big dragging force from the combination braking and the drag of the snow. If you manage to lock the front tyre, the accumulation of snow in front of it practically guarantees a pivot. The car spins until the rear wheels also hit the shallow bank, at which point the momentum keeps the car moving in the same direction, but backwards, into the ditch. This also applies with very loose gravel banks, not just snow.

The way to recover from clipping the shallow bank is to slightly point the wheels away from the bank (perhaps a 1/16th to 1/32nd of a turn on the steering wheel). The extra grip given by the compactable snow can easily result in oversteer if the steering movement is too much or too sudden (you have more turning power than a moment ago). Also, it is best to keep the foot at the same position on the accelerator in a front wheel drive vehicle, as the additional drag from the coasting engine is also enough to cause pivoting in very slippery conditions.

If you HAVE to slow down, wait until you have stabilized the steering situation, then lightly apply the brakes. Having the front wheels pointed in towards the road will counteract the pivoting force, and you will have to balance this as you change the amount of braking."

Have your say by adding a comment to this post...

Track driving guide

A new track driving guide has just been launched on drivingfast.net.





Designed to demonstrate the tips and techniques which are relevant for track driving. Just in time for the summer track day season!

Click here to view the guide

New article live

We've just uploaded a new article in the off-road driving section. This one is about deep water wading, enjoy:

Off-road driving techniques: Deep water wading

Remaining in control: brake or throttle failure

Toyota are having a tough time at the moment with the widely publicised recall of millions of cars due to potential throttle pedal, and now brake software issues. The Toyota issues present only a very minor risk, but would you be able to remain in control despite a complete failure in either of these two systems in your own car?

Brake failure

Failure of modern braking systems so incredibly unlikely to happen it's not worth losing any sleep over. Almost all modern cars have a split channel hydraulic braking system which means even if a brake pipe splits, you'll still be able to slow down. However, let's say that a can of coke rolls under the brake pedal, or the pedal snaps off, or you accidentally replaced your brake fluid with fudge – what would you do?

If nothing is physically blocking the brake pedal, your first reaction should be to push it harder – it the servo assistance has failed it can take a lot of effort to produce the same amount of braking force at the wheels, but it should be possible to slow down using good ol' fashioned brawn.
If this doesn't work, try and use the handbrake / e-brake. Most cars use a cable operated handbrake which acts on the rear wheels as an emergency backup, so even if the hydraulics are shot you'll still be able to slow down. Don't jam it on in a panic, but progressively pull the lever until you feel the car slowing – if the wheels lock up you're being too aggressive – if this happens, release then reapply using less muscle. Remember to keep the button depressed, so if you need to release the lever you can do so instantly.

A less effective method of slowing down is to use engine braking - changing into a lower gear will force the engine to spin faster which in turn creates greater resistance. Be careful not to over-rev the engine as this can cause mechanical failure, but keep changing down when as soon as the car will accept a lower gear. This should gradually reduce your speed, but will only really be suitable if you have a long stretch of road to slow down.

Throttle jams open

If the throttle jams open, you're likely to experience a range of emotions. Amusement probably won't be one of them. But panic not, there's every chance that the brakes will be working and you still have a range of options.

Probably the best solution is to try knocking the gear lever into neutral (both manual and auto transmissions have a neutral position). This will cause the engine to rev hard, but will allow you to slow down as normal – remember to kill the engine as soon as you've come to a stop or you'll risk permanent damage. As an alternative method, you could try turning the key one click towards the off position – but this will mean you'll likely lose both power steering and braking and will risk engaging the steering lock (so this probably isn't advised).

In modern vehicles with an electronically controlled throttle, it's worth noting that pressing the brake is likely to automatically disengage the engine power, so there may be less to worry about than you think.

If you have thoughts or comments on this subject, please post them below...

Track day discounts page live

We've now launched a dedicated discount page for track days and driving experiences, we'll be growing this in the next few weeks to provide offers from the major tracks and experience providers around the UK and USA.

