So last week I was driving home from school and I took a turn a bit too fast and the road was a little more wet than it looked. The back end came around and I knew to counter steer, but for some reason I slammed the brake pedal as well. This caused my front end to start sliding and I found myself in a 4-wheel slide. Thankfully, no one was around and I didn't hit the curb. I want to make sure that the next time this happens (hopefully not for a VERY long time) I know what to do to control it. In this situation, what should I do to control it and avoid hitting things? Are there any websites I can go to or any threads that I missed?

I drive a 2000 Civic EX coupe 5-speed stick.

 

You should have accelerated. You braked because you panic. Start autocrossing.

 

how to avoid:

drive slower and smarter on the street,
not that i ever follow them but the speed signs at the corners are usually a suggestion for about how fast you should go, don't push it if you aren't sure
autocross to learn car control.

you're really pushing the car if the back end walks out on you (personal experience)

 

Your car's back end was trying to escape from all the nonsense in your signature

 

X2 hahahhahahhaa
i read this on my phone and i didn't see all that crap!

 

Thanks, I'll remember to nail the throttle next time.

 

seriously tho. if you want to learn the right way, slow it down on the street and start autocrossing. learn how to control your car in the proper environment. theres more to it than slamming the gas and countersteering. if your too slow to unwind you'll just wreck on the outside instead of spinning inside.

 

Where can I go to practice in a safe environment? I live in the LA area and I don't know of many places.

 

at a local autocross event. http://solo2.com/

 

www.nasaproracing.com

 

Cool links! Thanks so much for the info!

 

Yeah keep it off the streets man. I work in a prison and i can tell you that there are many people locked up for killing others while doing stupid sh*t behind the wheel on public streets. Don't become one of them.

Autocross is a great tool to learn!

 

LOL

 

Almost spewed coffee on my laptop

 

Ask me how I wrecked my last car... panic brake in a 100MPH turn when I hit a small bump and the back got upset. Rather than get on the gas to transfer weight I tried countersteering. When that didn't work and it came completely around I eased on the brakes and steered hoping I would spin out on the pavement and not even go into the grass. Nope airborne into the grass and hit a pole sideways at 70MPH. That wasn't the end though, the car continued to spin and after tearing the first pole out of the ground I hit the next one around 45MPH. Moral of the story is, don't be stupid on the streets. It takes practice just to learn to stay calm and not panic. There are still times I feel my heart rate go up and I know to just take deep breaths and relax. But yeah when the back comes around smash the gas and be gentle with steering. NO BRAKING!

 

Here is how you do it safely on the track! Last year during Wangfest in my SSC Civic Si. Girlfriend sitting shotgun! Watch the passenger rear tire as it runs across the concrete gater. That's where i lose traction and the *** end comes out on me. Caught it perfectly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBm6aJPRrlM

 

Oversteer means you have less traction (and probably less load) on the rear than on the front. If you brake, you're hurting your cause, unless you lock the front tires, in which case you've made things a bit more complicated. You don't need to mat the gas when the car is sideways, just lightly transition some weight back to the rear while keeping your eyes on the prize (and not on all the obstacles you're trying to avoid).

As everyone has said, go practice in an autocross. Get sideways and learn to control it. Do it as much as possible and get good advice. Perfect practice makes permanent.

 

dude you're in South California. There are so many tracks and racing events there.

 

Lol. I like how your gf just looks over and shakes her head. Nice catch btw.

 

A perfect catch is when you keep the car moving....
On track when you do that there is usually somone right behind you waiting to t-bone you.
Like that CRX behind you.
I call that lucky.
Love the gf reaction though..

 

Not that it was perfect. The car was still moving, it just scrubbed a lot of speed in the process of being completely sideways. There was really nothing else that could have been done in that process. Sure i could have tried to correct it faster, but that would have risked snap oversteer. So allowing the car to slow itself down and eventually gain grip i figured was the best option at that time.


My buddy and fellow instructor is behind me in "GUTTY", he actually has footage from his car's view. Which i have been trying to get him to upload ever since the event last year! LOL! However we both know each others driving habits, and we know where the safety margins are as well.

 

Ah, the fun of fwd oversteer... as others have said, autocross is a great safe place to test how your car handles at and over it's limits.


Great BTCC example:

 

Dude, that BTCC videos was EPIC. I'm actually pretty interested in FF drifting, but I don't have the money or resources for it. I wouldn't mind getting into time attacks. I met some people at the Long Beach Grand Prix that told me some info on getting into AutoX.

 

Seriously man, dump the signature!

 

Also, pay attention NOT to lift in a corner. Lifting puts weight on the nose and takes weight off the back end. If done in a turn, the car is already compromised on grip and the lift induces the oversteer. You don't have to "punch it" in a turn, just keep a steady state throttle.

If the oversteer starts, then you can use throttle to help correct it.