Skid Pan Experience

[Maoilearca]

I took receipt of my GT in July and have been enjoying the sunny weather out on the roads ever since. In fact, I've avoided going out when wet - but this can't last as we progress into an English Autumn/Winter. This brings back to mind all the worries of losing the back end that were filling these pages until recently.

I replaced the rear P-Zeros with two MPSS as recommended by all. But I've also got an upcoming Skid Pan Experience (sounds rude) at Thruxton to hone my 'skills'. So here's the question: for the same price they offer one hour in your own car or theirs. Obviously, it would be best to learn how to handle a slide/drift in your own car, but at what cost to the tyres? On the other hand, a skid pan is hardly as damaging as line-lock - so what would others do? Advice welcome.

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[SteveS]

I imagine you already know about steering into a skid and not stamping on the pedals so i'd say the major benefit would be learning when your own car is about to let go and getting some experience of controlling it.

 

[Gibbo205]

You'll be on a low grip surface so the tyres won't take any real damage or wear at all. Do it in your own car and enjoy it.

Maybe put the Pzero back on, they are better for sliding.

 

[Nookie]

I'd say stick the original P-Zero's back on and use your car.

Will get you used to how the Mustang will feel if you lose it, and won't f*ck up your MPSS's.

I mean... if your going go on a skid pan (+ the probably ensuing skid pants) experience... what better way to get you into a slide/drift in the first place than P-Zero's... and if you can handle them then you should be able to handle anything!

 

[Manders Mustang]

If they can offer you it on a rear wheel drive car, take that. Otherwise you're probably risking all manner of potential mechanical issues, with the probability of wrecked tyres - or just swap the Pzeros on it ;)

 

[Nookie]

you're probably risking all manner of potential mechanical issues

Doubt you'd need to thrash the car enough to raise any mechanical issues.

From what I've read about P-Zero's across many forums you could probably break traction just trying to reverse park the car!

 

[Maoilearca]

Doubt you'd need to thrash the car enough to raise any mechanical issues.

From what I've read about P-Zero's across many forums you could probably break traction just trying to reverse park the car!

P-Zeros are already sold - so it's either on the MPSS' or another car

 

[Manders Mustang]

[MENTION=23824]Nookie[/MENTION] seems about right!!!!

I was mor einfering the drifting; There's a skid plane near where I live and they have drifting on dry surfaces and skid planing over the wet, which; if he's going for an hour or so, could cause some mechanical issues.

Maoilearca - it's totally your choice, ideally it'd be good to learn the car; as the car, even if you chose one of their cars, make sure it's a RWD just so you understand how differently they act ;).

 

[Jimboy2]

I haven't done one before, but do you think you will get much out of a skid pan session? Aren't they more of just having a lot of fun and spending most of the time facing the wrong way? Which would be great fun but will you learn much?
Sounds like a track day would be better maybe?
Whatever you do I would use your own car. No 2 cars act the same IMO so doing it in a MX5 would be nothing like doing it in the Mustang.

What ever you do, have fun!!

 

[MikeR]

John,

I recently attended the Thruxton skid school in their cars, jointly with my newly-licensed daughter. Its a great experience worth every penny IMHO. I had my SRT8 Challenger at that time and considered the learning to be wholly transferable to a heavier more powerful car and a great refresher of the skills you don't often get to practice.

As the surface is on a slope, very low grip and wet, teaching speeds are very low. They use a manual BMW Mini for FWD and an auto Toyota GT86 for RWD and you don't get out of second gear in either vehicle. Excellent tuition and 2-up skid pan experience time, you also learn from observing your car partner and others while you wait your turn. Frankly, except for the obvious FWD v. RWD difference, I'd say it doesn't matter which particular FWD or RWD car you use as the instruction and experience is not vehicle or speed dependent. You don't need much horsepower to break traction on their special surface, its all about learning to control the consequences. In fact, the lower speed is better for instruction and learning purposes. At high speed, you'd likely be calling a recovery truck, body shop and maybe even an ambulance before you had a chance to say "opposite lock".

If you are bothered about loss of Mustang traction in the wet, then why not make use of the snow/rain setting which strangles the throttle response but will still break traction if provoked with a brutal boot-full. Used it myself on a flooded M4 only last Saturday on my way back from the Haynes/Steeda launch.

 

[666mac]

Id use your own car not much point otherwise upside you can have some safe fun

 

[Maoilearca]

John,

I recently attended the Thruxton skid school in their cars, jointly with my newly-licensed daughter. Its a great experience worth every penny IMHO. I had my SRT8 Challenger at that time and considered the learning to be wholly transferable to a heavier more powerful car and a great refresher of the skills you don't often get to practice.

As the surface is on a slope, very low grip and wet, teaching speeds are very low. They use a manual BMW Mini for FWD and an auto Toyota GT86 for RWD and you don't get out of second gear in either vehicle. Excellent tuition and 2-up skid pan experience time, you also learn from observing your car partner and others while you wait your turn. Frankly, except for the obvious FWD v. RWD difference, I'd say it doesn't matter which particular FWD or RWD car you use as the instruction and experience is not vehicle or speed dependent. You don't need much horsepower to break traction on their special surface, its all about learning to control the consequences. In fact, the lower speed is better for instruction and learning purposes. At high speed, you'd likely be calling a recovery truck, body shop and maybe even an ambulance before you had a chance to say "opposite lock".

If you are bothered about loss of Mustang traction in the wet, then why not make use of the snow/rain setting which strangles the throttle response but will still break traction if provoked with a brutal boot-full. Used it myself on a flooded M4 only last Saturday on my way back from the Haynes/Steeda launch.

Thanks MikeR - think I'll go for it, then. Sounds good

 

[MikeR]

John,
If you are looking for a high speed track experience, I can recommend Castle Combe Circuit Racing School who offer individual custom tuition and coaching either in your own car or their school cars. I had a session with them in my previous SRT8 Challenger with the objective of finding and experiencing the cornering capabilities and limits of the car. Huge, HUGE fun with a variety of corner types and chicanes and not too hard on tyres so long as you don't try drifting through the fast corners. You go as fast as you are comfortable with.

Need to fill up just beforehand as its a fast track and single digit MPGs quickly appear on the meter!

 

[Maoilearca]

John,
If you are looking for a high speed track experience, I can recommend Castle Combe Circuit Racing School who offer individual custom tuition and coaching either in your own car or their school cars. I had a session with them in my previous SRT8 Challenger with the objective of finding and experiencing the cornering capabilities and limits of the car. Huge, HUGE fun with a variety of corner types and chicanes and not too hard on tyres so long as you don't try drifting through the fast corners. You go as fast as you are comfortable with.

Need to fill up just beforehand as its a fast track and single digit MPGs quickly appear on the meter!

That also sounds new good - now I've a dilemma. Might I ask how much it was?

 

[MikeR]

It was less than £200 for the instructor and 1 hour of on-track time. The instruction is done in the pits so it was closer to 2 hours elapse in total as the "talk, talk" is static. You do some laps, come in to review, discuss and coach for the next run. Its very tiring focusing on the precise detail of your drive, so an hour on-track is quite enough for one session. There are other cars testing or under instruction on track but the instructor picks the right moment to enter for maximum clear track.

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