Just a quick question I had, and figured this is the right place to ask:

Can a FWD car drift?

I've always thought the answer is no- that you can powerslide an FWD but not drift it (and that drifting and powersliding are different things). I know someone who says that he saw FWDs drifting, not powersliding.

So, who is right?

technically speaking, no one can answer this question for you; a deffinition from one person to another varies, it just depends on what you think it is, to me, i would consider powerslide a drift, while others here i can say for a fact will completely disagree with me, its just one's own perception on the matter

IMO they can drift and powerslide but their powerslides are in a straight line. FWD cars get lift-off oversteer often so if you can carry that through the corner then IMO that's a drift. A powerslide is when you use the power to slide it (obviously) which, in a FWD car, you can only do with the front wheels, making it understeer (go in a straight line)

I hope that made sense

You can drift a FWD easy enough, last time I drove an old Escort on gravel it was fun throwing it sideways. Wouldn't call it a powerslide though, it'd straighten out if you just floored it.

A friends Ford Fiesta has the rear step out an alarmingly large amount as well on damp roads. Bit concerning, shes only had the licence two weeks and doesn't even know what oversteer means. She just thinks its normal for old cars illepall

I consider them different things, IMO drifting is at more extreme angles, whereas a powerslide is at smaller angles. And, IMO, neither are possible with a FWD vehicle.

What you can do is something similar to drifting, where you put the car into a spin but apply power to reduce front end grip, thus the front runs wide and stops the rear overtaking the front. Not only does the effect of the throttle work reverse to traditional drifting but it seems mentally different too. I mean you can spin a FWD while "drifting" it because you didn't have ENOUGH power. Just so weird.

i think the properterm for a fwd car oversteering is "assdragging"

what Gabkicks said.But ontop of that...why would one want to drift a fwd car? wouldn't it make u oversly slow? whereas in a rwd car it ould slightly slow you but not be as hazardous in all terms of the word?

Quote from TiJay :

Just a quick question I had, and figured this is the right place to ask:

Can a FWD car drift?

I've always thought the answer is no- that you can powerslide an FWD but not drift it (and that drifting and powersliding are different things). I know someone who says that he saw FWDs drifting, not powersliding.

So, who is right?

Drift - depends on the definition, and there simply isn't a general one in something that subjective as drifting, so you have to figure that out for yourself...

Powerslide - no, never... The only thing a FWD car can do is bring the back out because of sudden weight transfer (or locking the rear tires)... As the power is on the front wheels, as soon as you accelerate, your car aligns itself in the direction of travel and it will stop "dragging his ass"...

powersliding is clearly defined as creating oversteer with power which clearly isnt possible in any fwd car

drifting ... well you can sort of drift an fwd car and even link corners but i dont think anybody would ever seriously call that drifting

Quote from Gabkicks :

i think the properterm for a fwd car oversteering is "assdragging"

yup

Did anyone here experienced situation when FWD car oversteered suddenly and why? I don't know would my reaction in RL would be that i should step on the throtlle to straighten the car up. I think that i would let go off the throtlle and countesteer. Don't have much RL driving experience, i should be getting my driving licence soon.
For example, you are driving and suddenly the car oversteers because of some water, ice, whatever, you would be countersteering and aplying the throtlle at the same time to get back on the normal course??

in the snow that is probably one of the more common places this time of year.

RIP chevy malibu lol

Quote from Boris Lozac :

Did anyone here experienced situation when FWD car oversteered suddenly and why? I don't know would my reaction in RL would be that i should step on the throtlle to straighten the car up. I think that i would let go off the throtlle and countesteer. Don't have much RL driving experience, i should be getting my driving licence soon.
For example, you are driving and suddenly the car oversteers because of some water, ice, whatever, you would be countersteering and aplying the throtlle at the same time to get back on the normal course??

I used to let go of the throttle... After playing LFS and getting a car-control course (from my parents, you think they worry about my driving? ) where I could 'safely' try different things in different situations... Against my instructor's wishes (who wanted us to declutch and counter steer, pretty much what I had been doing), I started stepping on the gas to get the front loose. It actually worked. I only spun around once after doing it, and that was because I was trying to countersteer 'ricer' style with one hand. There's one big thing you should remember though... It's not going to help you stop any quicker, but at least you'll be in control of where you're going more.

