Yes, that headline is correct. XP Vehicles, Inc. is developing an electric-powered car with an inflatable body. The company is still in the early R&D stages, and hopes to have a prototype done this year and begin volume sales in 2010. As with all R&D, I would imagine both of those dates to be pushed back a bit.

The inflatable parts of the car are actually a fantastic idea, so long as issues like puncture resistance and simply being blown away are dealt with (XP Vehicles says they are). The “air bags” are essentially the same bags that have been used on NASA’s Mars rovers, and incorporate the same puncture resistance of tactical SWAT team gloves and doctor’s gloves to prevent accidental stabbing. Sounds like some sort of kevlar type material. XP also says that due to special ballast technology and aerodynamics, the vehicle will not simply blow away once you get above 20 mph. This is a good thing.

The whole package is hoped to be shipped to the consumer in 2 boxes, and can be assembled by 2 adult high school graduates in 2 hours. No timeframe is given for those who have not graduated high school, but it would presumably be a bit longer by the company’s statement. Alternatively, local dealers will (hopefully) have some preassembled for those less inclined to assemble their own car. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve always been a fan of keeping things simple and accessible, so I’ve done you the favor of making this page with links to all our articles on performance driving and The Line.

The Line
The Line, Part 1: The Basics
The Line, Part 2: The Line v. Horsepower
The Line, Part 3: The 3 Stages of a Turn - Turn-in, Apex, Track-out
The Line, Part 4: Accelerating Out of a Turn
The Line, Part 5: Trailbraking
The Line, Part 6: Looking Ahead - The Compromise Corner
The Line, Part 7: Banked Corners
The Line, Part 8: The Double Apex Corner
The Line, Part 9: The Rain Line
The Line, Part 10: The Racing Line
The Line, Part 11: Is There Really Only 1 Best Line?
The Line, Part 12: Is a Clean Line Always Fastest?
The Line, Part 13: The Line and the Street (added June 4, 2008)

Techniques and Maneuvers
The Friction Circle
Understeer, Oversteer, and 4 Wheel Drift
Indepth Oversteer: Different types of oversteer and how to correct them
Threshold Braking
How to Brake in a Corner
Winter Fun - The Pendulum Turn

The first thing to remember is that NOTHING CHANGES WHEN YOU LEAVE THE TRACK. All of the things you’ve learned about the Line still hold true on the street. The only thing different is that because you are going so much slower on the street, you don’t NEED to drive on the line to keep from flying off the road.

The Line IS Useful on the Road
The Line can be useful even on the road. Why? Because it lets you drive a given speed with the least amount of lateral acceleration. This can be useful if you are driving your grandmother around and don’t want to slow down to 20mph at every corner so you don’t scare her. Or if you have a dog and don’t want it to slide around on those slippery leather seats you have. Or if you are moving something, and don’t want your load to shift mid corner. Or if it is slippey and your tires are terrible. Or … just about any other situation you can imagine…

Knowing Line theory is also useful for recognizing how obstacles will changes your line through a corner. If you have to go around a pothole mid corner, that will change how much turning you need to do in the second part of the corner.

Speed Changes Things
Driving the theoretical Line through a corner is much different at 4/10s than at 10/10. At 4/10s, you won’t have the speed or weight shifts due to power/braking to let your momentum carry you through the line. Instead, you will need to let the car drift onto the proper line with steering inputs. While not a 100% faithful representation of what the car would do at 10/10ths, it nonetheless lets you practice finding the right line and, more importantly, analyzing how well you are maintaining the line in question - it lets you practice looking for problem signs EARLY. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, 101 with this post (but this post doesn’t really count). And yes, that does make me the most awesome poster of the Pansy Patrol.

I have a fairly set routine and “curriculum” I use anytime I instruct a student. I follow this routine because I feel it quickly establishes a positive rapport and keeps the student positive, excited and, most importantly, safe. Many clubs advocate a similar approach, with the understanding (hopefully) that racing instructors need some leeway in how they approach each student - there is simply too much going on at 130mph to be able to definitely apply a laundry list of “tips” to every student every time. I think it is beneficial for a student to know what their instructor is thinking, as that can help them make the most of out of their instructor as well.

