Braking....What is/should be taught?

[Tom Helvey]

It's not that hard though.
Teach students how brake in a straight line with hard (but smooth) initial pressure.
Once they've gotten that down, teach them how to gradually release braking pressure as they're turning in.
Explain when they should use the technique and when they shouldn't.
Maybe point them at Ross Bentley.

[LUCKY DAVE]

It's just my opinion, but releasing students to drive big tracks when trail braking is still "too complicated" for them to understand is releasing them too early.

PS "Snowy" and "blizzard" aren't the same thing.

[Jad]

Back at you Dave,

I agree, it would be great for everyone to drive everything and learn BUT our students are newbies, in one car, that 90%+ of the time is a newish Porsche with PSM, ABS, etc, etc.

I don't feel you can teach anything to a new driver in a GT3 at the school that will help them drive a box truck on ICE. In fact, just the opposite. They will think they can trail brake as it works in their car, so they MUST know what they are doing. There are oblivious to the fact that it is the nannies driving and when the nannies are not there, very bad things will happen.

I am 100% for having an old car and teaching these techniques if you can make that happen. But I think you are fooling yourself and the student trying to teach them these advanced techniques in the cars that are actually showing up at the PCA schools.

[LUCKY DAVE]

Jad, unfortunately everything you are saying is true.
I've said this in the past, and it bears repeating: If I were the Czar of PCASDR (I'm not) ALL teaching would occur in a fleet of ugly but mechanically sound 944s that the club would contract with Tim to source and maintain.
Then we could actually teach the students something in a driver friendly momentum car that would instantly reveal faulty technique and mistakes.
It's nice to dream.....

[Jad]

Wait, did we actually come to a civil mutual agreement in a discussion on an internet forum???

I don't think that has happened before on the internet. To learning in old 944's!

[Tom Helvey]

PS "Snowy" and "blizzard" aren't the same thing.

Heh, spend a couple winters in the midwest, Snowy roads can be much worse.
That 16,000 lb ten year old U-Haul isn't going to stop any faster, and it sucks at rotating. Much worse if the road crew didn't know how to pack it.
It's all good, glad to see convergence. It would be interesting to see a fleet of 944's driving in green and yellow.

[LUCKY DAVE]

Wait, did we actually come to a civil mutual agreement in a discussion on an internet forum???

I don't think that has happened before on the internet. To learning in old 944's!

Great! Now lets talk politics/religion/favorite band