Sports car 2008...the plan!
- Thread starter rossyl
- Start date
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You can rent an Elise from them, I think...rossyl said:
Don Palmer is also highly recommended.
I have done a skid control day, which I have found invaluable. They put you in a car on a trolley frame and simulate every possible scenerio you'll encounter on the road and how to counter-act it. It proved incredibly useful when I encountered ice, on a lane, all the way down a very long hill, with an 8 foot drop on my right. Changing down gears made the car slide, deacceralting made it slide. Basicly any weight change caused it to slide but this course taught me loads about skids and weight control. I crawlled down the hill in first, having gone down the gears - 3rd, slide, 2nd, slide, 1st, slide, corner, slide. Was a proper heart in the mouth moment.
After you've done that I suggest going on a trackmaster day to understand racing lines and fast car control - teaches you to plan ahead and anticipate the road. They make you think 2 corners ahead.
You should be able to do either of these at any race track, but I do suggest the skid control first. Speed is nothing without control!
After you've done that I suggest going on a trackmaster day to understand racing lines and fast car control - teaches you to plan ahead and anticipate the road. They make you think 2 corners ahead.
You should be able to do either of these at any race track, but I do suggest the skid control first. Speed is nothing without control!
rossyl said:
Ahhh, I have fond memories of my "i'll have a decent car when i'm 25 plan" unfortunatly unless I want to be living with my parents for the rest of my life its going to have to remain a what might have been. anyway enough of my self pity
IMO just get some driving experience in whatever car you happen to have then go for it. Just because you have a car that does 0 to 60 in 5 seconds it doesn't mean you have to do it the first day you own it. If you take your time to learn the car before exproring what the pedel on the right can do then you'll be fine.
Associate
I am suprised no one has suggested taking an advanced driving course. Some useful sites are:
Advanced Driving, Driver Education and Road Safety unbiased information site
The Institute of Advanced Motorists
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
HPC - High Performance Advanced Driving Course Relevent for your sports car
An interesting diagram to guage advanced driving skill levels http://www.advanced-driving.co.uk/adr/skill_level.php
This type of training will be far more useful then track day training. After all I take if you will be driving your car on the public roads the majority of the time.
http://www.ridedrive.co.uk/article-appropriate.htm This is an interesting diary of a sceptic who went on an advanced driving course after buying a TVR Cerbera. Makes for an interesting read.
Advanced Driving, Driver Education and Road Safety unbiased information site
The Institute of Advanced Motorists
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
HPC - High Performance Advanced Driving Course Relevent for your sports car
An interesting diagram to guage advanced driving skill levels http://www.advanced-driving.co.uk/adr/skill_level.php
This type of training will be far more useful then track day training. After all I take if you will be driving your car on the public roads the majority of the time.
http://www.ridedrive.co.uk/article-appropriate.htm This is an interesting diary of a sceptic who went on an advanced driving course after buying a TVR Cerbera. Makes for an interesting read.
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Associate
See Ollie's post above. For £85 on a skill for life package from the IAM you will get a 10-12 week course covering all aspects of your driving, from in-town to fast A road and everything in between. This will also give you an advantage when it comes to track days/ skid pan days etc, as the decent understanding of car stability/weight transfer you pick up with IAM gives you a head start.
Associate
Have you done the IAM test Goliath, or anyone else for that matter? If so what were your thoughts?
P.S Did you own another focus before the RS?
P.S Did you own another focus before the RS?
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![[TW]Fox](/data/man-of-honor/2009.png){kind=avatar}
Associate
Ollie's Gadgets said:
Yes, I'm an observer for IAM. People have a tendency to think of it as a "Pipe & Slippers" job (and there is a little bit of this if i'm honest) but i found it incredibly useful when i took the test. I thought beforehand that i was a pretty good driver (who doesn't
) but realised pretty quickly that i had an awful lot to learn - i still do. If you drive for satisfaction and enjoyment then it's well worth it. Depending on your group you can meet some pretty interesting characters, i spent a sunday a couple of months ago driving with one of the senior driving instructors for the Greater Manchester Police advanced driving school, he was just about the best driver i've ever been in a car with. Yup, lady Goliath still runs around in my 1.6 LX.
Associate
Which IAM group do you to belong to? Fox do you intend on teaching new members when you or an observer or are you just doing it for the qualification?
I take it you like the focus then Golliath
I am just about to get one myself. Deciding between 1.6 and 1.8 engine, not sure if the performance gain is worth the extra cost. Any thoughts?
I take it you like the focus then Golliath
I am just about to get one myself. Deciding between 1.6 and 1.8 engine, not sure if the performance gain is worth the extra cost. Any thoughts?
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Soldato
the amount he loses in depreciation,even if he sells the car within 1 year/6 months could be dwarfed by the increase in value his chosen plate will appreciate by.[TW]Fox said:You must really want other drivers to know your name if you'd buy a brand new car and suffer all that depreciation just to get a private plate
of course this does depend on what demand for that particular plate is.
it could actually be pretty good business sense IMHO.
Associate
I am not convinced getting involved in number plate speculation is exercising good business sense!
Soldato
it's not speculation if the DVLA sell you the plate for the usual few hundred quid as ANY name on a plate will change hands for considerably more than thatOllie's Gadgets said:I am not convinced getting involved in number plate speculation is exercising good business sense!
Soldato
you're right it does of course depend on the initial purchase price...but in many cases the initial sale price tends to be a lot lower than when the plate changes hands between private buyers.[TW]Fox said:
Associate
Ollie's Gadgets said:Which IAM group do you to belong to? Fox do you intend on teaching new members when you or an observer or are you just doing it for the qualification?
I take it you like the focus then Golliath
You could say I'm fond of them
It really depends on your mileage - the 1.8 does give a reasonable extra wedge of power (99bhp for the 1.6 - 113bhp for the 1.8 - these figures are for the mk1). However the 1.8 has a reputation as a drinker, and a lot of people who've driven both have said there isn't much to choose between them. I can say the 1.6 is still a hoot to drive, it likes to rev and the chassis is so good you soon learn you can carry a lot more momentum through the twisties than most
Hit up the Ford Focus Owners Club if you want more info - a lot of helpful souls there and a quick browse of the forums will probably answer most of the questions you have.
Thanks a lot guys IAM seems an excellent idea and cost sensible.
I have been thinking about car costs etc, and may have to scale down a bit for the £20k. However, I am sure I will be able to sort something out, be it slightly older or whatever!
Sorry to be a pain, but do you mind taking the private plate debate to another thread.
I have been thinking about car costs etc, and may have to scale down a bit for the £20k. However, I am sure I will be able to sort something out, be it slightly older or whatever!
Sorry to be a pain, but do you mind taking the private plate debate to another thread.