Click here to view the latest offers

10% driving experience discount

We're pleased to announce that Drivingfast.net has joined forces with Treatme.net to provide a 10% discount on any of their driving experience activities (excluding Formula 1). This is the perfect time to put your driving skills to the test or learn some new techniques at a variety of circuits around the UK.

Fancy a flat out drive in a Lotus Exige, a Lamborghini or an Ariel Atom...?

If you do, simply follow the link below and enter the code val10 at the time of purchase to receive a 10% discount.

10% off any driving activity at Treatme.net

Enjoy!

Winter driving tips

Struggling in the snow this winter? We have two articles which give sensible, practical advice about making progress in difficult low temperature conditions.

• Winter driving article
• Snow and ice driving blog post

If you have tips of your own, please feel free to post them on our Facebook page.

• www.facebook.com/drivingfast

Good luck!

Rev matching

We're in the process of improving many of the articles on drivingfast.net - and now we've added a dedicated article on rev matching. The article can be viewed here: http://www.drivingfast.net/car-control/rev-matching.htm

We hope you find this useful - please do get back to us with any comments you might have.

Drivingfast.net refresh

We're in the process of updating drivingfast.net and have been working hard adding new features and illustrations behind the scenes. The new home-page is now live and it now should be much easier to find the relevant information due to the better layout and search function.

We would be very interested to hear what people think so if you do have any comments, please leave them here. Many thanks!

Electric cars - the future?

Drivingfast.net has just been updated with an article on electric cars. Will they be the choice of driving enthusiasts in the future?

"There are a lot of reasons to like electric motors – the technology is proven and relatively advanced, they have massive torque and are much more efficient in turning stored energy into motion...."

Read more here

http://www.drivingfast.net/technology/electric-cars.htm

Tea tray drifting

One of the frustrations of owning a front wheel drive car is the inability to sustain a drift round corners. But where there's a will there's a way, and innovative teenagers have been perfecting the art of "tea tray drifting" for decades.

Here's a video of a particularly adept TT drifter at work:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvFhV70ARlI

Here's how to do it:

1. Reverse onto some heavy duty tea trays

Note: Metal ones are more durable but noisy, plastic ones tend to wear out quickly.

2. Pull on the handbrake nice and tightly.

3. Drive, steer, and enjoy. Beware of 'shopping trolley' handling!

Note: Unlike a rear wheel drive drift, you can only control a TT drift using your speed, the steering angle and your choice corner radius.

5. Be careful, start slowly and don't try and show off, otherwise bad things can happen...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdH40VS59rE

6. When you smell rubber, time to replace the trays!

Disclaimer: Tea tray drifting is definitely not endorsed by us and should never be done on public roads. If you were thinking about doing this in a car park at night, shame on you.

Best driving vid of all time?

Just watched the new Ken Block promotional video for the DC clothing brand. Incredible! If you like drifting, tyre smoke and inch perfect driving precision this is a must see...

Rally car rolls 17 times

If you doubt the importance of properly fitted roll cage, have a look at this incredible clip of Jari-Matti Latvala driving a stage in Rally Portugal. Very lucky to be alive!

Best racing simulator?

If you don't have access to a racing track in your garden, you can improve your skills using a decent racing sim. There are many great games out there at the moment such as the incredibly popular Forza 2 but we're mainly interested in realism, sexy graphics are an added bonus.

What makes a good racing simulator?

Games manufacturers have to strike a compromise between playability and realism - a simulator which is absolutely true to life may end up being completely unplayable. Very few people can put in a sub 9 minute time on the Nurburgring in real life, but this is usually attainable in games, which makes them less useful to improve real-life driving skills. So we instantly have some compromises. Add to this the many layers of player assistance that are available in most games such as map overlays and aerial views and we're gradually getting further and further from reality. 

Computing power is now so great that very advanced vehicle and environmental physics can be built into the game, but you need to have programmers that understand the behaviours they're trying to simulate.

So, where can you find a game which is focused towards real driver and written by people who know how to drive? We believe the answer is 'Live for Speed S2' for several reasons, summarised below. 

