Well, I thought i might try to improve my driving skills. I've had the nsx for a few months now. I have zero (other than your average driver) driving skills. What would be a good introductory way to improve my ability to use my nsx without beating the car to death? My previous ride (to judge where my driving skills were honed) has been with a 1975 fj40, and the top speed on that bad boy is about 65 MPH... I live in phoenix, AZ. I've tried coming out of a few corners hard when the streets are empty, and managed to lose control a couple times...
question for a neo-tracker
- Thread starter peiserg
- Start date
Find and enter some Driver's Education events which are open to the public in the Phoenix area. Check with clubs like PCA, BMWCCA as well as private enterprises who put these things on. Check the schedules on various track's websites to see who has reserved the track and on what dates.
Get yourself into a school like Panoz, Skippy B, Bondurant, etc., or contract for private instruction. DAL Motorsports has two Panoz Racing School instructors who are also NSX owners on staff (present company is one of them), and we can be contracted to provide private high performance driving instruction here in Dallas, where we have two tracks to teach on (Motorsport Ranch and Texas Motor Speedway).
We can also work an arrangement where you do a one-day racing school with the Panoz Racing School at TMS (in the Panoz GT-RA school cars) along with a second day of 1-to-1 instruction in your NSX (or you can rent a street NSX through us for the day).
In other words - you need seat time in a controlled environment with an experienced driver coaching you. However you make that happen should be a function of your budget, ability to travel, and desire!
EDR
Get yourself into a school like Panoz, Skippy B, Bondurant, etc., or contract for private instruction. DAL Motorsports has two Panoz Racing School instructors who are also NSX owners on staff (present company is one of them), and we can be contracted to provide private high performance driving instruction here in Dallas, where we have two tracks to teach on (Motorsport Ranch and Texas Motor Speedway).
We can also work an arrangement where you do a one-day racing school with the Panoz Racing School at TMS (in the Panoz GT-RA school cars) along with a second day of 1-to-1 instruction in your NSX (or you can rent a street NSX through us for the day).
In other words - you need seat time in a controlled environment with an experienced driver coaching you. However you make that happen should be a function of your budget, ability to travel, and desire!
EDR
Another good introductory option is an autocross type event or car control clinic.
Basically, you go to a large parking lot with some cones and do various exercises, i.e. skidpad, braking, p-curves, slalom, etc., until you work up to a full autocross course.
You won't get out of 2nd gear, but you will learn the basics of car control. I think it would be an excellent precursor to a driving school.
Check with your local autoxers (SCCA, etc.) and BMWCCA for such events.
Basically, you go to a large parking lot with some cones and do various exercises, i.e. skidpad, braking, p-curves, slalom, etc., until you work up to a full autocross course.
You won't get out of 2nd gear, but you will learn the basics of car control. I think it would be an excellent precursor to a driving school.
Check with your local autoxers (SCCA, etc.) and BMWCCA for such events.
When I started out, I tried autocross and was disappointed - mostly because it just didn't offer enough seat time. Killing an entire day for 3-5 slow-speed runs taking 1-2 minutes each just didn't do it for me. Once I tried my first HPDE event, which typically offers 80-120 minutes of high-speed driving per day, I was hooked.
I would add to Eric's great advice but it's pretty complete. There are local groups that conduct track events in different parts of the country, so you'll need to ask around for those in your area. Check the schedule for Arizona Motorsports Park and see who holds HPDE events there. I see NASA holds an event next month, and they have a good reputation for HPDE events as well as competition races.
I would add to Eric's great advice but it's pretty complete. There are local groups that conduct track events in different parts of the country, so you'll need to ask around for those in your area. Check the schedule for Arizona Motorsports Park and see who holds HPDE events there. I see NASA holds an event next month, and they have a good reputation for HPDE events as well as competition races.
With zero driving skills, I'd go the autocross route before doing DE events. The idea being that you want to be able to get a good feel for the car dynamically and start a feel for how much traction the car has w/o the greater potential for damage associated with a DE event. In fact better yet, with permission, find a big empty parking lot, set up a few cones and do some skid pad testing. I think the biggest priority is to become very familiar with the car and develop your senses - seeing, hearing, and feeling. Maybe water down the skid pad area to boot.
AX is definitely a little lacking in seat time - my biggest gripe. But if you're fortunate they'll have some "Fun Runs" after the event (in my region, one run for a dollar) which will give you more seat time.
Driving instruction is a great idea. Perfect practice makes perfect and someone who knows what they're doing will go a long way in helping you develop.
AX is definitely a little lacking in seat time - my biggest gripe. But if you're fortunate they'll have some "Fun Runs" after the event (in my region, one run for a dollar) which will give you more seat time.
Driving instruction is a great idea. Perfect practice makes perfect and someone who knows what they're doing will go a long way in helping you develop.
Ponyboy said:
I have mixed feelings on this. I typically find three types of people:
1. Those who have had no autocross experience prior to trying road course driving, and learn with no preconceived notions on what works and what doesn't.
2. Those who have had autocross experience, and use their prior knowledge of vehicle dynamics and car control to augment their road course learning and as a result, do really well - their learning curve is a lot less steep.
3. Those who have had autocross experience, but just think that because they can drive like a madman in a parking lot full of cones means that they can instantly drive like a madman on a road course full of cones and just never manage to "get it" and figure out why the soccer mom in the BMW 5 Series wagon is always catching up to them.
In other words, autocross is useful to help understand vehicle handling, chassis weight transfer, braking technique, under/oversteer correction, etc., but these skills do not map directly to road course driving. The concepts are the same, but their application is somewhat different.
If you try autocross first, understand that you're goal is not necessarily to "go fast", but rather to learn about your car and how it behaves when driven close to the limit of the tires. Take that knowledge along with a good amount of book smarts to your first DE and you could have a better time.
Just don't think that because you are an autocross king that you can jump into the advanced groups at a DE. A recent two-time national SCCA autocross champion in his class is a fellow instructor of mine at Panoz, and he will be the first one to tell you that most people need to throw a good bit of their autocross experience out the window when learning road course driving techniques.
EDR
In the two day C-licence-trainings here (I've done 2 with swiss auto clubs at Hockenheim) they do both: auto-X-like situations with cones (ending with a whole auto X track) and the GP track learning section by section, later with driving the whole circuit (usualy the short course). I liked the combination and guess I learned a lot.
The only problem with auto-x's and the NSX, is the NSX's tall 1st gear!!!! Unless you are on a course that is over a min in length on a large lot, plan on driving your NSX is 1st gear the whole time!
My suggestion is this; since you have "little" high perf skills, DON'T start with your NSX! Buy a CRX or a Miata etc, and do a year with auto-x's and move up from there. Most of us when we started, did NOT start with a car like the NSX, Most like myself took baby steps. I did a few years auto-xing with an eclipse, and then went to road courses 3 years with an Integra GSR, and then 2 years with a Turbo Integra GSR, before starting to push my NSX on the track.
My suggestion is this; since you have "little" high perf skills, DON'T start with your NSX! Buy a CRX or a Miata etc, and do a year with auto-x's and move up from there. Most of us when we started, did NOT start with a car like the NSX, Most like myself took baby steps. I did a few years auto-xing with an eclipse, and then went to road courses 3 years with an Integra GSR, and then 2 years with a Turbo Integra GSR, before starting to push my NSX on the track.
T-Bell: At least with my 6speed I was in 2nd gear nearly the entire auto X course - enough torque to spin the rear wheels - who needs more? Okay, maybe the cones where not as narrow as you're used to have.
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