[size=-1]*Part 1 can be found here: http://www.sfldrifters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80293[/size]
You may recall my last encounter with a MR2 ended with surprising results. Not only could it drift but it wasn't as hard as everyone made it out to be. Regardless of that I felt there was more to learn especially when it came to exploring the limits of the car. Luckily Patrick appeared again this past weekend at the Skidpad and gave me the opportunity to push the SW20 further than before.
To begin with I have to say I'm still surprised at how little difference there is in comparison to how a FR car behaves. Folklore will have you believe it's a night and day difference but all of it felt very similar to me. As I initiated into the first turn, I naturally let off the throttle and counter-steered. I can't seem to recall if I let off completely but I know I let off. Call me crazy for going against all the warnings where you're not supposed to lift in the middle of a turn, but nothing bad happened. The car just stayed there mid-drift waiting for my next command and I just got on the throttle after the car composed itself, the same methods I would apply in a FR car. I let off a couple of times around the track to see if I would experience anything different but every time it was the same. In no instance did the car behave erratic or lose drift. It was all manageable and predictable. It boggled my mind so I decided to push further to see what happens.
Finishing off the run I was near full lock and at this point it just seemed odd for some reason. It felt like I entered into a grey area where I wasn't sure what was going to happen next. Even though the car was still drifting I knew I lost it so I let off completely thinking it was going to correct itself, instead it spun around. Only then did the MR2 behave the way a typical MR car should. Instead of slowing down sideways like you would in a FR car when you've gone past your steering angle limit, the MR2 will just spin.
The other problem I found deals with the electric power steering. It doesn't provide the same level of feedback as a regular power steering system would. Most importantly you don't get a good sense as to when you're reaching the limits of the steering angle. In this case I just kept steering until I realized I was at the point of no return before I could reach full lock.
This all took place in my first run and having a better understanding of the limits made the second run ten times more fun. I got comfortable enough to go full throttle through some of the turns and having all that weight from the back pushing you forward made the car feel like a rocket, even with the bad set of tires it had in the rear.
So if you're comfortable drifting a FR car then you'll be surprised at how similar a MR2 will feel but get near the limit and it'll become more MR than FR. You'll be happy to know there's lots of room before the limit, enough to where you can play around and learn a thing or two.
Now of course this is all based on the experience with one car, so this is not to say you will experience the same with every MR2 you come across. If I get access to another one I'll be sure report back any differences I find. But considering how rare it is to have a MR2 come out to the track, it will be a while before I can post an update.