1. They are not sponsored by any vehicle manufacturers - this means that the handling characteristics of the cars is unbiased. Although you won't find real car names in the game, there is a good mix from front wheel drive Minis to powerful single seaters with downforce.

2. The game has input from a thriving community of enthusiasts, and the programmers constantly release updates to make everything more in keeping with reality. 

3. The interface is designed to re-create the experience of driving a real car. The instruments are positioned correctly, even if this sometimes means you have to judge engine speed by ear and there are no overlays for assistance.  

4. Things wear out if you don't drive sympathetically - clutches, engines and tyres all need to be looked after or performance is compromised.

5. You are rewarded for smoothness and just as in real life it's the most sympathetic drivers who win the races.

6. The customisation options for the cars is unparalleled - tweak almost every conceivable setting from tyre pressures to camber angles.

7. Finally (and most importantly) the level of realism is frightening. The behaviour of the cars reacting to understeer and oversteer is very accurate, and with a good wheel you can actually feel the loss of traction. Braking, acceleration and cornering needs to be done progressively and you are rewarded for a decent racing line.

The game, however, is not perfect - although the 'S2' version that we tested is a complete game, this is just phase two of the big picture development until the official final release (which will be offered as a free upgrade to current users).

If things continue to progress as they have been, this will certainly be a very strong contender for the best racing simulator for real drivers.

Don't just take our word for it, download a trial version of Live for Speed visit http://www.lfs.net/ and try it for yourself.

We need your tyre reviews

One of the most important decisions you can make when driving on the track is tyre choice. Wet, dry intermediate, slicks, asymmetric tread, and the list is manufacturers is almost endless.

To try and make this a little easier, we've set up a tyre database but we need you to populate it with your reviews and ratings. If you have a tyre for the road or track you particularly like or dislike, why not add a quick review? We've started things off with the Yokohama A048, a superb dry track day tyre...

Click here to view the tyre choice article

1000 fans!

The DrivingFast.net Facebook page has now accumulated over 1000 fans! Many thanks to everyone who has shown their support for the site. Please keep comments or suggestions coming in...

To become a fan, please click here

Photo of the month

This month's photo is an incredible four wheel drift in an Audi Quattro. To pull this off you need huge amounts of power and an unlimited supply of new tyres! Click on the image for a larger view...

Courtesy of bruze.nu/foto/

Winter driving tips

As the northern hemisphere plunges into the depths of winter, it's time to think about adapting your driving style to suit the conditions. Broken bones hurt so much more in the cold!

Every year, the number of accidents goes up dramatically as the roads start to freeze. The vast majority occur due to inattentive drivers who don't recognise the conditions or see the need to alter their driving style. Luckily, most winter driving tips are common sense and a few tips should help you get through the season unscathed.

Note: if you're looking for the basic winter tips such as 'clear snow off windscreen', 'defrost testicles', 'eat your greens' I'm afraid you're in the wrong place. You're an intelligent person, you deserve better!

Now, the amount of grip available in icy conditions is significantly lower than on dry tarmac, so the likely scenarios which can arise while driving in icy conditions are traction related:

- Loss of traction on corners - this can result in understeer or oversteer

- Loss of traction under braking, leading to huge stopping distances and loss of steering control

- Wheelspin under acceleration

Rules of thumb to survive the winter include:

- Drive slower. Do it.

- Create (lots of) space between you and the car in front. This will allow you plenty of room to brake and avoid the classic pile up of vehicles which usually occurs when everyone hammers on the brakes in a panic.

- Never, ever brake midway through a corner, get all of your braking done on the straights.

- When using the brakes, apply pressure progressively - stamping on the pedal is a sure fire method of locking the wheels and starting a slide.

- Be prepared for ABS activation if it's fitted: a rumbling noise, a vibrating pedal, the need for new underpants. If you do have ABS fitted and you need to stop quickly, press the brake pedal and keep it pressed firmly. Remember, ABS will gives you the best chance of being able to steer while braking, so use this opportunity to move around obstacles.

- Use all vehicle controls in the most gentle way possible - you can maximise the available grip by being smooth. Change gear, steer, accelerate and brake as smoothly and gently as you can. This will also make you a better driver in summer!

- Use the highest practical gear. This may sound counter intuitive but it reduces the amount of torque at the wheels and thus reduces chances of wheelspin. Pull away in second gear if necessary.

Techniques to think about:

- Braking techniques: including progressive braking, avoidance braking, use of ABS. Click on the link for more information.

- Smooth driving techniques: including rev matching, heel and toe, progressive use of the controls

Click on the links for more information on the techniques.

Car modifications:

- Change to winter tyres: in some countries this is a legal requirement, but in some it isn't. The difference these can make to grip levels is dramatic. In Finland in winter you don't find a load of 4x4s on the roads as you might expect, instead you'll find Ford Fiesta's with studded tyres. Case closed.

For more information on winter driving tips, see the main article here

New look for drivingfast.net

We are currently updating the look of drivingfast.net. We hope this will make the user experience more enjoyable, with better illustrations and updated content. We'll be updating the whole site over a period of months, but some new pages are live now. Please let us know what you think!

Nissan GTR at the Nurburgring

Now that you've built your new Nissan GTR, you'll want to take it for a gentle spin. This video should give you a few tips...

Build yourself a Nissan GTR

The Nissan GTR is a feat of engineering brilliance but it is pitched at the premium end of the market and much more expensive compared with the old Skyline. If you fancy a GTR for your garage, why not build one yourself and save a fortune....

More paper models available from http://www.nissan.co.jp/EVENT/PAPERCRAFT/ but you'll need to brush up on your Japanese first!

Oh &%*$

How to develop a racing car yourself

A new section has been added to drivingfast.net which discusses the process of developing a racing machine from a standard road car. Part one discusses the choice of driveline and engine layouts. Find out more by clicking here.

The technique for braking well on the track

Before entering a corner on a track you'll almost certainly need to brake hard to achieve the correct entry speed. While doing this you'll probably want to retain steering control of your car, so locking up all four wheels may not be the best strategy!

Threshold braking is the technique you should strive for in this situation, which is the quickest method of reducing speed. This method of braking involves braking to the limits of grip without allowing the wheels to lock. However it is sometimes very difficult to judge the amount of brake force the tyres will accept before locking up. This technique must be practiced regularly in your racing car before you can accurately judge the brake pressured required in different conditions.

The key to this technique is progressive braking inputs. If you stamp as hard as you can on the pedal the resulting spike in forward weight transfer can cause wheel lock at the rear (if you don't have ABS fitted), whereas more progressive braking inputs will allow the front wheels to load up more gradually without compressing the front suspension to extreme limits. This doesn't mean you can't brake hard, but try to apply the braking in a progressive yet rapid manner. As you load up the front wheels with the forward weight transfer, you artificially increase the amount of grip available which will further aid your deceleration.

If you do have ABS, this progressive technique is still relevant as sudden weight transfers also upset the balance of the car which needs to be stable before entering a corner quickly.

Another factor to consider is the change in state between a rotating wheel and a locked wheel. Tyre rubber doesn't change between these two states as rapidly as you might think and there is a transition period of 'slip' before the wheel finally locks. The maximum braking force a tyre can provide is actually just as it begins to slip and this is the point to aim for with threshold braking. Sounds tricky and it is!

The next thing to consider is what to do if you do lock up one or more wheels under braking (this will happen fairly often until you become very familiar with your car and the track). When wheel lock occurs you have several options.

• Keep the brakes on – the wheel(s) will remain locked so this is only really an last resort option if your desired path is straight ahead. Beware that the directional stability of the car will be compromised in this state. If you need to turn you'll need to release the brakes to get back steering control.


• The second option is to release the brakes slightly and reapply with slightly less pressure – this should free up the locked wheel and allow you to steer. Now you can resume attempting to threshold brake.


