Ok, so I completely buy into the concept of staying in as tight as possible in sweepers but how does this translate to a sweeper-ish decreasing radius turn. Is it still better to hug the inside line even though you have to give it up a LOT to make the decreasing radius at the end of it? Part 2: I'll throw in another element - let's say that it's the same sweeper-ish decreasing radius turn but with a long straight after it as opposed to another very technical (and slower) element.

If I have a decreasing radius turn with a very slow part immediately after it, I typically stay in tight. But I'm not quite sure what the answer is if you have a moderately long straightaway after it.

 

That's a really car dependent question. Autocross courses are tight anyway so staying tight is often the best line regardless of the exit UNLESS you have traction issues under acceleration, then it becomes more complicated.

For example, in my car, with a stiff suspension that minimizes squat during acceleration, a Quaife that virtually eliminates inside wheelspin and sticky DOT R-compound tires, I can stay in as tight as I like and get on the gas 20-40 feet earlier than say, an open-differential, stock suspensioned GS car on Azenis.

My answer is, yes, if there's a technical bit after it stay in tight and make sure you can place the car where you want it at the exit. If there's a long section of acceleration and you have traction problems on acceleration, a wide-tight-wide line might work better.

 

Agreed, I've had really good luck with wide-tight-wide in the EP3.

 

I do have traction issues but when I've tried to compared taking the tight lines vs wide lines in the past, I was WAY faster with the tighter lines even with the slower exit. Granted, I'm not consistent enough to keep *everything* else about my runs constant, but it still seemed like a huge difference.

hatch2k, I've got an EP civic too. Stock suspension and azenis tires.

 

There are two schools of thought i have heard on this at the national level.

1 is the "Rob Faulkner rule" and now that i think of it..i might get this backwards.
corner tighter than 90' go for line. corner larger than 90' distance. (the theory being that slower corners you may as well go less distance)

2 is what i have heard is Mark Daddio's theory (passed on to me 2nd hand) Is to go for distance over line everywhere. His thought is that in autocross, you dont go fast enough to justify the extra distance.

Rob, through sheer luck doesn't have a national championship. though he is up front in anything he touches.

Daddio..well...he has like upteen zillion national championships in a variety of cars. (including a 2 second field stomping victory in C-Mod last year having not competed in a formula car till last year)

The answer is..Daddio is probably right. If you are a robot like him and can get the most of a car on the tighter line. For other information Daddio also drove a brand new Mazda 6 home from Laguna Seca last year free of charge as a prize from Mazda. Some little rev-it-up deal.

I do a mix. I focus on looking ahead and it tends to lead me to going for line over distance in most cases.

I say do whats comfortable to you. If you are more comfortable with doing the line because thats what is taught, then do the line. Start to feed in going for less distance in 180s and pivot cones..then feed the rest of it in as the skill increases.

Jon K
http://www.seat-time.com

 

Like everything in life, it's a balance.

Depending on the turn and what comes after it either school of thought could be right. It comes down to the old saying of take the slow turns slow and the fast turns fast.

If you're dealing with a 180 into another tight turn then the tight line would be best. If everyone has to go through it slow then the only way to do it faster is with a shorter line.

However if you have three turns that with the proper line could be linked into one big turn then I would do that. This would eliminate two brake or lift points that you would have if you took them as 3 separate turns. Of course this is situation dependent.

 

of course... another point when driving the "tight" line is not to get pinched by driving too tight of a line... as this can kill both momentum and put you off the tight line further along.

 

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hatch2k, I've got an EP civic too. Stock suspension and azenis tires. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Heh, you know me (BlasTech) from elsewhere.

I try to go smooth and tight, in that order.