| Author | Topic |
|---|
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
|
|
AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Tue, 05 October 2004 09:03
|
 |
Does anyone know of any AWD driver courses in or near sydney that can teach you how to get the most of your AWD car?
I have a 185 gt4 and although id like to think im a good driver would be a fool if I said I had nothing to learn, plus I think it would be great to chuck your car around a safe unpatrolled track to unleash the rally bred beast I drive to work every day 
Any Ideas?
|
|
|
Location:
mel
Registered:
March 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Tue, 12 October 2004 06:17
|
|
they normally tech you the basic staff in your own car. So what you need to do is just bring you car to the defensive driving course. After that you can go on to do a high speed driving/handling course.
Or you can go to a rally driving course if you are into that sort of staff.
Remember all courses are really usefully, yet really expensive.
A normally defensive driving course will cost you around $200-300.
I have to say it is really worthwhile to take the course
|
|
|
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Tue, 12 October 2004 06:22
|
|
|
Thanks mate, do u know if they have ones that specialise in AWD, or do you know of any that run in the sydney area?
|
|
|
Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
June 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Tue, 12 October 2004 06:35
|
|
|
John Bowe runs drive days on circuits (mainly Winton, but he does other trax too) and he'll observe you and give advice, take you for hotlaps to show-ya hows it's done, or even hop in the passenger seat beside you if he reckons you won't kill him!! I don't know where to point you for AWD-biased training if you're not ready for that sort of thing yet. I've seen rally schools on tha tele in rural NSW & Vic, but they're using their own cars, and co$t around half-a-grand.
|
|
|
Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Tue, 12 October 2004 06:43
|
|
cool, thanks! Ill have a look around and post the results
my reasoning for wanting to learn is that I have a rally bred machine, and most likely not knowing how to make full use of the AWD system makes me feel like a bit of a poser hehe, not that I am though 
|
|
|
Location:
mel
Registered:
March 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Thu, 14 October 2004 14:57
|
|
John Bowe's course is really good but cost abit more that the other courses. So you can do the denfensive with other people and then go to John Bowe when you want more!
|
|
|
Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
June 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Thu, 14 October 2004 22:26
|
|
have you done the bowey course, cozzb ?
What's it / he like?
|
|
|
Location:
mel
Registered:
March 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Wed, 20 October 2004 05:30
|
|
No, i didn't do it with John Bowe myself.
My friend who work in ford as a ride and handling engineer did it with John Bowe. He did the defensive driving course and the high speed handle as a part of his training.
Well, I have to say the courses are really good. As my friends need to test drive cars everyday at more than 160km/h in the proving ground. He is still alive, therefore, the courses must be good.
|
|
|
Location:
Perth
Registered:
February 2003
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Thu, 21 October 2004 13:54
|
|
Anyone know of any good courses in Perth where they let you use your own car or anywhere you can get a on a skid pad(is that the name) and go nuts? Ive been wanting to do one of these for a while... cant really get the most out of the ST205 on the street and i like to find the limits of the car 
|
|
|
Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
June 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Thu, 21 October 2004 22:30
|
|
| cozzb wrote on Wed, 20 October 2004 15:30 |
No, i didn't do it with John Bowe myself.
My friend who work in ford as a ride and handling engineer did it with John Bowe. He did the defensive driving course and the high speed handle as a part of his training.
Well, I have to say the courses are really good. As my friends need to test drive cars everyday at more than 160km/h in the proving ground. He is still alive, therefore, the courses must be good.
|
Ya, I do 160km/h most nights at work, and we did a level 1.5 Murcott's car control course (swerve avoidance, limit braking, braking w/2 wheels on dirt etc). I don't do limit-handling like the chassis engineers though, hence the basic training course.
|
|
|
Location:
mel
Registered:
March 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Fri, 22 October 2004 05:18
|
|
| st184 sillycar wrote on Fri, 22 October 2004 08:30 |
| cozzb wrote on Wed, 20 October 2004 15:30 |
No, i didn't do it with John Bowe myself.
My friend who work in ford as a ride and handling engineer did it with John Bowe. He did the defensive driving course and the high speed handle as a part of his training.
Well, I have to say the courses are really good. As my friends need to test drive cars everyday at more than 160km/h in the proving ground. He is still alive, therefore, the courses must be good.
|
Ya, I do 160km/h most nights at work, and we did a level 1.5 Murcott's car control course (swerve avoidance, limit braking, braking w/2 wheels on dirt etc). I don't do limit-handling like the chassis engineers though, hence the basic training course.
|
What job do you do?
|
|
|
Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
May 2003
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Fri, 22 October 2004 05:54
|
|
|
Anyone know any versions of these courses in Adelaide? preferably where you use your own car?
|
|
|
Location:
Adelaide, SA
Registered:
June 2004
|
|
Re: AWD/Defensive Driver Courses??
|
Fri, 22 October 2004 10:44
|
|
| Isometric_Bacon wrote on Fri, 22 October 2004 15:24 |
Anyone know any versions of these courses in Adelaide? preferably where you use your own car?
|
If you or your folks are comprehensively insured with AAMI and you are under 25, you get to do a def driving course for free. It's a full day, half theory, half prac, and you use your own car.
There are 5 Excercises.
Emergency stopping (Too see how good or shit your car is at stopping). Stopping distance is measured.
Slalom work: First at 35 KPH, then at 45, then 45, then 35
Driving around a bend (Horseshoe), again 35, 45, 45, then 35
Emergency avoidance: Driving upto a fork, instructor will yell LEFT or RIGHT. first gives you only 1 second, then 2, then 3, then 1
Emergency stopping: 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 1 second.
It is mainly to show you stopping distances, 10KPH increase and how leaving a 2 second gap makes a very big difference. They dont really tell you how to do the slalom quickly, but give you tips if you get crossed up.
Quite a good course. Generally common sense, but it does let you see what your car can do.
[Updated on: Fri, 22 October 2004 10:44]
|
|
|
