just had the bad luck of understeering on the freeway on-ramp in the rain =T plowed forward..so i apply some brakes before i plowed off the loop on-ramp.. i guess the front tires caught traction but then my rear tires lost traction. i tried turning the wheel to go the same direction as the rears..but nothing. i ended up doing a 180. luckily, no damage and nobody hurt...just a lot of faces of people behind me.
the funny thing was i wasn't even going so fast around the corner... i'm too scared of the rain to be doing that. on the otherhand, when it's dry...
any ideas on what i should have done when i first lost traction?

 

Don't brake when you're turning (in general...), that's probably what made the rear come around (esp. in the rain). I started plowing on an off ramp in the dry (yeah, I was going a little too fast ) but all I did was slowly let off the gas and the car slowed to a manageable speed EDIT-and the fronts got some traction back. (and one more set of parenthesis for the heck of it )


[Modified by MrBite, 7:21 PM 1/28/2002]

 

so did you brake before you headed into the turn? if you hit the brakes while turning, you might have locked up the rear tires.

 

Whenever you have too much speed in a corner - you're done. There is very little you can do except to 1) keep your eyes up and looking in the direction you want to go 2) steer smoothly in that direction and 3) trail brake to reduce speed. Most people instinctively jam the brake pedal - which is probably what you did and the reason why you spun out.

Just drive slower into corners.

 

I think most of us have spun out at one time or another. Braking takes all the weight off the rear of the car, if you're turning the back end already has sideways momentum and now has no resistance.

Like everyone else said, slow down first, then turn.

 

didn't really start braking until understeering occured. i was already 3/4 thru the turn when it started to understeer. thats when i applied some brakes and then the rear gave out

 

since you were 3/4 through the turn, I think you started to gas it, then started losing traction. Maybe thats the problem?

 

You should really go to an autoX and practice. You'll understeer so much your first time out because you'll be eager to enter the turns as fast as you can.
Anyway.. You can always straighten out your wheels and brake, then smoothly turn back into your intended direction. But most of the time you won't have time to do this... (this was under the assumption that you were just starting the turn)

And since it was wet out, you didn't have too much traction anyway..
One thing that you have to learn to do instinctively when understeering is to uncrank the wheel.. That's so counter-intuitive, but its neat when you do it for the first time.. When you start to uncrank the wheel, at a certain point, the car will start to turn again.. If you're too too hot going in the turn, you're done. If you're just a little too hot, then you can get away with this.

Another option is to SMOOTHLY lift off the gas a TINY bit to scrub off some speed and start uncranking the wheel until you get enough traction to turn again.



[Modified by arren123, 5:02 PM 1/28/2002]

 

It's all about weight transfer and tire patch. There are many things you can do to prevent or correct understeer.

Talking about it on the web is not the same as a structured weekend of learning. My recomendation is go to an AutoX or Track day and learn in a controlled environment. Do not <U>practice</u> skid control in the street, it is not the place to learn. Practice on the track then if the need arises on the street you can correct it.

 

Just thought I would say that this is right on the money! I don't think the word SMOOTHLY can be stressed enough!

Regards,

 

Driving school would've taught you how not to get in trouble like that in the first place - find one and sign up. Your ITR will thank you.

 

I would make this my first option, not my second option. In an FF car, lifting will transfer weight to the front of the car where the tires have lost traction (in an understeer). Doing this while unwinding the wheel will get them spinning again. Then you get back in the turn. There's a big difference between lifting, even abruptly, and braking.

 

One of the things I have learned from autocross and a great book by Henry A. Watts, "Secrets of Solo Racing - Expert Techniques for Autocross and Time Trials"
1. Give up speed before the turn in a straight line. This first shifts some of the weight onto the front tires which will help in not understeering and prepares you for the turn. Some people brake a little late and already into the turn. This is trail braking and great when mastered, horrible when not. Trail braking improperly will spin the car or you will just not do the fastest line through the turn.
2. If you are understeering. Do the opposite of what you think is correct. You need to UNWIND the wheel. So if you are turning right and understeering. In order to make the turn, you need to start turning left in order to turn right. Keep the throttle steady. Do not lift, do not apply power. BUT if you continue to understeer while unwinding, slightly decrease the power (STEADILY) and reapply (STEADILY) until no more understeer.
3. What I learned from autocrossing and street practicing....on sharp turns at 40mph or less (or maybe faster can't remember right now...) the ITR first understeers slightly, then feels neutral and may go into oversteer. If you try to hard at the beginning of a turn, it will understeer. But, depending on the exit of the turn you can force the ITR into oversteer or into a fake "drift" (neutral)

ANYWAY....the point being. Autocross, Autocross and Autocross....this is the best thing for any driver.