RE: Too much understeer (Autox)

[John Ryland <John.Ryland@mail.sscoop.com>]

Shannon,
If it's only your second autox, chances are you could eliminate much of the
understeer by changing your technique in corners a bit. I had the same prob
when I started and also got smoked by lesser cars. Someone once said that
beginner autoxers go too fast in slow corners and too slow in the fast ones.
You're probably trying to go too fast. Also, you might be "trail-braking"
too much (trying to make a sharp turn with your brakes applied.) This leads
to understeer. The rule of thumb is to do all your braking before you
initiate the turn. Then actually begin to accelerate a split-second BEFORE
you turn in. A big swaybar in the back will cause the rear of your car to
break loose more easily, which can help you around corners faster. Some
folks run a big bar in the back and none up front to accentuate the
oversteer. Letting off the gas ubruptly (but not braking) can also bring the
back around in a corner. Learning to left-foot brake is good too. The idea
is that by braking and accelerating at the same time, your car will remain
neutral during the turn. Quite a bit of "modulation" required on the pedals
for this technique.

HTH
John Ryland
78 A3 2.0 Motronic
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