Where can I play with oversteer?

[Synchromesh]

BertBert said:

Just as another slant on the sideways topic. I spent pretty much all of Friday sideways in the wet at Rye House in a Rotax 2-stroke kart. It is absolutely great fun and really teaches you about the available grip, how to find it and what the rear does (which is try to become the front) pretty much all the time.

I know there are differences between how karts and cars respond, but it was great value sideways fun!

Ahh, 2-stroke karts in the wet, that's something I'll remember for a long time...

Then again driving a kart is nothing like driving car, so do this for fun rather than as a learning experience. That is unless you have a mid-engined, rear wheel drive car on slicks, with a 1 metre wheelbase, no diff and no suspension, but a bit of chassis flex.

ETA: A good option might be an airfield day. I had lots of chances to "play with oversteer" at Keevil on Saturday. Here's the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5QhSCUbYxU

[BertBert]

Synchromesh said:

Then again driving a kart is nothing like driving car, so do this for fun rather than as a learning experience. That is unless you have a mid-engined, rear wheel drive car on slicks, with a 1 metre wheelbase, no diff and no suspension, but a bit of chassis flex.

I wasn't suggesting that the experience was an exact replica, but it IS a very good way of honing the reflexes whilst having brilliant fun! We do seem to be a bit hung up on this thread as to whether forms of oversteer are so different from each other that the mechanics are not the same.

The kart experience gives a really brilliant feel of where the grip is and where it's not for example. Great practice for changing grip situations of all kinds!

BB
PS and by mechanics, I don't mean me with spanners, nor the backing group for "Mike"

[ph123]

Karting imho, even mildly competitive, does provide an excellent lesson in control and personally I think is a great experience to add for any 'driver' who consider himself to be an 'expert' as reactions and balance need to be instantaneous and accurate. For racers too, it's an invaluable tool with which to sharpen and hone wits and skills, especially in the closed season.
Good call: karts and kart circuits!
Leading exponents live on 'oversteer' ... just watch.

[RichwiththeS2000]

Santa Pod, Drift What You Brung days.

They do "play pens" that let you start off with donuts and figure 8s, and theres a medium sized and larger track for doing higher speed stuff, all made out of cones.

The play pen and medium size track, only one car goes out at a time (5 mins or so before rejoining the queue), so you dont have to worry about hitting anyone. Would recommend.

[AW111]

Wet grass?

I learned oversteer at a mate's farm : cut a track with the slasher, and go for it!
Cue many, many spins, but with nothing to hit, who cares?

Graduated from there to motorkhanas (still mainly on grass) to find some precision.

[Omaruk]

[rix]

Omaruk said:

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Thanks for that!

[DHB07]

As mentioned previously, karts! Very few vehicles snap out on you as quickly as a quick kart, especially in the wet and especially on slicks. What's also nice about karts is they generally have much more power than required to hold a big long slide, so throttle feel and judgement must be spot on. In the majority of RWD road cars it takes a boot full of throttle to induce a slide* and compared to a kart, they're a lot more difficult to spin.

I raced karts throughout my teens and don't feel they're very different to cars when it comes to braking traction. I've induced and been forced to catch 'surprise' (but you're always half expecting it) slides in everything from Chrysler voyagers to Caymans and the feeling and response needed is the same (just a load more lock in a car).

EDIT: * unless of course were talking lift off oversteer!

Edited by DHB07 on Saturday 10th May 21:25

[monthefish]

DHB07 said:

As mentioned previously, karts! Very few vehicles snap out on you as quickly as a quick kart, especially in the wet and especially on slicks. What's also nice about karts is they generally have much more power than required to hold a big long slide, so throttle feel and judgement must be spot on. In the majority of RWD road cars it takes a boot full of throttle to induce a slide* and compared to a kart, they're a lot more difficult to spin.

I raced karts throughout my teens and don't feel they're very different to cars when it comes to braking traction. I've induced and been forced to catch 'surprise' (but you're always half expecting it) slides in everything from Chrysler voyagers to Caymans and the feeling and response needed is the same (just a load more lock in a car).

EDIT: * unless of course were talking lift off oversteer!

Edited by DHB07 on Saturday 10th May 21:25

We went karting once at a place in a warehouse in the outskirts (east) of Birmingham. The karts were electric and I didn't have high hopes for it, but as it turned out, it was some of the most fun Karting I've ever done.
It was in the middle of January, on an evening session and the temps were sub zero. The cold, hard rubber tyres of the karts, coupled with the torquey electric motors meant oversteer on demand, and was really go for developing oversteer and limit handling skills.

Wish I could remember the place.