Which hails into question the whole "trail braking" argument (braking whilst
turning). In the same revelations re Schui and Rubens at Silver last year,
it's obvious that braking in a straight line makes the car slow down faster
(you're at the northern edge of the traction circle), but leaves yer inside
line unprotected. Trail braking (you're at, say, the northwestern edge of
the circle diving into a righthand turn) allows you to brake later and avoid
spiking outside the circle during the transient, but requires a lot more
skill (Doug Arnao, wearing his driving instructor's hat--er, helmet--won't
teach this technique to any but his best students). Using the throttle
whilst braking allows you to shift the weight rearward at will, thus
maximizing the available traction, but requires even more skill (and, in the
RW, Brembo brakes as big as manhole covers). Professional driver on a
closed course. Don't try this at home...except in your driveway (if it's
real long) or on yer 'puta.
> Since you mention this is also a problem in fixed setups, I suppose we
> can count brake bias out. Obviously, the more rear brake bias you can
handle
> (up to the point just b4 the rears start to lock b4 the fronts of course),
> the greater the braking potential of the car. So.....
> Firstly, the simple thing is the skills that come from experience ie
laps
> done. Being able to brake later is a matter of being able to
> a) handle heavy braking at high speeds, particularly with
> aggressive brake bias
> b) Being able to throw the car into a corner and handle it -
> notice the word "throw" rather than drive :)
> Both of these come from endless laps and endless daring! :) The best
> drivers are expert at anticipating what the car is about to do and and
> stopping it from doing it. The difference between aliens and the rest is
> that a situation that results in most drivers losing control is a
situation
> that an alien sees as routine about a dozen times or more per lap. And
these
> natural/instincive recovery skills just get better over time - one gets a
> feel for them.
> Also, being able to brake whilst turning in is crucial as well. This
will
> make a huge difference to anyone not presently doing this. And, of course,
> the deeper the better.
> A few other things to tinker with whilst developing these skills are
the
> relationship between brake bias and the turn in characteristics of the
> suspension. More rear brake bias makes the car turn in better under
braking
> but harder to handle. Less makes it turn in less but may inspire more
> confidence and the ability to brake more aggressively. Have fun - do a lot
> of laps and BE DARING. The more you walk the tightrope the better you get
at
> it. Just practice offline! :)
> > In almost every online race I have participated in recently there have
> been
> > a few guys who could brake in a much shorter distance than the others.
> This
> > often adds up to a difference of as much as 2 seconds per lap. I
haven't
> > been concentrating on braking much because I have always been told that
> line
> > and exit speed are more important. But some work with replay analyzers
> has
> > shown me that braking is my weakest point relative to the aliens and the
> > primary thing that is keeping me in the middle of the pack. So I would
> > really like to hear from some of the experts. How are you able to brake
> in
> > so much shorter distance than other people? This happens even in fixed
> > setup leagues like RASCAR so I don't think it has anything to do with
> setup.
> > I also don't think it's equipment. Some people just seem to have a
better
> > feel for it than others, and I want that skill! ;o) Any hints you can
> give
> > would be highly appreciated, and probably not just by me.
