Winter's coming, where can I learn to tame my supra?

hey...it runs

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Aug 15, 2011
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chicago
This is perhaps a question that almost every supra owner has pondered at one point in time...or maybe not. Either way, winter is coming and I want to learn how to drive my supra like a pro. Drifting, doughnuts, 360s power slides, everything. I already know how to do most or all of that, but where can I practice. I honestly want to become a better driver. I don't want to get a hefty ticket. I live in Illinois, so you know the police generally suck. Where can I practice? When can I practice? Under what circumstances can I practice? I just want to practice driving LEGALLY without paying to use a race track. Please help. Thanks! Btw I need to know what IS LEGAL for sure. This could come down to fighting a ticket in court. Let's hope it doesn't. Thanks guys!
 

Suprapowaz!(2)

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Apr 10, 2006
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Fork over the money and go to a local drift sanctioned event. It's alot cheaper than getting caught on the streets and having to go to court. All that drifting and powersliding will get alot of attention on the streets, and someone is sure to call the cops on you. Keeping it safe and legal will avoid lots of money and headache.
 
Jun 6, 2006
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Amerika
www.dreamertheresa.com
hey...it runs;1772262 said:
This is perhaps a question that almost every supra owner has pondered at one point in time...or maybe not. Either way, winter is coming and I want to learn how to drive my supra like a pro. Drifting, doughnuts, 360s power slides, everything. I already know how to do most or all of that, but where can I practice. I honestly want to become a better driver. I don't want to get a hefty ticket. I live in Illinois, so you know the police generally suck. Where can I practice? When can I practice? Under what circumstances can I practice? I just want to practice driving LEGALLY without paying to use a race track. Please help. Thanks! Btw I need to know what IS LEGAL for sure. This could come down to fighting a ticket in court. Let's hope it doesn't. Thanks guys!

facepalm.gif
 

hey...it runs

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Aug 15, 2011
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Alright guys! Thanks! Its nit that I don't know how to drive, it's more that I want to master it. I don't know if ill b able to do that without a hefty price tag.
 

LunaVyohr

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Sep 30, 2011
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hey...it runs;1772358 said:
How much is a track day/event?

There's this magical thing called Google, where you can type your questions into a magical bar. You press a button and the magical bar eats your text and gives you answers in return. Brilliant.
 

Quin

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Dec 5, 2006
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lol that's funny. Most people around here go to the movie theater lot, which is right by our DMV. You're not likely to find anywhere to do this legally other than a track. I'd try and find a big industrial lot and wait til it snows. Around here, you usually just get run off, no tickets. However, YMMV, I'm not responsible for what happens, etc. lol
 

te72

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Mar 26, 2006
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WI88Supra;1772387 said:
Ironically the place with the best parking lot that is completely dead on the weekends around here is the DMV lol. That's where I go to get rid of old tires with my challenger.
392? Definitely ironic... about the same here though. The local DMV would be a great place to learn around here but it's also the county's local Highway Department station, so... that's usually a no-go.

Quin;1772403 said:
lol that's funny. Most people around here go to the movie theater lot, which is right by our DMV. You're not likely to find anywhere to do this legally other than a track. I'd try and find a big industrial lot and wait til it snows. Around here, you usually just get run off, no tickets. However, YMMV, I'm not responsible for what happens, etc. lol
About the same here as well. If you're being (relatively) safe about what you're doing, selective with your time and surroundings, not to mention respectful about the noise level, you shouldn't get into too much trouble. However, that is 100% up to the local LEO in your area too...

I can say this much, I've daily driven Supras during our winters for the last 5 years now. They make great winter DD's if your tires are of an appropriate type and design for winter driving. Even still, there is a difference between getting sideways on purpose, and getting sideways unexpectedly. Your reactions and choices when you find yourself in the latter situation are what count, not how much you've practiced. Practice will only get you familiar with how the car behaves under controlled situations. ;)
 

enjoyer

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Mar 28, 2009
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te72;1772420 said:
I can say this much, I've daily driven Supras during our winters for the last 5 years now. They make great winter DD's if your tires are of an appropriate type and design for winter driving. Even still, there is a difference between getting sideways on purpose, and getting sideways unexpectedly. Your reactions and choices when you find yourself in the latter situation are what count, not how much you've practiced. Practice will only get you familiar with how the car behaves under controlled situations. ;)

