...scared the crap out of me, but I was expecting it. In my area, I have a 4 lane road onto which I can turn onto and you can see almost a 1/4 mile in every direction. There were no cars comng so I wanted to see what countersteering was like.

I turned off the DSC with just a single push and then I checked for cars. I pulled out to the right and the back end swung out to the left. Heres where I messed up and I need you guys to help me.

I turned the wheel to the left, but then the car seemed to just fishtailto the right and I went into a 180. It scared me, but there is nothing to hit so I wasn't worried, just disoriented.

I always drive with the DSC on, but I want to learn how to countersteer so that I can save myself if I am ever in a RWD car without DSC.

My friends told me to point the wheel in the direction you want to go, but it doesn't seem that simple to me. I'm barely going 20 MPH and it seems like the car is on ice.

Can you guys please help me with countersteering? I am desperately confused on what to do. Please don't bring out your flamethrowers either.

I'm just a RWD noob in need of some serious advice. Also, Please don't suggest a school because I don't have any near me. I would goto Skip Barber if I could.

 

Having been a driver of an almost 400 horsepower camaro for 4 years, I became a master at cutting off the rear in over throttle situations. First thing I learned, was let off the gas and steer into the skid. The car will usually correct itself. The only time I 180'd that car was when I had the front right tie-rod snap when changing lanes at 60 mph in traffic , and I still managed to not hit anyone. Actually I 180'd twice, once to the left and once to the right :D and ended up in the median.

 

Wow. Quick repsonses? Do you let off the gas abruptly? I heard someone talking about weight shift and stuff like that? All the physics is making my brain hurt.

 

ummm... did your friends also tell you not to do dangerous stuff on public roads?

anyhoo, to induce a drift into a left hand coner:

tug the steering wheel a wee bit to the right,

feel the weight unload on the right side as the chassis rolls left,

swing the steering back left quick like. This should throw the back out as the inertia kicks in.

point the steered wheel in the direction you're spose to be heading.

Points to NOTE:

you may feather the power to control the drift angle.

you may use an auto trans.

you may also want to try:

sitting with the steering wheel centred,

turn fully to the left, using a 'passing' motion, NEVER crossing your hands, then center the steering wheel.

turn fully to the right, using a 'passing' motion, NEVER crossing your hands, then center the steering wheel.

repeat abt 20,000 times. this is to get you use to direction in which the wheel is pointing.

i'm assuming you should be doing all this on a track.

 

**** !

 

Actually, it is almost that simple. There are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Steer into the skid. - That's easy to say, but not necessarily so easily understood. In your example, I think you were driving straight, then turned the wheel to the right suddenly, causing the car to slide with the driver's front wheel leading the way. To "turn into the skid" is to turn the wheel a little to the left, so the wheels are pointing down the road. Most people who haven't done this much will turn the wheel too far. This is bad, as described below.

2. Don't let off the gas. - This is not always the best, but is most often the best choice. In your example, you started to slide, and turned the wheel the correct direction (left), but probably too far. Then, I bet you took your foot off the gas. This caused the sliding rear wheels to stop sliding and grip the road, causing the back end to shoot rapidly to the right. Since your front wheels were (probably) turned too far to the left, the front of the car wanted to go left. If the front goes left, and the rear goes right, you spin. (And change your underwear. )

So, the best thing would have been to turn the wheel into the skid a little, and stay on the gas. You can "steer with the throttle" by adjusting the amount of rear grip with the gas pedal. More gas = more wheelspin; less gas = less wheelspin and more force pulling the rear end back in line. As the rear end comes back behind the front end, the front wheels need to be adjusted to continue tracking down the road, and the slide ends.

I agree that this needs to be done in a very open, empty, safe place. I am blessed (hard to say that) with snow and ice, so any empty Wal-Mart type parking lot will work for training. You may need to wait for a rain, and try sliding around your largest deserted parking lot. Just watch out for light poles.

 

you would benefit greatly from participation in a track day/driving school...

 

... I'll add to the above advice what my dad told me to do 20 years ago with his Mustang- go find a big parking lot (with no light poles or parking bumpers) when it's raining to practice this- that way you aren't risking hitting anyone or anything, or ditching your 8... and the slicker roads will let you experience the same countersteering effect at lower speeds, as well as simulate more extreme evasive manuevers at higher speeds when you're ready for that.

 

I had a drivers training where we had a lesson using that nice little device that kicks a moving cars back 10° into a random direction on slippery ground (no idea how it's called in english). Needless to say the result was massive oversteer, leading directly into a 180.

What the teacher (former rallye driver) told us was to get off the gas (and/or hit the clutch if you happen to have one) and countersteer immediately and if we should manage to correct the direction, to be prepared to correct a second oversteer to the opposite side (what therm8 described).

The point of the procedure is to react as fast as possible without turning the steering wheel more than needed (hai has a good tip on how to grip the wheel here). In case you decide to interrupt power via the clutch, be careful when you drop it in again, otherwise acceleration might kick you out of line once again.

 

Attend a car control/safety school one day course. They'll teach you the basics of car control and how do reel the tail-end back in when it steps out.

 

Yup, a good training course is worth every cent and they supply the proper environment to create out-of-control settings.

 

Autocross events are another good way to learn car control in a safe environment. Turn the DSC off and have some fun.

 

Or take it like this:

Many of us take lessons for different interesting things, like music, sports, knowledge, or whatever else we care about. While an average mistake at playing piano or golf doesn't have the potential to cause severe damage or kill you outright, a driving mistake has.

Therefore, from a logical point of view, advanced driving lessons are a very good investment. And from the fun point of view, what's better than drifting and sliding in your RX-8 all day long?

 

Hmm... Interesting. Thanks for the tips. I think I just counter too hard. I don't have an interest in drifting, but I would feel better driving if I knew how to countersteer properly.

 

this past weekend we had some snow in vancouver... so i went to some HUGE parking lot and play on the snow which turned onto ice with people drifting there.... mind u i just got my licenses like 3 weeks ago... well i was playing around... spinning out at first... then learned to use the throotle to drift and not spin out... alota countersteer... alota sliding side ways.... and ended with a ticket.... 2 hours of fun = $196CAN....

 

Next time, stop after an hour and a half. LOL

 

Sup jason,

Ahmad, wills friend again, we go drifting alot, your welcome to join us sometime, just get in touch with will or me and we'll do da thang.

 

Cool. Do you know of any big parking lots around here where I can get some practice?