Drifting: The not-so-dark art of oversteer.
Most production cars nowadays are front wheel drive, with transverse inline four cylinder engines, resulting in economy and safety to be their primary focus. Because of that, these kinds of car are tweaked from the factory to understeer; meaning they will run wide if a corner is entered at a too high of a speed.
However, performance cars are a wholly different story, their handling is focused on sharp turning, and even inducing some oversteer to correct the racing line.
Getting the car’s tail loose is not only great fun; it’s also the core concept behind drifting. Controlling and catching a slide with countersteer, as well as initiating said slide is possible with some practice and a properly prepped car.
Watch below as racing driver Randy Pobst explains the principles of oversteer.