This will be my 3rd winter with a supra. The first few months on snow were a bit scary, because this was my first rwd car. But i did a lot of practicing on closed roads. My goal was to get myself used to sliding unintentionaly. That helped a lot. Now i don't get scared of slipery conditions and if i do get it some trouble, i can get through it without shaking hands. Of course not all the situations depends on your own driving. You have to monitor other drivers. Majority of then are either to cautious and slow or tend to overdo it always.
 

te72

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You make a good point about other drivers too. Sometimes people will do foolish things while driving in poor weather. Their actions will occasionally force YOUR hand. That's where practice will help you, just getting familiar with what reaction you SHOULD have. Sometimes it's best to merely react than think when driving. Your skill set at that point will produce an outcome, good or bad. :)
 

enjoyer

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Mar 28, 2009
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te72;1773068 said:
You make a good point about other drivers too. Sometimes people will do foolish things while driving in poor weather. Their actions will occasionally force YOUR hand. That's where practice will help you, just getting familiar with what reaction you SHOULD have. Sometimes it's best to merely react than think when driving. Your skill set at that point will produce an outcome, good or bad. :)
Speaking of that kind of thing. Last winter(i think) one guy misjudged his breaking and slid right in front of me from the side road while i was going 60km/h on a snowy three line road. I had two lines of space and i new that no one was on the side or behind me, because i'm allways watching what's happening around me. The view from the side should have been not bad. I had to use almost all three lines. Only when i parked my car at home i started to realise how everything could've ended. At that certain moment there were only reactions. No thinking at all.
 

te72

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enjoyer;1773075 said:
Speaking of that kind of thing. Last winter(i think) one guy misjudged his breaking and slid right in front of me from the side road while i was going 60km/h on a snowy three line road. I had two lines of space and i new that no one was on the side or behind me, because i'm allways watching what's happening around me. The view from the side should have been not bad. I had to use almost all three lines. Only when i parked my car at home i started to realise how everything could've ended. At that certain moment there were only reactions. No thinking at all.

Exactly! You never know when someone else has you in their sights, however unintentionally. Most of my best maneuvers were completely on accident, but calm and controlled reactions kept me in the clear. :)
 

enjoyer

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I don't recomend it, but sometimes, on a late winter evening drive, on a wide snowy street, i tend to practice. At about 60-70km/h i throw the car sideways imaging that there is an obsticle in front of me. I try to avoid that (non existant) obsticle and regain control of the car. Only if the road is totaly empty, no trafic or bystanders. If i make a mistake it's my own. No one else will suffer.
 

te72

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WI88Supra;1773502 said:
Nah, heritage edition R/T. It's fat and slow and pretty much only good for looking nice and donuts.
Ahh, that's too bad, looked like one. At least I hear they're good road trip cars, which I could see a Chrysler product being. :)
 

TRDownShift

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Sep 19, 2010
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My car HAAAATTTTTEEEEEESSSSS Rain here in austin... I think It's because all the oil gets built up on the ground, and because it really only rains about once every 16 years here it never gets washed away.. lol but anyway, because of that I have been "practicing" and the system I use is that I Scout out at least 4 good parking lots within say 3 miles of each other that are ALWAYS empty and then I rotate every 3 minutes, and I take different routes to each one every time, this way I can see if theres a Pigy in the parking lot before I pull in.

I've never once been caught using this system... then again I'm overly careful about this stuff, I've never even had a ticket :D
 

te72

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TRDownShift;1773673 said:
My car HAAAATTTTTEEEEEESSSSS Rain here in austin... I think It's because all the oil gets built up on the ground, and because it really only rains about once every 16 years here it never gets washed away.. lol but anyway, because of that I have been "practicing" and the system I use is that I Scout out at least 4 good parking lots within say 3 miles of each other that are ALWAYS empty and then I rotate every 3 minutes, and I take different routes to each one every time, this way I can see if theres a Pigy in the parking lot before I pull in.

I've never once been caught using this system... then again I'm overly careful about this stuff, I've never even had a ticket :D
Yet. ;)

Sounds like Vegas roads actually...