You are here:
Forums
SUVs
BMW X3 & X5
BMW Performance Driving School for the X

29 messages, Last post on Oct 11, 2006 at 9:46 AM
You are in the BMW X3 & X5 Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
|
Replying to: markcincinnati (Oct 09, 2006 3:54 pm) So your opinion of "amateur" driving schools is based on attending one "professional" school? If I couldn't catch a "professionally driven" X3 with an E46 330i ZHP I'd hang up my helmet and driving gloves.
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: div2 (Oct 09, 2006 4:19 pm) The BMW and the Audi schools -- the two sponsors of the schools I have attended -- are professional schools. The folks in the "Advanced BMW -- 'M' schools" seem to be in training to become "pro-am" drivers. I am not. The focus of all the driving schools I have attended (each being 2 days) has been similar: get the car into an "out of control" situation and apply instruction and exercise in order to regain control, followed by continuing the exercises over and over at higher and higher speeds until once again, the threshold is crossed and once again control is lost. Then, during the out of control portion of the instruction, you learn how to counteract the out of control attitude of the vehicle and bring it back into control. The "rinse lather repeat" school of high performance driving where the focus is on maintaining control or regaining control is what I have attended 4 times in Austria and once in South Carolina. The "Advanced M high performance school" seems to have, as its primary focus, driving on a closed track in competition. I have been through some of the same things as part of the on-road instruction I mentioned above -- I have NOT been on the path that trains students to either race in amateur road races or to become pro drivers. The BMW Advanced M students were, IMHO, far from amateurs was a key point in my post. Another point is that the technology MAY (it CAN) make a fair driver into a pretty good driver and so on. Not being the pro, personally, I simply say I'll take all the technology advantages I can get. Finally, were we as individuals to spend the money on training that we spend to "move our cars up the performance continuum," we would be able to "do more, go faster, be safer, etc." with lesser technology. It makes me think my lowly Audi A6 3.2 could keep up with an Audi S6 V10 were I to spend $25,000 on training myself rather than on the upcharge reflected in the MSRP of these two vehicles. Yet, were I to want to spend the extra $25K, I imagine I would spend it on the S6 instead of more training. Perhaps YOU are already a professional driver, but the things our instructors could do with X3's and X5's typically would mean that the X's would be showing the M's their tail lights. Of course the straightaways did allow the M's to catch up with the X's. In conclusion, the new X3 with the new 3.0 engine, tho. . . well driving that will give all but the most jaundiced pause -- the new 2007 X3 3.0 is (relatively) a screamer.
|
|
|
Replying to: markcincinnati (Oct 10, 2006 7:03 am) Yet, were I to want to spend the extra $25K, I imagine I would spend it on the S6 instead of more training I think you should try a few BMW CCA driving schools. I suspect that you will find that you can develop good driving skills for considerably less than $25K. You may even learn to enjoy nudging the envelope without having a host of Bavarian acronyms waiting to intervene to "save" you from disaster...
|
|
|
|
|
Replying to: div2 (Oct 10, 2006 7:40 am) I didn't mean I would actually spend $25K on the training, I simply meant that were most people to spend some money and time on education and training they would almost certainly get more out of their current car. I have no intention of feeding a V10 car either. I'm more looking at either an Audi or BMW TD "if" they ever come to this side of the Atlantic. Thanks for the tip.
|
|
|
Replying to: markcincinnati (Oct 10, 2006 8:03 am) |
|
You are here:
Forums
SUVs
BMW X3 & X5
BMW Performance Driving School for the X
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 BMW X3
2010 BMW X5



Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats