by Ross Bentley | Aug 12, 2019 | Ask Ross
Q: “My question is what effect does stiffening the front sway bar have on a front wheel drive car. My Mini Cooper is a track-only, highly-modified over-sized go-kart and I have the ability to stiffen the aftermarket front bar, however I am curious as to what effect it will on handling. If it will make it understeer more I don’t need that. If, in theory, it will tend to make it rotate better, that would be a good thing. There is not a lot out there on how to make your FWD (front-wheel-drive) work better so I thought I would ask you.”
by Ross Bentley | Dec 21, 2020 | Ask Ross
Q: “I had a quick question with regards to tire squeal and using it as a gauge for performance driving. Recently, I took part in a driver training program and was reintroduced to the saying “a squealing tire is a happy tire.” My previous belief was that tire squeal occurred in the frictional region after the point where a tire has peaked in the force vs. slip angle curve, not approaching or at the peak. Obviously, every compound, construction, and even batch of tires act differently, however have you found a general trend in your experience? Also, does the same apply for racing slicks? In my limited experience with driving on slicks, I can’t say that I have ever gotten them to the onset of tire squeal before I’ve had to catch the slide.”
by Ross Bentley | Dec 13, 2022 | Ask Ross
Q: How can trail braking both help and hurt turning or rotating the car into a corner?
by Ross Bentley | Feb 18, 2019 | Ask Ross
Q: “I just finished re-watching a couple of your webinars as I work to step up to the next level and go to the Runoffs this season. Reviewing data I see my typical best lap is 1 to 1.3 seconds slower than the theoretical best lap from my data system. No one does the perfect lap, but should my goal be to close that gap to 0.5 seconds? That seems a reasonable goal. Thanks for all your books and webinars! They’ve really helped me improve and consistently run with the leaders.”
by Ross Bentley | Jun 21, 2021 | Ask Ross
Q: “I appreciate the racing/driving knowledge you generously provide and continue to provide. I have a question: how did you become a race car driver from being someone who wanted a seat in a race car, from inception to the point of transition? I, like most people, want to make my goal a reality (that’s where the realists will chuckle, but never mind them), but it’s quite difficult to see how I can make that come to fruition. Although not everyone’s path will be the same and our environments may have differed, I think having a guideline could be useful.”
