Trail Braking: How Braking More Can Make You Faster

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Braking more can actually make you a faster driver. Sounds like a juxtaposition right? Well, not quite. This is trail braking. In this video, Im going to be telling you what trail braking is, when it should be used and how you learn, practice and utilise it in your own driving. So, make sure you stay tuned until the very end if you want to become a faster driver.
When we’re first learning to drive in a performance manner, we’re taught that we need to brake, turn and accelerate 3 separate stages . This is intended to help newer drivers drive cleaner, smoother and to keep the car balanced through corners overall. With this line of thinking, it’s easy for newer drivers to see braking purely as a means of slowing a car down. However, the brakes actually have a few uses that advanced drivers use regularly.
If you’ve watched any of my videos in my how to touge series previously, you’ll know that we can actually use the brakes to change the pitch of the car, or in other words, push the weight of the car onto the front wheels. Basically, this alters the balance of grip from rear to front. There are two main effects that come of this. Firstly, the front tyres have way more grip than usual as they are compressed into the tarmac. This gives them greater turn in potential. And secondly, the rears are lifted off of the tarmac slightly, meaning they have less grip. This allows us to rotate the rear of the car much easier than usual. In a nutshell, trail braking allows us to use all of our grip to it’s maximum potential. When entering a corner, we don’t need as much grip on the rear tyres than the fronts, simply because they are putting in less work. So, loading up the fronts by trail braking allows us more grip to actually turn into the corner. We can see this effect visualised when we slam on the brakes whilst turning. The car will buck forward, the rear will lose grip and will almost pivot around the front end.
So with that in mind, let’s get back to the topic of the video. Trail braking is the term used to describe the technique of blending both braking and turning at the same time. If we go back to the diagram from earlier, we can see how it modifies the 3 stage cornering into just two. Trial braking allows a driver to brake slightly later, but more importantly, keep the weight of the car on the front axles, which aids corner entry. It also allows them to rotate the rear of the car around. This means the car is lined up with the exit of the corner sooner, meaning they can step on the throttle earlier.
But, I should say that it’s not necessary to trail the brakes into all corners. Trail braking is best performed on slow corners, in which we’d want to rotate the car before the apex, allowing us to open up the exit.
So now you know what trail braking is, and when to use it, so all that remains is telling you how to learn, practice and utilise the trailbraking technique in your own driving. But before that, let me take up to 10 seconds of this video to remind you to like the video, let me know what you think in the comments and subscribe if you want to see more videos like this one.
Trail braking is a tough technique to get down consistently. It requires good brake feel to ensure you’re getting the most out of your tyres at the entrance of a corner. But, when you get it right, you’ll be blasting through corners like it’s nobody's business.
So, here’s how we trail brake.
When trail braking, we will actually be able to brake a little later than usual, but we still need to ensure the majority of our deceleration is done in a straight line. Maximum braking can only occur in a straight line.
As we approach the turn in point, we need to begin easing off the brakes. It’s important that you ease off the brakes as smoothly as possible. If you come off them too quick, you’ll unbalance the car.
Once you reach your turn in point, start to turn your car towards the apex. This is the point in which trail braking starts, as you’re trailing the brakes past the turn in point.
As you increase the steering angle, you’ll need to continually release brake pressure.
Hit the like, and maybe even subscribe button if you enjoyed the video!
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[@acethemain7776]

i love the new live commentary sections. Makes it seem like a top gear episode. very professional.

[@kobet7341]

Trail braking is also super helpful for FWD cars since it's one of the few ways to get them to oversteer constantly

[@omartlili5849]

never thought about it, wonderful surprise

[@Kobra-_-w]

Should I be very close to locking up to use all the grip when trailbraking?

[@georgeb5262]

Wow, I now realize I used that technic without even knowing it. In series of narrow turns in touge, I usually slap full the brakes a bit before the apex, go for the gas and because the roads are too narrow so I can't use full throttle, this helps me to turn faster by allowing me to use earlier apex, but also gets out from the corner with little to no contrasteering. I think it makes me kinda faster, but I am not sure in it. It maybe is just my brain playing games.