Quote from Boris Lozac :

Did anyone here experienced situation when FWD car oversteered suddenly and why?

not exactly but in the winter at night i spent a fair bit of time handbraking my way round empty parking lots in fresh snow (yes i made sure i endagered nobody including myself)
the easiest way to get the car straight again is counterstering and stepping on the gas pedal ... took me ages to get rid of those fwd instincts i trained myself back when i first tried the rwds in lfs

also FWD cars are sup-framed and dont have a complete chassis, the rear part is floating *so to speak* front part has chassis, RWD cars have complete chassis, also this allows for flex, usaly in FWD when u throttle off whilst cornering, the rear becomes top heavy and carry's through,
but when under accel understeers,

u can body roll slide and handbrake slide but not DRIFT FWD,

Thanks guys- so drifting is a subjective meaning and powersliding is a no-no. Got it

As for the oversteer thing, for swinging the XFG about in LFS I do this:

- Off gas, wheel half or full lock in direction of turn (depends on speed)
- On gas, then opposite lock 'till car straightens
- Straighten steering

It's possible to link the Blackwood chicane by going from step 2 to 1 again.

I'll post an SPR later if you want- it works best with rallycross tyres on tarmac thanks to the extra grip.

Well, I'm not a drifter, but from the look of it, drifting is when you throw out the rear end and hold it there through a turn via throttle control. You can't exactly hold it there with a FWD, so the most you can do is a brief skid, not really a drift, IMO.

I have held my SRT-4 into a "drift" for a good 5-10 seconds. I called it a FWD drift to my brother as it feels totally different than a RWD drift.


I let off the throttle, turned the wheel and when the car started to go around I applied throttle to hold the spin though the corner while reducing a bit of the wheel input.

I like bob's explanation of it. It's totally different than a powerslide drift but it's still "drifting" or going way past the maximum slip angle of the tires.

I would say
FWD = powerslide
RWD = drift
4WD = (lame) drift

Quote from BlakjeKaas :

I would say
FWD = powerslide
RWD = drift
4WD = (lame) drift

A FWD CAN'T powerslide! Powerslide means you hold the angle of slip with the throttle... Now do that in a FWD car!

And I wouldn't call 4WD drift lame... 4WD cars are much harder to drift or lose traction in general than 2WD cars because of their nature, so even getting it drifting is an act of skill, holding it through a turn one of expertise...

Get your facts sorted, then post again here...

You can drift in FWD if you keep the handbrake on

Seriously, who cares if it can or can not?

Quote from bbman :

A FWD CAN'T powerslide! Powerslide means you hold the angle of slip with the throttle... Now do that in a FWD car!

IIRC drifting isn't that stuff you do with a FWD too... :/
(my opinion)

Quote from bbman :

And I wouldn't call 4WD drift lame... 4WD cars are much harder to drift or lose traction in general than 2WD cars because of their nature, so even getting it drifting is an act of skill, holding it through a turn one of expertise...

IMO it's a bit lame, because it's easier to recover.
(my opinion k?)

Quote from bbman :

A FWD CAN'T powerslide! Powerslide means you hold the angle of slip with the throttle... Now do that in a FWD car!

actually no ... a powerslide is initiating the slide solely with power not holding it

Quote :

And I wouldn't call 4WD drift lame... 4WD cars are much harder to drift or lose traction in general than 2WD cars because of their nature, so even getting it drifting is an act of skill, holding it through a turn one of expertise...

and no again 4wd cars are easier to drift if they have enough power to do a real 4wd drift which is no steering lock at all during the drift
which of course is easier as you have the full range of steering lock in both directions to either increase or decrease the angle

anybody else getting a rediculous sense of deja vu from this thread lol.

Quote from Gabkicks :

anybody else getting a rediculous sense of deja vu from this thread lol.

yeah. In the LFS world of reality ( illepall ) it depends on entry speed, angle, tire grip, and surface mieu (how 'adhesive' the track is). So, for example, the little XFG can initialize a drift, but because exit speed is greatly reduced, it ends up being a stalling slide.

In the real world, no FWD car could do the acrobatics that a RWD could. If you overhear some tosser saying his FWD Nova can drift, they are full of it, and need to be beaten senseless, preferbly with a Cricket bat.

The end.

Heheh, thanks for all the replies, should we leave it there?