MUKAK

ok here is my question

what is the best thing to do when you spin out at let say 70-80mph on a 6 speed?

ive been pressing clutch and brake in until i come to a complete stop

thanks

Nowanker

On the track, the standard instruction is "in a spin? both feet in"
Depressing the clutch keeps the engine from stalling and/or getting spun backwards
Locking the brakes down stops the car once it's done spinning

63Corvette

What he said

VetteDrmr

It also puts the car on a straight track that's more predictable.

Bill Dearborn

A little more explanation is required with that. We all know from our HPDE classroom sessions that when a tire is locked up and sliding it has the same grip no matter which way the tire is pointed. If a driver locks up all 4 wheels at the beginning of a spin it will continue going in the direction it was going when the brakes were locked. That doesn't mean the car is pointed in that direction since it could be going sideways but it will continue in a straight line from the point the brakes were locked.

Of course surface variables come into play since there can be rough spots in the surface, changes in level, etc. Those can make the car go one way or the other as it slips in the direction of least resistance. The sooner you lock it up the better since if you try and save it the direction the car is traveling will start to change as the car comes around and the rotating wheels start driving it in their direction of least resistance.

It takes very quick reactions to stop a spin once the back end starts to come around. Long time autocrossers, track rats and people who drive a lot on snow/ice develop those reactions but most drivers don't have them. The other side of the problem is if you react and catch the car in time you then have to worry about the car's next reaction. Typically as a skid to one side ends the car pauses and then reacts with a skid back in the opposite direction. To prevent that you have to know when to start removing any antiskid things you may have done at the beginning or you will just go around the other way. That is why you see lots of videos of cars sliding one way and then when it looks like the driver has saved it the car spins in the opposite direction. All of that can be avoided by locking the brakes and riding it out.

Bill

Nowanker

I'm also curious about the reason for the question... Planning ahead for some track time? Puzzled what went wrong during a previous spin?
The best track advice no one ever gave me: When you arrive at a corner and you know you're traveling too fast... keep the car straight and lay the brakes on. Odds are, you'll still be able to make the corner, but with a really slow and crappy line. And if you don't, you'll at least be going slower and straight when you leave the track.
Related advice: it's usually better just to let the car slip gently off the track than to try to save a high speed spin! (just be careful about bringing it back onto the track!)

steve J06

^^ Truth! At one of my first HDPE outings, I found myself doing the quick flip of the wheel like you might see in F1. This was entirely automatic reflex developed over many winters and made me smile for the rest of the session over that one little improvement. Wet days are helpful for practicing this.

RDnomorecobra

seek out track days that have skid pad sessions ...

Apocolipse

OH so THATS why us Canadians are such better drivers on the track than our fellow brothers down south

edge04

I did one and the car had plastic wheels. That was a ton of fun. Although good it really doesn't do anything for a spin out at the speeds the OP is discussing. In that scenario "both feet in"

Bill Dearborn

Could be, could be. Driving in the rain on a track really focuses your senses on what a car is doing. Driving to work and back every day on ice and slush covered roads with other cars all around you can really heighten your focus.


Bill

Supercharged111

Perfect advice in here, and great rationalization. But what concerns me is how often are you spinning? I've spun 3 times in 3 years, and 2 of the 3 were so avoidable I mentally face palmed after the fact. One of them was just a practice day with me and like 3 other people and I just said f it and ended up losing it. The other 2 I actually cared about and 1 cost me about 6 positions in a race. Still chastise myself for that one.

JeremyGSU

As others have mentioned, the first question is how often are you spinning here?

I've probably done 80 track days and I've only spun maybe twice.

I would say back it down a little if you're spinning that much.

But to answer your question. It really depends on how you start spinning on whether you think you can make corrective action or not. As Bill said, spins can happen so fast there is little or no time for correction and two feet in is the best method.

JeremyGSU

Truth.

Point it, steer straight until on track!

And to your other comment I have also avoided turning in early and just kept braking in a straight line until I had slowed enough to make the corner. Makes for a crappy line but better than being out of control.

romandian

weird thing. in driving school they said to lock the brakes. thats what i did. car kept rotating, but went around the corner, i stayed on track. long time ago, im still looking for an explanation.

Crepitus

Banked corner?

romandian

no.

VetteDrmr

Maybe not all four were locked? If the car had ABS that could have introduced some weirdness as well.

SouthCoaster

Honestly I cheat a little, and only go partway on the brake, with the idea that the tires can rotate a bit depending on slip angle and not flat spot, WHICH SUCKS on a non-abs car. I guess in theory you can stop sooner this way, but at the risk of the car moving more unpredictably.

You have to know when to give up on it though, I've saved plenty without going off line much that I wouldn't have before. If you don't have it by the 2nd countersteer, you're probably done. AutoX is a better place to learn your "dirt track" skills at lower speeds and with no cars behind you, play it safe on the track.

Once I decided to gun it partway into a spin to see if I could keep my forward velocity up enough to keep my countersteer working, but the car came around anyways, except it made a giant smoke cloud, and the guy behind me I didn't see probably didn't appreciate driving blind into my lack of talent. Don't do that.

romandian

abs is in a box under the bench.