Controlling oversteer - RWD

[Simon]

One valuable tip when sliding it look where you want to go.

You will naturally steer in this direction. The reason most people hit the only tree for miles when they come off the road is that they are looking at it, hoping they don't hit it.

 

[Foiled]

Let go of the steering wheel, and the car automatically applies opposite lock and corrects the slide.

 

[Simon]

Let go of the steering wheel, and the car automatically applies opposite lock and corrects the slide.

Is this based on experience?
If so you must have some wierd caster/camber angles

 

[NathanE]

Let go of the steering wheel, and the car automatically applies opposite lock and corrects the slide.

Haha

 

[Foiled]

Is this based on experience?
If so you must have some wierd caster/camber angles

controlling oversteer

 

[Jonnycoupe]

It mentions NOTHING about opposite lock.

 

[Jonny69]

controlling oversteer

This is true to a degree but by the time the wheels have steered themselves round the car will have already spun in my experience. You can yanke it round yourself a lot quicker

Most of the time it's knowing when the car is going to do it, knowing what the car feels like on the limit and reading the signs.

 

[NathanE]

controlling oversteer

Did you even read your own link?

NB. I am not suggesting that we all go round letting go of the steering wheel at every opportunity but as a learning tool it is very important to recognise that the steering torque is capable of moving the wheel appropriately. This can then be translated into a steering technique that pays exquisite attention to steering wheel torque in response to grip near to the limit of adhesion. This in turn provides the basis for ultimate car control.

Is this based on experience?
If so you must have some wierd caster/camber angles

No it's complete ******** and I don't recommend anyone to try it except for a learning experiment and not on public roads. The provided link actually explicitly states the same thing - that it should only be used to "learn" how the steering behaves and hence be able to develop your own technique for controlling the car.

 

[ChoÞÞer]

http://www.driftgame.com.au/

that was fun

 

[MikeHunt79]

Its not passive rear steering, its just a quirk of the torsion beam system. Lift-off oversteer is fun

It's caught me out a few times in the wet! Luckily me and car are still in one piece.

 

[Freefaller]

No it won't, you should know better!

At first I really recommend by all means cook it up but come completely off the throttle when you feel it let go and it'll just dig in and grip again. Feel it straightening and then nail it again. Repeat.

You sure? I know it didn't do it on my mx5 (well it did a couple of times when it snapped back hard and went too far) but I thought that was trait of how stubborn the chassis was to being perfect.

Eitherway I need to stop doing slides in this weather (or in any weather) it's far too fun

 

[Stellios]

Since ive never had a back end step out on me before, would I look like a complete chav if i went out whilst its icey and found a derelict area and threw the car around a bit?

 

[Freefaller]

Thing is theory is all well and good, but ask anyone here who drives a RWD with any sort of power and they'll tell you that you just tend to learn to do it as a result of driving such a car. It's not that hard to anticipate and stop, it is harder to make it look good and drift IMO. I know when a slide is coming and I can correct it well, but I'm no drift god by any means, in fact i suck at it, however I still like to get the back end out a lot. Yes one day I'll get caught out and it'll bite me perhaps, but until that day I'm going to carry on having fun!

 

[GreenMint]

No such skiddiness bringing my GF's MGF back from her house tonight in the ice, but its tempting to get it out tomorrow and find somewhere empty...

 

[Tax Evader]

Here's a nice little video. The driver is excellent, and he tries to teach someone who's never done it before (4m20s hehehehe )
I did raise an eyebrow when the 'pupil' said "sounds simple, let's try it!"

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Video/Search-Results/Video/Driving-Tips/How-to-go-sideways-1/

As I said before, reading about it is one thing. What you really need is practice practice practice..............

 

[Baz]

I went to a corporate track day at Bedford Aerodrom a few weeks back, a nice wet day..

Drove a Clio Cup which was front wheel drive and understeered like anything, best advise from the instructor was to just give more POWER!!

Then they took us onto a painted track in Caterham Superlights, and we were encouraged to wheelspin and go sideways as ofton as possible, which wasn't hard, keeping it in a straight line was though.


Correcting oversteer in a Jaguar Palmer JP1 was a different experience all together, by the time it had stepped out, it was too late, you had already spun the car, I think I caught it once in 20 minutes and that was sheer luck! But the amount of grip it had was unreal, until you hit a wet rumble strip

Fantastic day out though

 

[Tesla]

I was taught that the best thing to do with FWD is pretty much put your foot down, and counter-steer. Its worked for me a lot of times in the past.

I do that but usually the front wheels lose traction. Damn skinny tyres!
They are decent tyres too.

Maybe I put on too much opposite lock.

Or maybe I should not be trying to slide a Mondeo Estate around corners and roundabouts on cold wet nights.

 

[saitrix]

Tesla, Don't slam on the power, you don't need full throttle to correct it. I found you never needed that much opposite lock with my Focus, say like half to full turn, so could be that you are using too much. When I lowered the amount it became a smoother transaction between going sideways and going normally. Really enjoy turning the car using power instead of the steering wheel.

 

[rG-tom]

Here's a nice little video. The driver is excellent, and he tries to teach someone who's never done it before (4m20s hehehehe )
I did raise an eyebrow when the 'pupil' said "sounds simple, let's try it!"

http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/Video/Search-Results/Video/Driving-Tips/How-to-go-sideways-1/

As I said before, reading about it is one thing. What you really need is practice practice practice..............

man the instructor makes it look so bloomin easy, it's a good job they put a novice in to show you that it's NOT quite that simple otherwise there wouldve been a wave of people trying to do it in public roads thinkin it's a doddle!

Man, i want a rwd car and a wide open space now :x

 

[Simon]

Did you even read your own link?





No it's complete ******** and I don't recommend anyone to try it except for a learning experiment and not on public roads. The provided link actually explicitly states the same thing - that it should only be used to "learn" how the steering behaves and hence be able to develop your own technique for controlling the car.

I was trying to be less harsh

Lettin go of the wheel can be good to help the wheel self centre as long as the car has a decent amount of caster, it usually straightens up pretty nicely without overcorrecting.

Ive not tried it much, Its not letting go really anyway, its reducing your grip of the wheel. Your hands are still in place ready to add some more steering input.

I must admit that after 18months of a RWD car with zero driver aids I find controlling oversteer (self induced by me of course) quite natural. It still can catch me out when I am not expecting it though, but due to practicing I'm sure I am in a better position that I would be if i didn't practice