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Raise Your Game!!. Hints and Tips for a Better Ride
This section contains
hopefully helpful hints on how to get the best from your
trialling experience.
Turning
Ideally get a
gearbox with a viscous handbrake like the R380. This will allow you to
lock / slow down the back wheels legally, then put full steering lock
on in the desired direction and floor it, turning sharply
with virtually no forward motion.
If your not fortunate
enough to have such niceties however and you need to turn
sharply in a very short space, slow right down, then drop
the clutch, put on full steering lock in the desired
direction, give it some throttle and then sharply let
the clutch back in before dropping it straight away. the
sudden influx of power through the transmission will make
your front wheels chew sideways dramatically whilst the
back ones will go the opposite way. Repeat as necessary by
effectively pumping the clutch. (Be aware that, in deep
mud this can lead to snapped diffs and half shafts but
that's all part of the game!!)
Climbing
On hill climbs, make
sure that you already have your power on at the bottom of
the hill as if you try to increase throttle once your on
it you are likely to lose significant traction (especially
if you only have one shocker per corner) as the wheels
will bounce and therefore spin. If you do lose traction,
try keeping the power on and turning the steering from
lock to lock as this will often mean you bite into fresh
ground that's off the driving line and allow you to regain
purchase. Also pump the throttle as this varies the power
going through the drive train allowing the wheels to
"relax" and then grab again as the power come back on. Be ready to straighten the wheel quickly though,
as, if it grips, it could take of in an entirely
unexpected direction.
Drops
When approaching a sharp
drop, always present yourself as squarely as possible to
the start of the incline (believe me, you really don't
want to go down sideways if you can possibly avoid it!!).
If it's really steep then select as low a gear as possible
so that you get the benefit of some engine braking (if
you've got an auto box, select first gear. DO NOT
go down in drive as it'll just run away from you and leave
us with lots of mangled metal to clear up before we can
carry on). Avoid
using your brakes on the hill if at all possible as you
are likely to slide and lose traction and therefore
control (you generally find there's an awkwardly placed
gate just as you get to the bottom. People who set them
out are like that!). If you do have to use some braking
then press and release straightaway repeatedly so that the
overall effect is similar to ABS where the wheels regain
motion and traction between presses of the pedal.
Driving Across
a Slope
Another thing that you
will often find yourself doing is travelling side- on
along a hill with a 45 degree plus incline. If the crest
of the hill is within the driving line, try to keep the
upper wheels just on the other side if it so that it holds
you back and stops you slipping sideways. Failing this,
when traversing a gate, aim as high as possible without
hitting the top stick as there is always a risk that the
back end of the vehicle will fall away behind you. If its
a short run you can often effectively speedway it round
but aim high as the back end will fall away and you don't
want to clip a gate you've already cleared.
Tramlines
Avoid deep ruts already
made by other vehicles. If you get stuck in them you can
find yourself travelling forwards in a straight line under
full power even though you've got full lock on. Try to
travel to just one side and when crossing them, get your
wheels as close to a right angle to them as possible or
they will effectively grab the tyres and drag you in. If
you do get stuck the only option is full lock in the
desired direction (as far as the lines allow) and then
full power in short bursts by pumping the throttle. (even
so you will often find that you just carry straight on
anyway but at least it looks comical for the spectators)
Mud
When in really deep mud,
the important thing is to keep moving (once you stop your
pretty much screwed). Enter under reasonable speed if you
can so there's already a good momentum built up. Keep the
revs fairly low so the wheels don't spin and if you do
lose traction, pump the clutch so that power is briefly
lost at the wheels and then grabs again. This is a
slightly risky manoeuvre which can snap half shafts and
even diffs (but do you want to win or not!!). If you can,
make sure you are heading in the direction you want to go
before entering as turning the wheel once in the mud bath
will be much harder and will cost you valuable forward drive
due to resistance as the wheel broadsides the mud.
Rolling Over
(No Really!!. It's Fun!!)
If you find yourself in
a situation where your vehicle is rolling, cross your arms
across your chest and grab your upright seatbelt straps
firmly (and hold
on tight!). Brace your feet against the footwell to stop
your legs flapping around. DO NOT reach out for
anything to get hold of or put any part of your body outside the vehicle
unless you're really are sick of it and WANT it to be
all crushed and mushy.
If your motor really
begins to seriously slide away sideways down a steep hill, don't try and
save it or you'll end up rolling. Instead steer sharply
downhill in
the direction of the slide and floor the throttle. Most
times this will pull you back from the brink if you get it
quickly enough (much the same as steering into a skid!).
You will however most likely find yourself travelling
downhill at speed. Try to resist the inclination to brake
(oops, sliding again!!) or drop the clutch (Runaway!!!) as this
is liable to make it go even faster. Just take your feet
off everything and let it go down on the engine overrun
and brake just before the bottom of the hill if you
absolutely have to.
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