Is smooth fastest at your local club, or aggressive?
10-19-2011, 02:53 PM
#16
In the shooting world the saying is "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast". It translates pretty well to racing of all forms.
That said, a lot depends on matching your setup to your driving style, and that depends on the track layout.
On a fast open layout, you might get away with a very aggressive late entry that lets you get back on throttle early and narrow off the corner to give you the most options for entry into the next corner. By contrast, on a technical layout, an aggressive entry too often means being off your timing for following corners, resulting in slower lap times.
I would say, on a whole, smoother driving results in lower laptimes due to fewer mistakes that result in corrections. The longer the steering is off-center, the more speed you scrub, so if you find yourself counter-steering or making a lot of steering corrections, you're probably leaving free speed off the timing chart.
That said, a lot depends on matching your setup to your driving style, and that depends on the track layout.
On a fast open layout, you might get away with a very aggressive late entry that lets you get back on throttle early and narrow off the corner to give you the most options for entry into the next corner. By contrast, on a technical layout, an aggressive entry too often means being off your timing for following corners, resulting in slower lap times.
I would say, on a whole, smoother driving results in lower laptimes due to fewer mistakes that result in corrections. The longer the steering is off-center, the more speed you scrub, so if you find yourself counter-steering or making a lot of steering corrections, you're probably leaving free speed off the timing chart.
10-19-2011, 04:14 PM
#17
Tech Adept
interesting thread - in a way
I see the point about mastering both styles point, but it may be easier with this formula 1 analogy. In F1 Mansell was the most aggressive, in-between him and Prost was Senna.
howver, on the grand scale of things they were all smooth drivers. If you are to speak about aggression with the envelope of fast drivers, then that can be defined that dance on the edge of grip, and sometimes step out. The very best always look smooth, when at the same time are on the limits of grip.
Take a llok at a thread called - how to go faster on www.rcracechat.com and you'll hear this point better explained by more eloquent and knowledgable drivers than me.
howver, on the grand scale of things they were all smooth drivers. If you are to speak about aggression with the envelope of fast drivers, then that can be defined that dance on the edge of grip, and sometimes step out. The very best always look smooth, when at the same time are on the limits of grip.
Take a llok at a thread called - how to go faster on www.rcracechat.com and you'll hear this point better explained by more eloquent and knowledgable drivers than me.
10-19-2011, 04:37 PM
#19
When you watch Marc Rheinard (World Champion) race, you can tell when he is smooth, and when he switchs to the aggressive mode to make a difficult pass or something. He has mastered both styles perfectly, but only really gets aggressive when there is a need for it ! I don't know about OTHERS, but Marc is on another level !!!!
10-20-2011, 12:59 AM
#20
Some very good points made 
Once I tried someone elses car and for me, it understeered like crazy and was very smooth on power!
Yet, they could still make the A with it and be just as competitive as anyone else.
My car is lot more responsive on throttle and steering, I like to feel the car doing something when I control it. Yet, I do think by being smoother I would up my pace.
It makes you open your eyes a lot when you see how different people race a different race and that r/c is a constant learning curve, even for me after 16 or 17 years of racing.
Once I tried someone elses car and for me, it understeered like crazy and was very smooth on power!
Yet, they could still make the A with it and be just as competitive as anyone else.
My car is lot more responsive on throttle and steering, I like to feel the car doing something when I control it. Yet, I do think by being smoother I would up my pace.
It makes you open your eyes a lot when you see how different people race a different race and that r/c is a constant learning curve, even for me after 16 or 17 years of racing.
10-20-2011, 05:29 AM
#21
I need to start looking at throttle and steering expo to smooth out my driving style.
I think it will help a little
I think it will help a little
10-20-2011, 05:48 AM
#22
Not sure about throtle expo unless you have some serious horsepower.
But steering expo helped me for sure.
One thing I now do , that's made made me realize how bad I was
, was to use the absolute minimum amount of steering to get around the track, and practice with that. You'll be amazed how often you were in fact overshooting and just steering too much to compensate. That to me is lost cornerspeed. You make three 7-minute runs like that, with you dual rate at 60% or something, then, and only then, you start using a bit more travel. Chances are you'll end up with less throw than before and you'll have gained a few tenths.
