I'm not a terrible driver either (unless having a lead foot is terrible), but even after over 40 years of autocrossing I still value my school time. You are never so good that you can't learn to be better.

 

If you go to one of these courses, be prepared for what RED MX5 said above.

Brings back memories of a cop on an HD Bagger showing us up in an advanced motorcycle course.

 

all season would have helped in light snow but a max performance should have still helped in the rain.

what helps when oversteer happens in the rain, oppposite lock and no throttle and the car should correct itself pretty quickly.

you might have oversteered and then hydroplaned if the car kept sliding depending on the grade of the road.

 

Getting off the throttle is just about the WORST thing you can do (torsen diff, open diff, clutch lsd, whatever). Throttle-maintenence is the key to maintaining control. The "big lift" will practically ensure maximum rotation (i.e. spinnage).

 

Although, if you read his post he does say "clutch in" which is different from letting off with the throttle. There's no engine braking and actually that would be best from a control standpoint... to have all the wheels spin at the same rate with the same drag.

Agree that lifting off the throttle to cause engine braking will slide the back around... but that's effectively the same thing as giving too much gas as well. Perfect throttle maintenance is crucial (if you're going to do that), but extremely difficult to do if you're starting from a sudden over-revving rear due to broken traction. You have to back off traction perfectly. That's what a system like the Racelogic TC does. It works great, but I can tell you that few humans have that kind of reaction and execution prowess.

 

how did you hydroplane at 10mph? how deep was the water, if your tires are still ~65%??

doesn't sound right to me.

 

Yup, unless you're running on slicks, it would be impossible to generate the thin layer of water necessary for hydroplaning at that speed. Even then, at 15 mph I would think a slick would squeeze enough water out to maintain contact with the road. Hyrdoplaning requires enough speed that a tire that can't evacuate water effectively and begins riding on top of a thin layer of water. Usually this would be 40 - 60 mph. The fun continues until you lose enough speed that the water can no longer support the weight of the car on the surface area of the tires. Same principle as skim boarding or water skiing.

This sounds like the OP was caught off guard by the massive low speed torque of the S2000. Solution = learn to drive.

In the interest of complete honesty, I did the exact same thing with a Vette on a curving on-ramp at about 35 mph in the the rain. I knew the Vette's limitations well. Wide tires and massive torque with heavy throttle tip-in are great on dry pavement. Not so much in the rain. Anyway, I was using what I thought was near nuetral throttle input. Oops, think again! Three seconds of heart pounding excitement while I got a 360 degree view of the horizon. Luckily I pulled it out of the spin and continued on my way without ever leaving the road. Felt like a complete a$$ though.

 

[QUOTE=CKit,Feb 8 2009, 05:36 AM]Although, if you read his post he does say "clutch in" which is different from letting off with the throttle.

 

I was referring to the situation that the OP was in... when it's too far gone to save.

The problem with new drivers is that they miss the first, second, and third signs of traction loss... by that time, with that amount of driver skill... I think clutching in is best.

I mean, C'mon, how ham-fisted and lead-footed to you have to be to lose control at 10mph?

 

[QUOTE=ZDan,Feb 8 2009, 11:09 AM] No it's not.