[V8] The Ultimate Drivel Machine.

[Mark Rosenkrantz]

One of my students driving an AWD German car on the ice and snow said to me,
and I quote:
"My ineptitude was EPIC."

After I stopped laughing and telling him that was my new Facebook quote, we
made him a better driver!

And there's the rub.  I beat all of the Audis one year on a timed course
(including 2 slaloms) in my Escalade EXT (on studded snows).  It's about
technique in hustling a car.... not letting the car hustle you!  The scary
thing is that I would've been faster in my S4.  Driver training is the #1
thing you can do to improve safety and "the capability of the car."

People get hooked on AWD vs. FWD vs. RWD techniques.  I break it down this
way:  Yes, there are some subtleties, but it's all about managing 4 contact
patches with weight transfer.  All AWD provides is the ability to better
accelerate the chassis, but does nothing for braking and turning (initial
turn in where understeer typically occurs, for example).  In fact, some AWD
systems (think trucks) hurt turning ability of the chassis.

Driver training!  Personally, I plan on having my 2 year old son running
Microds at age 5.  No joke!
Even the most experienced drivers can use coaching and training.

Mark

On Fri, Mar 26, 2010 at 12:06 PM, Danton J.A. Cardoso
<djacardoso at gmail.com>wrote:

> Well done... and since when does a German car "suck in the snow?"
> Dedicated snows and steelies, for the win.
>
>