I was watching Best motoring (some old one) the other day and notice the drifting king was pulling the e-brake in the RX-7 at a turn when he is competing in a race.

what is the benefit of doing that?

thanks,
CS

 

nothing other than drifting the car and getting the back end to swing around by locking up the rear brakes - looks cool, but its the slow way around the track.

-Ryan

 

yeah, I agree that drifting is not the fastest way around the corner. But in specific turn that he pulled the e-brake, the RX-7 didn't drift. So, I am wondering if that can give some benefit to make a minor adjustment in case of understeering.

thanks,
CS

 

I really don't think it's the fast way through a turn. Throttle modulation would be a more effective means of dialing out the understeer he might be experiencing. I've tried e-braking it twice on an autox course, it really didn't work for me. It sapped too much momentum for that element, even while I was TRYING to purposefully disrupt the grip at the rear end of the car, so I really do not think it will be a beneficial technique for a road course, where the speeds are higher, and the disruption of the chassis will have more dangerous consequences.

 

The only time I used an e-brake in an event was at an autocross. I wasn't exiting the turn properly and started to understeer heavily, so I grabbed the ebrake to rotate the car and to keep going.

If I entered and exited the turn properly, I wouldn't have had to use the ebrake. Also, I think using the ebrake in this situation was faster than having to slow to stop the understeer situation.

 

Oh boy - another drifting thread . . .



The e-brake thing is probably to compensate for a lack of suspension tuning knowledge. He is probably trying to induce rotation in a car that plows like a Caterpillar Bulldozer.

 

When I was younger and dumber (in h.s.) I used to do e-brake turns for quick 180s in the parking lot after football games, especially if it had been raining. When I got good at it I was able to keep this kind of continuous loop thing going to where I'd punch it in first gear get up to about 20 mph, lift off the throttle, push in the clutch, yank up on the e-brake, get the rear end to swing around, release the e-brake, and then dump the clutch in first gear again, and go back in the other direction and do it again... I used to get quite a few spectators

In racing, the ONLY time I've seen the e-brake used effectively is in the WRC. This weekend's showing of the Monte Carlo (or Monaco, whatever) race showed the drivers using the brake lever almost ever time they came up to a tight switch back. It was amazing. I honestly don't know how WRC drivers have the nerve to race on those roads

 

Money gives you big nerves...I saw that last night.

 

Actually, it might be that big nerves gets you the money!

Kirk

 

AFAIK, that lever also disengages power from the rear wheels.

 

Zsolt, thanks for mentioning that. I had forgotten... -Casey