[@nightflash96]

I've accidentally been doing this too without realising

[@kmsthanks]

We're all a little takumi lol

[@georgeb5262]

@@kmsthanks I already blown up two engines of rc cars while racing, so yeah 😋

[@skaldlouiscyphre2453]

One thing about different lines is that they trade speed at one part for speed at another part as well as trading speed for stress. The ultimate fastest way through might not be the fastest way through 27 times like during a professional road race, it also might not be possible depending on how close other traffic is or it might leave you vulnerable to another line that's slightly quicker at entry. How one drives in touge vs. rally vs. a sprint race vs. an endurance race depends on more than just the very fastest line at all times.

[@ManuelPerez-oy8qc]

Bro I've played racing games my whole life and I just now know I've done this I've also started to use it in my irl driving as well, I've always used throttle control too that matters alot I've seen alot of people just have foot to floor and turn and it fucking scares me 🤣

[@beautifulbeaner]

I actually already do this without even thinking, sometimes I say to myself, “I should probably brake a bit to get more grip” guess I just didn’t realize I was doing it

[@thebigboy-fr9bg]

0:07 "Inner wheel lifting? He's good, but I doubt such artistic control actually contributes to his speed." -Kogishwa, 2013

[@ultracaustic1588]

I'm don't even have a steering wheel, only Dualshock 3 with absolutely terrifying deadzones, but your videos are very interesting. I am like Initial D, touge racing and all of these things, and your videos is like a bible of a touge racing. Also i want to give you a respect for a very clear english language. My native language are ukrainian, most of the time im speaking russian, but have problems with understanding English by ear - you are speaking very clear, and that's cool.

[@kakekkepin4365]

Same dude, anyway do you try to configure your controller it help me soo much ngl, i recommend this setting kzbin.info/www/bejne/Z4WQeZ9vpthgqpo try it. It's so good Sry for my bad English anyway

[@underskillednunderpaid]

Still using the Ole DS3?

[@user-tn5vi3jj6i]

I relate bro💀

[@cmbaileytstc]

Love it. One of the first things I noticed worked in sims. Exact effectiveness varies. Seems like a front engine old muscle car with relatively soft suspension=you can literally throw rear end out as much as you want at will vs mid engine Italianish car that’s stiffer=have to be a little more moderate or you may actually induce understeer.

[@VinRZ]

Thank you for the work. Trail braking is literally lesson 101 for getting lap time in sim racing.

[@Hallucinato444]

For high speed corners I engage the clutch in certain situations to kill power to the rear wheels rather than using the breaks or simply releasing the accelerator. The advantage of using clutch Manuel rather than just manuel

[@philbur_6770]

i found this video years back and it never gets old to rewatch

[@theiaraine]

Figured this out on a local road. Very cool

[@BallisticTech]

A couple elements of Trail braking I've learned from a number of sources. Trail braking also helps to not shock the car when coming off the brakes. How much the car dips down in front when braking was shown well in this video. When you just release the brake from 100% to 0% it's going to shift a lot of weight from the front to the rear again. Unloading the front and reducing the potential to turn. This unsettles the car's platform and can cause issues with turn in and mid-corner. The smooth controlled nature of shifting balance in trail braking helps keep the car in optimally loaded positions through the first 3 phases of the corner (Braking point, turn in and apex). With the car being settled it makes it easier to then start applying throttle in the last phase of the corner without again disrupting the balance too much Some drivers including myself can have issues with mid corner oversteer when learning trail braking. This is partially because of the reduced load on the rear. But also because there's a tendency to drop the brake the last 10-15% of braking force in a cliffed manner. This is really bad because it's generally going to be near the apex where there's a lot of lock in the steering wheel. Shocking the cars platform in these moments can often cause the car to whip around Since trail braking shifts the end of the braking phase all the way to the apex and continues to slow the car down you can often brake later than if you were to brake fully in a straight line and then coast to the apex. This can mean that you can carry just that much more speed into a corner, brake later, still maintain the same min corner speed and power out all with the car being in more favorable positions

[@GSpinsOnTrack]

This is a great vid keep it up as usual

[@RaydenLGX]

Been using many of these techniques for years without knowing the terms 😅 Good channel! 👍

[@axuriffgaming]

Thank you for this awesome video! I will be using these techniques to start doing better at trail braking.

