Wait til you try DOT race tires like Hoosiers, BFG R1s, Hankook Z214, etc. Will make the RA1s feel easy to slide in comparison.

 

Part 2 is now up:

https://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/110...ing-processes/

 

I had a major setback last November at VIR. After a very humid night, a road patch was sweating moisture more than the normal road surface in a dip through the snake. I was flirting with the limit...a bad combination of circumstances. After wadding up all but three panels, my confidence was wrecked worse than my car. I knew this would be a major hindrance to development, so before my car was back together I scheduled time on a skid pad with a pro instructor. I cannot say enough good things about skid-pad training. If you are trying to find the limits in a safe environment or need to rebuild confidence after a scare this is an excellent tool.

It seems finding an HPDE that offers car control training is a challenge. I can only speak for my region, but TarHeel Sports Car Club has an awesome program. It starts with straight line threshold braking in the novice group. Trail braking and throttle steering in intermediate group. Then inducing rear slip-angle to rotate the car in the advanced group. The classroom instruction is coordinated with on-track instructors and flag workers, so students are able to safely practice many techniques that would otherwise be very unsafe if everyone weren't on the same page. If you are near VIR or CMP, THSCC events are a must.

Between the skid pad, THSCC, a few superb instructors, and a fair amount of seat time, I went from almost selling my car 12 months ago to confidently rotating the car by inducing oversteer within rear slip-angle limits (not sliding). My results are not unique...the tools deserve all the credit.

P.S. Don't be too quick to move to R-comp or race tires - they hide too many sins. Quality street tires will let you know when your doing it wrong and accelerate the learning process.

 

^ this. Skid pad practice at least a few times a year is the way to go. Luckily the last two years I and a few other people on here have had the opportunity to drive on the skid pad at lime rock park at the start of the season.

The typical SCCA autocross event can't quite match the rigor and intensity of a half day session on a skid pad.

 

Good read. I enjoyed it.

 

So I did a full day of skid pad and some Autox course a few months ago in a spec miata.

Plan to do winter Autox in m3 and another skid pad in spring.

However - with the s2000's unique way of breaking loose does it make sense to use the s2000 on the skid pad instead of say a miata? I just don't like the idea of destroying my diff or other items (no issue with tires), but feel drifting the s2000 (especially mine) will be much more difficult then a miata, and the whole pointn for me is to build the confidence to know if I loose the s on the track I can save it.

By the way love the part in article about not needing to buy 5k coilovers when you 2k's are fine...I am so not the example of what to do

 

Practicing on a skidpad won't hurt your diff, especially the stock torsen.

The whole point of the skidpad is to feel the breakaway characteristics of YOUR car so you get more comfortable with how your car feels at and beyond the limit. Then like it says in the article, practice on a low speed corner with no walls around and slowly build up your confidence to allow the car to get more and more sideways. From there work on a medium speed corner then higher speed corners.


Billy

 

Billy - as far as low speed corners go, would I be accurate in stating the following:

- Big Bend at Lime Rock. Transition between turn 1 & 2 as a slow speed corner.
- can't think of anything at Watkins Glen. All the turns there are high speed IMO. But what about Turn 9?
- Thompson Speedway seems like the ideal track with low speed corner. Everything after Turn 2 is an autocross.

What do you think? Any other slow speed corners at tracks in the north east you would recommend?

 

Those are tough ones. Turn 1/2 at Lime Rock are more medium speed corners. I would practice on the exit of 2 or turn 3 (the left hander).

Watkins Glen... Maybe the heel of the boot, toe of the boot (but lots of walls)...

 

I find the left hander at Lime Rock to be the perfect turn for developing basic car control skills. I have induced both oversteer and understeer on the left hander many times! It's mostly oversteer when too much weight is up front from braking late, I end up counter steering there many times. The understeer I guess happens when I brake early and start coming out of the left hander sooner where the weight is on the back wheels. I feel like every time i take that turn I'm playing with finding the right way through it, even in iracing! I find the longer you can stay to the left the better you are setup for no name.