klein@ucbcad.UUCP (Mike Klein) (06/06/85)
According to "Bob Bondurant on High Performance Driving," if you are in trouble, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER touch the brakes. This is especially true for front-wheel drive cars, since they are lighter in the rear already; braking will transfer weight to the front and the rear will slide out even faster than a rear-wheel drive car. His recommendation is much like rear-wheel drive cars, where you let up on the gas just to the extent where you are balancing the loads as well as you can on all four tires, then do whatever you can to steer out of it. It will depend on the specific car more than anything else. The only way to know for sure is to go put your car through some rough driving at a race track so you know how it handles! -- -Mike Klein ...!ucbvax!ucbmerlin:klein (UUCP) klein%ucbmerlin@berkeley (ARPA)
geoff@denelvx.UUCP (Geoff Baum) (06/10/85)
> According to "Bob Bondurant on High Performance Driving," if you are > in trouble, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER touch the brakes. What are we talking about here? What does "if you are in trouble" mean? Of course, if you are skidding down the road you should NOT touch the brakes. However, for other types of trouble (such as coming up fast on someone from behind) the brakes make a lot of sense. There seems to be a lot of confusion here--using the brakes to break the rear end loose and thus slide around a corner, has nothing to do with being in trouble. There are many driving techniques appropriate to different situations, and people's desires. I love to slam on my brakes and go into uncontrollable skids at about 5 mph when there is nothing to hit. Clearly, I would apply different driving techniques if I encountered black ice on a mountain road. It all depends on what you are trying to accomplish. I'm sure Bob Bondurant would agree that if you are going to say "NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER", you had better be very specific or your rule will not apply. I wonder how he would feel about being quoted out of context.
neal@weitek.UUCP (Neal Bedard) (06/13/85)
In article <55@denelvx.UUCP>, geoff@denelvx.UUCP (Geoff Baum) writes: > > According to "Bob Bondurant on High Performance Driving," if you are > > in trouble, NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER touch the brakes. > > What are we talking about here? What does "if you are in trouble" mean? > > [lots o' omitted text] > > ...rule will not apply. I wonder how he would feel about being quoted out of > context. The subject of the article was `How to to turn a FWD car'. Being `in trouble' means AT THE LIMIT OF ADHESION. I don't think anyone misunderstood these two salient details in the original article (Geoff excepted.) The context was clear enough for me, anyway. -Neal B. -- "mynd you, m00se bytes kann be pretti nasti" UUCP: {ucbvax!dual!turtlevax,ihnp4!resonex,decwrl!amdcad!cae780}!weitek!neal}