Originally Posted by
kb525
I think it depends too much in the type of corner and car setup to dictate which is faster to the point where you can not make a valid claim. A high speed sweep with high rear grip will favor a tad of trail braking. A slow U turn will favor straight line braking to not upset the car too much. If anything its not as important to learn to drive a new way (unless youre terrible) but rather learn to set up for your driving way. Not saying you shouldnt adjust style, just dont need to pick one style to fit everything.
I agree here; the type of corner, track layout, track conditions and your SETUP all have to do with whether or not you need to brake or can scrub speed to make it through a corner. To be fast you have to constantly adjust your car AND constantly adjust your driving style to get an optimum qualifier or main out of what you set on the track. There are no pit stops for a wedge adjustment or wing adjustment; you are at the mercy of what you set down on the track.
From my experience learning to use the brakes during a run has really improved my driving abilities, I’m not saying braking is faster but it helped me become smoother with steering and throttle/brake inputs. I’ll admit I’m not the best at setting up a car, I have a general idea of what changes do what and how to make them happen but I am usually chasing the optimal setup throughout the day (hopefully my competitors are too
). If I set my car down and I have a push I am a braking fiend trying to get my car to make a nice tight corner; if the car is loose or wants to traction roll I am smoother and roll through corners more.
At our last club race after one of the qualifiers a few of us changed radios and tried other cars; one was balanced, one had too much grip and traction rolled and the other pushed like a dump truck (my car
) it was a fun experiment to A, see what the other cars were capable of and B, see what kind of car setup and driving style best suited your personal preferences.
So in summary, find out what YOU prefer and try everything to see what’s quickest for your track and layout.