Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

While i was going down the pacific highway today, it suddenly struck me that anyone can barrel down a straight road, but it'll take considerable skill to be able to handle corners and turns quickly (like hairpin turns :) ). Not to mention, avoiding dangers which may suddenly arise on the roads too (like something falling off the back of a truck which is in front of you).

Are there any places which teach advanced driving techniques near brisbane? I've always felt that i don't have sufficient driving knowledge to make full use of my car...

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/139174-driving-techniques/
Share on other sites

There are still a few track days and things you can sign up for, but the govt is slowly cutting motorsport off at the knees. Get in, learn something and have some fun before they ban everything that doesn't require you to wear a cardigan.

http://www.sdt.com.au/SDTMAINMENU.htm

Try them. It really is best to do the basic course first then move your way up. They have courses at Mt Cotton and Willowbank.

*cough* shameless plug *cough* :P

But yeah agreed, SDT are the shiz :)

You suck at driving and you bought a skyline? Wish i had that much money to waste on a 4wd conversion to my 34 :no:

Cornering techniques is 5% theory and 95% practice, go find a nice windy drive and do it again and again until you can corner smoothly and within the white lines. (back road to springbrook, the somerset dam road, or mt coot-tha are nice starters) Then go to a queensland raceway track day or something to practice your cornering at higher speeds, and this is where your 5% theory comes in to maintain the racing line of least g-force and least decelleration.

I believe mt cotton driving school still offers a defensive driving course, but any "drifting" as a result of such teachings have been banned outright, and as a further consequence there is really nowhere legal in QLD to learn how to control a car that ISNT in control.

Find a way to get better at driving that's to your liking, and i suggest you use a $1k junker, not your damn skyline :thumbsup:

ring your insurance company, they'd have a list of defensive driving places.

i know some insurance companies actually provide this type of stuff to their members with discounts on their yearly insurance price.

AAMI I think it is actually use holden out at Jacobswell for their defensive driving stuff here in brisbane/seqld.

You suck at driving and you bought a skyline? Wish i had that much money to waste on a 4wd conversion to my 34 :D

Cornering techniques is 5% theory and 95% practice, go find a nice windy drive and do it again and again until you can corner smoothly and within the white lines. (back road to springbrook, the somerset dam road, or mt coot-tha are nice starters) Then go to a queensland raceway track day or something to practice your cornering at higher speeds, and this is where your 5% theory comes in to maintain the racing line of least g-force and least decelleration.

I believe mt cotton driving school still offers a defensive driving course, but any "drifting" as a result of such teachings have been banned outright, and as a further consequence there is really nowhere legal in QLD to learn how to control a car that ISNT in control.

Find a way to get better at driving that's to your liking, and i suggest you use a $1k junker, not your damn skyline :P

Id personally still suggest the courses before that... As its controlled conditions, peoeple can tell you what to and not to do, and give you advice. Bit hard to do that once your sliding off the mountain edge. Just my educated oppinion tho.

The drifting thing btw hasnt been resolved as yet. Basically atm Joel is too busy with all the highschool stuff between now and the end of the year to do much about it, so early next year hopefully it all gets sorted quite quickly.

But yeah SDT FTW!!! (yes shamless free plug!)

Id personally still suggest the courses before that... As its controlled conditions, peoeple can tell you what to and not to do, and give you advice. Bit hard to do that once your sliding off the mountain edge. Just my educated oppinion tho.

i never made a suggestion to slide on mountain roads :P

i never made a suggestion to slide on mountain roads :P

Never said you did mate... But if he knows his driving skill might not be up to scratch (which is mighty good of him to say, as most people are far to proud to admit it much less do anything about it) then say you go round a corner, front wheels hit some small pebbles bit of a slip, panic lock up = slide = off side of mountain = hurt car, person, or worse. I'm a little anal about it, but I dont want to see anymore people die litterly infront of me on the roads because they think they can drive.

Yea, maybe i should attend some defensive driving course first, then start practicing on some wide open area or something. I have no problem keeping to my lane on windy roads, but its the 180 hairpin turns and 90 degree corners which i have no confidence in (like that route up to natural bridge cave at gold coast).