[@iDatedMyPizza]

I subbed when you had around 9-10k subs. Now you are over 23k! Jesus man, great job. You keep this up and you'll be big in no time.

[@funnysecksnumber6998]

so this is what i did before in a karting session with my friends. it came naturally to me, i just new beforehand how the balance shift depending on the direction of acceleration, put 2 and 2 together, and never had understeer. man i want to go karting again, karting is way easier than driving an actual car.

[@TheBadDemoman]

I really do love your videos, keep the good work

[@Dominik189]

Hmm, great video! Love seeing this explained even though I tend to do something similar but not quite. Now I tend to go for a bit more smoothness. Meaning as I approach a corner I start to let off the gas a slight bit earlier than most and then on the last like 20-ish percent of travel of the gas pedal I'll start to essentially hand over to the break, having some measure of break and gas at the same time. Essentially combining trail breaking with left foot breaking, once I'm off the gas fully I can slip my right foot into the break and apply more break. However I've never utilized full 100% of my breaks travel, I'll always only go to around 65-70% as I find the last 30% tends to be too harsh for my style of driving. Now I'm no fast driver, the fastest time thus far I've set was a 4:53 on ek Tsukuba outbound with an Integra of all things, to spite actually sucking at driving FWD. I've found that for me, layering my use of controls works best. If I'm breaking first 10-15% of breaking I'm also letting go of the gas, if I'm turning in I'm still on the breaks and as I exit I'm straightening but also for like the first 20% or so of gas I'm still letting go of that 20%-ish of break. Edit: recently though, since I've tried driving more FWD, coupled with my natural proclivity for more oversteery setups to spite being locked into grip driving because of my wheel, I've actually notice my self pulling a Senna instead of my normal smooth overlaying. What I mean by pulling a Senna is that I've noticed a tendency to pitch the car in just slightly, not enough for it to drift but enough to let the rears just start to let go and then balance it with quick stabs on the throttle.

[@einfachnurkevinn141]

Love your videos mann ! Never stop :)

[@stigikaka7674]

Just as i seracha new video pops up nice video as always

[@SupremeTokoloshe]

You are really growning as a KZbin, keep it up!

[@thatoneperson7640]

Helped a lot !!

[@bastardcommieguitarman]

great vid as usual

[@darfex122]

The father of simracing

[@mapnap7700]

Love the vids

[@theallegedmoonman3631]

Beautiful video you help me not die thank you

[@doppelkupplungsgetriebe]

this channel is so underrated

[@technerd4546]

you make it look so easy!

[@yuvrajdeopa3369]

Rev matching, downshift while cornering, some technical topics like drag

[@nsxlocalities]

Finally my request is a video

[@thethreejs5437]

I used this technique alot i never knew

[@JJ_Khailha]

I thought trail braking meant reducing the braking pressure as you go from turn in to apex, thus the name trail. To Trail off the brakes. This technique always maintains maximum grip as the progressive reduction in braking pressure trades forward grip with lateral grip through the turn.

[@teengamer7]

I think it's very important to note that for keyboard players it works a bit differently when compared to a controller or sim racing setup the only difference being acceleration and turning. This most likely is already obvious but can be fixed easily. What I find easy to do is tapping the brakes in a short burst multiple times the opposite direction of the corner and then turning into the corner very very slightly, The more you turn the more likely you are to drift around that corner, to much leads into the car losing balance. This method I feel very effective and its a good way to counter the 100% throttle and 100% left or right steering on keyboard. On hairpins of course dropping a gear or blipping is also effective for this method. But anyways if you've read all this you'll probably forget about it anyways so there I wasted your time:)

[@haku1157]

1:46 I see there you did a Sebastian Vettel at monza

[@SHIZURAKU]

AAaah Nagao.. I consider this track my "home course" in assetto. As it was the first touge I ever played and practiced on.

