It's not a bad book but there are better books for learning about driving. Start there, absorb, apply and then move to another.[/QUOTE


You do have a point it cant hurt to read it

 

1- yes. i wouldn't even worry about spinning out in the streets.

2- yes. u can apply more throttle sooner out of the turn.

this is from car & driver, when they wanted to see if the mid engine was superior to rear-engine.. yes, i know its a gt3, but u'll understand that these cars are not the same rear-weight-biased 911s from the 70's and the 80's.

SEEKING THE SPIN THRESHOLDTo determine just how aggressively these Porsches could be tossed into bends, we conducted a step-steering test at Chrysler’s vehicle dynamics (skidpad) facility. Our procedure had us achieving a target speed before abruptly snapping in and holding exactly 90 degrees of steering. Starting at 35 mph, we climbed the velocity ladder until each Porsche showed nervous behavior. No steering corrections were allowed. Our test equipment revealed that both Porsches responded with about the same 30 degrees of car rotation per second of  yaw velocity.




Under steady throttle, the Cayman finally spun at 75 mph. Backtracking a bit, we found that it became nervous at 65 mph with a tendency to drift sideways when full throttle was applied at that speed. When the throttle was abruptly lifted following 90 degrees of steering at 65 mph, the response was a gentle spin.
The 911 confidently stepped up the speed ladder to 80 mph before things got dicey. Adding throttle at that speed was no problem. But dropping the throttle at 80 mph made this car extremely loose. At an entry speed of 85 mph, the 911 spun every time. Why? Because the combination of lateral (cornering) and longitudinal (propulsion) loading and the 911’s large polar moment of inertia finally overwhelmed the rear tires.
An interesting countermeasure we discovered is that the 911’s electronic throttle is programmed to close with utmost deliberation. This, in combination with a heavy clutch, makes heel-and-toe downshifting a bit of a chore. But the lazy throttle also diminishes the likelihood the 911 will gosideways when a driver lifts in the middle of a tight bend on slippery pavement. Win: 911 GT3.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...et_test_page_3

 

The world is always divided, and you are on the other side.

See my post above, I knew there are critics, but I maintain it's a great book by a pro who knows a thing or two about driving. Other books may have a ton of minutiae and detail, but as I expressed above, one does not learn performance driving (or any driving for that matter) reading books. Elford's book teaches fundamentals - seating position, coordination of steering/throttle/braking, braking technique, sighting and smoothness. Not much, you say? I disagree - those are the fundamentals that can be explained in a book. Then he goes on writing about his career and experience. A good book, actually a Porsche book!

P.S. - If you want to toss your copy of Elford's book send it to me as I can always find a Porsche guy who will appreciate it.

 

Those are good points. Elford is is a hell of a driver......much better than any of us will ever be......good dialog..Best,

 

cool, fair 'nuff. i didn't see your post or mean to sound like a *ick -- i just found that book to be very frustrating to parse through the filler to get to the beef. i'm sure you're right though that it can't hurt and does cover the basics in its own way. i'm really enjoying speed secrets (1) btw!

let's agree on this: seat time -- there is no substitute!

 

Absolutely. Trying to learn performance driving primarily by reading books (however good they are) would be somewhat like trying to learn to play tennis that way. Back and forth interaction between theory and practice, ideally with good coaching, is the best way to go.

 

We agree on that and more. I agree with you that Elford's book is not written cohesively. It's a bit of a hodge-podge of chapters, but I forgive him as I do not see him as a writer, but rather a racing icon who articulates well what matters in performance driving. <this site misses 'thumbs up' and 'cheers' emoticons>.