In article >,
pws > wrote:

> BTW, how often do you max out your car, and where are these stretches of
> road where there is no other traffic, no wildlife, and no police speed
> enforcement to worry about?

In case you actually wanted to know:

In the Missouri Ozarks (Mark Twain National Forest). No cops, no
traffic, no houses, no intersections for miles. Critters are an issue at
night, so I only play in the daytime. I don't "max out" anything; I
always leave enough reserve to deal with surprises. Perhaps my setup has
more reserve grip than most--that's one of my goals--or perhaps I'm more
familiar with just how much is left, thus comfortable with using more of
the expendable part. If I squeal the tires, it means I made a mistake
and had to use some of the reserve. That's bad form, and doesn't happen
often.

When I started paying attention to how much throttle I was actually
using in corners, I was startled that it was rarely more than 50%. You
don't need much power to go fast, you just need to plan ahead and not
use the brakes much. I hardly ever go over 80 mph.

FWIW, I was autocrossing successfully over 35 years ago. Nothing magical
about it, cars are simply tools with predictable behavior. Anyone with
motivation and opportunity can learn technique, it just takes
instruction and practice. You also need to know when and where NOT to
drive fast.

And yes, my timing is advanced...I like the snappy response in town.

---
Lanny Chambers
'94C, St. Louis
http://www.hummingbirds.net/alignment.html