I want to go to a track some time soon but since I'm a student and the closest track to me is in Iowa and I will still need to do a class before that I wont be able to go any time soon. And any advice about going to a road course near me would be nice ANY it doenst matter what the advice is. But, in the mean time I would like to go to big vacant parking lot and improve my driving skills a bit. What would you suggest doing to learn a bit more about my car? And what can and can't i do in the car without hurting the car. I get nervous even burning out and doing donuts because it seems like i could be hurting the car. So any advice on what i should do to go to a road course, what to do in a vacant lot to improve driving, and what I can and cant do without hurting the car would be greatly appreciated!
sorry for the long post

 

Go to a local autocross event. They should be cheaper and closer than a full track day since you are on a student budget. Plus the speed you will be going will be slower than on a road course, since you are just learning.

 

Self-improvement is tough because you have no way of gaging how you are doing. No accurate timing. I still like an open parking lot with 2 pylons in the rain. Figure-8s are a great way to test the limits of you and the tires


Autocross is inexpensive (about $30). Generally autocross is low speed but very technical. Your regional forum is a great source.


Open road racing comes in various shapes and sizes. The most popular is HPDE (High Performance Drivers Education). Generally you drive with a instructor in the passenger seat.

Solo competition racing is limited because its dangerous as hell to put a dozen novice racers on the track at the same time. Few if any clubs will do it. An alternative is the Time Attack, or a timed lap where you are the only vehicle on the course. Again check your regional forum.

 

Probably the best way to improve driving is by driving, but for the long gaps between your autocross/track events, you can learn a lot by reading about high performance driving (many books available, such as Going Faster by Danny Sullivan).

Also, it may sound silly, but play Gran Turismo 4 with the logitech driving force pro wheel. Get gold medals on all the license tests. It really helps. And when you get back from the real track, and play GT4 again, you might notice you're better at GT4.

 

Some people may laugh, but this is advice I have used and benefitted from. Autocross will teach you sooo much about how to handle your car at speed, even though it's generally under 60mph. I practice often on XBOX to stay fresh, using PGR2 and Forza. If nothing else, you learn good lines and when to brake- both very important concepts.

 

Thanks a lot. So you do use your e-brake when racing? Is that hard on your car, such as drifting and even doing such things as donuts? Is any of this hard or bad for your car?

 

E-brakes aren't really appropriate for autocross or road racing. You can adjust the car's attitude better with weight transfer via throttle lift-off, trail braking, throttle control, etc. Those work for drifting too, but the E-brake is an option for drifting. Supposedly it works well to initiate a drift on cars with a VLSD. I tried the E-brake drift initiation for the first time a couple weeks ago and it worked ok. Definitely not my preferred initiation method though- it's a personal thing, whatever works best for your driving style. Feinting worked good for my wife when she tried it, but she was unable to muster a good power-over (no *****- that's good though)
Track days are very hard on the car, esp. brakes and tires. Drifting is bound to break something eventually, esp. if there are walls, other cars, or light poles anywhere near you. Look at any drift machine- it's like the automotive equivalent of a meth user.