Most people don’t associate driving fast with staying safe. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
In reality, the majority of accidents occur on acceleration from a starting position. An intersection is notorious exactly for that scenario.
Nonetheless, driving safe and fast is possible. That’s what we will cover now.
Keep reading to learn how to drive fast.
1. Don’t Coast
As the header suggests, don’t coast. When you take a corner or turn, you need to be doing one of two things:
- Accelerating
- Decelerating
And the tricky part arises in applying throttle during both.
When you remove throttle pressure in a corner, the rear of the vehicle loses balance. Most spinouts occur because of this. Therefore, you must master two-foot braking and downshifting.
Use your left foot to break while keeping the RPM up with the right foot. This will ensure the rear stays under load, even if you’re slowing down.
The car will hug the road better, and you will come out of corners easier.
2. Master Throttle Control
And as a segway – one must learn to master throttle control. It’s a simple process.
If you accelerate, the weight goes to the rear of the car. If you brake, the weight goes to the front. This affects the level of grip that your car has.
Knowing how to maintain a neutral throttle when driving around a corner is critical to your success when driving fast. This does not mean you coast with your foot off. When you’re turning a corner, the car should drive like its a train on rails.
3. Look Ahead
What separates the racecar driver from a regular driver is that they trained themselves to look as far as possible when driving. You should do the same.
Not only are you able to see hazards and plan your turns in advance, but if you’re starting to look at the corner as you enter it, you’re already late.
The saying “look where you want to go” runs true. You should always visualize the line of least resistance that you will take. Ideally, as straight as possible.
4. Hand Position
When driving at fast speeds, your hands should be at 9 and 3. This position allows you to feel the front tires sticking to the road, and ensures that your steering is accurate.
Keep your hands at this position even when turning. Traditionally, a driver was taught the hand over hand method.
But taking a hand off will limit your haptic feedback when turning. So if you’re turning, keep your hands on even if it means you have to cross your arms.
However, of course, if you need to shift gears or take a hairpin curve, there’s no other way than removing your hand. Just remember to get it back on as soon as possible.
5. Music Off
As soon as the music is on and you hear your favorite song, you get that rush to drive fast. However, loud music at high speeds is a bad idea. Not only does it decrease your ability to focus, but it can prevent you from hearing important notes of sound when on the road.
In fact, Memorial University in Canada has researched loud music and found that it increases your reaction time when driving (that’s a bad thing).
6. Seat Position
First, you must lock in your legs. Push the brake and clutch all the way towards the end of the travel range. The leg should slightly be bent. Move the seat forward or back to find the best position.
Next, you need to find the correct position for your hands on the wheel. Rest your wrists on top. The arms should be slightly bent and comfortable. Use the reclining functionality of your seat to find a better position.
Now, you can adjust the height. Lower the seat as much as you can while retaining the full ability to see out of the windshield. This reduces the center of gravity and will allow you to feel the road with your body.
7. A Balanced Car
The secret to driving fast is in managing weight transfer. In an ideal world, the chassis should stay flat with no pressure on any of the tires.
Imagine you have a bucket of water on your dashboard with little room to spare. The car should be balanced without letting any drops spill.
8. Stick to Highways
Fast cars are built for the purpose of driving fast on long roads. It’s important to avoid driving fast around tight corners, especially where traffic is imminent.
The fast car changes gears quickly. If you’re speeding up and changing through gears to a point where you have to downshift again in a matter of seconds, this can get dangerous.
You can stall the car and make it roll into another. Stick to the highways or open tracks where you have lots of room to spare and play around.
9. Slow Down on Bends
It’s tempting to drive fast everywhere in a fast car. But there is no turn or bend for which you shouldn’t slow down. Going fast on any type of bend is the easiest way to get in an accident or lose control of the car.
Know how to drive fast? By slowing down on bends.
How to Drive Fast Properly
Now that you have discovered 9 ways to improve your abilities in driving, you can remain safe while getting up to those supersonic speeds. So if someone asks you how to drive fast, you can respond “properly”. And only then can you educate them on the proper method via this outlined advice.
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