hey guys:

so i've been reading a bunch of posts today about wrecks and whatnot, many of which could've possibly been avoided given a greater degree of driver skill. of course nothing is a replacement for official training and practice, but i thought it might be interesting to put in a request for some general rwd driving tips from those of you who have the experience. my '07 stang is the first rwd car i've ever owned/driven, so i would personally appreciate any generaladvice you could offer. so, tell me what you know!

 

if you're in traffic DONT go WOT around a 90 degree turn

and never in the rain

 

Well from my recent wreck. I would say go like 20 under the speed limit when its raining, don't give it too much gas, and if you start sliding like I did, don't hit the breaks, just steer into the drift.

 

I have to say that the Mustang GT I bought 6 months ago is much more "squirrly" in the rain and through the curves then any other sports car I've owned.
I agree with what others have said...slow down in the rain and don't get on the gas.
I posted a thread on the O.T. section about getting to a driving school and if you can't do that, sign up with a friend and go to an Auto-Cross in town.
If nothing else, find an empty parking lot and play with it in the rain.

Best advice I ever got was from my first driving instructor with BMW..."Keep your eyes up off the hood, the car will go where your eyes are looking"
So many people stare about 50 feet in front of their car...look way down field. Try it in a curve...look at where you want to come out...not where you are...you'll see a big difference in your line through the turns.

Jon

 

dont hit the gas when your turning a corner and its raining lol thats all i got

 

Keep you tracion control on in the rain. Don't speed around turns. When at all possible, don;t drive in foul weather.

 

WORDS TO LIVE (DRIVE) BY:

never do more then one of theseat a time:brake, accelerate, turn.

especially in inclimate weather.

think about it...

now if you are on a track, that is different...

 

AND be very cautious when its cold out and theres alot of salt on the road. I learned my lesson last year when I just about put myself in a guard rail.

 

Don't shift into second gear while turning when it is wet. Just go slow around the turn.. or get into second before you hit the turn.. even if the turn is from a stop (at an intersection).

Stepping on the gas in the rain will kick the back end out. v6 or gt.
If the highway is wet, and I floor it.. my *** kicks out to the right. Very predictable.. Just don't floor it in the rain.. that is just common sense.

Eveyone with a RWD car should no how to react when your car fishtails. You should be able to drive your car streight even if you back end is sidways. Similarly.. you should be able to make a turn with your back end trying to lead you.
If you don't feel comfortable with this.. you should learn.. not drive in wet weather... or not drive a RWD car.

It can be lots of fun once you learn how to control this.

 

1) Respect the power you've got under the hood! I think this is so basic but where a lot of people get into trouble.

2) Like others said, be careful of turning and flooring it at the same time.

3) Work on being smooth with your inputs - abrupt braking and cornering causes abrupt weight transfer, increasing your chances of getting caught off-guard by rear oversteer. If cornering and applying gas at the same time, do it smooth (this doesn't neccessarily mean slow, you can be fast and smooth with practice). Also, rev matching on downshifts will reduce the chance of unloading the rear too abruptly.

4) If your car is anything like mine (Brenspeed tune on a Steeda CAI, or even stock), the power doesn't really come on till around 2500-3000 rpms. If it's wet out, I lower my shift points to compensate, and if I go for redline in one gear, I do it in a straight line.