First Camaro 6th Gen Wrecked

[FATTBoss]

Fixing a front skid requires the driver to do a few things that are counter-intuitive. Natural response is to brake, and if already braking to brake harder, and add more steering. Both are wrong.

If your are braking and steering and your are understeering you need to soften pedal pressure, even with ABS, and take steering out to regain grip. You also need to look where you want the car to go! If you notice in the video, he stares right at the wall while adding steering.

Once you start dialing back the steering pay attention to the car's path. When the path tightens up, and without adding more pedal pressure you can begin slowly adding some steering input back in as long as the car doesn't begin pushing again. He could have fixed it if he had been paying attention to his driving and not giving commentary.

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[Blacksheep]

^this. Learned that in an autocross event with an instructor drive-in. Shaved 6 seconds my very next lap. LoL.

 

[Free Agent]

You don't counter steer when you're understeering, but at the same time dialing in more steering won't make things better.

Bottom line, you can make any car understeer. He went into the corner carrying way too much speed.

Stupid mistake, but he realizes that and admits it in the video. He's not my favorite 'journalist' but he's not the worst guy in the world.

I'm no track maven, but I've had the same situation on ice/snow in RWD vehicles before. I've had a car understeer (push), given it some counter-steer (or maybe I should say reduced steering input???) and accelerated (gassed it) made a correction (to oversteer) at least close back to my line I wanted to take. Again, I am not a twisty track person. I may have done the exact same thing he did but the few times I've had similar break loose situations, counter-steering has gotten me out of it. Whatever he did wasn't right plain and simple. Who knows, I may have done the exact same thing although I am very hesitant to carry too much speed into a corner. Hope that makes sense, again I know many of you fellas are the twisty track type of guys. I will defer to your experience.

 

[OppoLock]

I'm no track maven, but I've had the same situation on ice/snow in RWD vehicles before. I've had a car understeer (push), given it some counter-steer (or maybe I should say reduced steering input???) and accelerated (gassed it) made a correction (to oversteer) at least close back to my line I wanted to take. Again, I am not a twisty track person. I may have done the exact same thing he did but the few times I've had similar break loose situations, counter-steering has gotten me out of it. Whatever he did wasn't right plain and simple. Who knows, I may have done the exact same thing although I am very hesitant to carry too much speed into a corner. Hope that makes sense, again I know many of you fellas are the twisty track type of guys. I will defer to your experience.

Sounds like you went from understeer to power-on oversteer, then you added counter steer once the car rotated. The car changed cornering attitude so that works. But if you're understeering and there's a barrier coming your way, and you're just carrying too much speed, adding throttle might be a bad idea and could put you into a four wheel slide. The best thing to do was outlined by the user above: you want to reduce speed without overworking the already-overworked front tires, meaning smooth inputs of reducing throttle and/or adding smooth brake input. I get what you're saying though. you just don't want to be understeering toward a barrier and adding opposite lock since that'll put you nose first into it.

 

[Free Agent]

Sounds like you went from understeer to power-on oversteer, then you added counter steer once the car rotated. The car changed cornering attitude so that works. But if you're understeering and there's a barrier coming your way, and you're just carrying too much speed, adding throttle might be a bad idea and could put you into a four wheel slide. The best thing to do was outlined by the user above: you want to reduce speed without overworking the already-overworked front tires, meaning smooth inputs of reducing throttle and/or adding smooth brake input. I get what you're saying though. you just don't want to be understeering toward a barrier and adding opposite lock since that'll put you nose first into it.

Thanks. You phrased it much better. I should have said reduced steering input instead of counter-steer previously. I am always very hesitant to take too much speed into a corner/turn on roadways as I figure I will run out of skill much quicker than the car runs out of grip. Guess there is a reason I stick to the 1/8 and 1/4 miles tracks. Thanks for the clarification.

 

[Jim968]

Fixing a front skid requires the driver to do a few things that are counter-intuitive. Natural response is to brake, and if already braking to brake harder, and add more steering. Both are wrong.

If your are braking and steering and your are understeering you need to soften pedal pressure, even with ABS, and take steering out to regain grip. You also need to look where you want the car to go! If you notice in the video, he stares right at the wall while adding steering.

Once you start dialing back the steering pay attention to the car's path. When the path tightens up, and without adding more pedal pressure you can begin slowly adding some steering input back in as long as the car doesn't begin pushing again. He could have fixed it if he had been paying attention to his driving and not giving commentary.

This is 100% correct and very clearly and concisely stated. Everyone should read this, understand it and ideally practice it in a safe location. This technique WILL get you out of trouble.

 

[Norm Peterson]

This is 100% correct and very clearly and concisely stated. Everyone should read this, understand it and ideally practice it in a safe location. This technique WILL get you out of trouble.

Which really means you learn these things when you're on the track, either because your instructor tells you they'll work and has you try them or you have an "ah-ha" moment all your own when you try them and find that "hey, this works". You do need to be driving hard enough to actually feel them working, which isn't likely in any street driving environment.

Even when you know they'll work, you may find yourself having to consciously tell yourself what to do after a lengthy interim of street-only driving.


Norm

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