Ask Ross
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Got questions? I’ve got answers. This is where I post answers to the many questions I receive. You may find the answer to a question you have here (you can use the “Search” tool), but if not, you have two options:
- If you want the answer immediately, sign up for my SpeedSecrets.ai app (think of it as “Google on steroids, focused solely on performance/race driving,” or “ChatGPT trained to only pull from the 5 million+ words and content I’ve personally created”)
- If you can wait until I get to your question, email it to me.
Q: How far from the steering wheel should I be sitting?
Q: “At a recent track day, an instructor told me that I was sitting too far from the steering wheel, and yet it feels comfortable to me. I’ve seen other drivers sit closer to the wheel, but that looks cramped to me. Is there a rule of thumb for how far from the steering wheel I should sit?”
Q: What’s the difference between turning the car and rotating the car?
Q: “What I was wondering is how to describe the difference between turning the car and car rotation. We talk about car rotation and using the brakes to effect it, but what is the difference from that compared to turning car with the steering?”
Q: How do I improve my corner minimum speed?
Q: “I have a question not about corner entry speed but rather about MID-corner speed (minimum corner speed). A friend of mine and I compare lots of data when we go to DE’s. He drives a nearly stock 987 Cayman S, is a pretty good driver, and runs tires he can get 30 track days out of. I drive a 718 Spyder with quite a bit of negative camber, Michelin Cup 2s, and have to replace tires every 6-10 track days — fronts more frequently than rears. I feel more comfortable with the car moving around than my friend does, and very comfortably trail brake as needed to balance/rotate the car. I have more grip, more power, and I do turn faster laps, BUT… his mid-corner speeds (or minimum speed in the corner) are sometimes equal to mine! That shouldn’t be the case. What am I doing wrong? Am I just being a wimp? Or does it go deeper than that? I generally brake VERY hard and VERY late and do a lot of trail braking (I go through brakes faster than anyone else I know). Is that part of the problem? Am I overworking my front tires? I record and analyze my tire temps after every session and pay attention to which end of the car I’m ‘overworking’ (determined by tire temps). Throughout any given day, I tend to transition from overworking the fronts to overworking the rears — it’s not significant in either direction, but that’s my trend. Can you help figure out if I’m being too cautious, or if I’m doing something else wrong?”
Q: How do I get better at driving blind corners, such as Turns 2 & 3 at Road Atlanta?
Q: “You must have had this question dozens of times: At Road Atlanta, I struggle with the turns 2 and 3 sequence, which, as you know is blind. What is the technique and thought process when entering that sequence of turns, and what track references do you use?”
Q: What is the apex of a corner, and what do I do with it?
Q: “What exactly is the apex of a corner, and what do I do with this information?”
Q: How do I retain focus in an endurance race?
Q: “Can you recommend some resources on retaining focus in endurance racing?
Q. As an HPDE instructor, should I tell my student about faster cars approaching from behind?
As an HPDE instructor, should I tell my student about faster cars approaching from behind?
Q: What’s causing my rear tires to wear on the outside of the tread more than the front tires?
Q: “My rear and front tires are showing consistent temp across the tread surface, but I’ve noticed my rear tires are wearing excessively on the outer side. What is causing this and what can I do to address this?”
Q: How can trail braking both help and hurt turning or rotating the car into a corner?
Q: How can trail braking both help and hurt turning or rotating the car into a corner?
Q: What do you recommend for a video and/or data setup?
Q: What do you recommend for a video and/or data setup?
Got Questions?
Get Immediate Answers
Skills
Types
Subscriptions
Got questions? I’ve got answers. This is where I post answers to the many questions I’ve received. You may find the answer to a question you have here, but if not, you have two options: If you want the answer immediately, sign up for my SpeedSecrets.ai app (think of it as “Google on steroids, focused solely on performance/race driving”), or email it to me.
Q: How far from the steering wheel should I be sitting?
Q: “At a recent track day, an instructor told me that I was sitting too far from the steering wheel, and yet it feels comfortable to me. I’ve seen other drivers sit closer to the wheel, but that looks cramped to me. Is there a rule of thumb for how far from the steering wheel I should sit?”
Q: What’s the difference between turning the car and rotating the car?
Q: “What I was wondering is how to describe the difference between turning the car and car rotation. We talk about car rotation and using the brakes to effect it, but what is the difference from that compared to turning car with the steering?”
Q: How do I improve my corner minimum speed?
Q: “I have a question not about corner entry speed but rather about MID-corner speed (minimum corner speed). A friend of mine and I compare lots of data when we go to DE’s. He drives a nearly stock 987 Cayman S, is a pretty good driver, and runs tires he can get 30 track days out of. I drive a 718 Spyder with quite a bit of negative camber, Michelin Cup 2s, and have to replace tires every 6-10 track days — fronts more frequently than rears. I feel more comfortable with the car moving around than my friend does, and very comfortably trail brake as needed to balance/rotate the car. I have more grip, more power, and I do turn faster laps, BUT… his mid-corner speeds (or minimum speed in the corner) are sometimes equal to mine! That shouldn’t be the case. What am I doing wrong? Am I just being a wimp? Or does it go deeper than that? I generally brake VERY hard and VERY late and do a lot of trail braking (I go through brakes faster than anyone else I know). Is that part of the problem? Am I overworking my front tires? I record and analyze my tire temps after every session and pay attention to which end of the car I’m ‘overworking’ (determined by tire temps). Throughout any given day, I tend to transition from overworking the fronts to overworking the rears — it’s not significant in either direction, but that’s my trend. Can you help figure out if I’m being too cautious, or if I’m doing something else wrong?”
Q: How do I get better at driving blind corners, such as Turns 2 & 3 at Road Atlanta?
Q: “You must have had this question dozens of times: At Road Atlanta, I struggle with the turns 2 and 3 sequence, which, as you know is blind. What is the technique and thought process when entering that sequence of turns, and what track references do you use?”
Q: What is the apex of a corner, and what do I do with it?
Q: “What exactly is the apex of a corner, and what do I do with this information?”
Q: How do I retain focus in an endurance race?
Q: “Can you recommend some resources on retaining focus in endurance racing?
Q. As an HPDE instructor, should I tell my student about faster cars approaching from behind?
As an HPDE instructor, should I tell my student about faster cars approaching from behind?
Q: What’s causing my rear tires to wear on the outside of the tread more than the front tires?
Q: “My rear and front tires are showing consistent temp across the tread surface, but I’ve noticed my rear tires are wearing excessively on the outer side. What is causing this and what can I do to address this?”
Q: How can trail braking both help and hurt turning or rotating the car into a corner?
Q: How can trail braking both help and hurt turning or rotating the car into a corner?
Q: What do you recommend for a video and/or data setup?
Q: What do you recommend for a video and/or data setup?
Got Questions?
Get Immediate Answers