[@vicmacarra]

Good Quality video :D

[@michakasprzak6869]

Helpful

[@vicvic2328]

I learned how to drive like that in Gran Turismo 1. Great video though!

[@teresateng904]

seriously I played sim racing for two years and when I first learnt trail braking few months ago, I was like a fucking rocket compared to the past. Earn so much seconds after using it. Great technique and every sim racer must learn this!

[@thatoneinitialdlover5018]

Am I early? And nice vid

[@CraftMechanicYT]

I've never been this early before

[@doctorhickz1400]

I was pulled in because your driving a S2000. I own and track a AP2. So i Hyped on how to drive it. Maybe you should do some videos like that. How to Drive a S2000 To its full potential. or Your SUPRA!. Or your Honda civic. lol

[@sumblwnup8695]

“Good Feel on the Pedals” Me on controller : 😼👍

[@WanganTunedKeiCar]

I love this technique, because with it, any road car can be slid. 2002 Turbo? D-yahh! Trueno? [Braking drift intensifies]. Camaro ZL1? I can't see crap in cockpit view, but heck yeah, brother.

[@TheLambo123254]

Nice

[@lewie888]

i love yellow s2000's i dont even have to watch the video before liking

[@deuces8339]

Yo dude can you please post a link to download the track for all your vids

[@louisrose7126]

You are probably the only reason I haven't crashed and died best lessons on yt applied it to my irl driving, used it often when over cooking into a corner thanks probably saved a fue lives.

[@bugfart81623]

backroad bandits on top 💪

[@jefferson-tan]

Apparently I've been subconsciously using this technique in Forza Horizon 5 online lobbies lol, no wonder I usually finish in the top 5

[@rhandalbumbalough7403]

Just ordered a sim racing rig and I've been digging into these videos. Love it, good stuff; but why the fuuuuuck does almost every video have a yellow car?

[@rad8078]

I find myself giving myself a little scandi flick sometimes just to make it fun

[@Ben-ph3gb]

what if my car has too much rear grip? should I wait longer to let off the brake?

[@3jeno14]

i did not know that it was called trail breaking i just learnt this naturaly lol

[@MrSaemichlaus]

Just brake later and later. Eventually you will not be able to make a turn without turning while braking. That's when you will need to steal a bit of traction from braking to use it for turning. Then eventually, you will learn to appreciate how easy it is to turn into a corner and how smooth your transition from braking to turning is and you will do it all the time.

[@MrSaemichlaus]

​@acktually aintaddingup your english doesn't make sense, but i assume you do have a point.

[@kiri4057]

I don't understand what apex corner is, can someone explain?

[@aperson8627]

Tsrb is your favorite color yellow?

[@HT-wi2su]

Guess ive been doing this unknowingly in my volvo 850, just felt quicker to attack a corner in

[@jouketeck717]

Is there a technique where u pedal control

[@F34RALI]

How did u get the game to look and feel like this in the video?

[@owenmckenna1281]

Hey tsrb can you do a video on how to download your mods I tried your website but it didn't work

[@iMercenary]

Wow

[@SupremeTokoloshe]

Is this similar to slip angle

[@alexander4369]

What is the link of the Honda S2000 mod?

[@night_runnerexe]

Outro Song??

[@seniknine]

It's crazy how one can realize they inadvertently use these maneuvers without even knowing it. Just simply never learned the terminology.

[@nezutoch.1175]

"Brake later than usual" IKOUZOOOOO HISSATSU DAAAA!!! CHOUZETSU! URUTURA SUPA RETO BUREEKINGUUU!!