I'm also pretty new to FR cars, as i have always been driving FF cars (although i haven't been doing any serious cornering to really feel the difference yet).

I'll check out SDT for the time being ^_^

Take up karting.

Good fun and you learn the basics of control.

Either that or track days.

But really, im sure a really advanced driving course would be best. I have done plenty of track days and am semi competitive at local kart racing, but I still dont consider myself a good driver. I would like to do a real advanced driving course where you have to control an out of control vehicle in adverse conditions.

I have no problem keeping to my lane on windy roads, but its the 180 hairpin turns and 90 degree corners which i have no confidence in (like that route up to natural bridge cave at gold coast).

Oh yes,that road...well do I know it,and several others in the border ranges.The main driving technique to remember is if you can't see around the corner,which is often the case,assume there's something nasty there.Yes,I am speaking from experience.These back roads can be lots of fun but are NOT race tracks.A judicious "lack of confidence" ain't such a bad thing at times.Save the "cornering practice" for when you have clear visibility and you'll be fine.If you already know this I apologise for lecturing but it's amazing how many people forget something this basic.

PS. As an example of the "experience" try entering a blind hairpin corner,on a motorbike,on the side of a mountain,with no barrier,and being confronted with a loaded logging truck coming the other way.Twas interesting.....

PPS. Am going to check out SDT myself.Could do with a tune up.

Take up karting.

Good fun and you learn the basics of control.

Either that or track days.

But really, im sure a really advanced driving course would be best. I have done plenty of track days and am semi competitive at local kart racing, but I still dont consider myself a good driver. I would like to do a real advanced driving course where you have to control an out of control vehicle in adverse conditions.

We actually had some guys do the advanced course the other day (3rd time doing it) and they decided they were going to go back and do the basic course... So in all honesty whats best is start off with the basics (braking, vision, basic cornering) then work your way up. As if you can't get them right what hope do you have at getting the rest right.

(this isnt aimed at you turbo tim, just old mate, a lot of advanced courses are based on that you have done the basic ones first)

Sideline Motorsports (http://www.sideline.org.au/) runs a great driver training day out at Mt. Cotton once or twice a year. It is cheap ($160) and covers pretty much everything from autokhana, to road course, to skid pan. I find that the sidline motorsports instructors have a really good attitude.

We actually had some guys do the advanced course the other day (3rd time doing it) and they decided they were going to go back and do the basic course... So in all honesty whats best is start off with the basics (braking, vision, basic cornering) then work your way up. As if you can't get them right what hope do you have at getting the rest right.

(this isnt aimed at you turbo tim, just old mate, a lot of advanced courses are based on that you have done the basic ones first)

Yeah no worries. I Just remember back when I got my licence I was told by the instructor to think about doing a course, but dont worry about the basics as you should know most of it to pass. Wierd idea on his part.

I would love to do a course like that, but unfortunately work only pay for them for certain staff :laugh:

Yea, these training programs look good! I'll probably attend them during the summer or something to learn a thing or two about car control.

One thing though, i don't understand why everyone is so against the HICAS system. I'm cornering much better with it!

I tried to organise a driver training track day but didn't have the numbers. Now that there are many more people in the track day group I may try again next year. Might post an expression of interest.

On the HICAS side, it was put there for the everyday driver to feel good cornering. For the hard core racer it makes the tail end feel loose and interfers with your perception of the traction limit. By the nature of its operation it messes with the settings in the rear end.

