HELP! Tecnique and tire traction

Comment

Comment by J.D. Kimple on November 2, 2011 at 8:05am

And countersteering

Comment by VJ Goh on November 1, 2011 at 11:07am

Keep your head up, look THROUGH the turn. Never stare straight ahead or at your wheel. When you enter the turn, you should already be looking at how you're going to exit. If there's a line through the mud, you want to try and use it, but you'll never actually hold the line if you're looking at it, which I know is counter intuitive.

 

Don't stop pedalling. You'll need that momentum to carry you through the mud, and it'll help straighten you out if you start to go over.

 

This is true for all cornering, but it really pays divedends in mud or sand. Keeping your head up in a turn is the single best thing you can do for your cornering. Provided you aren't running ridiculous tyres (slicks, semi-slicks) at ridiculous pressures (i.e., over 30-32; lower is better), this technique change will almost certainly help.

Comment by Patrick Shank on November 1, 2011 at 9:50am

No muddy corner is the same, but in general, there should some "popular" lines if it's sloppy.  look for some good ruts or any sections that are tracked out and set up your line accordingly.  hit a well defined rut and you'll have good traction and maintain speed through the muck.

 

When a course is getting sloppy, start thinking "tape-to-tape," especially in the turns - use the whole width of the course to get it done.  again, learn to spot the good lines and hit 'em.  I see a lot beginners thinking they need to stay more or less in the middle of the track and they miss faster lines because of that.  they also tend to take a corner as they would if it was dry and lean a little more than necessary instead of adjusting their line to the course conditions. 

 

If you have a tendency to go into a corner a little hot, start practicing "tripodding" your way through a turn - unclip your inside foot and anticipate needing to dab to prevent a crash in the event you lose traction.  you might actually have to dab and bobble a bit, but it's better than going down.

 

Tires: everybody has their favorite mudder - Dugast Rhinos, Challenge Limus, Clement PDX, Michelin Muds, Tufo Flexus Cubus, etc.  have a look at those tread patterns - slightly higher knob height for bite/grip in the slop and the knobs are spaced to minimize clogging.  if you're tires get clogged badly, you're essentially riding on slicks - not the best thing in the mud.

 

finally, when it's really bad out there, just remember - slow is smooth, smooth is fast.  you don't need to scream through corners on a muddy course - you just need to be efficient and keep it upright.

Comment by Erik Nordenson on November 1, 2011 at 9:19am

My guess is that you are running too high tire pressure