How are you supposed to brake when approaching a corner when

>>15160302
yes

>>15160302
downshift through the corner

>>15160302
>Are you meant to just treat the brake pedal as an on/off switch? Meaning you just get to your braking point for the corner and hammer the brakes on as hard as possible?
No, you'll lock up if you don't have ABS or will make it rough for yourself.
>Or do you slow down gradually from a distance?
No, you'll lose too much time.
You want a balance, you need to figure out;
>your car's stopping distance
>stopping distance on that particular road surface and temperature
>angle(slope) of the road
>ideal entry speed for the corner
and from this you'll figure out when you should optimally brake and how much you should slow down to take the corner.

Also, don't brake going around the corner, only brake while going in a straight line.

Another dumb question
Does braking harder for shorter periods of times wear the brakes faster than braking softer for longer periods of time?
or does it all even out

What? You brake/downshift before a corner, keep the revs in the middle of the powerband, and accelerate out. Watch some Randy Pobst videos and git gud.

Stick with the basics friend, break to a safe speed before turning, repeat with faster entry speed and harder breaks until you find your limit

>>15160318
You downshift before the corner, not through it you moron. You want to be on the powerband while you are in the middle of the corner. Shifting while cornering is the worst possible thing you can do for stability.

I had almost forgotten than /o/ has 0 skill whatsoever when it comes to driving.

>>15160337
Braking harder will put more force on the brakes than light average-driving braking ever would. Most people own cars for years and never go near the brakes because they don't abuse them as much as people who track their cars.

>>15160302
Braking is the hardest thing to do right on the track. It is not an on/off switch. If you're in a street car you will have powered brakes so you don't need to press it very hard but the initial braking should be right before lockup. If you are in a formula car or other proper racecar you will have to press the pedal damn near as hard as you can since they have no brake boosting. Test out how much pressure you need to get the tires to lock up then back off just a tad. Alternatively if you have ABS you can press it as hard as you want since that will keep you from flat spotting your tires.

While you are threshold braking is when you should do your downshifts. Watch a video on how to heel-toe if you do not know how, it sounds tricky but its not hard once you get the feel for the rhythm. Get them all done before the turn in point, you do not want to downshift while turning because if you don't get the blip EXACTLY right it will upset the car and send you spinning into the grass. If you are having trouble blip harder. Its easier to come down from too much revs than to come up from too little.

After you reach the turn-in point start turning in and with the same speed as you turn-in with the wheel you should be releasing pressure on the brake. This is called trail braking and it keeps weight on the front tires so you can turn in better. You must learn the amount of pressure you need to come off the brake for the amount of degree in the steering wheel, too little means you can go faster, too much means you lock the outside front wheel up and understeer.

Continued...

File: nola spin.webm (2MB, 853x480px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 853x480px

>>15160501
Finally when you are about to transition to the throttle the speed at which you rapidly lift off the remaining brake pressure determines the speed at which the whole car will rotate around. You can use this to point the car at the corner exit very quickly, then "catch" the car by getting on the throttle and getting weight on the rear tires. Be careful though, practicing trail brake liftoff rotation means you will spin a lot so pick a good corner with lots of runoff, preferably paved, and not one where you'll end up in the armco.

Pic related is overdoing the trail brake liftoff a bit.

>>15160329
>Also, don't brake going around the corner, only brake while going in a straight line.
>he doesn't want to trail brake oversteer his way through the corner

>>15160302
>let the clutch out

OP, where IS your clutch?

>>15160302
Eh just start out by slamming on the brakes as late as possible without locking them up and making sure to stoo braking as soon as youre gonna turn the wheel. After that make adjustments based on the corner, your line and the car balance. Thats honestly the best why to learn. Be safe.

>>15160921
About the clutch. Down shift right as your about to stop braking, while still on the straight. Your clutch should only be depressed when shifting. You DO NOT want to be coasting ever.

>>15160302
Brake as hard and as late as possible, preferably up to the apex of the corner by trailing off the brake as you steer in more. The car should always be either decelerating or accelerating on a track to the most of it's ability.