.......Simple as that really.

I know the best way is to get in the car and drive.
But I'm after something thats well written that I can sit down read, and learn from.

Tony

 

Roadcraft, Police Drivers Handbook

Very good, and worth the money

 

.............Roadcraft is very good, but don't treat it as gospel. Read it, digest it, deliberate then draw your own conclusions and implement what you have learned.

TONY

 

Jackie Stewart's Principles of Performance Driving
Jackie Stewart, Alan Henry

ISBN: 0905138910

I think this guy won a few world championships a while back so I guess he may know what he is talking about !!

 

Personally, I think Tom Topper's "Very Advanced Driving" is better than Roadcraft.

 

Road craft and a few days with Don Palmer
Best wishes
Steve

 

Tom is that book still available? I wouldn't mind reading it
thanks
Steve

 

Have to agree with "Roadcraft" as I know it/use adaption of it, but did a google on Tom Topper and came up with this, Tom Topper book Interesting link at the bottom on my search for driving gloves? dont know if they are random links though,
Gary

 

Thanks guys

 

Roadcraft is very good.

Its all about driving safely though, not as fast as you can. Although if you use thes techniques you will be able to drive as fast as is safe on public roads.

 

Paul Ripley's "Expert Driving" is much better in my opinion than "Very Advanced Driving" by A Tom Topper. Both worth a read though along with Roadcraft.

http://www.right-way.co.uk/motoring.html

And the highway code too, loads of people have no idea of what that is ;-)

 

I read roadcraft years ago, but I can't believe they still advocate the "BSM Shuffle" i.e feeding the steering wheel like a learner. This was all well and good in the days of the Morris Oxford and cross-ply tyres,but you don't see any racing drivers do that.

 

The reason they still teach feeding the wheel and holding it at the ten to two position is that you maintain full control of the steering at all times, and it makes for smoother steering.

When I did my first Police course I was taught to feed the wheel and I still do it to this day (20+ years on) and it hasn't slowed me down.

The problem with many people is that they try and relate what they see on the track to road driving/riding and there is no comparison.

 

ten to two - best for maintaining control yes - but hand shuffling is only taught because they're teaching a standard method to the lowest common denominator - and being police drivers that's pretty low.
All IMHO of course

 

Also remember the lock to lock turns is far less on a race prepared vehicle so in most cases a 180 degree turn of the wheel is sufficient. Bet you haven't seen Colin McRae or the like driving along with one hand and turning the wheel with just their palm in contact with the wheel either!

 

That's irrelevant - you still are going to have your hands crossed at some point - how can you drive smoothly while shuffling hands round the wheel - you can't.

 

And they dont advocate pull push steering now, they teach "rotational" steering ie. on a roundabout if all the steering you need is from say the 8 o'clock position with the right hand back to the start position thats all thats done (hard to explain), we still tend to teach pull push as with the bigger steering wheel and more turns lock to lock as said above it is a lot smoother,

 

At the risk of this thread being hijacked...here in Canada they actually teach you to cross your hands on the wheel. When I did my Ontario driving test, for the 3 point turn, I had to cross my arms - I would have died of old age or exhaustion otherwise...

Although most of the Roadcraft book is still relevant today, some parts are in dire need of updating - wasn't it written in the 1930's?

 

There was a rewritten Roadcraft released in '94 which updated a few areas including the part on steering and doing away with double de clutching,

Edit to add that for slow speed manouvres and skid control any steering technique which works is acceptable but pull push is still preferrable during skidding so you still know where the wheels are pointing at any given time,

 

oh yes you can drive smoothly, more so infact.

IAM teaches you to be flexible. Use rotational (fixed input) steering for most normal corners whilst driving and push-pull if you're going to turn your hands more than 45degrees. Crossing over whilst manouvering is far better, but any other time is just showing lazyness and doing more hand movements than is neccasery.

The main point is people think push pull is the stupid way to steer, its not, its just they are'nt any good at doing it properly, they usually shuffle a bit of the wheel rather than using it fully.

 

I keep my hands at ten to two, but don't see the need to shuffle, in the Mini or my Audi or any car with a relatively quick rack, you can take virtually every corner with just an armfull of lock and without moving my hands from their position. With the shuffle you are constantly changing your point of reference, must confuse the hell out of learners, a bit of tape in the centre of the wheel would help. I just don't get it on nimble modern cars.
Edited to say - I agree with apjames, but as soon as that "Active Steering" on BM's becomes common, the shuffle will be consigned to history cya

 

have to agree with apjames.
Rotational at quarter to three out on the open road and push pull for tighter slower speed turns in town. So I find it best to use both - and both techniques are now mentioned in Roadcraft.
Best wishes
Steve