• Cadence braking involves reapplying the brake, but repeatedly continuing to experience locked wheels. Keep releasing and reapplying the brakes as smoothly as you can to try and find the threshold point. This will give you a compromise between braking and steering, but is not the fastest method of braking. Cars with ABS automatically try and find the threshold point by rapidly releasing and reapplying the brakes.

To sum up, aim for threshold braking, but until you're a very experienced driver make sure you have a contingency up your sleeve!

For more information on braking techniques, please click here

Rev matching - the first step towards learning heel and toe shifting

If you haven't heard the term rev matching before here's a brief summary of what it is and why it's useful when driving.

Essentially, it's a technique used in manual transmission vehicles to smooth downshifts and is the first step towards learning heel and toe shifting. But why are smooth shifts important I hear you ask! Well, on the road smooth gear changes will make the journey more comfortable and reduce wear on the drivetrain, and on the track they will make you a faster driver.

In the most extreme cases, failing to rev match when changing down can actually cause the driven wheels to lock momentarily due to the action of engine braking. You'll only ever experience this if you're really going for it on the track, but not matching the revs will cause unnecessary weight transfers in almost all cases which can upset the balance of the car and lead to passenger discomfort. Rev matching is almost always associated with corners, as you'll usually need to slow down and select a lower gear on the approach before turning in.

To experience an demonstration of why rev matching is important, try changing down and release the clutch more quickly than you would normally - you'll find this causes forward weight transfer and a jerky gear change. When driving fast on the track this will become even more exaggerated if rev matching isn't used.

So, how do you do it?

As you're approaching the corner (or any other reason to slow down) brake to a suitable speed which will allow you to turn in safely.

Come off the brake and prepare to change down.

Press the clutch in, and select a gear which will allow you to accelerate out of the bend.

Before bringing the clutch out, increase the revs to a point which will allow you to release the clutch smoothly without resulting in any engine braking.

Release the clutch.

Sounds easy, but determining how much to increase the engine speed before releasing the clutch will take practice, but eventually will become instinct. There's no hard and fast rules, but any increase in revs will be better then none.

Click here for a how to guide on rev matching

How to control understeer

What is understeer?

Understeer is what happens when a car breaks traction at the front tyres when cornering. This results in the car heading straight on despite applying steering lock.

How to recognise understeer?

Understeer is most likely to happen when cornering in slippery conditions, or when driving a car hard. The most obvious symptom is the fact that when you turn the wheel, little steering actually occurs and the steering becomes light. But understeer tends to occur in graduations and it won't necessarily mean than you continue in a straight line.

How to control understeer?

Understeer is one of the easiest to control losses of traction. Simply ease off the gas (don't brake as this can make things worse), and apply slightly more steering lock. This results in a forwards weight transfer which should provide more grip at the front and regain steering control. The additional steering lock should bring you back on track.

For more information on understeer, please click here

Can you stop faster than ABS?

It is incredible how fast vehicle technology marches on, especially advances in safety and stability systems. Bosch have now been making ABS systems for 25 years, and the electronics have moved on dramatically since the first versions. Conventional racing wisdom says that drivers can usually brake in a shorter distance that ABS using methods such as 'threshold braking', but Bosch think differently:

"ABS significantly improves vehicle stability and usually also shortens the braking distance."

There are very few accurate figures for stopping distances in the same car with and without ABS in the public domain. If you have personal experience in a modern car, in both slippery and high grip surfaces please comment below.

For more information on braking techniques, please click here

Top three 'go faster' mods for your car

So you're now bored of the modest amount of power you manage to squeeze out of your seemingly pathetic car and are looking to upgrade to a more fiery number, but how do you go about it?

Well, it largely depends on the type of engine - quite often manufacturers restrict the power from one of the engines in their current line up to provide the propulsion for one of their slightly cheaper or less sporty cars. This is usually a marketing decision to prevent the migration of customers from their more premium range to a cheaper car with the same performance, but more likely to ensure decent fuel economy and reduce emissions. In this case you probably have more chance of a significant power boost, than in a car which is already extracting full beans from the engine such as the turbocharged sub one-litre engine in the Smart. So read up on your car and find out whether the engine derivative is used elsewhere. If it is, you're in luck, but where do you start?

