5 replies to this topic

[Dirtcircle86]

I almost muddied Andies roll stiffness thread even further and decided not to.

There are lots of opinions about how to do this and I know my situation is different than most here (all). So I'm curious how you do it.

It's a joke amongst several guys that I race against that fwd racing is "staying on the gas until you think you're gonna crash, then brake and turn left." This is so true it isn't funny. Unlike my seasoned compadres, I let off (usually) a full car length earlier than they do. Going in, their rev limiter is popping a car length past, they brake while I have gotten off the brake and am easing back into the gas. Mid turn we are even again but I have maintained more momentum and ease past. On exit, I'm a car length ahead, making up two lengths.

Comparing a corner to a clock from 3:00 to 9:00, counterclockwise, I brake hard just prior to 3:00 and am getting sideways by 2:00. Immediately I am back on the gas to keep the front in the front. My setup is borderline power on oversteer but only as I feather the throttle. I easily transition the oversteer to under steer with too much throttle, essentially steering with throttle. My goal is to keep raising the throttle position occurrence of under steer. Which should be faster.

Honestly, I think some mid to exit trail braking under throttle would make me much faster but I can't get my left foot to cooperate. It's already hairy enough without adding something else to think about but it should become second nature if I could start the habit. My brain thinks my left foot is for the clutch and should never go near the other two pedals.

I'll understand if no one bites.

[rallyxcrx]

You need to re train your brain, best to do this on the track, or when no one is around. You need to teach your brain that you brake with either foot. I have a racing brake proportioning valve on my front brakes. When I'm driving I have my left foot over the brake all the time. On dirt I use the brake to keep the car oversteering and bring the car in tighter in the turns. Reducing your front brakes can be down right dangerous under braking from a straight, best to have the valve off for this. Dave

[Dirtcircle86]

I tried it a little at the end of last year but ended up either over braking or not at all with my left foot..  It will definitely take some training.  my rears lock so easily now, compared to the front, that I may not need an adjustable valve.  The valves I have seen are single line.  Do you have one on each front brake line?

[Screech]

I'm in the same boat with the left foot while on coarse. I want to try but during my run I just can't get it to move to the middle. Odd thing is that with my first Si I had to left foot brake due to idle issues if the car was restarted while engine was still warm.

[anjin]

As I understand it trail braking is about getting more weight transfer to the front wheels, hence more grip there.

 

Nice story here.  I have a good friend who is very fast around the track.  He drives a gen 2 crx, and trail brakes regularly with great effect.  I lent him my gen  1 crx when his had problems. He noted that trail braking was much less of an option as the gen 1 was much more sensitive to the balance transfer and the rear stepped out a lot earlier compared to the gen 2. He was using his usual tyres at the time.

 

I've seen the same obervations made between gen 1 crx's and gen 3 civic wagons with respect to the rear braking contribution - the crx rears do a lot less.

 

So watch out for oranges and grapefruit comparisons

[rufusbob]

Quoting Anjin: "As I understand it trail braking is about getting more weight transfer to the front wheels, hence more grip there."

 

With FWD that's especially useful, isn't it?  

 

Somewhere, back in time I read trail braking was also beneficial by using that last bit of front biased braking force to begin rotating the car (about the vertical axis) into the turn.  I think this applies regardless of FWD, RWD or mid-engine......as long as the weight distribution isn't so much to the rear that braking is also rear biased. 

 

Bob