Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site denelvx.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!gamma!epsilon!zeta!sabre!bellcore!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!hao!denelcor!denelvx!geoff From: geoff@denelvx.UUCP (Geoff Baum) Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Re: Re: Re: How to turn a Saab? Message-ID: <46@denelvx.UUCP> Date: Thu, 6-Jun-85 12:39:26 EDT Article-I.D.: denelvx.46 Posted: Thu Jun 6 12:39:26 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 9-Jun-85 01:45:47 EDT Organization: Denelcor, Aurora, Colorados Lines: 61 Having owned two Saab 96s, one Saab 99, and two Honda Civics I would like to pass on the following comments about one subscriber's suggestions for "How to turn a Saab?". My comments are based on 12 years experience driving the above mentioned front-wheel drive cars, combined with lots of playing with them in all weather conditions, especially on snow and ice. >Hmmm. I'm not sure about *your* fwd car, but with mine, the general rule >is to accelerate your way out of trouble. I used to beleive this and applied the rule religiously. It definitely DOES work under certain conditions, when the car is NOT being pushed to its limits. This technique will pull the front back toward the inside of a turn if you are correcting for the car's inherent understeer. If the car is really skidding, don't try accelerating. The front wheels will loose traction once they start to spin, and you will be in a complete side slip. >if you start to slide, hit the gas and steer into the curve. A problem with >this: ... you can run out of power or reach the "point of >no return" (the speed at which if you go any faster, the car will break loose >from the curve; but you *must* accelerate to stay in the curve; so no matter >what, you crash and get hurt). As stated before, if you are correcting for understeer, accelerating into the curve MAY help. As this subscriber correctly pointed out, however, if you put the car into a real skid, it will go off the edge. The correct way to induce oversteer in a front wheel drive car (or to get it headed back around the turn when it is sliding to the outside) is to increase the traction on the front wheels while decreasing the traction on the rear wheels. This can be done in several ways, most of which have been mentioned. The most subtle method is to take your foot OFF the gas. This causes the car to pitch forward slighty and increases traction on the front wheels which then take you through the turn. The second method is to TAP the brakes (lightly); this has the same effect only more so. The third method is to lift off the gas AND hit the brakes. The brakes have to be modulated carefully here. The rear wheels may lock a bit and start to skid to the OUTSIDE of the curve, which is just what you want in order to get headed in the right direction. The last and most drastic method is to lock the hand brake; this affects only the rear wheels and can spin you around faster than you can think. Probably the easiest way to see how this all works is to go to an empty parking lot and try the following: Turn the steering wheel to its lock and accelerate until the car starts to slide (or until you can't stand it any more), then quickly lift your foot off the gas (don't depress the clutch). You should notice the car nose into the center of the circle. Applying the brakes when you lift of the gas will accentuate this effect. Try it, you'll like it! The best way to learn all of these techniques is at very low speed (5 mph) on a slippery surface (snow or sand is best). Once you are comfortable at that speed, try them at higher speeds on dryer surfaces. As for how to induce oversteer, try shifting into a lower gear and accelerating; the front wheels should spin, and off you go (figuratively, of course). >this is a major reason why there are no fwd race cars even though they are >theoretically faster through a turn. There are MANY front wheel drive race cars, and have been for YEARS! They have been cleaning up road rallys for a long time and are only now being challenged by four wheel drive cars. What about the Miller race cars that were unbeaten (at Indy?) for years.