Handling (blog post)

[jcochrane]

So would this précis do?

1/ More braking/slowing.
2/ Less steering.
3/ More power.

[Gareth]

1/ More braking/slowing.
2/ Less steering.
3/ More power.

I very much prefer this summation.

[jcochrane]

I very much prefer this summation.

I like it.

[waremark]

Not sure about the first line...

Whilst out driving with Waremark a few months ago, the point was raised that he wasn't aware of much 'slower in' going on. My reply was that it was 'slower in' than it could be.

But sensible discretion exercised on exit before application of the full available 510 horses.

[Kimosabe]

Thanks to you all for your posts. What I feel I need is more practice with people who are not in a position of having to say whatever the organisation they represent wants them to say.

Thanks quite a summation thread and much of it resonated with my current understanding or feelings.

So would this précis do?

1/ More braking/slowing.
2/ Less steering.
3/ More power.

I remember sitting next to you before I took the IAM test last year and wondering how you managed to get your car to take a bend by barely turning the steering wheel. Then I got an MX5 and things became clearer. Something I have strived to replicate in my driving is the balance you demonstrated. Not quite there yet but it's high on my list of priorities to nail and it's always on my mind when I am driving.

[jcochrane]

Thanks to you all for your posts. What I feel I need is more practice with people who are not in a position of having to say whatever the organisation they represent wants them to say.

Thanks quite a summation thread and much of it resonated with my current understanding or feelings.

So would this précis do?

1/ More braking/slowing.
2/ Less steering.
3/ More power.

I remember sitting next to you before I took the IAM test last year and wondering how you managed to get your car to take a bend by barely turning the steering wheel. Then I got an MX5 and things became clearer. Something I have strived to replicate in my driving is the balance you demonstrated. Not quite there yet but it's high on my list of priorities to nail and it's always on my mind when I am driving.

Glad to hear that things are becoming clearer. Part of the fun in driving is in the effort put into learning and luckily for us perfection seems to be just on the horizon so it always provides a challenge and never becomes boring. A bit like climbing you climb one mountain and standing on the top reveals a view of more mountains to climb.

[Kimosabe]

I've got plenty to work on still but for some reason, one of my main priorities is making it all really smooth. It's all good fun.

I need a few new routes as the ones i'm currently using are looking a lot like the back of my hand. Is there a route submission thread out there somewhere for people to post links to maps etc?

[Carbon Based]

I'm sure that's been asked before and not taken off. I think because good driving routes are a bit like small restaurants. You know them, you'd happily introduce a friend to them but you really don't want them to be too popular in case it ruins them.

Can you make it to the next ADUK day?

Back on topic, that smoothness bit seems a rather good litmus test to most parts of this.

[Kimosabe]

I'm sure that's been asked before and not taken off. I think because good driving routes are a bit like small restaurants. You know them, you'd happily introduce a friend to them but you really don't want them to be too popular in case it ruins them.

Can you make it to the next ADUK day?

Back on topic, that smoothness bit seems a rather good litmus test to most parts of this.

ADUK day: when and where is it? Be great to put faces to names

you're probably right about publishing routes but I'd much rather share some roads with more progressive drivers than mr&mrs fortyish of whom there are many. I'm now venturing into Kent instead of W Sussex as there seems to be more interesting NSLs and so far, so good.

If the seats in my MX5 were more comfortable, I'd probably make it up through Essex and into Norfolk before my knees seize up due to bizarre seating-steering wheel incompatibility, instead of repeatedly circling around the Sussex backwaters. Folk seem to be very superstitious about overtaking tractors in Sussex...

I've definitely become fixated on smoothness but I still can't completely level the MX5 on some bends and occasionally miss judge a rev-blip when changing down. I keep telling her indoors that we need a faster car but being French, she thinks this means a Citroen. work in progress.

[Mr Cholmondeley-Warner]

ADUK day: when and where is it?

Click

[Kimosabe]

ADUK day: when and where is it?

Click

Thanks for the link. I'll have a good read through the thread and figure out if I can make it.

[Kimosabe]

If the seats in my MX5 were more comfortable, I'd probably make it up through Essex and into Norfolk before my knees seize up due to bizarre seating-steering wheel incompatibility, instead of repeatedly circling around the Sussex backwaters. Folk seem to be very superstitious about overtaking tractors in Sussex...

Smaller steering wheel? I did it to my last Mk II development car and it makes a huge difference particularly if you're tall (I'm not especially - I'm more of an Oompah-Loompah with short legs and arms and long(er) body - I changed it to increase steering feel) in terms of hand knee interaction whilst steering.

As I'm guessing you already may know, it's a common MX5 'complaint' from mx5 drivers that the lack of column adjustment (up/down but not in/out) causes unnecessary fatigue. I tend to get stiff knees and lower back after about an hour, despite having a good stretch prior to going for a drive. What I could use is a few inches of adjustment of the wheel towards me. Strange to me that such a wonderfully thought out car would lack such an obvious thing.