Just curious...besides an autocross, where/how do you (legally) get to know the limits of your cars? I have an xS and would like to better understand how the awd grips with and without VDC but in a situation where I'm on a large open area and not gonna easily damage my car or anything or anyone else. Would rather not do this in an autocross/competitive setting for various reasons.

 

Autocross would be your best bet. Cheap and relatively easy on the car. Track days are best but obviously more expensive and accelerated wear on parts.

 

The AWD works great and keeps the rear end from ever really slipping out. If your G is unmodified, then you don't need traction control on at all maybe unless it's wet or snowing. Plus, you can't fully turn off the VDC anyway. The car has tons of understeer and pushes through turns. Add sway bars to balance it all out and improve your handling. I went with swifts.

If there is a local track, search for High Permance Driver Education HPDE course. The one near me was took about three hours and it included a short classroom talk, some driving with the instructor, following the instructor, and on my own driving. There was basically no one else on the track either, so it rocked. It was about $250.

 

I looked into the HPDE here. It's a bit spendy for my budget at the moment at $355 but I think that's the way to go. I will also look into the autocross though I'm not really out there to compete and I really have no frame of reference for how well my vehicle performs against others in its class. I think I would want the HPDE course before hitting the autocross too.

Thanks guys

 

Yeah I tried to get the back loose in my x and it wouldn't let me.

 

Haha. Read that as you tried getting your ex loose in the back.

 

I see you're in Cali. There are a lot of great tracks over there and some have relatively inexpensive track sessions at times. Find out what tracks you're near (I'll be so envious if you live near Laguna Seca) and what they offer. Take beginner instruction and learn basics and then advance to where you're a better driver and can push the car to turn faster and faster laps.

 

I actually grew up in Monterey. Still live only about 2 hours away. Laguna Seca is one of the most exciting road courses anywhere. Unfortunately, because of its location, many groups complain about the noise, etc and most races (F1, and a lot of moto) have pulled out of having Laguna in their tours. Absolutely heartbreaking cause it's an incredible fricken track, both technically and visually. I like it immeasurably better than Sears Point.

 

looks like Skip Barber still has his school at Laguna Seca too.

 

Highly recommend HPDE over autocross if you want to learn car control. Don't think you can get the most out of the car at the relatively low autocross speeds. There are a few other good tracks in your area, Cal is a great place to be if you like driving on racetracks.

 

Nasa (National Auto Sport Association, not those other guys) is where I gained most of my experience. There's a Northern California region that races and teaches out of Sonoma Raceway (Formally Sears Point). They also hold events at Thunderhill Raceway.


This may not be your cup of tea as its more geared for those interested in mastering your ride and getting the most performance out of what you have rather than finding out what the car will do as your skill level permits now. Membership isn't that bad pricewise especially considering the opportunity for track time and racing; however, the wear and tear on your gear will get $$ quickly.

 

HPDE is a very good choice , however many tracks would kill your stock brake pads in 1 day. Some driving clubs also offer autocross school, which is basically a non competitive environment and you get to do 10-15 runs in one day (vs 4-6 on a regular event).

 

just curious also, is anyone using G37 for drift??

 

I've looked into some of these and this is definitely on the list of things to save for (including some upgrades to prep for such a thing).

This is interesting and something I will definitely look at. This would give me the chance to get a better feel for the car and get some decent instruction as well. Thanks!

 

I can't imagine not. RWD would be quite easy to break loose and drift with. Not sure how effective the AWD would be though I have not had the opportunity to try any trail braking with the xS.