Obviously the Evo is capable of a lot more than most cars. For those of you who really push this car, how did you learn the car, and really come to understand its limits, where it's going to lose traction, etc? I REALLY want to use the car to its full potential, but its handling limits are so high, in a lot of situations if you do lose it it'll be too late, so practice on a day to day basis is scarce. So, any hints?

 

Empty Parking Lots (which is illegal, so watch out)

but atleast you arnt putting anyone else at risk

 

Driving school is the best way 100%. Worth the money. If not that then I went to alot of empty parking lots with cones late at night and just practiced.

 

I took the Bondurant driving course many years ago, back when my current car was an '88 Mustang GT. Will probably do something similar again with the Evo. Nothing like professional instruction!

 

I tested in a few parking lots late at night, but I plan on attending two schools next Spring/Summer.

 

thats the wonderful thing about the army and being in the special forces environment... they send us to advanced driving schools ... the techniques they teach are somewhat basic but they allow us to push the cars to the limits of their capabilities and they dont care if we wreck them...so, win win

 

Find your local SCCA chapter, and run some Solo events. There is no better way to learn the limits of your car and the techniques of car control in a safe, controlled environment.

Track day schools are good too. But IMHO, they are not the best starting point as the speeds are higher and the costs for mistakes (which you WILL make as a novice) are higher as well.

 

advanced driving schools in the special forces??? I mean will they teach you how to drift a hummer?

 

LOL, we use a lot of smaller trucks, suv's and cars to conduct missions... we arent just killing everyone in afghanistan and iraq ... thats why its special, you dont really hear the other parts ..... we do have advanced driving technique schools for larger vehicles, not so much drifting, but evasion, high speed reverse, j turns and ramming thru road blocks. Then some of the schools incorporate all that with shooting as well... its pretty fun. The last course i went thru, you have to qualify on the national course that the police officers have to pass before they will even start teaching the rest of the course.

 

yeah i've seen a video on streetfire on how to do the j turn.....

ramming thru road blocks??? do it the A-Team style, just make sure your car gets high up in the air after you crash over them

 

autocross and track days

 

driving schools... and track experience

 

As a lot of people are saying, driving schools are by far the best way to learn.

However, sometimes people might not have either the money or the time or the resources (no nearby schools or tracks) to do so. This is where a number of us are. Personally, I just try to learn a lot by reading online, watching videos (not necessarily YouTube BS, but stuff like Best Motoring where it has cameras behind the driver as well as where their feet are so you can watch their steering wheel and pedal control). Personally, I just watch it over and over and if the situation on the street calls for it (safe, nobody else around, no huge trees or telephone poles nearby), I might give it a shot. Parking lots are safer and all, but personally I don't like driving in those because I need guides of some sort to know where to go as opposed to just sliding sideways with no direction in mind.

But once again, schools are the legal, safe way. Anything else is all at your own risk.

 

Agree with the schools part as the way to start.

But trying to emulate anything in Best Motoring videos on the street or otherwise in public is not just "at your own risk", but rather at the risk of everyone else around you too.

 

...which is why you take that risk when no one else is around, so it's your risk and your risk alone. Obviously I'm not encouraging experimentation with those techniques on freeway onramps during rush hour.