The Ultimate Braking Guide for Better Track Performance

In this post, we will try to go further into one of the most critical stages while approaching a curve: braking; but always from a practical standpoint, which may actually help our driving.

First and foremost, the necessity of braking must be emphasized, as poor execution would undoubtedly destroy both the intended line and the acceleration.

A tire cannot do everything…

Starting with the premise that our car has effective brakes that do not experience substantial fatigue braking after braking, we rely heavily on the grip of our tires. So, to understand it better, we will discuss Kamm’s circle, in which we will be able to examine the maximum grip capability of our tires at all times without taking into consideration the million variables that influence it (dirt…etc.).

The vertical line, as we can see, indicates the longitudinal forces: acceleration and braking. The lateral forces are represented by the horizontal line. To avoid losing our grasp, we must stay inside the resultant of the two forces. To put it another way, if we use 80 percent of the braking capability of the tires, we only have 50 percent of the lateral grip. And clearly, what is outside the circle indicates a loss of hold and stability: in other words, a loss of time.

A typical error is to use all of our vehicle’s braking capability in each brake, destroying the entry into the curve, traveling through the curve, and, ultimately, exiting the curve.

Starting braking

• To start braking well we should first have clear where we start braking and take into account the multitude of variations that alter “the braking point” such as the available grip on the track, the fuel load, the slipstream, the tire wear …
• Given the importance of the braking itself and all the factors that alter it, it would be best to train in the different ranges of asphalt temperature that could occur in race and qualifying, with full and empty fuel tank, as well as with worn tires.

Regressive braking

• The way in which we brake depends to a greater extent on the available grip and the characteristics of the vehicle, but in general we should brake from more to less. Backward braking involves braking hard at the beginning of the braking and then gradually decreasing brake pressure.

• Because to regressive braking, weight transfer during turn entrance is slow, ensuring increased stability.
• Obviously, the kind and curve of braking will be influenced by our vehicle’s features, particularly the hardness of the suspension and the available aerodynamic load.

Braking cadence

• It is a technique used mainly in rallies on surfaces with little grip, is to apply and release the brake intermittently or basically make an inconsistent braking comparable to the effect produced by an ABS.
• In circuit the thing changes and it is difficult to define it as a technique since its use or abuse does not have to help us to go fast.
• In circuit we can apply it doing an inconsistent braking in the last stretch of it, releasing brake and putting brake to gain lateral adherence in pursuit of longitudinal adherence, basically it is usually done this way because it is easier to avoid blockages and to help us to enter in curve.

Trail Braking

• It consists of maintaining the braking as we are turning, increasing steering wheel turning angle and reducing braking pressure, which will allow us to arrive braking to almost the apex of the curve. It will allow us to arrive with the front axle loaded during more time with the consequent greater adherence in the front train.

• That being said, while it appears simple, it is actually a sophisticated strategy. Its perfection does not happen overnight, and it goes without saying that if we are overly enthusiastic with the brake pedal during its execution, we will almost certainly spin.
• In general, its usefulness is proportional to our vehicle’s turning skills; for example, it will be really beneficial from the Mazda MX5, Skip Barber, to the GT3. Once we’ve achieved this position, we’ll move on to another group of cars with better cornering ability, such as GTEs, FR2.0, and Pro Mazda, while keeping the most popular series and vehicles in iRacing in mind.
• It should be noted that abusing this approach may slow us down by lowering cornering speed: the better our vehicle’s cornering capacity, the greater the usage of this strategy, the more time we will lose.
• If we look at the trail braking on our telemetry, the maximum turning point in a curve should coincide with as we let go of the brakes, which is usually at the peak of the curve.

Combining the Accelerator and the Brake

• When we use our left foot to brake, we frequently mix the accelerator and brake, which might be considered a mistake, a vice, or even a method.
• A priori, it is customary to combine brake and accelerator up to 25% when braking: a higher accelerator/brake ratio may create understeer. The brake (in orange) and accelerator (in green) correspond by about 40% in the circle on the left.

• But, when utilized with judgment and expertise, all of this may help us go quicker.
• If we look at the circle on the right, we can see a slight touch of accelerator in full braking, which can help us in very oversteering vehicles on corner entry, either by setup or characteristics of the vehicle to stabilize the rear axle and avoid oversteer on corner entry, although it is very likely to produce understeer if we spend.

Heel & Toe

• If our automobile has a manual gearbox (H), rear-wheel drive, and we are driving without driving aids, this strategy is almost mandatory (auto-blip).

• It consists of braking with the top of the right foot and tapping the accelerator immediately before downshifting to equalize the speed of the main axle with the speed of the secondary axle of the gearbox in order to prevent losing the rear of our car.
• On the other hand, if our automobile has a sequential gearbox but no “blip,” as the Skip Barber has, we simply need to add a touch of throttle right before downshifting, as long as we avoid “auto-blip.”

Vehicle parameters should be considered during braking ABS

• ABS will obviously make braking much easier, but how to make the most of it is less evident.
• First and foremost, we must tune the ABS to account for the kind of track, available grip, and driving style.
• Some drivers let it function to a larger or lesser extent, particularly during hard braking, braking to the maximum at the start of the braking and then releasing the brake rearward and with more sensation on the foot as we approach the apex of the curve.

Aerodynamic force

• The more weight applied to a tire, the more grip it generates: the higher the speed, the larger the aerodynamic load, and the better the braking capability owing to the increased grip. At faster speeds, more force may be applied to the brake.

Suspensions

• Fundamental feature of braking, especially when there is little or no aerodynamic load, and especially if ABS is not available.
• We must remember that the speed of weight transfer when braking is affected by the hardness of the suspensions.
• We must be exceedingly soft at the start of braking in a car with soft springs because we must provide time for the weight to be carried forward so that our tires obtain enough adhesion for improved braking. If we begin braking abruptly, the front end will not be correctly loaded, which will almost certainly result in a lock under braking. The Porsche 911 GT3 or Mazda MX5 are two obvious examples.
• The harsher our vehicle’s suspension is, the more pressure we will be able to exert since weight transfer occurs nearly instantly and with adherence accessible from the start. Formula Renault or Pro Mazda are two examples.

See you on the track!