Not sure I can advise on how to get competitive times,
but I have won trophies in both kinds here...
One difference with FWD cars is that the power is
steerable -- it's not parallel to the centerline of the car.
This seemed to me to make the FWD react "more like"
a RWD car than I had at first expected -- power on in
the corners seemed to tighten things up -- up to a point.
Getting the rotation started was the big problem, getting
a car setup that allowed the rear to be thrown around, and
trailing brake to get the rotation going was essential.
My 911 is a RWD car with a significant problem with
power-on understeer exiting a curve. The effect seemed,
again, a lot like the FWD car that was being overcooked.
With the Porsche, it's the big torque vs the light front
end, so you have to get most of your rotation done early,
maybe by induced oversteer early. Like Kevin, I have never
been able to correct the understeer without lifting, which
ruins things, or unwinding, which may not be appropriate.
Again, like the FWD car.
The other effect I feel in a RWD car is the change in suspension
geometry due to throttle. In the Jag and Porsche both, assuming
I have avoided the power understeer, power on hunkers everything
down and greatly increases stick. It seems to be improved camber.
The VW didn't have much camber change in the suspension, the
I beam rear suspension was pretty much perpendiular till the
inside wheel lifted. So I could not feel that effect --
that was a big difference.
The same general approach worked for me in both types --
slow in, rotation early, power on (but not too much) through as
much of the turn as possible. Trailing brake worked in the VW,
risky in the Porsche..that's another difference.
FWIW.
Jerry Mouton mailto:jerry@moutons.org Laissez les bons temps rouler!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael R. Clements" <mrclem@telocity.com>
> So with FWD you would want to brake while turning in order to get the
> car to rotate. By applying the brakes while turning, you're using the
> momentum of the car to induce a bit of oversteer as you enter the turn.
> That would require braking a bit later than you would for RWD. If that's
> what you mean, then I finally understand what "trail braking" is.
>
> My experience with power oversteer in RWD is slightly different from
> what you describe. With the RWD cars I've driven, I find that I can feel
> power oversteer before the rear tires start really spinning. That is, as
> I apply the throttle though a turn, I can feel the power oversteer
> helping to rotate the car, before the car actually slides or spins. The
> hard part is controlling it -- that is, riding the razor's edge between
> just enough power oversteer to help rotation, without letting it turn
> into a power slide.
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