Like everthing in mtorosport there is not one answer that suites everyone. I'd say if it makes your cornering feel better its a good thing, if it makes you feel uncertain about whats happening in the rear end then put in a locking bar.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • Back again. I returned to Japan in Jul/Aug to spend time with the car on my birthday and remind myself what all the sacrifice and compromise is for. It happened to line up with the monthly morning meet in Okutama, which I have been wanting to go to for a long time. It's a unique event at a unique spot with really rare, interesting, and quirky cars. It's where all the oldheads and OGs gather. The nighttime scene at DKF certainly has its place and should be experienced if you're into cars, but there's too much bad attention and negativity around it now. IMO the better time is Sunday morning at DKF or Okutama; it's more chill and relaxed. I'm glad I was finally able to go, but not sure it's worth the drive from all the way from Nagoya immediately the day before, unless I was already staying in Tokyo for the days right before the meet, because you have to wake up quite early to make it in time. Funnily enough though I didn't drive the car all that much this trip because it was just too damn hot. While there were zero issues and running temps were nominal and the A/C was strong, RBs already run crazy hot as it is. Sure, it took it all like a champ but something about driving these cars in the ridiculous heat/humidity bothers me and makes me feel like I'm asking too much of it. I'm just me being weird and treating the car like a living thing with feelings; I'm mechanically sympathetic to a fault. Instead I was mainly driving something else around - a KX4(silver) 2001 X-Trail GT, that I acquired in May. There's a few different flavors to choose from with Xs, but visually it's the Nissan version of the Honda CR-V. Mechanically it's a whole different story as this, being the top-trim GT, has an SR20VET mated to a four speed auto and full-time AWD! It was a very affordable buy in exceptional condition inside and out, with very low mileage...only 48k kms. Most likely it was owned by an older person who kept it garaged and well-maintained, so I'm really happy with how it all worked out. It literally needs zero attention at the moment, albeit except for some minor visual touch-ups. I wanted something quirky, interesting, and practical and for sure it handily delivers on all three of those aspects. I was immediately able to utilize the cargo and passenger capacity to it's full extent. It's a lot of fun to drive and is quite punchy through 1st and 2nd. It's very unassuming -in the twisty bits it's a lot more composed than one would think at a glance- and it'll be even better once I get better tires on it(yes, it's an SUV but still a little boat-y for my liking). So...now I have two golden-era Nissans in silver. One sports car and one that does everything else; the perfect two-car solution I think👍 The rest of the trip...I was able to turn my stressed brain off and enjoy it, although I didn't quite get to do as much as I thought. I did some interesting things, met some interesting people, and happened into some interesting situations however, that's all for another post though only if people really want to know. Project-wise, I went back to Mine's again to discuss more plans and am hoping to wrap that up real soon; keep watching this space if that interests you. Additionally, while working in the tormenting sweatbox that is the warehouse, I was able to organize most of the myriad of parts that my friend is storing for me along with the cars, and the 34 has a nice little spot carved out for it: And since it can get so damn hot in there, that made it all the more easy to remove all the damn gauges that have mostly been an eyesore all this time. Huzzah. I was standing there looking at the car and said 'f**k it'. The heat basically makes the adhesive backing on the gauge mounts more pliable to work with, so it was far less stressful getting this done. I didn't fully clean it up or chase the wiring though; that will happen once I have the car in closer possession. Another major reason to remove all that stuff is to give people less reasons to get in my car and steal s**t while it's being exported/imported when/if the time comes, which leads us to my next point... ...and that is even though it's time in Japan is technically almost up since it's a November car and the X would be coming in March, I'm still not entirely sure where my life and career is headed; I don't really know what the future looks like and where I'm going to end up. I feel there's a great deal of uncertainty with me and as a result of that, it feels like I'm at a crossroads moreso now than any point in my life thus far and there are some choices I need to make. Yes, I've had some years to consider things and prepare myself, however too much has happened in that time to maintain confidence and everything feels so up in the air; tenuous one might say. Simply put, there's just too much nonsense going on right now from multiple vectors. Admittedly, I'm struggling to stay in the game and keep my eyes on the prize. So much so in fact, that very recently I came the closest I ever have before to calling it quits outright; selling everything and moving on and not looking back. The astute among you will pick up on key subtext within this paragraph. In the meantime I've still managed to slowly acquire some final bits for the car, but it feels nice knowing there's not much left to get and I'm almost across that finish line; I have almost everything I'll ever want for my interpretation and expression on what it is I think an R34 should be. 'til later.
    • Thanks for that, hadn’t used my brain enough to think about that. 
    • Also playing with fire if they start to flow more air down low than what the stock twins can. It's not even up top you need to worry, it can be at 3000rpm and part throttle and it's getting way more flow than it should.
    • Any G40/1000 or G40/1250 results out there?  
    • You still want a proper tune on the stock ECU though. Stock tune + stock ECU with GT-SS/-9s is probably playing with fire if you're running more than stock airflow/power.
×
×
  • Create New...