as much as i love driving my zed i am aware that i my not be driving the way it [by god] was designed to be driven.

 

Can anyone recomend any basic driving techniques such as heel-toeing, bliping the throttle on downshifts, apex cornering, methods of avoiding/making the most of oversteer,braking-cornering-accelerating techniques, max torque rev range and revs to change through the gears, that will help me get the most out of my zed driving experience for both track and road.

Track Day. Practice Practice Practice.

 

Biggest tip I was ever given was, smooth. Everything has to be smooth and ballanced. Jerky sudden actions unballance the car (hence why we use left foot braking etc) and once unballanced your off.

Get booked in for Track day tuition. Worth every penny. I thought like most Ego driven males that I was a good driver and knew exactly what to do. The fact that i used to race motor bikes and did some competertive karting with reasonable succes for the machinery I had.

 

My good lady bought me a 3 day course for my Palmer Audi Race licence + the basic Race licence. after 1 lap the instructor told me I was a bike rider and my positioning and braking was all wrong for a car. It changed my driving and after only 5 laps of instruction my lap times plumited.

 

Make sure your suspension and setup is sorted first though.

i thought this would be the way people would be advise me and have always wanted to go on a track day but was put off by the cost. do you know howe much the 3 day course cost even though it was a present? I would like to do an instructive course like this in a resonably powered car but all i see for track days is farting about in a ferrarri for 3 laps for £xxx.

 

Aside for tuition, are there any simple techniques i can research and teach myself?

Very cheap first step for the road

http://www.iam.org.uk/eshop/membershipshop/drivecheck.htm (£25)

followed by http://www.iam.org.uk/eshop/membershipshop/sfl.htm (£85)

 

The 2-wheel equivalent I did years ago was run by Hendon Class 1 plod and it sharpened up my riding and road skills no end.

oh and for really cheap track session see here http://www.300zx.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=91481&highlight=silverstone

i thought this would be the way people would be advise me and have always wanted to go on a track day but was put off by the cost. do you know howe much the 3 day course cost even though it was a present? I would like to do an instructive course like this in a resonably powered car but all i see for track days is farting about in a ferrarri for 3 laps for £xxx.

 

Aside for tuition, are there any simple techniques i can research and teach myself?

 

I believe it cost her about £700 some 5 or 6 years ago. It included class room sessions, instructon in and Audi TT and then The started you in the Palmer Audi on limited rev's until a few of us were allowed out full chat. this was disperst with class room talks on how we were doing etc. It was vary good and based on driver skills some never got into the single seaters as they needed alot more training so spent all or most time with instructors in the TT's. Some got to do single seaters, but only up to certain remotely controled rev limits. They monitored you and if you looked Dangerous they knocked the rev's down. 5 of us got 2 extra sessions totally unrestricted and out on ciruit with the instructors in the Palmer Audi's aswell. It really was good.

 

I think with the Hotel accomadation and going out into London every night it cost my good Lady about £1000.

 

There are other people like the Nigel Mansel racing schools and there's a guy on here carn't remember his name with a yellow RX7 who had tuition with a guy in his own car on nornal roads. They'll tailor something to your buget.

 

Once you get the circit bug you'll want to do it loads.

Is it a long wheel base or a shortie, both have different handling charactaristics, the shortie can take more agressive handling naturally, I drive my shortie hard, i always power progressively and consistantly through oversteer and blip on gear downs, the long wheelbase would be a little more snappy however it all depends on how the car is set up in which case get yourself some track time booked up and learn how to drive your zed on the edge, then tune from there to suit your driving style.

 

The 300zx is a drivers car, drive the car, dont let the car drive you.

P.S.

 

PM Royal he's the guy that had the tuition with some ex race Driver on normal roads.

I did tuition at Thruxton this year and Castle Coombe last year.. really good..

 

The most important skill is keeping the car balanced... and understanding the racing line through the bends.

 

Only then can you build up your speed.... I drove the Porsche 997 Turbo, Ferrari F355 and Formula Renault (i think) and a Mazda RX8 .. all for about £240 I think.

http://www.john-lyon.co.uk/index.htm

 

This was the course Royal went on. Think I remember him highly recommending it at the time as it was in your own car and on normal roads.