SATCAR - Driver Tips

This is a new section of the SATCAR^Ž website. It is being offered as a service to help you understand what it takes to become a more effective performance driver. New information will be added on a regular basis to help you develop your skills.

The information presented in this section is based on an automotive engineering education combined with over 30 years of reading, watching videos, and competing in a wide variety of motorsports. The format is similar to that which has been used to teach (In-car and classroom) at performance driving schools for over 10 years and the information is believed to be accurate. All information should be read with the understanding that driving and racing has potential risks.

FOR THESE REASONS, THE AUTHOR AND SATCAR^Ž MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, THAT THE INFORMATION IS FREE OF ERROR, OR THAT IT WILL MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF ANY PARTICULAR APPLICATION. THE AUTHOR AND SATCAR^Ž EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND OF FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, EVEN IF THE AUTHOR AND SATCAR^Ž HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND EVEN IF A PARTICULAR PURPOSE IS DESCRIBED IN THESE TIPS. THE AUTHOR AND SATCAR^Ž ALSO DISCLAIM ALL LIABILITY FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM ANY USE OF THE EXAMPLES, INSTRUCTIONS, OR OTHER INFORMATION IN THIS SECTION.

The principles which will be discussed are being offered primarily to help you improve your everyday driving skills. They are not designed to make you into a racing driver, even though many are applicable to racing. Most drivers perform adequately under normal conditions. Coping with an unforeseen or unanticipated situation is what creates problems. This is where knowledge, training, and experience pay off. You must have instinctive skills to prevent or minimize a crash.

Reading about the principles or watching a video is not enough. You must practice good habits and procedures. Some of the principles can be practiced in your daily driving. Others may require an empty parking lot or a driving school at a race track to provide the necessary level of safety. In our discussions we will note which items are best practiced in a controlled environment.

Drive with safety as the prime consideration. Do not drive aggressively or race on public roadways.

Over 99% of the drivers in the world initially obtain their drivers' licenses and then seek no further training. They learn what they know from the school of experience. Some of what they learn is good, some is bad. Sometimes they do not learn enough to prevent a serious crash and the resultant injury or death.

In fairness, most drivers get it adequately right most of the time. The problems occur when confronted by one of the "uns": the UNUSUAL, the UNEXPECTED, or the UNPLANNED event. In these cases most drivers are UNPREPARED to react properly. Their responses may consist of a late response, a wrong response, or no response.

Almost all drivers overestimate their skill at driving.

A recent poll of some 1500 drivers picked at random resulted in a response by over 85% that their driving capabilities were above average. Statistically, this is impossible. However, the responses do indicate the magnitude of the problem of overestimated skills.

If you are reading this, I suspect that you are one of the very small percentage of drivers who have an interest in improving your skills at driving. In order to move toward this goal, one must first be honest with themselves about their current skill levels and where improvement is warranted. This is very difficult for all of us. Once you have determined where you are starting, then you can seek methods to move forward.

So then, what is performance driving?

First of all, it is not driving as fast as possible. The following terms are several that can be applied to performance driving. Perhaps you can also think of others.

		Planning Ahead
		No Surprises
		Efficient Use Of The Vehicle
		Rapid Progress
		Concentration
		Low Driver Effort (Minimum Inputs)
		Minimized Risk
		Precision
		Attention To The Details Of Driving
		Mechanical Sympathy
		Knowing Your Vehicle And Its Capabilities
		*Smooth Smooth * Smooth**

How does a driver get to the point where he or she is an effective performance driver?

	After the honest assessment of their capabilities, the driver must seek out and utilize those resources that provide information about the skills. Those resources can include any or all of the following:
			Books
			Videos
			Driving Schools

As with most fields of endeavor, there are good and less good in these resources. It may be difficult for the driver new to performance driving to sort out the most effective for his/her needs. This is where seeking advice from experienced drivers and car enthusiasts is helpful. Many of them will have been exposed to these resources and will know some about what has to be learned. Their advice can be very helpful. Another useful information source will be the resource section of the SATCAR^Ž web site. In this section we will be listing those resources that we feel are among the most useful to you. Also, please feel free to correspond with us at SATCAR^Ž regarding your own driving questions.

In order to effectively control a vehicle and to minimize fatigue when driving for extended periods, the driver must be properly seated. Some vehicles make this task easier by having a multitude of seat, steering column, and even pedal, adjustments to help position your body correctly.

The first adjustment is to the positioning of the seat cushion (the part on which you sit). The front to rear positioning should be adjusted so that the feet can fully depress the pedals without having to reach or stretch the legs or feet.

If the seat cushion also has height and tilt adjustments, the height should be set so the driver eye point is as high as possible without having sight lines blocked by the interior mirror or by the top of the windshield. The tilt should be set so the front of the seat cushion is higher than the rear. This helps to keep the driver planted into the seat and helps to support the thighs, thus spreading the body weight over a larger area. The front should not be raised so high, however, that there is too much pressure on the bottom of the thighs or that the operation of the pedals is restricted.

The backrest angle is next to be adjusted. From a posture and long-term comfort standpoint, the backrest and seat cushion angles should provide a right angle seating position between the upper body and the legs. This may not always be possible due to arm reach or headroom considerations. Therefore, a compromise may be necessary, but try to stay as close to the right angle as possible. If the seat has a lumbar adjustment, inflate or move it to a position that is comfortable and provides adequate support for the lower back. The proper reach to the steering wheel should allow turning of the wheel without pulling the shoulders away from the seat back. A rule of thumb that usually works is to rest either hand on the top of the steering wheel. If the bend in the wrist is at the wheel rim, the distance is about right.

The final seat adjustment should be to the headrest. It should be positioned so that if the vehicle is hit from the rear or crashes rearward into something, the head cannot move rearward far enough to allow the chin to get higher than the base of the skull at the back of the neck. When checking for this movement, be aware that in an impact the head will compress the headrest more than you can by just pushing on the headrest with your neck muscles, and allow for this extra movement. If the vehicle has a tilt steering wheel, the wheel height should be set to a comfortable position while also keeping the driving function factors in mind. The wheel should not be so low that the thighs interfere with hand movements on the bottom half of the wheel. The visiblity of critical gauges and indicator lights must also be considered.

You are now ready to drive at your best!

If you will be spending long periods driving, it may be necessary to make minor adjustments to your position to aid long term comfort.

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