TheMilkman
Enthusiast
- Joined
- Nov 15, 2009
- Posts
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I had one of those "Oh s....!" moments this morning and feel that if I had not had prior track time and some autocrosses the results could have been much worse.
It was early in the morning and I found myself on a 3/4 - 1 mile stretch of road that went down then up so you could really see far ahead and that there was no traffic, people, bikers, cows etc. Felt like a good time to open it up a bit. I got up to the light in a hurry which was green, still no traffic. Hammered the brakes and made a left turn. That is when the back end decided it didn't want to follow the front end. At the time I was turning I wasn't going fast, right at the speed limit of 35. But with the momentum built up, early morning cold tires, and a switch from black top to concrete the tires lost grip.
I knew the back end was going out, I could feel it before I heard the tires. This is the point where I could see a new owner, someone who may have only driven a couple hundred miles or more already, but finding themselves in a situation they are not prepared for or practiced at. Panic could set in and slamming the brakes would have sent the car into the curb and off the road (ABS doesn't help that much when you are skidding sideways), and adding gas would have spun the car out of control and end the same way as braking. In the end I was able to correct the skid/slide without much thought and continue, but I was thinking to myself that if I didn't have a little track time under my belt I might not have corrected it right.
There are tons of posts on here that say "Take it to the track" and all of that if you want to experience a little speed. Not everyone wants to go to a track or they feel it beats up on their cars. I do feel that attending a track event where you can get a little training will really help you to be a better all around driver. You don't have to go out and beat up your car to get some training in. The Autocross events are nice too because for most of the ones I have been in you don't even have to get out of 1st gear and you learn so much about the handling of your car that would be very difficult to do in daily driving.
So there are threads on here about safety of Vipers, and only go fast at the track and all of that. In the real world, stuff happens. You see what appears to be a safe opportunity to let her rip or conditions change on you. In the end the best drivers are the ones that are paying attention and practiced at what they are doing.
It was early in the morning and I found myself on a 3/4 - 1 mile stretch of road that went down then up so you could really see far ahead and that there was no traffic, people, bikers, cows etc. Felt like a good time to open it up a bit. I got up to the light in a hurry which was green, still no traffic. Hammered the brakes and made a left turn. That is when the back end decided it didn't want to follow the front end. At the time I was turning I wasn't going fast, right at the speed limit of 35. But with the momentum built up, early morning cold tires, and a switch from black top to concrete the tires lost grip.
I knew the back end was going out, I could feel it before I heard the tires. This is the point where I could see a new owner, someone who may have only driven a couple hundred miles or more already, but finding themselves in a situation they are not prepared for or practiced at. Panic could set in and slamming the brakes would have sent the car into the curb and off the road (ABS doesn't help that much when you are skidding sideways), and adding gas would have spun the car out of control and end the same way as braking. In the end I was able to correct the skid/slide without much thought and continue, but I was thinking to myself that if I didn't have a little track time under my belt I might not have corrected it right.
There are tons of posts on here that say "Take it to the track" and all of that if you want to experience a little speed. Not everyone wants to go to a track or they feel it beats up on their cars. I do feel that attending a track event where you can get a little training will really help you to be a better all around driver. You don't have to go out and beat up your car to get some training in. The Autocross events are nice too because for most of the ones I have been in you don't even have to get out of 1st gear and you learn so much about the handling of your car that would be very difficult to do in daily driving.
So there are threads on here about safety of Vipers, and only go fast at the track and all of that. In the real world, stuff happens. You see what appears to be a safe opportunity to let her rip or conditions change on you. In the end the best drivers are the ones that are paying attention and practiced at what they are doing.
Having track experience does help and is tons of fun to boot 
