CorporateEdge Posted July 4, 2008 Report Share Posted July 4, 2008 My company sent me to a driving safety/skid school yesterday. We used our own vehicles for various emergency braking/skid control and emergency avoidance exercises which were extremely beneficial. The day ended with everyone doing fast laps on the road race course (Mosport, Ontario Canada) with the excuse being to teach smooth vehicle handling. I have an 08 SEL and I flogged the living XXXX out of it on the track. We were on the smaller of the two tracks and I got it up to about 130 kph on the back straight which was plenty fast when you dive in to a hard right corner. The instructor took it out for a spin and was significantly quicker than I was but it was mainly due to being way smoother as opposed to a higher "top" speed. Things I learned on the track 1) the brakes suffered very noticeable fade after only a couple of laps. They never quit but they went very soft which slowed me down as I didn't want to put it off the track or in to a wall. 2) The brakes REALLY stink when they get used very hard. 3) Not surprisingly the Edge has a high center of gravity and shifts its weight fairly suddenly and significantly when thrown in to corners. 4) If you want to see really bad gas mileage take your edge to the track and drive it hard. My mileage was about half again in my worst mileage to date. I will not complain about my normal highway mileage now ! It would have been interesting to compare an awd version with my fwd SEL both on the skid pad and on the track. Fun day and someone else paid for it ! :happy feet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VapourSlvr20s Posted July 5, 2008 Report Share Posted July 5, 2008 My company sent me to a driving safety/skid school yesterday. We used our own vehicles for various emergency braking/skid control and emergency avoidance exercises which were extremely beneficial. The day ended with everyone doing fast laps on the road race course (Mosport, Ontario Canada) with the excuse being to teach smooth vehicle handling. I have an 08 SEL and I flogged the living XXXX out of it on the track. We were on the smaller of the two tracks and I got it up to about 130 kph on the back straight which was plenty fast when you dive in to a hard right corner. The instructor took it out for a spin and was significantly quicker than I was but it was mainly due to being way smoother as opposed to a higher "top" speed. Things I learned on the track 1) the brakes suffered very noticeable fade after only a couple of laps. They never quit but they went very soft which slowed me down as I didn't want to put it off the track or in to a wall. 2) The brakes REALLY stink when they get used very hard. 3) Not surprisingly the Edge has a high center of gravity and shifts its weight fairly suddenly and significantly when thrown in to corners. 4) If you want to see really bad gas mileage take your edge to the track and drive it hard. My mileage was about half again in my worst mileage to date. I will not complain about my normal highway mileage now ! It would have been interesting to compare an awd version with my fwd SEL both on the skid pad and on the track. Fun day and someone else paid for it ! :happy feet: Cool sounds like it was fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhotster Posted July 6, 2008 Report Share Posted July 6, 2008 I'm glad you did this exercise for the rest of us!!!! With the high center of gravity, I'd be concerned of a rollover. The last thing I would think my Edge could be is a race truck!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorporateEdge Posted July 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 7, 2008 It was a little "tippy" but I never had it even close to getting up on two wheels. Brake fade was the most obvious (and concerning) issue. The instructor shot around the course like we were out for a sunday drive. I don't think I would have spilled an open cup of coffee when he was driving. So smooth it was embarassing. One thing a coworker did comment on was that he wished there were the grab handles mounted on the ceiling by the doors but that was when I was driving. Now that he pointed it out they probably would be a good thing for getting in and out of the car if a person has mobility issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaak in TO Posted July 9, 2008 Report Share Posted July 9, 2008 (edited) Grab handles get in the way of the side curtin airbags ... hard to tip the edge as the stability system takes over! My "track" beast is a 1986 Porsche 944T (951) ...... Edited July 9, 2008 by Jaak in TO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorporateEdge Posted July 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Jaak Do you club race up at Mosport at all ? The last couple times I've been up there the Porsche Club had the main track for the day. Some of the members have way to much cash and look to be running the next thing to a pro team. Transporters, real mechanics as opposed to shade tree ones, etc.... Never thought about the side air bag issue. It probably would interfer but I don't see how it would be that big a deal as the airbag deploys out and away ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdgeNut Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 How'd the stability control do with all the flogging? Must have been nice to take it out on a closed track! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorporateEdge Posted July 21, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2008 How'd the stability control do with all the flogging? Must have been nice to take it out on a closed track! It was a blast just to be on a closed track and I now have a much better understanding of my Edge's capabilities and limitations. To be honest, I did not even notice the stability control which most likely means it worked well and didn't do anything intrusive. The only limitation I had was my own confidence, my driving skills and noticeable brake fade which slowed me down. The down side of the whole thing was leaving the track and getting on the highway to go home. I don't think I impressed to many people by clipping the apex on the on ramps etc...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaak in TO Posted July 27, 2008 Report Share Posted July 27, 2008 Jaak Do you club race up at Mosport at all ? The last couple times I've been up there the Porsche Club had the main track for the day. Some of the members have way to much cash and look to be running the next thing to a pro team. Transporters, real mechanics as opposed to shade tree ones, etc.... Never thought about the side air bag issue. It probably would interfer but I don't see how it would be that big a deal as the airbag deploys out and away ? Don't race ... just do the Driver Ed days as well as when there are "lapping" days put on by friends who have Porsche garages. I usually do Shannonville as there is a small chance of hitting the wall. Side airbags deploy down to protect the passangers ... side curtains. They pop down from the headliner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUCKRACER Posted July 28, 2008 Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 (edited) It was a blast just to be on a closed track and I now have a much better understanding of my Edge's capabilities and limitations. To be honest, I did not even notice the stability control which most likely means it worked well and didn't do anything intrusive. The only limitation I had was my own confidence, my driving skills and noticeable brake fade which slowed me down. The down side of the whole thing was leaving the track and getting on the highway to go home. I don't think I impressed to many people by clipping the apex on the on ramps etc...... Have you looked into an aftermarket break upgrade? BTW I know what you mean about being on a track. I club race my Ducati motorcycle at Willow Springs. I will never forget my first time on a track. No cops, no guard rails, no old ladies turning left in fron of me, no oncoming traffic... pure heaven. Edited July 28, 2008 by DUCKRACER Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CorporateEdge Posted July 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2008 Its a fleet lease vehicle so I won't be doing anything to it. The few times I really have to jump on the binders in my daily driving are few and far between so fade is not really an issue. ABS is a god send as long as you use it correctly and brake/steer at the same time. I only killed a few traffic cones this time out ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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