Driving Lessons

Every Driver is Different.

Lessons begin by studying both hand- and foot-work in a low-pressure environment in the garage so drivers can learn how to adjust their seats properly.  The object is eliminate distractions inside the cockpit and be in perfect harmony with the controls in the car.

 

Once the driver is comfortably seated, then safe lines through turns are learned.  Once on the road, speeds are slowly increased until car control is developed using a disciplined, step-by-step process.

LESSONS

Using a Building-Block approach, you are stepped through a carefully honed driving instruction process that removes the fear of the limit...in fact, when finished, you'll crave it.

PROGRAMS DESIGNED TO SUIT EACH DRIVER

Since every situation is different and can range from IndyCars to 50+ mpg hybrids, each program is individually tailored to match your driving needs and objectives.

Police Pursuit Training requires a different strategy than overcoming Freeway Driving Fears…very common in Southern California.

Unless you’re 100% comfortable, you cannot learn. 

By hiring Dellis, each lesson builds upon the first afternoon’s drive in the canyons, freeways, and side streets.  So, the first half-day is spent cruising around getting to know the you, your car, and your driving goals.

Depending on your comfort level, a more spirited approach can be used during the later stages of the first meeting, too.

At the conclusion of the first drive, your follow-up debriefing will include developing a strategy that helps you achieve your driving goals in the most efficient manner.  Strategies can range from off-peak freeway cruises to full-day trackday events at local racetracks.

Youth Driving Programs can involve learning the rules of the road, when to use courtesy, when to take the right-of-way, and common sense strategies for driving safely. 

Driving tips for Situational Awareness addresses emergency escape routes, parking lot safety, and safe lane positioning.

Safer digital etiquette for navigating with smartphones, and texting while driving is covered, as well.

 

Heel & Toe or Heal & Tow?

Proper footwork allows you to dance with more finesse around the Friction Circle.

In traditional stick shift cars you’ll learn how to downshift smoothly while braking into a turn.

However, since each car has its own unique pedal arrangement, you first need to learn the optimal foot-and-ankle orientation for transitioning smoothly from braking to accelerating…a procedure used to stabilize the rear end after a rotation which occurs just before peak cornering g’s.

Paddle-shifted cars come in all shapes and flavors. 

You will learn how to explore and make adjustments in the shift timing and brake pedal pressure for each of your car’s computer algorithms in the different driving modes.

Carroll Shelby Congratulates Dellis
Dellis won Shelby's last driving championship.

ADVANCED CAR CONTROL

Advanced Car Control delves into the realm where the car starts sliding around under you.

For racers, sliding the car slightly around the track is Standard Operating Procedure.

You will learn to get comfortable with the feeling of your car moving around underneath you while negotiating turns.

Turns out, a tire generates its maximum forces when it’s slipping slightly.

When the tire is turning, the sideways slipping is called a “slip angle” which is the difference between where the tire is pointed and where it’s actually going…much like a plane flying in a crosswind.  Mind you, it’s trying to go where it’s pointed, but things like momentum makes it slips sideways a little.

When the tire is going straight, the slip is called a “slip ratio” since it compares how fast the tire is actually rotating to how fast it would be rotating if it matched the car’s speed perfectly and wasn’t slipping.

You will learn what it feels like to approach those limits without going past them.

However, in the event you accidentally venture too far past the ideal amount of slip, your familiarity with the feeling at the limit will make it easy to get it back…without trying to memorize a set of rules.

It’s all about developing FEEL.

 

Fuzzy Dice Paradigm

Friction Circles were originally analyzed using the forces acting on the CAR’s tires.  The Fuzzy Dice Paradigm is just the opposite, and analyzes the forces the DRIVER FEELS.

Unless you’re on a racetrack, myriad variables can enter the picture very quickly giving you little or no time to react.  By learning how to FEEL your car’s behavior at and near the limit, it’s easier to maximize your realistic options for escape when the moment occurs.

Once the Science of Driving is explained in plain English, you’ll know how physics affects your car in every situation.  This method is far better than memorizing a set of rules which can lead you into trouble.

So, using plain English with everyday props — fuzzy dice, hairbrushes, and balloons — you can develop an feel for the limit, and intuitively know what to do well before it arrives.

You can then confidently predict your car’s behavior by visualizing how the weight will get transferred around the car as it navigates the incident in front of you.

In the event you have a “moment”, your body’s natural adrenaline dump can then be used to ENHANCE YOUR PERFORMANCE rather than cause you to choke and freeze due to fear of the unknown; well, because there are no more unknowns.

For this reason, after an accident drivers will sometimes say, “Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.”  Why? Because your internal body clock starts racing and you’re able to process more information in the same amount of time…which is how slow-motion movies are made.

PICKING THE RIGHT LINE THROUGH A TURN

Knowing how to analyze a turn properly as you approach it in the canyons will keep you safe and under the limit.

Driving the correct line at the proper speed through a turn is not only smoother, it’s safer, too.

Most drivers already know to straighten out turns by starting and finishing on the outside areas of the turn…this is called “apexing”.

However, getting the car at the right ANGLE while approaching the apex is the secret.

While learning well below the limit, your confidence will build as you begin to recognize the telltale signs of potential disaster well before it occurs.

Which Line?

Choosing Lines Depends on Many Factors

PHASE TWO

On the racetrack, your speed can increase more quickly since many of the unknowns that you learned on the street become recognizable.

This allows you to dance on the edges of the Friction Circle sooner with better focus since you already developed a new feel for the top of the mu-slip curve at a lower threshold.  With this new understanding, your lines will be perfect, too.

PERFECT DESIGN

A relaxed grip on the steering wheel blocks less steering feedback.

The feedback is the turning resistance which builds up to a peak just before traction goes away…engineers call this the top of the mu-slip curve.

Since less feedback is available with power steering, learning how to touch the steering wheel in the most kinematically efficient manner translates to opening up channels for reading what remains of the steering feedback…engineers call this improving the signal-to-noise ratio.

Each cockpit is laid out differently, and humans come in all ratios. 

So, by analyzing and learning your car’s ergonomics together with your body’s kinematics — with respect to your seating position and body proportions — you can operate the controls in your proprioceptive sweetspot.  This is the point where muscles are at their ideal exertion level for reading the steering feedback, or turning resistance.

LESSONS FROM THE BLOG

+

F1’s Power Steering vs IndyCar’s Manual Steering

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December 5, 2018
+ Emerson Fittipaldi with Ed Dellis

Free Track with Streaming Video

Ed’s Driver’s Ed In 1989, while working at SAE as Associate Editor for Automotive Engineering...
August 18, 2015

Left- or Right-Foot Braking?

Left- or Right-Foot Braking — a Matter of Preference Driving stars discuss braking techniques in...
July 11, 2015

Steering Wheel Action – Street Course

In-Car Cameras — Good for Watching Hand Positioning Watch Tony’s struggle to hold the wheel...
July 11, 2015

CONTACT INFO

SHIPPING ADDRESS

You can ship your steering wheel to:
Ed Dellis,
2973 Harbor Blvd. #314,
Costa Mesa, CA 92626, USA

ONLINE CONTACT

Send your issues and suggestions to:
personagrip[at]yahoo.com

CALLING THE MAD SCIENTIST

ProPak Customers can call anytime with questions about their steering wheel grip design.

All others may reach Dellis from Monday to Friday, 09:00 – 18:00 Pacific Time Zone (GMT-08:00) at:
(seven, one, four) 342.3020

BEST SUPPORT

Dellis takes your driving issues seriously. For every question his students have he will provide an answer.