Corners that are banked, sloping toward the apex, provide the Holy Grail of grip. Gravity is your best friend, pressing the car into the track and toward the apex, allowing you to carry considerably more speed with reduced steering angle.
Sure, new tires are a treat when it comes to mechanical grip. “Stickers” can feel almost glued to the tarmac on the first lap or two. Regardless of tire age, though, there are ways to actively generate higher grip levels based on your driving skill. It’s about the finesse and knowledge to seek out high-traction areas on the track, and reduce time spent in low-traction areas. Strap in as we explore my top five ways you can seek out pockets of extra grip and achieve a new personal best!
1. Master Track Camber
Many drivers spend too much time focusing solely on “the line” and overlook the camber profile of each corner. Some corners are banked to your benefit and yield maximum grip, while others “fall away” and create a low-grip challenge.
Corners that are banked, sloping toward the apex, provide the Holy Grail of grip. Gravity is your best friend, pressing the car into the track and toward the apex, allowing you to carry considerably more speed with reduced steering angle. You can often go deeper into these corners as the banking helps slow you down faster, helps you turn with more precision, and even helps you get on the throttle more aggressively at exit.
Off-camber corners, on the other hand, present an insidious challenge. These are corners where the track surface slopes away from the direction of the turn, effectively working against you and reducing grip. Try a later apex than normal, rotate more than normal in the first part of the corner when it’s flatter, and spend less overall time in the off-camber area. Do everything in your power to nail that apex and minimize the dreaded off-camber area. Last, note that off-camber corners often introduce understeer on entry, so emphasize precise trail-braking to help your car pivot.
2. Conquer Compressions and Crests
Elevation changes can momentarily help, or hurt, grip levels. Transitioning from a flat or downhill section to an uphill corner provides a dose of temporary grip as gravity works in your favor. We all love the sensation of being pressed down into our seats as we transition from flat tarmac to an uphill corner, feeling the car squat down and claw effortlessly for traction. Traction grows as the car compresses, yielding an ephemeral surplus of traction. If a compression occurs at an apex, you’ve hit the bonanza. Get to throttle sooner than on a flat corner, feel the car sit down and bite for traction, and blast out of the exit.
Conversely, if a corner starts uphill but continues over a crest and then goes downhill, your car will become momentarily light, almost like flying, in which case the front tires lose grip momentarily. Predict the momentary lack of grip. Slightly straighten your hands just as you blast over the hilltop. Why? When you “land” you want the front tires to have less steering angle, so they don’t suddenly dig in and cause an over-rotation. You’re basically pre-correcting a slide before it happens, resulting in a smooth “landing.”
3. Crush the Curbs and Gators
Whether or not to use inside curbs depends on your car and your driving style. Super-stiff and ultra-low prototypes generally steer clear of curbs, while soft and compliant Spec Miatas eat curbs for breakfast.
If your car happily complies with curbs, using an inside curb at the apex can do more than simply straighten out the corner. Riding along an inside curb can also increase weight transfer to the outside tires, enhancing their grip. Depending on the curb’s width, height, and steepness, it can also aid in rotating the car.
However, it’s not always beneficial. When the track is wet, the painted surfaces on many curbs become more slippery than the surrounding track. Similarly, a very stiff suspension setup might be more easily unsettled by aggressive or high curbs compared to a car with a softer, more compliant setup.
4. Become a “Tire Whisperer”
Your tires are the interface between your machine and the communicative asphalt. They speak a language you must learn to interpret, and understanding their nuances is akin to developing a sixth sense on the track.
Tires generate the most grip not when they are perfectly aligned with the direction of travel, but at a specific, small angle known as the slip angle.
This is the subtle difference between where the tire is pointing and where the car is actually pointing. The slip allows the tire’s rubber to deform and generate the necessary cornering forces. However, there’s a delicate balance. Too little slip, and you’re not maximizing the tire’s potential. Too much slip, and the tire loses its grip, leading to slides and reduced speed. Learning to feel the tire slightly slipping and gripping, without sliding, becomes the difference-maker between intermediate and advanced drivers.
For instance, an increase in tire squeal might signal that you are exceeding the optimal slip angle and need to reduce your steering input or cornering speed. A feeling of “greasiness” could indicate that your tires are overheating, prompting you to adopt a smoother driving style to allow them to cool.
5. Learn to “Read” the Track
Extracting maximum traction demands keen observational skills and a continuous willingness to experiment. Develop the ability to “read” the track, noticing subtle differences in the asphalt’s color and texture, new pavement vs. old, dust, dirt, rocks, and recognizing the presence of rubber or moisture. If given the opportunity to do a “track walk” by foot or bike, or even a low-speed session of parade laps at lunch, take it! Soak up the details that you couldn’t possibly notice at full speed.
When a track is freshly paved, the asphalt can initially offer surprisingly low grip. However, as more cars drive on the track, a layer of rubber is deposited, which typically leads to a noticeable increase in grip. Find the “rubbered-in” line to unlock more speed.
Be careful in the wet, though. In dry conditions, the “rubbered-in” line gives grip. However, when rain falls, this same rubber takes grip away. In wet conditions, deviate from the traditional dry racing line, and try staying further outside. You’ll miss your apexes but be able to carry more speed with higher confidence.
The presence of dust, sand, or other debris on the track, invariably erodes grip. If it’s the first session out on the first day of practice, be careful because the track will likely be dirty or “green.” Understand the tendencies of those in your run group and predict where people might venture into the dirt and kick up debris. Avoid venturing into these less-than-ideal surfaces, because they can significantly compromise traction and result in off-roading adventures you’d rather avoid. If you encounter dirt or rocks at apex, simply take a wider line and focus on staying at the traction limit. You’ll also find “marbles” if you venture too wide around a corner, particularly in long, sweeping corners. Beware the bits of tire and debris that accumulate on the outside of the track.
Summary
Finding extra grip on the racetrack is an art and skill that requires patience and experimentation. Remember, the pursuit of grip is a session-by-session journey of learning and refinement. So, get out there, experiment, feel the tires as they claw for traction, and stay positive about the process.
