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Last week, there was a thread regarding the fact that The Aero Academy will no longer be free of charge.....just thought I'd give some on the board some food for thought.
I purchased a new 9-5 Aero in August and when I inquired about open dates to The Aero Academy, one of the December openings was at the start of my vacation. I drove the car from Chicago to Atlanta in pretty nasty conditions (765 miles) consisting of first an ice storm, sleet, and then torrential rain. Only about the last 100 miles was free of weather, but I was beat by that time. Anyway, the car performed fine, but I felt like I drove a hard 765 miles.
The next morning (Monday, December 10th) class started at the Academy. The instructors introduced themselves and gave a short synopsis of their racing background. After about the first hour of classroom, you could see that some people were getting anxious to drive, myself included. Once you're at your particular exercise course, the instructors first get into a car and show the class what the driver is expected to do with the car. This was a humbling experience for many, myself included. You ask yourself, "How can a panic maneuver be done so smoothly and I'm sawing at the wheel!!???" When you get back to class after lunch, you really pay attention because what these instructors have to say is extremely important.
The instructors don't want to see how fast your are. They don't want to know what you know. Everything you DON'T know becomes very clear to them the first time they see you steer and brake. When they ride with you, all of your shortcomings become crystal clear to them. At some point on the second day, it dawned on me that these guys have forgotten more than I ever knew.
There is one instructor for every three students. We probably all developed a preference for a particular instructor for one reason or another, but any one of them could answer your question and was never too busy to help you out. Although every instructor faulted my seating position for having my arms too far extended to the steering wheel, there was one in particular who seemed to take it as a personal challenge that I was not in an optimal seating position in order to utilize the superb control potential built into these cars. By mid-morning of the second day, I changed my seating position. Every single way the car felt was transformed. The car handled as if it was on rails. My inputs were accurate and due to the seating position, steering was effortless. My shoulder blades were now in contact with the seatback and the feeling of wallowing in fast turns was gone. The instructors told us in class that if your shoulder blades are not in proper contact with the seat, your upper body will sway with the car body, tricking your brain into feeling alot of movement. When my shoulder blades stayed in contact with the seatback, the car darts as quickly as you point it, but there's no sensation of swaying or wallowing.
I've been driving a car (legally) for 44 years and I still enjoy it as much as I did when I received my driver's license. I've always considered myself a quick (situation permitting), safe, and skillful driver. For many years, I've had the knowledge of driving dynamics relating to braking, handling, car control,and put it to good use, or so I thought. On the way home, the 750 mile ride afforded me the opportunity to utilize the new driving position and to use the accelerator and braking techniques that I had learned during the two days at the Academy. The feel of the new 9-5 was transformed. It was on rails around entrance and exit ramps. I was not at all fatigued when I got home (drove straight thru) due to my upper back being supported. Not driving with my arms extended brought larger muscle groups into play for steering inputs, namely the chest, forearms, biceps, and lats.....not that you're lifting weights, but you'd be surprised at the beating your shoulders and neck take when they're doing all of the work. The day after I got home, I changed the seating position in my OG9-3 and Porsche 911. I drove the 9-3 first for about 50 miles and due to the newfound control and feel for the car I now had, the 9-3 felt better planted than the Porsche ever had. When I applied the same to the Porsche, about another 50 miles, it felt like a totally different automobile with every sensation being telegraphed back to your hands, seat, and pedal controls.
It's a shame that SAAB/GM is going to now charge $500 bucks to attend The Aero Academy. Please understand that I'm not trying to spend anyone else's money, but The Aero Academy is worth every penny. I'm sorry that I didn't take one of my sons along who is particularly fond of the driving experience. Most of us, regardless of age, frequent this board not only due to a fondness for this make of car, but due to the fact that we enjoy the experience of driving a well engineered car. My driving position was horrible, but maybe yours if perfect. But I can guarantee you'll come away from this class with newfound knowledge of how to have the most control of your car than you've ever had. They're not trying to make racers out of you, but rather show you how to take control of a wonderfully engineered automobile.
Steve
posted by 24.12.7...
, Sat, 15 Dec 2007 10:59:54
, Sat, 15 Dec 2007 19:14:32, Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:51:07
, Fri, 14 Dec 2007 21:10:39
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