Can anybody recommend any good driver improvement days ?

Status
Not open for further replies.

Fr0dders

Fr0dders

Fr0dders

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
Posts
33,470
Location
West Yorks
Ive had the vectra nearly 8 months now, and ive been "exploring" its handling and performance from time to time, and a couple of times ive overstepped its limits. Thankfully however, when thats happened ive had the traction control on which has slapped me back onto the road.

But what id really like, is to be able to take my own car to airfield day, and get some proper 1:1 tuition on what its like to drive past the cars limits, with plenty of run off space and no crash barriers to worry about.

Ive heard a couple of these types of days been talked about before, but they've been make specific run by the owners club. The VXR forum doesnt offer anything of this kind, but if somebody can recommend one who might host a club day, i reckon i could get a decent ammount of people together.
 
The Car limits and Don Palmer tuition days are highly rated, but, quite expensive.

I had an airfield trackday at Elvingon (with Javelin Trackdays) I added 2x 20min tuition sessions at an extra cost of £35. The Open Pit type format gives you unlimited tracktime to allow you to build up your speed and find the limits in a nice safe environment.
 
Rather than learning more skillz to drive even faster on public roads you could take it as indication that you need to calm down a bit?
 
[TW]Fox;13836209 said:
Rather than learning more skillz to drive even faster on public roads you could take it as indication that you need to calm down a bit?
Click to expand...

Perhaps, but don't close the thread just yet, as I'd like some ideas so that my car control on track can be increased :D
 
To be fair, I'm not sure the Vectra VXR's limits are all that hard to over-step. If it's nearly as bad as Clarkson showed it to be on Top Gear, brisk cornering could see you understeering into a field.

Clarkson probably exagerated the matter and I doubt it's all that bad in real everyday driving, but even so, from what I saw on TV, the understeer was pretty catastrophic by any measure.
 
[TW]Fox;13836308 said:
Apparently Clarkson is a liar and the Vauxhall Vectra is an absolutely astounding car.
Click to expand...

according to Evo it is :D

OP, assume your going already to VXR owner only day? surely thats ideal?
 
To be fair Evo gave the VXR a good review and I would take their word over Clarksons. If you like Clarkson put any car on full lock and nail the throttle with traction control off a FWD is going to understeer and a RWD is going to oversteer and I can't see how that proves a car can handle well or not.

I wouldn't mind having a go in VXR back to back with a ST220 to see what the difference although they are not a common sight at garages for a test drive.
 
Last edited:
I think you need a car that responds to driver inputs if you want the driver to be able to make a difference :P
 
True but then if you turned up in a Talbot Horizon and expected it to break down but only the doors fell off, that would suprise you as well. Maybe the expectations were through the floor?
 
[TW]Fox;13836209 said:
Rather than learning more skillz to drive even faster on public roads you could take it as indication that you need to calm down a bit?
Click to expand...

I dont think any of us buy performance cars to go round driving them like miss daisy. This is the first performance car ive really owned, and the reason ive had the TC save me is because i went into the corners too fast

i agree i needed to slow down for those corners, but how much by ? thats why id like to go on car handling day, to better learn how to drive under the car limits, but crucially as close to those limits as possible, whilst still being safe.

Moeks said:
Clarkson probably exagerated the matter and I doubt it's all that bad in real everyday driving, but even so, from what I saw on TV, the understeer was pretty catastrophic by any measure.
Click to expand...

its not.

He disabled all the traction controls and the active dampers. Its no supprise it understeered like that when he turned all electronic aids, and ploughed into a corner with full lock and full power on with a 255bhp front wheel drive car.

As others have said, the rest of the motoring press (top gear magazine included) praised the VXR. Dont get me wrong, its no BMW perfect handling machine. But its nowhere near as dire as the programme made out.
 
[TW]Fox;13836614 said:
True but then if you turned up in a Talbot Horizon and expected it to break down but only the doors fell off, that would suprise you as well. Maybe the expectations were through the floor?
Click to expand...

Fox

I'm comming to the RR in May. Assuming you're comming, i'll give you a passenger ride and proove to you the handling isnt as bad as the programme made out.
 
MrLOL said:
Fox

I'm comming to the RR in May. Assuming you're comming, i'll give you a passenger ride and proove to you the handling isnt as bad as the programme made out.
Click to expand...

Passenger rides at RR days to demonstrate handling don't end well when they invovle me, are you sure thats a good idea :p
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom