Learning to Drive.

[Alex.]

Now I have had a driving license for a couple of decades, both car and bike, but 4 wheels have always had a roof and an element of sensibleness about them. The highest powered car I have owned was a 240bhp volvo C70 T5, nice car, nice power but accompanied by a bit of weight.

I realise that while I can pilot a car along a road with sufficient situational awareness and car control, to consider myself a reasonable driver, I do not have the knowledge or finesse to truely drive!

I want to be able to make a car do exactly what I want, when I want it and place the wheels exactly where I want, rather than just driving along a road. To provoke and control rear slides, for example, for fun and also for when it happens unexpectedly.

So, how do we really learn to drive? Is it just a case of playing around on the road (or in a deserted car park) until I get the knack? Or finding someone who knows and picking their brains? Are there courses that can be taken that teach this kind of skill?

Alex.

[DJ.]

Skid control is definitely best saved for off road. There are plenty of courses. My Dad did one at Goodwood.

Alternatively, you can do a Car Limits day at North Weald like the one we are doing in October.

On road driving tuition one to one with an ex police instructor is expensive, but I certainly learned a lot from a one day course.

[Nash]

On road driving tuition one to one with an ex police instructor is expensive, but I certainly learned a lot from a one day course.

A speed awareness course does NOT count as train Duncan!!!

[russtik]

As Duncan suggested the Car Limits day at North Weald is a great and inexpensive way to test the limits of your car handling skills on an airfield with nothing to hit. It’s also good for finding any undesirable handling characteristics your car may have which you can work on further down the line to improve.

https://southernkitcars.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10025

[Alex.]

The Car Limits day at North Weald does seem to be a good day out to explore the limits of a particular car, and I might put my name down on the reserve list.

That day can be used to develop skills and explore limits, but what if the skill set to confidently approach the limits are not there to be developed?

Alex.

[jeffw]

Driver training on a trackday will start to build you skill sets, Car Limits and their like will also help. The bottom line is you need seat time in a safe(ish) environment to understand where the car (and your) limits are.

Sprinting or hillclimbing with teach you loads as it is against the clock so you technique will naturally improve.

[DJ.]

On road driving tuition one to one with an ex police instructor is expensive, but I certainly learned a lot from a one day course.

A speed awareness course does NOT count as train Duncan!!!

Cheeky b*gger!
I've never been able to bring myself to pay the £300 for a one to one driving course, but Honda kindly provided one with my Civic Type R...........it would have been rude to refuse

[greenwoo]

there's varying styles of tuition, a guy that many rave about in some circles does driver training at Millbrook, pretty sure he's done loads with caterhams.....

[leegav]

Part of the fun is and has been learning to drive my car to its limits myself... Whether i go out on a wet day and catch a few skids or whether i do a hill climb or wether its from 10 days in the alps learning from mistakes.
Your limits are only as big as your balls anyway, and your balls get bigger from experience.

Personally i learnt a hell of a lot about my car as a whole and alot about self restraint from my recent antics at shelsley walsh.. I rckon i can drive my car with at least 20% more confidence round corners than i did. And i really realised the massive importance of tyre temp.

Then i went to donnington for a track day in a caterham and learned that my car handles like poop as a comparison.
My advice is;
I agree with jeff...track days, limits days and plenty of time behind the wheel of your own car in an environment where you feel you can push without been unsafe and stupid. Oh and find some big roundabouts near where you live and go round in circles a few times, youl be suprised how fast you can go round before tyre screetch...