Re: [NTLK] OT - Off Topic - Brakes

From: Marco Mailand (Newton2k1_at_mac.com)
Date: Tue Apr 23 2002 - 05:07:59 EDT


> Well, I was taught at Bill Scott Racing school that
> the left foot on the brake can do some remarkable
> things! Like put a rearwheel drive car into a spin
> (helpful if you need to turn around quickly) plus it
> allows you to "power-steer" through a turn in a
> frontwheel drive car. And when trying to maneouver a
> slalom at high speeds, you can force the rear of the
> car to "jerk" around to snap your steering accuratly
> around the cones! (don't get me started on the fun you
> can have with the Parking Brake!)
I don't believe how this can work. The force of the brakes is divided sort
of equally to all four wheels, but the braking effect of the front wheels is
large then that of the rear wheels. The only thing I do in the winter on icy
places is using the handbrake to turn my frontwheel driven car quicker, but
at low speed only. The other thing with accelerating and braking together
makes sense in Go-Karts, where the engine needs to much time to accelerate.
You simply put the right foot onto the accelerator and release the brake to
accelerate. That let me win the race :-)

In order to spin a rearwheel driven car you'll probably have to steer the
car into the curve and if you have enough centrifugal force accelerate in a
low gear (high force) and get the wheels sliding. A similar effect has of
course the handbrake but you'll loose to much speed on non-icy roads.

--
With best regards / Viele Gruesse

Marco Mailand http://slsbd.psi.ch/timing http://slsbd.psi.ch/~mmailand https://www.paypal.com/refer/pal=YYD3VUXUVD2YG

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