Establish a Good Rapport
This is the most crucial step. Nobody wants to listen to somebody they don’t like, and that can be a problem if a student keeps entering a corner to fast and early apexing. I use a typical business approach - introduce myself, ask them about their car, ask them about their driving experience, and then go over the basics of what I want them to do and not do. In my experience, most of the people at track days tend to be pretty pleasant to deal with, as we all can bond over our love of cars and going fast.

Many instructors feel that any breakdown in communication leading to an accident or other incident usually has its roots right when you first meet a student. I would agree. Obviously, anything can happen interpersonally as the day develops, but things are always smoother if that good rapport is started right from the get go.

Assess the Student and the Student’s Car
This is the next most important step, as it will directly influence all of the decisions I make and advice that I give. The brand new student with no experience whatsoever gets much different advice than an intermediate student with 15 days under his belt.

Assessing the car is equally as important. I will show the driver of a high horsepower car a power line, and the driver of a Miata a momentum line. It can provide good insight into what to expect from a student. A middle aged man with a stock RX-8 will probably be a little bit more conservative than a 20 year old with a 900 hp Supra. Profiling can have its uses sometimes. I will also ask whether the car is stock, and if not, what modifications have been done. I want to know NOW if there is a gigantic rear sway bar that will make the car tail happy, not when the student goes into a turn too hot. I always ask about brakes too, regardless of the car. If the brakes are stock or not particularly aggressive, I ask the student to tell me IMMEDIATELY if the brakes feel off in any way. I don’t want my student to go for the brakes only to find they aren’t there. Read the rest of this entry »

Virtually every modification I have made to a car has been in the name of increased performance, whether improving power, handling, or braking. A few months ago, in light of ever increasing gas prices, I decided to try something that would help my fuel economy. My 1994 Protege LX, like so many other economy cars, has a very short fifth gear. So short that the engine runs at 3,500rpm when driving at 70mph. If fifth gear were taller and the engine ran slower, the highway milage could be improved significantly.

Read the rest of this entry »

America is currently paying more per gallon of gas than ever before, so here are a few traditional and not-so-traditional ways to keep the cost at the pump as low as possible.

Drive a Fuel Efficient Car
Yes, this seems like a waste of a tip, but your gas mileage will only be as good as your car. A gas guzzling Hummer won’t get the same mileage as a Prius, no matter what you do in either car. But many people don’t realize the gas-sipping gems on the used market. I paid $900 for my used 1996 Saturn SL. While it does everything poorly, it is reliable and I can get 36mpg when I drive it properly. The key is a lightweight car with a small engine. Newer cars tend to be bloated and heavy, which works against gas mileage even with the most advanced, whiz-bang gas saving technology.

Don’t Skip Scheduled Maintenance
A car in tip top shape will be more fuel efficient than a car that is old and falling apart. Things like new spark plugs can improve ignition, letting the engine burn cleaner and wasting more gas. The difference won’t be night and day, but you can often get an extra 1 or 2 mpg after maintenance. You’ll also ensure that your car won’t die on the side of the road, which of course wastes all the gas the tow truck will need to tow your car away.

No Quick Starts
Yes, this is a sad tip, but if you want to get good gas mileage you can’t treat every stop light like you’re the next Fast and the Furious star. Pretend your grandmother is sitting in the passenger seat and doesn’t like going fast. Now take it a step or two back from that.

Keep the Engine’s RPMs in the Efficiency Zone
If you drive an automatic, your car will deal with this on its own. Just give a little bit of gas to slowly accelerate, and the revs will fall where the need to.

If you drive a manual, it is up to you to keep the revs where they need to be. All engines have a rev range where they are most efficient. For most engines, this is between around 1500 RPM - 3000 RPM, although every engine model is slightly different. This means that efficiency falls off when you are higher in the revs but also when you are lower in the revs. Yes, this seems a bit counterintuitive, but trust me on this. Think of it like this: on your bicycle, if you are in the top (fastest) gear, it is REALLY hard to get the bike moving at slow speeds. The same is true for a car engine - this is called “lugging” the engine. This is why dropping a gear to get it into the efficiency zone yields better gas mileage.

So, don’t punch it to redline with every shift, but also don’t throw the car into 5th as soon as you start rolling at 5 mph. Keep the revs in the zone. Read the rest of this entry »