The most common methods to increase performance cheaply include:

1. Making it easier for the engine to take in air and get rid of waste gas
2. Modifying the electronic engine management
3. Reducing weight

Air intakes, exhausts and manifolds.
For the majority of cars, extracting every last horse from the engine isn't top priority for the manufacturer, reducing assembly costs is always high on the list. This includes making components with less complex curves such as those needed to allow a perfectly smooth flow of air into and out of the engine. The fluid dynamics of air as it enters and exits an engine is an extremely complex topic, which requires detailed and expensive computer modelling to ensure the optimum flow of air. Sure enough, less than perfect components are usually used in a cost saving exercise. Replacing such components with ones which aid the free flow of air is often a good way of ensuring the best efficiency of your engine with its current management settings. Do bear in mind that it's the free flow of air which is important - getting the fattest exhaust you can fit will probably compromise performance by not providing enough essential back pressure.
Key items to consider include air intake, air filter, intake manifold, exhaust manifold and exhaust pipe. K&N dominate the paper based filter market and Pipercross do foam varieties, both companies will provide a solution for almost every car, and will even make one to fit if you know the dimensions of the pipes. These do need cleaning, usually at the service intervals, otherwise efficiency is reduced. Getting a free flowing air intake and manifold will further increase performance and the same is true for the exhaust end. The quicker the air can be expelled the less precious power is sapped forcing it out.

Modifying the engine management.
Almost all modern engines are now controlled by electronic engine management chips. This control almost every aspect of the engine, from the spark timing and fuel air mix to the rev limit and throttle response. When determining the factory spec all kinds of factors are considered, including fuel economy and emissions. Replacing or re-programming your chip can give instant performance gains, but usually compromises in other areas and can be expensive. Bear in mind once a chip is reprogrammed it can be expensive to reset it back to defaults.

Reducing weight.
This may sound obvious, but reducing weight can be the easiest and most effective way of increasing performance. In real terms, the only figure that actually matters is the power to weight ratio. Reduce weight and you have the same effect as an increase in power and will also lead to more nimble handling. You'll be amazed how much weight can be lost from items such as rear seats, spare wheels, carpets, roof linings, sound deadening material....this list is extensive. This is only really an option if you are creating a dedicated track car, and you'll be equally amazed how noisy it can be without all this stuff inside!

Front vs rear wheel drive

The eternal debate.

Conventional wisdom tends to favour rear wheel drive (RWD) for track and fast driving based activities, this is because the grip requirements of the tyres are spread between all four wheels - front for steering and rear to put the power down. In theory, this division should provide a more balanced and composed car than front wheel drive (FWD), which have to deal which have the steering and driven wheels on the same axle. A powerful FWD car can also suffer from 'torque steer' which means drivers have to fight with the wheel when accelerating hard.

Fast front wheel drive cars tend to handle in a more neutral manner, but trying to accelerate and steer can sometimes result in understeer, as the total available grip can be used up trying to do both these activities at once, resulting in a car which continues straight on despite turning the wheel. However, accelerating while on a corner with rear wheel drive can result in oversteer. But which of these is more desirable on the track?

Well, both of these effects will lose you time if you're trying to be competitive - but it could depend on the track and conditions. Less experienced drivers will find understeer more natural to correct - simply ease off the gas and apply a little more steering lock to bring you back on course. Oversteer can be more of a shock to the system as the back of the car tries to catch the front, but with practise can also be controlled easily too.

Another factor to consider is 'turn in' (i.e. the willingness of a car to change direction quickly when cornering). As FWD tend to have more weight at the front (due to the drive train and engine in the same place), this can provide high levels of grip at tun in especially if combined with a brief lift off the throttle to cause forward weight transfer. In addition, as the driven wheels are pointing in the direction of desired travel this can have the effect of pulling the car round.

When thinking a track car, it might be worth considering front wheel drive after all!