Driving tip for Porsche 911`s
Discussion
To be able to drive at 10/10ths, a driver needs thae ability to drive at 11/10ths without going off. The 911 is not an easy car to driver at 11/10ths. learning this skill that can only be learned with practice and experience but I'm not sure that these are the relms that the original poster was looking to enter.
Having had my 993 for 3 weeks and having spun it once (induced half on purpose (REALLY!) on a wet roundabout v early on a weekend morning with not a soul around) I have searched the forums for advice on lift-off oversteer and how to drive my car correctly to get the most out of it. I would say, IMVHO as a 911 newcomer, that this is the best advice you can get. (Notwithstanding the fact that, whilst Henry Firman looks like the uglier brother of Jeremy Clarkson, he obviously didnt inherit the same driving gene, and therefore knows how a car handles).
However like H says, barreling round a curve at 80 when the rear starts to break is not the time to throw all the weight forward. By even applying even more gas, inertia transfers the weight rearward to increase the pemdulums grip and all you need to do is steer. Recognise the signs early enough and the car should recover fairly smoothly and then you just need to pull over to empty your stomach contents.
crbox said:
Henry-F said:
I hear a lot of people talking about what to do if you "lose" the back end of a 911 when driving. Generally the advice is to "keep your foot rooted to the gas and turn into the spin", ie. if the car`s trying to spin to the right turn the wheel to the left. <br> <br>On the road I`d think that advice would probably cause more problems in 80% of cases. <br> <br>The reason most people loose the car is because they are accelerating too hard and the back end loses grip through a wheel-spining. If you`re turning the steering wheel when this happens the back of the car will swing round. Accelerating more will in fact increase the "wheel spin" at the back an worsten the situation. <br> <br>This type of spin is most common when accelerating from low speed, particularly in a low gear like on a roundabout or slip road for instance. <br> <br>The way to sort things out is to lift off the gas and try and balance the throttle so the wheel spinning stops. Don`t completely lift off the gas or brake. <br> <br>The time you need to keep your foot on the power is when you`re cornering at high speed in a high gear on a good gripping surface and the back end starts to break away. In that instance applying power in effect loads the rear of the car with more weight and helps the tyres to grip. Once again never brake or lift off the power as this will effectively lighten the weight on the back tyres. <br> <br>Sorry if this all sounds obvious and basic stuff but I`ll bet there are a load of people reading the forum who don`t differentiate between the two types of spinning and just remeber the advice to accelerate more. <br> <br>In reality most spins occur accelerating from low speed and turning, mother nature and papa Porsche combine to help you avoid the high speed spin. Mother nature because you shit yourself when approaching a bend at high speed and tend to slow down before you arrive there. Papa Porsche because he engineers the car so that it understeers (you feel the steering wheel go light)first before it oversteers (the back end swings round). <br> <br>If you do feel the steering wheel go light then once again very gently lift off the gas a little to balance the power (again don`t lift off fully or brake), and turn out of the bend if you can to help re-gain front grip, (ie. if you`re turning to the right then move the wheel to the left a bit to "open the bend up" as much as possible. <br> <br>Best bit of advice - avoid the car sliding in the first place by driving slower, making sure your tyres are in good condition and reading the road. If there is a petrol station on a roundabout or junction don`t be too surprised if there is some residual diesel on the road surface from overfilled vehicles ! <br> <br>Keep smiling - Henry
Totally agree - my 3.2 can oversteer scarilly at 35mph on a particular reverse camber, 90 degree right turn when it's damp. To mash the pedal and opposite lock it would make no sense as ar least one rear wheel's already spinning and so is the car. We don't want to prolong this for another moment do we? Better to follow your first instinct and back off slightly, regain the grip then unwind whilst easing onto the gas in a nice smooth action.However like H says, barreling round a curve at 80 when the rear starts to break is not the time to throw all the weight forward. By even applying even more gas, inertia transfers the weight rearward to increase the pemdulums grip and all you need to do is steer. Recognise the signs early enough and the car should recover fairly smoothly and then you just need to pull over to empty your stomach contents.
Little bump of an old but interesting thread. Having just bought a 996t, I'm looking for some driver tuition. Is a skid pan really the best way to go or is there some 911 specific driver training that is recommended, preferably where I can shred someone elses tyres for the day as I haven't really bought mine for track days, though I will if needed.
Yep, I enjoyed reading this old thread. From my own experience with the 997 Turbo, lifting off while already committed in a bend seems to cause more problems than a mild increase in acceleration.
I don't know whether this is because of the weight transferral, the lack of grip with the bridgestones in anything other than desert conditions or simply lack of talent.
The exception i have encountered is if the turbo hits a lump in the road mid-bend, the turbo is probably the worst handling car I have driven in this situation simply because the speed you can carry is biblical, it carries more weight than russell harty, only to then get caught out by a lump you cannot see and then soil your trousers in the process.
thegoose said:
The low friction surfaces at the Porsche Experience Centre (only opened late 2008, i.e. later than this thread) in your own car would be worth considering.
+1. Can't recommend PEC highly enough: handling circuit, low friction track, kick plate and ice wall (plus of course the excellent instructors) will get you a better understanding of handling a 911 under all sorts of conditions. The big things I took away from it were both how to catch the car as it breaks away and how to pre-emptively put in a quarter flick of the wheel to actually stop it happening in the first place. After that, learning to trail brake deep into a corner to take the balance from 60:40 R:F to 50:50, killing the 911 understeer in the process made a huge difference to the feel of the car under turn-in. I am finally starting to feel like I'm learning to drive the thing - the whole point of having a 911 for me.Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff