- Oct 9, 1999
- 15,216
- 3
- 81
Well sort of drift...
after tonight's conversation with my ex gf... i went on a drive to cool off. For the most part i was doing great until i started to push it a bit on the upper end on Topanga Canyon.
I know Topanga Cyn pretty well, i have done it several times on the motorcycle. Well in a car its different. For one I cant look through teh curve when its curving to the left. Even so i did pretty awesome.. kept it about 20mph faster than speed limit for the turn or straightaway.
Anyway so i was coming up to "top o topanga" and one of those turns had water on the ground. A left handed long turn and I started to push it into the turn. I suddenly felt the rear end pulling out and the front drifting into the turn. However if teh cliff wasnt there and i had more room i could have held it. But I had to quickly use opposite lock to bring the car in line and straighten it out.
Yes the focus does oversteer.. infact mine does pretty easily when you push it into a turn. I think mine is setup far better than another focus that i drove. Mine is neutral in handling (there isnt much of an understeer in most turns - like compared to most front wheel drive cars which do understeer into a turn) until you push it into an oversteer.
This is the first time I did an oversteer on the Bridgestone Protenza's. My old continentals would readily oversteer.. infact it didnt have any grip.. pushing into a turn would make the car feel like its loosing grip as the rear starts to slide and then you have to back away before the front loses grip.
I wonder if I change teh shocks on my focus (right now they are too damn soft and seems to bounce alot) the handling will change or not. I need to stiffen her up if i want to live on the edge.
By the way my route was this..
101 West -> Las Virgines / Malibu Canyon -> PCH (hwy 1) East -> North 27 (Topanga Canyon) -> 101East to Home.
after tonight's conversation with my ex gf... i went on a drive to cool off. For the most part i was doing great until i started to push it a bit on the upper end on Topanga Canyon.
I know Topanga Cyn pretty well, i have done it several times on the motorcycle. Well in a car its different. For one I cant look through teh curve when its curving to the left. Even so i did pretty awesome.. kept it about 20mph faster than speed limit for the turn or straightaway.
Anyway so i was coming up to "top o topanga" and one of those turns had water on the ground. A left handed long turn and I started to push it into the turn. I suddenly felt the rear end pulling out and the front drifting into the turn. However if teh cliff wasnt there and i had more room i could have held it. But I had to quickly use opposite lock to bring the car in line and straighten it out.
Yes the focus does oversteer.. infact mine does pretty easily when you push it into a turn. I think mine is setup far better than another focus that i drove. Mine is neutral in handling (there isnt much of an understeer in most turns - like compared to most front wheel drive cars which do understeer into a turn) until you push it into an oversteer.
This is the first time I did an oversteer on the Bridgestone Protenza's. My old continentals would readily oversteer.. infact it didnt have any grip.. pushing into a turn would make the car feel like its loosing grip as the rear starts to slide and then you have to back away before the front loses grip.
I wonder if I change teh shocks on my focus (right now they are too damn soft and seems to bounce alot) the handling will change or not. I need to stiffen her up if i want to live on the edge.
By the way my route was this..
101 West -> Las Virgines / Malibu Canyon -> PCH (hwy 1) East -> North 27 (Topanga Canyon) -> 101East to Home.
for you
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