OSP? Some sort of open street-legal class ala CSM here?

Just to kind of stay on-topic: I rarely heel/toe during autocross. I'm too busy trying to figure out which way to turn the wheel :-). For some reason, it seems much easier on a road course.

 

Offtopic:
OSP = Open Street Prepared. Only rules, are 1) DOT Tires, 2) Headlights 3) Had to be registered on the street at some point in the cars life.

It's a regional SCCA class.

Ontopic:
Not Heal-Toeing at auto-x costs you time just like as it does at the track. But yes it takes a lot more concentration and smoothness. Makes doing it at the track that much eaiser.

IMO

 

Hmmm... I dont heal toe

Though i suppose i would if i bothered to bend my pedals to help out.

 

Dave, you and Rylan learned it because you had to do H/T at Derek Daly. Why did you quit? I wonder if Strike (and C3 too?) is still doing it? None of you guys did before.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rlaifatt
Dave, you and Rylan learned it because you had to do H/T at Derek Daly.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by krazik I wish they'd hurry up and post the results,

 

do it for no other reason than it sounds and looks cool. I'm so used to it.....I don't even feel it.

 

H/T is a very essential part of learning the basics of driving a car steadily without upsetting it's balance. I cannot say that it's required for every single kind of driving in all situations, but it's a good step towards smooth driving, and giving your transmission and engine a helping hand.

Engine braking has its uses but it's the brakes that's in charge of braking, not the engine. No matter what anyone says, the job of the brake is to change kinetic force (movement) into heat. You can effectively use modulation to apply the correct amount of braking force or effect, but you cannot use engine braking in that manner.

Double clutching HT techniques are not something that I'd recommend to people to do now unless...

1. Your car has no syncromesh gears (very old cars), or the syncro's are worn out.

2. The teeth on the gears are pretty much square cut (not curved like on production vehicles) and cannot engage gears without doing so. (I believe some professional race cars are built this way)

It's something good to learn but I feel that learning how to apply standard HT techniques would beneifit you just fine.

Every driver has their own different sets of priorities when it comes to which techniques they find most useful. However, a driver that makes good use of HT within their own driving techniques, the resulting effects will be a smoother transisition between higher to lower gears, a much steadier footwork of the suspension free of unnecessary disturbance to the vehicle's weight transfer.

 

I agree w/ most of what you said, except the engine braking.

The only time someone should use engine braking is in an endurance race where saving your brake pad is a concern. Otherwise you should always use the brakes to brake and the engine to accelerate.

Anything else is wasting time.

 

engine braking was necessary in the "vintage" days because brakes sucked.

now the limiting factor is tire grip and not brakes. engine braking just adds unnecessary wear to your engine, and won't add to the stopping potential of your tires.

there was a long debate about this about 8 months ago. you could try the search, but.......