desireable handling traits

[alistairolsen]

I have always taken pleasure in driving cars with a good suspension setup where you have to use all of the power all of the time, I find it rewarding and spend quite abit of time fiddling with geometry and tyre pressures and stuff.

Conversely, chips solution to a car with imperfect handling is another couple of hundred horepower to keep things entertaining, he seems to enjoy having a car that constantly tries to kill him and sees it as a challenge.

Which do you prefer, hitting that apex perfectly and feeling like part of the car, or getting home still alive and full of adrenaline?

[RobJenko]

im with you on this one ali, i prefer a car to handle spot on with as near a perfect suspension set upand can use everything you got all the time. i like it to be a bit "predictable" so i know when im hitting a corner at speed that it'll hold the line, pull through nice and without trying to kick its arse out and drag me into a ditch.

[alistairolsen]

see I like the fact that my nova is tail happy. Its still predictable, but you have to be "on it" all the time as its unforgiving. Its not fast by any means, but its fast enough to be rewarding.

[lee303]

i like a car that demands your full attention to get the most from it, but nothing too skittish, although i'm sure some would say my nova is 'skittish' at times its actually not that bad, very direct and you cant take too many liberties, but if i'm just cruising its a pussycat
my old man had a 3.6 911 turbo, one of the older ones with no PASM or four wheel drive, and that could catch you out very easily when it came on boost, but again if you were on it it was ok, cant stand cars that sort it all out for you though, just boring!

[spanishfly]

i like a car that demands your full attention to get the most from it, but nothing too skittish, although i'm sure some would say my nova is 'skittish' at times its actually not that bad, very direct and you cant take too many liberties, but if i'm just cruising its a pussycat
my old man had a 3.6 911 turbo, one of the older ones with no PASM or four wheel drive, and that could catch you out very easily when it came on boost, but again if you were on it it was ok, cant stand cars that sort it all out for you though, just boring!

[DaveC_]

Kinda got the best of both worlds.

The BMW is very predictable and planted. Takes quite a bit of aggression to make it step out of line. Its got nearly 200bhp but is really smooth and quiet.

The nova however understeers like hell if its wet , likes to get the arse out if you lift off. It rattles your teeth on every bump.

Cant really say what i prefer lmao

[Lugy]

handling any day for me, no point in having lots of power if you dont get to use it all the time. plus living up here you get used to having to turn corners lots (something missing from englandshire really) so it kinda makes sense

fun is not in a straight line IMO, hence why i dont really get drag racing

[cambridge]

I'm not fussed if a car handles badly, aslong as its predictable and is bad with consistency as you can then drive round that or make use of it for having a laugh.

the VX is a nice compromise as its a good day to day car you can drive at normal pace without having to think much. But wind it up a bit and it requries attention to make the msot of it etc

[chip]

For a fwd car, its ALL about precise handling and predicatability IMHO

For a rwd bit of fun, far too much power for the chassis, and the back end coming out all over the place trying to kill you is a good giggle.

So it all depends on what the car is and what it is used for.

So, i'm firmly in both camps on that one, if you had ever driven my old mini track car, you'd have found it to be exactly what you want from the handling of a car I suspect Ali, so please dont go labelling me as someone who isnt interested in cars that go round bends like you've done here, Ive had pinsharp handling fwd cars plenty of times and thoroughly enjoy them, although sadly trackdays now arent as much fun in them as they used to be due to all the bans on overtaking mid bend, which makes a good handling but not especially quick car quite frustrating to drive on track at most trackdays now IMHO.

[Johnny A]

For a rwd bit of fun, far too much power for the chassis, and the back end coming out all over the place trying to kill you is a good giggle.

Great fun, I like my carlton to do this and be planted too.

although sadly trackdays now arent as much fun in them as they used to be due to all the bans on overtaking mid bend, which makes a good handling but not especially quick car quite frustrating to drive on track at most trackdays now IMHO.

Depends where you go, Castle Combe (which I admit is one of the only ones I have been too) is bad for this, and thats why I come to watch but not to enter.

Marham on the other hand only caters for the more serious driver (no chavs or loose cannons) and doesn't have any rules about passing on corners, no matter how tight or open. I seem to remember passing someone on a very tight 140 ish degree corner with the back end out (round the outside) last April there.... gave him a little shock lmao

[chip]

Great fun, I like my carlton to do this and be planted too.



Depends where you go, Castle Combe (which I admit is one of the only ones I have been too) is bad for this, and thats why I come to watch but not to enter.

Marham on the other hand only caters for the more serious driver (no chavs or loose cannons) and doesn't have any rules about passing on corners, no matter how tight or open. I seem to remember passing someone on a very tight 140 ish degree corner with the back end out (round the outside) last April there.... gave him a little shock lmao

Pretty much all the proper tracks have these rules on the general trackdays, and castle coombe are very strict about it on their action days in particular, which is a shame as thats the only track near enough to me to not be a bit of a mission getting up early enough etc.

[DaveC_]

Knockhill put cones out so its single file through the corner lmao

Does stop you passing someone but it also stops tits thinking they can outbrake you and taking you out.

[chip]

Knockhill put cones out so its single file through the corner lmao

Does stop you passing someone but it also stops tits thinking they can outbrake you and taking you out.

Some of the knockhill days on youtube were legendary!

I guess its an inevitable side effect of the number of people doing trackdays now, when I was first doing them over a decade ago, there just wasnt the same number of "newbies" doing it all the time, and the rules were far less strict, shame really as back then you had much more opportunity to enjoy your cars handling without others getting in the way so much and you not allowed to pass them etc.