The Captain

iTrader: (6)

You often hear people refer to different driving styles, smooth, aggressive, hack , but what do they all mean, and what are the different types? I have also read that different chassis are better suited for different driving styles.

So, does anyone care to take a stab at defining the different driving styles, what they mean, and which chassis' are suited for each one?

This is how I drive: I brake at the last possible moment before a turn, and enter either off power or while still on the brake. Mid turn to exit I being to apply throttle. Depending on the turn its either very fast or more controlled. When driving through chicanes I tend to enter off power and then maintain a constant throttle throughout the turns; just fast enough to not lose traction and spin out. What kind of driving style is this?

I thought this was how everyone drives, but after talking with a bunch of different people, everyone has their own driving technique. I have been trying different ones though, but find that it takes a lot more concentration and I have to think about it constantly vs what my natural driving style is. I also understand that different techniques do work better than others.

RedBullFiXX

iTrader: (34)

I've always thought one could tune a car to suit their style of driving

Hence so many differing setups, for one particular car

Whichever "style" of driving produces the most laps, is always the best choice

The Captain

iTrader: (6)

I am sure you can tune anything to make it work for you, but I was under the impression that different chassis function better given a certain driving style.

30Tooth

iTrader: (1)

I'm curious to know more opinions,I see very little difference in lap times across all chassis brands so identical performance with different feel?

6376vette

I had a very aggressive style but have spent the last year adding more smooth and it has improved both my lap times and consistency. It does take some work to change what feels natural though. slow down and concentrate on consistent slower laps. when it gets comfortable add some speed.

I also thought chassis could be tuned for any style. I think different classes and chassis types make a difference in style. I am much more aggressive entering a turn with my f1 to get more weight shift. Not as aggressive entering with a tc but I exit more aggressive in a tc because the rear wheel drive of the f1 is more prone to breaking loose.

YR4Dude

iTrader: (44)

You're over looking one key thing, BODY!

Different bodies also can change the handling characteristics of any chassis. Some are more aggressive, while some are more stable. Usually what I have found is the different levels in the amount of steering available are what suits the different driving styles. Some like a lot of steering (twitchy), while some like less.(more stable).

My experiece have found that while you're chasing after better handling or more suitable handling in another chassis, what you may be looking for may only be another set-up away within the chassis you currently have. There are so many variables in setting a car to your liking. Spend more time learning how to setup the chassis you have before giving up and starting all over again with another chassis.

Pulse_

This should be written in bolded characters just at the right of the rctech logo. If only all the drivers would understand this..

Everytime you switch you'll loose an occasion to go search for improvements deeper and learn from it. Bad cars are very rare, the only limit is the driver and his ability to learn. I don't even think the pro drivers are driving 100% of their cars. They could always find a way to improve.

The Captain

iTrader: (6)

Again, I know you can tune any of the popular cars to suit your individual driving habits, but I would think that some chassis simply function better the harder you drive them, while others function better when driven more smoothly.

AdrianM

iTrader: (4)

You can setup any sedan to drive anyway you want it to drive. The main decider on what to get is how often you crash and local support.

If you are new and crash a lot get an Xray T3 2012 or T4. Both are great cars and can handle a ton of abuse. Most tracks have a lot of guys running Xray cars. They will help you figure out the settings and get up to speed faster.

If you are a good driver that does not crash often and knows how to set up a car....just pick a car that looks cool to you. All sedans on the market are equally competitive.

As far as "driving styles"....there is no such thing. Most cars and tracks have one narrow setup window that will generate the fastest lap times. Usually, a properly setup sedan will have a lot of steering, drive on its nose and the rear rotates to follow the front in a very controlled fashion. A lot of guys do not like that feel and change their cars to be more rear biased. This is almost always slower.

Basically there are fast cars (setups) and guys that can drive them...or not.

30Tooth

iTrader: (1)

Wise words indeed!
When I started in 1/8 nitro buggies,the MP7.5 and the MBX5 were top dogs and I had a MP7.5.That thing pushed on and off-power,common trait of the basic MP7.5 setup.
So after 3 years of many mindless mods,weird setups and ZERO roll center knowledge(worsened when the hudy setup guide came out) and I felt the chassis was limiting my abilities.Fast forward to today,my restored MBX5R made it's maiden voyage and guess what,it's loose off power with the basic setup!No wonder people fell in love with the car.Still has little on power steering...No difference in feel vs the stock MP7.5.
Last season bought a MP7.5 Kanai 2 just for fun,I had some setup knowledge and put it in practice.Now,I am a happy camper with a dialed MP7.5.
Conclusion:bad information drives people off to frustration and to throw money at a car they aren't understanding,then there's changing brands only to find out that the chassis still doesn't do what they want and they quit.
The magical setup is available for all cars,all it needs to happen is patience,suspension tuning and don't go by "the car should be doing this or that",read the car and proceed accordingly(read THE Guide by JQ and Tuning with camber links threads here on RCT).

rccartips

iTrader: (3)

For me two types.

1. Oversteer setup - Uses front tires to slow down and make the turn.

2. Understeer setup - Uses brakes to slow down and make the turn.

Then the point and shoot (V turn) versus traditional out in out (U turn).

Radio Active

iTrader: (2)

I remember when the XX-4 came out. Before that the most common 4WD was the Yokomo YZ-10. Drivers fount that if you really pushed the YZ-10 and drove it hard you could go a lot faster. The XX-4 on the other hand that didn't really work. The car was fast anyway, but trying to slide the rear end like you would on a Yokomo wouldn't help you go faster.

I put this down mostly to weight distribution. The XX-4 has a lot more weight forward, and a little higher, and this suits driving smoothly. The YZ-10 with more of a rear bias wanted to be thrown around more to get it pointing into the corners.

These days the biggest difference in weight distribution is probably in 12th where you can switch from a latitudinal battery arrangement to a longitudinal one. Or in 2WD buggy where you can run rear-mount or mid-mount motor.

In 4WD cars whether you are running full time 4WD or a one-way, etc. also makes a big difference to the style in which the car can be driven fastest. A front one-way lends itself to getting off the power early and turning through the corner in a similar way to which you might pilot a RWD. And of course, different drive train configurations matter as well. You don't drive a FWD the same way you'd drive a 4WD.

AdrianM

iTrader: (4)

All sedans run full time 4wd with front spools or front gear diffs set up to barely move so they drive like spools.

No one runs front or center one ways anymore. They do not allow you to drive as deep into turns and brake like you can with spools.

Most of the fastest drivers don't use drag brake in 17.5 or 13.5. They use brakes with the trigger while in a straight line befote a corner and then roll on power through the whole turn.

Lessen

iTrader: (2)

Interesting take. I would say "they" are slower because they tune their chassis to feel proper according to way they think they are driving (or want to drive), when in fact they may still be driving it as if it had all the steering in the world. It doesn't. It's planted and stable but tight and slow unless they alter their line.

No offense, but nobody will ever convince me there is no such thing as driving style or that there is only one "holy grail" setup and fast line for any given layout. Driving style is certainly more noticeable at the club level though. Certainly the closer one gets to the limit, the "style" becomes less transparent. Just my 2cents.

mschumi101

iTrader: (30)

On my two TC5s I have two completely opposite set ups that both work equally well! On one I have the car as stiff as can be, with 60wt oil and 35lb springs, while on the other I have 30wt oil and 14lb springs. Both handle exactly the same, and yield equal lap times. So I think that any car or set up can come to fit your driving style, or just adapt to the car.