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PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:41 am
by Barnaby
James wrote:
Someone else on another forum wrote:
rear wheel drive if you slide and you lift off it will correct it but front wheel drive is the oposite, lift of on a fwd car in a slide and its going to go full circle on you.

Advance driving instructors drive BMW's most of them and there rear wheel drive and if this is the info they have given you then its false and when (touch wood you dont) lose control and you lift of and it all goes wrong you can thank your advisors for there misleading advice.



The majority of people I am chatting to on another site (no, its not PH) are all saying you need to power out of an oversteer motion on a FWD. If this is the case that is certainly something I have never been told.. not sure whether to be surprised or not to be honest.


hi, this has been mentioned to me as well, before i had my car set up would get oversteer (on the track). was chatting to chap at track day with racing mini, he told me if you loose the back keep the power down and it should be alright. seems to make sense to me, having the front wheels pull you in the general direction your planning to go.
haven't had chance to pratice that tho, had my suspension sorted so now just get understeer (really bad in the wet).

Cheers
Barnaby

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:15 pm
by jbsportstech
James wrote:Yes :oops:



Oh that clears that up then...

Shouldn't you been on the VXR forum talking about how to get more power out of the engine for the already over worked diff. Like you fellow members do you think that the stig (aka ben collins) can't drive along with vicki butler henderson and there is a conspiricy in the motor press to put the vauxhallvxr range down when really they are best hot hatches money can buy, when really they are just over powered un engineered cars that don't match up to competion?

Did you see 5th gear the other day when they had the astra vxr nurburg ring edition against a standard (225bhp) focus st not a montune model (265bhp) version and it was still faster round the track.

Trade it for a cvic type r, golf gti or a focus st anything but vxr IMO. You do less spining and more going.

I have just spent the weekend in a astra 1.8 sri and the lack of feel or any feedback through the wheel was unreal for a performance model. I was moaning about my passat relaiblilty issues but I was glad to get it back after the astra.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:55 pm
by jont
jbsportstech wrote:
James wrote:Yes :oops:

My dad's bigger than your dad :P

:roll: Why don't you go and argue on one of the other forums if you're worried about cars inadequacies. I think James (Vauxhall) is quite happy with his choice of car - if James (Ford) doesn't like it, does it really matter?

I thought this was a discussion forum about *drivers* anyway.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 1:45 pm
by jbsportstech
Yes admittly these types of arguments are normally owners forum 'fodder' but James (Vauxhall) has done the my vxr is more powerful than your vxr thread with his talk on dyno runs so that make some think he is of that mentality that he would take car with torquesteer and issues coping with the standard output and he would make it worse so as someone who takes their driving seriously that doesnt suggest a good mindset to me.

I used to love the old mk3 cavalier sri it was the only car I wanted when I was 17 my dad had a mrk 2 and 3 sri and then vauxhall ruined their hot hatches with the vxr range.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:05 pm
by Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
jbsportstech wrote:Yes admittly these types of arguments are normally owners forum 'fodder' but James (Vauxhall) has done the my vxr is more powerful than your vxr thread with his talk on dyno runs so that make some think he is of that mentality that he would take car with torquesteer and issues coping with the standard output and he would make it worse so as someone who takes their driving seriously that doesnt suggest a good mindset to me.

James is one of the founder members of this forum. You seem to know a lot about people you've never met, given the short time you've been here ... :roll:

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:12 pm
by zadocbrown
James wrote:
Someone else on another forum wrote:
rear wheel drive if you slide and you lift off it will correct it but front wheel drive is the oposite, lift of on a fwd car in a slide and its going to go full circle on you.

Advance driving instructors drive BMW's most of them and there rear wheel drive and if this is the info they have given you then its false and when (touch wood you dont) lose control and you lift of and it all goes wrong you can thank your advisors for there misleading advice.



The majority of people I am chatting to on another site (no, its not PH) are all saying you need to power out of an oversteer motion on a FWD. If this is the case that is certainly something I have never been told.. not sure whether to be surprised or not to be honest.


Buy yourself an old pug and see for yourself. The tricky thing is they will understeer initially, but if you lift off and add more lock (most people do) the front diggs in and throws out the back end. More fun to drive than most new cars though.

I think the bit about RWD is misleading though. If you've got power oversteer you remove the cause. BUT..... if you lift off too abruptly in a low gear it can be just like putting the handbrake on!

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:16 pm
by jont
zadocbrown wrote:Buy yourself an old pug and see for yourself. The tricky thing is they will understeer initially, but if you lift off and add more lock (most people do) the front diggs in and throws out the back end. More fun to drive than most new cars though.

Indeed :D
Image
(yes, that was entering the bend from the RH side of the photo).

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:19 pm
by zadocbrown
Did the camera man survive?

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:23 pm
by jbsportstech
Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:
jbsportstech wrote:Yes admittly these types of arguments are normally owners forum 'fodder' but James (Vauxhall) has done the my vxr is more powerful than your vxr thread with his talk on dyno runs so that make some think he is of that mentality that he would take car with torquesteer and issues coping with the standard output and he would make it worse so as someone who takes their driving seriously that doesnt suggest a good mindset to me.

James is one of the founder members of this forum. You seem to know a lot about people you've never met, given the short time you've been here ... :roll:


Thats just my 'two pence worth'..

Putting us back on topic :arrow: In my mind it comes down to one or a conbination of the following:

1) Driver error be it course steering, lift oversteer etc ( although unlikely at 20mph if james is correct in his speed estimation)
2) Poor road surface and possible ice, diesel or other contamination.
3) The cars suspension setup, tyres condition and possible under or over inflation.

My apoligies.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:27 pm
by jont
zadocbrown wrote:Did the camera man survive?

Yup, and he's survived worse (I soaked him twice in one event a few months later - it had been snowing that night too! :lol: Haven't got any digital copies of that print though).

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:29 pm
by Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
That's a very fetching baseball cap you're wearing there Jon :P

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:30 pm
by jont
Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:That's a very fetching baseball cap you're wearing there Jon :P

It was a beanie, not a baseball cap :P (at the time my hair was rather longer and kept getting in the way of seeing where I was going)

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:32 pm
by Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
Ah silly me - thought the peak was at the back ... :lol:

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:51 pm
by JamesAllport
Of course you need to decide how much store to set by someone's advice if they tell you that all advanced driving instructors drive a BMW, which is complete nonsense.

Are Astra VXRs really that bad at putting their power down? I've not driven one, but the Corsa VXR I've driven a fair bit would take full power on a damp road in second gear with no problem at all.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 3:02 pm
by jbsportstech
not heard anything bad about the corsa vxr and against the fiesta st150 it does stack up but haven't driven one so so couldn't comment. I have driven the astra and know someone who has driven the vectra vxr along with various reviews and tv show shamings.