to a performance driving noon going straight to the race track would be like
going straight to Vegas on your 21st birthday hey yo babywho's ready to party you're probably going to make
bad decisions lose all your money and be forced to take a powerful dose of
antibiotics
but there's a solution a skid pad the skid pad is like so many and 21st
birthday at a local pub with a two drink limit and a 2 pm last call the skid pad is a
safe place to learn some self control before you unleash a party animal at the
strip and that's what we're talking about today babe on the Racing Line
so what is a skid pad used for the skid pad is used for measuring cornering grip in
terms of lateral geez the higher the number the more grip the car has it's
also used to test the effects of suspension adjustments away from the
variables on the racetrack but the most important use of driving the roulette
wheel of racing is learning so what can the skid pad teach you weight
management skid control training your eyes hands speed foot control and how to handle a
spin the skid pad is the easiest place to take your car to the limits and
beyond in a safe and consistent environment so let's get started first
let's start with what's called steady-state cornering approach to limit
by smoothly adding power until the car wants to run wide of the circle
then back off a little bit to hold the line and that's all there is to it
now while holding a searing steady just a little bit of power the car will run
wide then back off a little bit and the car will come right back to the line now
he's off the gas and brake lately presto less understeer why is this when you
accelerate in the front gets light it has less grip when you back off the throttle
and brake lightly the front has more load and it gets more grip and your return right to
the circle you've just experience the magic of weight management the pedals
had more to do with where you're going then the steering wheel now try giving
the car way too much gas the tale comes out and wants to spin what's this
oversteer oversteer correct with the wheel so counter steering the slide once the
rear tires gain grip turn the wheels back line as quickly as you can correct
catch and recovered and remember if you're trying to catch a slide stay away
from the pedals
they only make it worst and finally what happens if you do spin and there's no
way to recover hit your breaks hard until you come to a stop and if you're driving a
manual get the clutch into so you can keep the car running and get out of
there before that pack of cars barrels down on you now the skid pad is an
effective way to tune your car from the track and that's what we're going to
talk about on today's Tire Rack minute from the door sticker on this Cadillac we see
that they recommend 35 pounds air pressure in the front and 35 pounds in
the rear and good handling cars tend to understeer a little bit of the limit
like the cts-v but small adjustments can change all that
let's put fifty pounds there in the back tires this Cadillac and see what happens
with the higher rear pressure the car feels completely different
the rear end is loose and it now wants to overseer at the limit and why is that
by over inflating the rear tires we've essentially stiffen the rear suspension
reduced the size of the contact patch and made a rear less forgiving which
results in oversteer many tires will lose grip if they're just a few pounds
off and that's one of the many simple adjustments can be made to affect the
handling of the car so what have we learned today
driving in circles is more useful than it sounds so before you hit the poker
tables over at Mandalay Bay try some free online games first before you hit
the race track get to a skid pad and hone your car control skills so on that
note skid responsibly driving enthusiasts and we'll see you next time
on the racing line
he's good steak house or waffle house holder stares out we do it in North
Georgia
from the