[@turkicsayajin2274]

feels like best motoring 😂😂❤️

[@RetroGT]

hey what map was that

[@deesee76]

Explanation @ 4:00

[@mrcried2745]

What happend to your website ? i cant go to it

[@nititvaewmanee4462]

This is a best way to get faster in mrt

[@cbdrift]

Wheres step 6?

[@chilledout_5486]

Am I the only one having this effect? When I try holding the brake while turning into corner in Midnight Racing: Tokyo, the car does the opposite, instead of the oversteering a tiny bit, like in the video, it just makes me understeer. Not sure if its because of MRT's stiff suspension physics or I'm doing something wrong.

[@AKAGIRDSNS]

I'm assuming ur using keyboard as I am for this: Trail braking requires you to ease off the brake as you turn in. You can't let go and tap, you have to ease off thereby making it only applicable on controller. Because of ABS MRT will always prioritise tyre grip over braking force. So its pretty much impossible to use trailbraking in MRT. Moreover it depends on drive layout a lot for MRT. I find at least that RR cars e.g Porsche 964 has way more realistic handling than other cars, because the weight blocks are centred like an RR car rather than equally spread out, so trail braking would definitely make the car turn in more. Trail braking in MRT at least is a lot more about braking later rather than increasing entry angle. A lot of cars in MRT can maintain their coasting corner entry when ur braking a tiny bit, so with trail braking you can brake later and still hit a late apex (especially in cars like R33 where the steering angle is noticeably relative to speed). Even though you can't trailbrake with keyboard, braking while turning in for MRT overall has 3 uses: Braking later, because of ABS system in MRT you brake much faster while turning than in a straight line Having a stable entry (understeer as you said), followed by sudden turn in (caused by coasting or accelerating after braking) - works best in conjunction with P brake (to have stable, understeering entry angle) Hitting a late apex (can still be done for keyboard however trail braking for a late apex can only be done on controller)

[@chilledout_5486]

@@AKAGIRDSNS Ill try the three things you mentioned in the end. Ill just save straight line braking for 3 tight consecutive hairpins. Braking while turning however might work for the other less tight u-turns. i've also seen people tap the p-brake in cars like the evo 9 to get the car to turn...

[@skullthemouseguy280]

3:30 using mouse steering be like :D

[@nnoxx1935]

Which s2000 mod is that?

[@F34RALI]

What map is this?

[@ilzephyrli]

2:10 OOHH

[@SPIDERVITOR27]

Me watching this: I want a trailbreaking guy vs gutter run

[@jegg4739]

what happened to the site?

[@admiralmackvods3766]

I'm waiting for the video where he has to reuse JDM cars. I like how every video he uses a different car

[@tmeir9939]

That's why I knew my dad was a touge God

[@onizukabetrippin5732]

So is this the same as faint braking? Well if you dont know what faint braking is this technique is pretty useful for touges but it can be risky the technique can be did on a touge battle whenever a chaser is behind you you instantly brake at a straight road while he tried avoiding to get hit by you by braking really hard but this technique

[@onizukabetrippin5732]

Can be pretty bard and risky so whenever tge chaser is far behind you you can go full throttle

[@jeffreyserif1476]

I think you have them a little confused. Faint braking is meant to destabilize an opponent with mind games. It doesnt have an actual purpose outside racing others head to head. Trailbraking is a way of using the weight of the car to maximize grip on the front tires in turns for faster corners and later braking zones. I had never heard of the specific term faint braking before u mentioned it so thanks for the info!

[@nade5557]

​@@jeffreyserif1476 not to be a nerd but the term is feint braking not faint braking

[@dou3r878]

That sounds like brake check

[@nade5557]

@@dou3r878 it is lol

[@spiridondjordjevic1883]

ᕦ༼ຈل͜ຈ༽ᕤ

[@crayons6667]

- social credit

[@vaiyis5714]

I've been using this without even noticing lol

[@mushiro1880]

:)

[@scionkai]

trail braking in sim is very achievable, try doing it in real life, and you might just total your car