Quote:
Originally Posted by Paddy
One other thing I should mention...on hindsight
Having DSC on killed me on autox mostly because I was making the car unstable. The instructor that drove me around the first time (with DSC on) was fast. So in retrospect, the fact that DSC was killing me was more a fault with my driving, destabilizing the car, than with DSC. I'm now between two minds about DSC, turn it off and have more fun or leave it on and work on my driving skills. It's an interesting question.... As a learner would I learn more by practicing how to go fast with DSC on (meaning I would need to have much more consideration of the stability of the car and approach to corners) or would I be better learning the raw approach to controlling the car without DSC and working on stability/speed from that angle.
Seems like working with DSC on is prevention whereas working with DSC off is cure, and we all know the proverb.
Personally, the fun aspect, DSC Off, is what I'm loving now, but I wonder if the approach..
Step 1. Become fast with DSC on
Step 2. Become faster with DSC off
might not be better for me as a novice?
Any comments?
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DSC can be informative, but it can be hard to interpret. The car SHOULD BE constantly slipping. MDM allows competitive slippng, but I'm not sure that full DSC does and will kill the slides needed for speed. You need to allow the car to rotate under braking in some really tight corners and the rear wheels need to slip a little in acceleration. So, I don't think that DSC is going to help you.
I've noted that the learning curve for drivers that have good car sense is not extremely steep. The fact that you were picking up big gobs of time tells me that you have a feel for the car and dynamics.
Tell me this, when you had DSC on, what most often caused it to trigger, acceleration or cornering. If it was acceleration, then you have a problem common to many hot-shoes, you're jumping on the gas too soon or two fast. You have to roll into the gas pedal to allow weight transfer to the back wheels before you get to full throttle. If you jump on it and nail it right as you pass the apex, then you're likely to spin the wheels and lose time. If the rear steps out, then you gave it way too much. It should feel like it's slipping in the car, but people watching shouldn't be able to see the tail wagging or any slip.
BTW, don't practice heel-and-toe at every stop. That just wastes the clutch. I'd suggest doing it for every corner where you need to downshift. If you do that all the time, then you'll get good at it. Doing it on the street, where you're driving at 50%, isn't the same as doing it at speed on a track or AX course, but it'll be helpful.
Dave