Subaru Outback 3.0R wagon with F1 GS D3's on autocross course (video)

I had a chance to go to the Skip Barber two day Driving School (http://www.skipbarber.com/driving_s...ing_school.aspx) with a guy from work.

 

I have about 1,500 miles on the Goodyear F1 GS D3's and find they've absolutely transformed the car. 95% of the complaints about the Outback suspension would go away by mounting these tires. Makes me proud to be Murican (although apparently they were developed in Europe).

 

We did most of the training in Neons but spent part of the last afternoon driving a Dodge Viper on this autocross course. On the second run they let us take our own cars out for a few laps if we wanted. I also let an instructor drive it - he has a WRX Sport Wagon, also with Goodyears. Depending on which video and which section, any of the three of us could be driving - the really fast, smooth run is the Barber Instructor of course.

 

This was a great experience. Long ago I was a fairly successful autocrosser, and there were a few others who had done some time trials or track events. Also a range of drivers from 17 year olds with new licenses (and the best parents in the world - the course costs $1,395) to several 30-something folks interested in driving better to a guy in his late 50's who splits his time between a Mini Cooper S and a BMW 840 but has never competed. The instructors were very talented race drivers and also good at instructing - not easy to do. The level of instruction was way higher than any of the car club or sports car club schools I've been to in the past - I learned a lot more technique. There were four BMWCCA members in the class.

 

By the end of the two days everyone was going a lot faster. I was impressed by how some of the new or hesitant drivers were going fast at the end of the two days. We had a three lap autocross competition (standing start) and the fastest laps and overall time were by a 17 year old former kart racer who rarely gets to drive. The instructors were just flat excellent.

 

Here are the two clips. Watching the car - [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYKJIVajAIE]YouTube - Subaru Outback 3.0R on Autocross course - from outside[/ame]

From inside the car - [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuSng8n_BSo]YouTube - Subaru Outback 3.0R on Autocross track[/ame]

The other car on the course is a BMW Z4.

 

The Viper is just incredible. We couldn't get over 50mph on this course, but with over 500 ft lbs of torque, giant Michelin Pilot tires and brakes big enough to stop a train, it is very difficult to get into trouble. In fact, it takes a half dozen laps - including having the instructor push down on your right leg - to figure out that you can be going a lot, lot faster. Really, really fun. Here's an instructor driving it around the course.

 

Video of the Skip Barber Viper:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRWGxo9RDWA]YouTube - dodge Viper on Skip Barber School Autocross course[/ame]

 

And a review of the car from Top Gear (always amusing)

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpvxRHUwdYE]YouTube- Broadcast Yourself.[/ame]

I have about 1,500 miles on the Goodyear F1 GS D3's and find they've absolutely transformed the car. 95% of the complaints about the Outback suspension would go away by mounting these tires.

 

Thanks for the review and video clips. Looks like a lot of fun. I'm also glad you reported the improvement from the GS-D3. I know a few LGT owners with these and wondered about their suitability on the Outback.

 

Good to know.

It looks like a lot of fun, worth the $1,300?

 

I know it is a racing school, but what kind of real-world skills did you pick up?

 

What was the instruction like? Fun teachers or more military like given the safety risks involved?

 

I love the in-car sound of the H6... I wish they had that with a 5 or 6MT and I would have gotten one!

 

This was the driving school - it was oriented towards street driving with braking; threshhold braking; lane toss and other "racing skills that can be applied to street use."

 

The instructors were GREAT! They were incredibly patient with some of the folks having trouble. But they have the experience to answer any conceivable question. And they explain everything very simply and organize the drills to reinforce what they've told you. There are some "chalk talk" but most of the time was spent driving. And it's all on the skid pads, open spaces or test tracks where there's essentially nothing to hit. As a result, there's no "CYA" safety stuff. I didn't see anything that raised a safety concern. The general tone is more like a tennis lesson than jump school - they know you're there to have fun.

 

I mentioned to one of the instructors that I used to race at NHIS and was really impressed when I saw the Formula Atlantics there. It turns out he holds the current track record - in a Formula Atlantic - and it's four seconds faster than the runs I saw. These guys are really top-notch racers (most of their programs are racing programs) but none of them seemed stuck on themselves - I really felt they wanted you to get better and that was their reward. They get an absolute A+. The head instructor, Bob Green, is a technical writer for SAE and other organizations. But he started off as describing his role as, "Pretty much like Julie [the Cruise Director] on Love Boat."

 

They did a pretty smart thing on the skidpad. It's done with Dodge Dakota pickup trucks. They put undersized (about 15") rims on them so they're lower and accelerate better. a side benefit is that it lowers the center of gravity so there's no rollover concern. I had zero desire to drive a pickup, but they were actually a lot of fun and I was really impressed with them. Bob's comment on the Neon was, "It's pretty fun to race - if everyone else has one too."

 

Almost any driver would get a lot out of this course. I absolutely think it's worth the money. I have no plans to begin racing again but may see of there's another course to go to in a year or two just as a tuneup/refresher. I would not go to the one day course - there's simply too much to learn and practice.

 

I learned one other thing from some of the attendees. Some insurance companies will give you a multi-year discount for attending a program like this. One of the parents told me that, after insurance discounts, the actual cost of the course was going to be $300. That'sless than the deductible on a fender-bender, so he considered hed come out $200 ahead! Don't you wish you had parents that would send you to a Skip Barber program?

 

Back to the real point, they had a discussion about tires and asked, "how many of you like the tires that came on your car?" No one raised their hand. Next question, "Why would you spend $25,000 or $35,000 or $45,000 or $80,000 [Viper] on a car, then not replace the poor OEM tires?" He also said, along the same lines, "Bad tires can make a great car bad, and good tires can make a bad car good."

 

Which is why the Potenzas are now on our Quest minivan (really unfair since it handles great for the size of it) so they'll be ground to dust by Winter. I may have to get a Goodyear tattoo....

Anyone else having trouble with the video? It looked OK at first, now there's no sound and the resultion is way down. Or is that just Youtube?