drift angle
An hour and a half flight from Moscow to Helsinki, another hour to the city of Rovaniemi and 250 km by car in the north-east of the country, in Finnish Lapland. Having done this way, I get into a New Year’s fairy tale with sparkling snow, frost and the Northern Lights in the starry sky. Lepota! But Joulupukki, that Finnish Santa Claus, with a white beard to the ground, meets us at the entrance to the hotel. There are two days of training ahead at the training ground, one of which will be held on a Land Rover, and the second on a Jaguar car.
The Jaguar Comprehensive Driving School and the Land Rover Courses have recently, and they exist on their own, although they are partners. Thus, the Russian Land Rover Experience School is based in the Dmitrovsky District of the Moscow Region, in the village of Ilyinskoye, and the Jaguar Experience School conducts its classes at the Tushino Airfield in Moscow, or at the Autopilot Center in Mytishchi near Moscow. The purpose of our event was to get acquainted with the winter practices of both schools, and in the absence of snow in Moscow, the Finnish training ground was the best for this purpose.
All Wheels of Happiness
In the morning I agreed to drive a Range Rover Sport SUV, the passenger was an instructor. The first exercise on packed snow is a “snake" with an increasing step. First you need to choose the right path. Turn the steering wheel to pass the cone and pass straight ahead. When you press the accelerator pedal occurs only when straightening the trajectory. The main thing is to synchronize the movement of the hands and the right leg, and everything starts to happen.
The next exercise is also a “snake”, but now with a constant “gas”. The goal is to specifically make a mistake, a sharp turn of the steering wheel causes the front wheels to drift, and then to correct the mistake by straightening the trajectory. That is, if the car does not calm down, you need to turn the steering wheel towards the curb .. and then return it back again, the “feeling” at the limit of tire grip. In a real situation, it is psychologically very difficult to turn the “wheel” towards demolition, as well as the preparation and development of the necessary skills. Then they did the same steps, moving in a circle.
A lot of nadrugavshis, we are heading to the corridor of the cones installed on the ice rink. Now we’re going to do the "Rearrangement" or, as this exercise is called, the "Moose Test". The maneuver must be performed in conjunction with additional braking. Accelerating at the right moment, press the brake pedal to the floor, turn the steering wheel and … the heavy SUV continues to go straight, wide cones one after another. My mistake is that on a sheet of ice the maneuver should start much earlier. At a speed of 50 km/h, the steering wheel should be turned about 10-15 m before the change of trajectory. Try again and you’re late again – it’s very hard to force yourself to turn the steering wheel when you should be going straight ahead. Finally, they overpower their reflexes, maneuver and smooth as butter.
For dessert – riding on packed snow circle in a controlled skid. To send the car to the side of the slide, you need to “break” it with a sharp turn of the steering wheel under the release of “gas” or shake it left-right, or both at the same time. And then, pressing the accelerator pedal to catch the slider and using the steering wheel to set the required skid angle. Try it! The car obediently moves to the side, and I look at the road through the side window. The all-wheel drive system is trying to pull the SUV from slipping by redistributing traction to the front axle – I fend off its actions by turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction of skidding. The traction goes down and the car wants to turn – I turn the steering wheel in the direction of skidding. By balancing in this way, one can go on endlessly. Over time begin to feel better on the “iron horse” and turn the “wheel” at much smaller angles. And then the instructor says that it’s time to return to the "base". The day ended unexpectedly quickly.
RWD subtleties
The next morning I sit behind the wheel of a 510-horsepower rear-wheel drive monster called the Jaguar XK-R. avtomaticheskoi move the gear selector to the "drive" position, release the brake pedal and … the car remains in place – the wheels grind the ice. The instructor explains that you need to apply the brake again and release it very slowly so that the wheel turns “tight”. Replays and the “wild cat” slowly starts to move.
Again, the “snake” will again provoke demolition, but the technique is different. I turn the steering wheel sharply, and then smoothly return it back. At some point, the wheels cling to the ice, and the car goes in the right direction. There is a strange feeling behind the wheel – the Jaguar turns to the left and I turn the “steering wheel” to the right! Having got used a little, at the command of the instructor, when the wheel is put on the “gas” and immediately turn around 360 °. Engine power 510 l. with. requires extremely careful operation of the accelerator pedal even under normal conditions, and with an almost zero coefficient of friction with surface precision must be jewelry. Also, I was late with the steering correction – you won’t be able to keep it in the extreme position at all. I just turned the “wheel” in the direction of the turn – just return it only very slowly.