Randy Chase said:
I thought this was a good start. 
http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=691
Chris, you are in San Diego. I would be happy to work with you.
In fact, karts are an excellent way to learn control. We are going with an Elisetalk group on June 11th. Otherwise, bring the Elise to a San Diego Autocross and I will be happy to help.
Thanks for pointing me to that thread - very good information. It has convinced me to try an autocross someday when I finally get my Elise. I live out in Ramona, where there are a lot of twisty mountain roads. (For example, I can take Highland Valley Road from Ramona to Rancho Bernado every day to and from work.) If I mess up on a curve here, I am likely to go down the side of a steep mountain, hitting boulders all the way.
Your pointing me to that thread also made me realize that I need to go check for sticky threads sometimes, and not just look only at new posts.
Also, I am a physicist, and it is gratifying to see some of the physics oriented explanations that many people added. I can get all wrapped in the physics point of view. Although, I would modify your hammer-head analogy. The behavior of the object is a function of both the distribution of mass and where (and what magnitude and direction) the forces are applied. The flying hammer analogy (that probably most people think of) has the force of drag being mostly equally distributed over the volume of the hammer (ok, a bit more in the head area, particularly if it is a claw hammer), hence the lighter handle will tend to decelerate faster, leaving it in the rear. And then, it gets more complicated when the forces are not equally distributed and rotation gets involved.
This whole subject area is a fun physics thought problem which can be subjected to experimentation - i.e., fun. Of course, I am sure there are papers and books written on the subject of the physics of handling, but the fun is figuring out a lot of it yourself - with pointers of course. Same as in physics lab in college. Hmm, that's how I will sell going to an autocross to my wife - I have to go to the lab and do some physics experiments.
Reminds me of when I was in school and I thought about the question "how does a tire hold up a car?" (I was having tire problems at the time.) It didn't take long to figure out, but I have asked people from time to time (when, for whatever reason, we are talking about tires), and have only had one person (out of about 20) come up with the right first answer. It is counter-intuitive for most people.
Thanks again,
-- Chris