But steering expo helped me for sure.
One thing I now do , that's made made me realize how bad I was
, was to use the absolute minimum amount of steering to get around the track, and practice with that. You'll be amazed how often you were in fact overshooting and just steering too much to compensate. That to me is lost cornerspeed. You make three 7-minute runs like that, with you dual rate at 60% or something, then, and only then, you start using a bit more travel. Chances are you'll end up with less throw than before and you'll have gained a few tenths.
10-20-2011, 06:07 AM
#23
Not sure about throtle expo unless you have some serious horsepower.
But steering expo helped me for sure.
One thing I now do , that's made made me realize how bad I was, was to use the absolute minimum amount of steering to get around the track, and practice with that. You'll be amazed how often you were in fact overshooting and just steering too much to compensate. That to me is lost cornerspeed. You make three 7-minute runs like that, with you dual rate at 60% or something, then, and only then, you start using a bit more travel. Chances are you'll end up with less throw than before and you'll have gained a few tenths.
But steering expo helped me for sure.
One thing I now do , that's made made me realize how bad I was
, was to use the absolute minimum amount of steering to get around the track, and practice with that. You'll be amazed how often you were in fact overshooting and just steering too much to compensate. That to me is lost cornerspeed. You make three 7-minute runs like that, with you dual rate at 60% or something, then, and only then, you start using a bit more travel. Chances are you'll end up with less throw than before and you'll have gained a few tenths.Not only did I go faster but also much more consistent with the smoother car, and very few mistakes, I can say I gained a lot by this method, easily a lap faster on average, every time
10-20-2011, 06:52 AM
#24
Racing with foams, on carpet has to be the highest traction one can get whilst racing.
So grip levels are magnified on car "feel".
Slowing down the steering response to get the car going smoother in and out of the corner should help me somewhat and slow down rotation.
So grip levels are magnified on car "feel".
Slowing down the steering response to get the car going smoother in and out of the corner should help me somewhat and slow down rotation.
10-26-2011, 10:18 PM
#25
aggressive driving is always slower than smooth driving style. its the more smooth you drive, the higher corner speed you can get.
this will apply to most of car racing from 1:1 car race to 1:26 rc car race
this will apply to most of car racing from 1:1 car race to 1:26 rc car race
10-26-2011, 10:46 PM
#26
Being smooth will almost always be faster. When you are aggressive you are a lot more likely to make mistakes. Once you make even a small mistake you have to recover and this takes time for your brain to process. Making the next move come up faster and the next and the next. This makes the car feel like it is going much faster since you are having to process more info then before. According to the clock you are actually going slower. This is the reason fast laps do not always feel fast. Out of practice or a race the fast laps can actually be the hardest ones to recall. This is because nothing really happened during those laps, it was just a smooth clean lap. A bad lap we can all give a corner by corner description of the lap. You really want to avoid making lap after lap of linked recoveries.
10-27-2011, 03:16 PM
#27
I really hate bagging on myself but for the longest I have been a really aggressive driver until I saw the results after this particular B main race that proves that smoother is always faster. I finished 2nd in this race and my fastest lap was only .02 sec slower than the winner of the A main.
10-27-2011, 03:36 PM
#28
Being smooth will almost always be faster. When you are aggressive you are a lot more likely to make mistakes. Once you make even a small mistake you have to recover and this takes time for your brain to process. Making the next move come up faster and the next and the next. This makes the car feel like it is going much faster since you are having to process more info then before. According to the clock you are actually going slower. This is the reason fast laps do not always feel fast. Out of practice or a race the fast laps can actually be the hardest ones to recall. This is because nothing really happened during those laps, it was just a smooth clean lap. A bad lap we can all give a corner by corner description of the lap. You really want to avoid making lap after lap of linked recoveries.
Also
Getting a smooth weight transfer in acceleration and braking, in order to let the car progressively rise towards the limit of grip will result in more total grip and faster laptimes. If the tyres are loaded abruptly they will produce less grip. Extremely fast drivers are able to load the car, progressively, in each part of the track, in a way which yields more total traction. They literally create more traction through driving technique, and car set up
