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Old 9th April 2007, 18:19   #76
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Dear Mr.RKS,

let me first start by saluting you for your enthusiasm. it is indeed rare to find gentlemen of your age who are so enthusiastic about motorsports / fast driving.

We have in the past raced Maruti 800's on the track. although the car is not based on the Tall boy concept there have been a fair number of cars which unfortunately seen the world upside down. Needless to say, but I will mention it anyway, the cars were fitted with roll cages which is not only a safety feature but goes to stiffen the chasis thereby reducing flex and improves handling too. The cars are also kitted with race suspensions which are extremely stiff and last but not the least, the tyres used are of a compund different to that which is used in road cars. Apart from this certain components are beefed up in order to deal with the constant abuse they are put through. The equipment on normal road going cars can only withstand a certain amount of punishment after which the weakest link will snap leading to mayhem.

Having skill is only one of the factors. One needs to identify the limits of the machinary in order to ensure that one does not land up in a hospital or worse. Driving on a race track is a totally different ball game. The equipment (cars / bikes etc.) are exposed to sudden directional changes. Some of the equipment is built to cope better than others. In my personal opinion equipment with higher CG is not. I am not saying that it is impossible to drive around the track safely in a Santro / Innova / Wagon R etc. etc. what i am trying to stress upon here is that you have to know the limitations of the machinary in order to avoid a disastrous situation. As long you keep this in mind you will not only enjoy the experience but will want to come back for more. Things sometimes go wrong faster than you can ever imagine. I would request you to keep this in mind whether you are out on the road or on a race track.

With regards to your rims, due to the offset your track has increased but please remeber that this is only putting additional stress on all the other components. You might not experience the negetive after effect of this excercise immediately, but it is bound to happen sometime in the future. Please take care. With regards to wider contact patch by mounting the same width tyre on a higher "J" gap, please remember that in effect you have actually stretched the tyre to sit on a wider rim. This will also cause complications in the future and will actually hamper the way the tyre actually is supposed to work.

I am not an expert and have only quoted the above based on personal experience. You are senior to most of us in age and qualification and i respect that. However the above is for your personal safety.

It's always better to be safe than sorry.

Drive safe.

Last edited by Sideways : 9th April 2007 at 18:24.
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Old 9th April 2007, 18:20   #77
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Quote:
Originally Posted by v1p3r View Post
Actually I meant asking Mcl to drive defensively is like flogging a dead horse. Ain't nothin gonna change what happens.
... and i thought i smelt rubber burn yesterday too after the small meet that we had...
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Old 9th April 2007, 19:38   #78
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@Sideways, thanks for a very informative post. I am a driving enthusiast who would have liked to try my skills on a race track, but never had the resources or the time for the job. It is good not to get carried away and remember the limitations of the equipment as well as the fact that even a superb road like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway can never be as safe as a race track for speeding.

And @Navin, thanks for your concern -- I will keep in mind that there are limitations that have been established via Elk test.
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Old 9th April 2007, 22:39   #79
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Quote:
With regards to wider contact patch by mounting the same width tyre on a higher "J" gap, please remember that in effect you have actually stretched the tyre to sit on a wider rim. This will also cause complications in the future and will actually hamper the way the tyre actually is supposed to work.
Very true. Effectively, the side walls are decreased & they will not be in a position to do what they are supposed to do correctly which could easily result in loss of control.
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Old 14th April 2007, 22:10   #80
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Here are some videos i found on youtube of a tallboy car drifting and sliding:




Last edited by DCEite : 14th April 2007 at 22:11.
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Old 14th April 2007, 22:42   #81
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Those are neither drifts nor slides. They are just J-turns and handbrake turns which every 13 year old pulls when he first discovers the handbrake. It's not merely the Wagon R that's unstable here, it's also the guy who videographed this. And he hasn't 'prooved' anything yet. Except an absolute lack of (spelling) sense.
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Old 14th April 2007, 22:45   #82
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would have been fun if the guy actually ran over the videographer. lol!!

although I'm surprised the tarmac J's dint topple or ruffle the car up. not even a lifted wheel. with the amount of tyre squeals it could also be that the guy was running a set of worn out tyres with 0 grip.
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Old 14th April 2007, 22:47   #83
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They're stock tyres, man. What do you expect? I've done this in Santros and Wagon Rs a lot, and there's no hint of instability. These speeds and forces are peanuts compared to what you experience on track.
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Old 15th April 2007, 00:28   #84
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vid6639 View Post
would have been fun if the guy actually ran over the videographer. lol!!

although I'm surprised the tarmac J's dint topple or ruffle the car up. not even a lifted wheel. with the amount of tyre squeals it could also be that the guy was running a set of worn out tyres with 0 grip.
he is not going fast enough to flip it, should write a comment asking him to try that doing about 80kmph
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Old 15th April 2007, 21:02   #85
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Nothing special with that Wagon R stunt. There was no drifting whatsoever. And you can do that J turn with any tallboy design car.
By the way I've seen oil tankers drift better than that (ask James Bond, Casino Royale).
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Old 15th April 2007, 21:40   #86
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sideways View Post
Some of the equipment is built to cope better than others. In my personal opinion equipment with higher CG is not. I am not saying that it is impossible to drive around the track safely in a Santro / Innova / Wagon R etc. etc. what i am trying to stress upon here is that you have to know the limitations of the machinary in order to avoid a disastrous situation.

As long you keep this in mind you will not only enjoy the experience but will want to come back for more. Things sometimes go wrong faster than you can ever imagine. I would request you to keep this in mind whether you are out on the road or on a race track.
Now if somebody requires more explanation, i have it.Pplease stop driving!! coz somebody is harmful to him/her self
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