Irrational fear of applying throttle in bends after bump

[Bryanwww]

lockey1995 said:

Marc p said:

Will wait for OP to confirm, but as I read it, the collision happened on the exit of a corner and they now find themselves being overly cautious on the exit of a corner.

Yes it did, the guy came out of an entrance not even an exit so yeah i feel way more cautious whats on the other side which im guessing is a good thing really. Scares me thinking of how many people barrel in and hope its clear

Generally should keep your speed to your visibility ahead - can you stop in the distance you can see.
Most people just assume that everything will be clear ahead of them and will happily stick to the speed limit even in thick fog or coming towards a blind crest, most of the time it's fine, it's just that sometimes it's not.

[simon_harris]

I would suggest an advanced driving course, it will give you some roadcraft skills that will benefit you more than learning to control the car at or close to the limit. That and some skidpan time will really help you.

[nismo48]

simon_harris said:

I would suggest an advanced driving course, it will give you some roadcraft skills that will benefit you more than learning to control the car at or close to the limit. That and some skidpan time will really help you.

+1

[brillomaster]

i'd start with double checking your tyres are recent, your pressures are correct and your alignment is right.

if you have bad alignment at the rear and the wheels are toeing out, the car will feel very unstable when cornering and applying power.

once you know for sure that the tyres are pointing in the right direction, i'd go up to blyton park or bedford for a cheap trackday, and get some tuition.

also try not to worry... my first prang was in an MX5 too... definitely a learning point that a) i was not the driving god that i thought i was, and b) catching and correcting an oversteering car requires practice, and knowing when a car is likely to step out requires experience.

[wyson]

OP, get yourself on an IAM Advanced Driving course or Rospa course. This is psychological. Education is the answer. These courses at their core are about understanding and mitigating risk on the road.

As others have said, definitely take skid pad training, track days etc learn how cars behave beyond the limit of grip. I put my car through some amazing punishment on track, spazzed out the traction control system, generated tons of error codes etc, was a brilliant laugh!

Having a better understanding of the risks and having a laugh putting theory into practice in controlled supervised conditions will quash your anxiety.

Edited by wyson on Saturday 14th October 11:58

[lockey1995]

Thanks for the advice all been entering allot slower and then when you reach the mid way point of bend it's allot more confidence inducing to squeeze on slower than i did but progressively and the car feels really balanced.

[lockey1995]

wyson said:

OP, get yourself on an IAM Advanced Driving course or Rospa course. This is psychological. Education is the answer. These courses at their core are about understanding and mitigating risk on the road.

As others have said, definitely take skid pad training, track days etc learn how cars behave beyond the limit of grip. I put my car through some amazing punishment on track, spazzed out the traction control system, generated tons of error codes etc, was a brilliant laugh!

Having a better understanding of the risks and having a laugh putting theory into practice in controlled supervised conditions will quash your anxiety.

Edited by wyson on Saturday 14th October 11:58

Yeah i think this is the answer for road driving definitely, i think i am going to be looking into it.

[Haltamer]

For the road, Remember your limit points - Only get the power on as you are unwinding the steering and the view is moving off into the distance.

Tyres & Alignment / Suspension have been mentioned as well; I'd echo that - Not to say that you should "Blame the equipment" as an excuse for poor driving, However, you should recognise where it may be a contributing factor and ensure you are confident in it.

(E.g; If you come off on a cold wet road on UHP Summers, Don't blame the tyre but do recognise the fact you were driving on a UHP Summer without regard for the conditions!)

[BertBert]

lockey1995 said:

Thanks for the advice all been entering allot slower and then when you reach the mid way point of bend it's allot more confidence inducing to squeeze on slower than i did but progressively and the car feels really balanced.

I'm struggling with your scenario. You talk about being worried that the rear will let go, yet driving much slower into the corner solves that problem. That says to me that you simply drive too fast, especially given your lack of confidence. You may have found the right solution though, driving more slowly.

If you want to drive close to the limit of grip, that's not what the oublic roads are for. As others have said best to try that in the right environment. Scott Mansell has a great car dynamics one day course (or used to anyway) and done in an MX5 of his. It's done at an airfield type location near Leicester iirc.

[Wollemi]

Back to basics, and Slow In, Fast Out

Slow down enough before you enter the bend, and then as Reg Local says, start applying the throttle as soon as you start to turn the steering wheel.

Gradually increase the throttle as you exit the bend. You'll find that the car is much smoother and better balanced.

See Reg Local's videos, and read his book for more detail.

All the Detail - Vehicle Balance:

https://youtu.be/O8bvj4lF-K8

Edited by Wollemi on Thursday 19th October 13:20