Live for Speed is a serious racing simulator. No arcade modes, no steering aids - YOU have to do the driving. Try the LFS physics with our free demo! Beginners guide to drifting In this guide, the following topics will be mentioned:
- What is drifting?
- What is counter-steer mode?
- Drifting techniques What is drifting?
Drifting is all about: Timing, reaction speed and fun (Sometimes weight transitioning too)
To be able to drift, you must know the corner relatively well, don’t try drift around a corner you have never been on before as it is very rare you will enter and exit the drift correctly.
All drifts insist of speed and weight transitioning, it is all about how you get the back end of your vehicle out and how to re-gain its control to successfully exit a drift, all shall be said in the techniques. What is counter-steer mode?
Counter-Steer mode is when you steer the opposite way from the corner. So say you are turning right into a corner.. When you feel the back end go out, you would start steering left to regain control.
In the techniques, when I talk about entering counter-steer mode, it is when you should think about turning the wheel the opposite way to stay on the track and to regain control of the back end when you exit the drift. Techniques of drifting
- Side (E-Break)
- Shift Lock
- Power Over
- Breaking
- Feint
- Lift Off Side (E-Break)
The Side drift technique is defiantly a must for beginners of drifting, it is an easy technique to do.. And will give beginners an idea of what it feels like to drift and how to control it.
To side drift:
Come up to a corner (Best to start with low speeds like 3rd gear) as you enter the corner brake, turn the wheel (after turning the wheel, if you have a clutch.. hold it in) then pull the E-Break (Hand break). When you feel the back end of your car sliding out, release the e-break and enter counter-steer mode. While you are drifting sideways, it’s always an idea to have some acceleration so that you don’t stop and stall. Now wait..Wait until you know the car is facing the corners exit, at this point.. Start stepping on the gas and straightening up to exit the corner. (Players that use anything with force-feedback: When you are about to exit the corner, you will feel your Wheel/Joystick get harder to turn.. this is the opportune moment for a great exit, don’t miss your chance!) Shift Lock
The shift lock as a fairly easy technique to master, I suggest that you keep an eye on your clutch heat.. As doing this technique wrongly will heat your clutch up and eventually break it.
To Shift Lock:
As you come up to the corner, step on the gas fully in 3rd gear (Yes, 3rd gear ONLY!) as you are about to enter the corner, break until your revs are about 5/6 , then steer into the corner, as you steer into the corner hold the clutch in change gear to second the rear will suddenly lock and you will feel the back end of your car sliding out. As you are sliding out, enter counter-steer mode hold the counter-steer and as you are coming to the exit of the corner, start straightening out. Power Over
In power over, throttle control is the key.. This is also a good technique for beginners and to let them feel what it’s like to drift.
To Power Over:
Speed up to the corner, as you are just about to enter the corner break and slow down. Go through the corner NOT drifting and with minimal throttle, but as you exit the corner go full throttle and you will feel the back end slide out as you exit, enter counter-steer mode for a second of two then straighten up. Breaking
Breaking is not a fairly easy technique in LFS, The breaking technique is all about weight transitioning, and It is hard to do in LFS... but not impossible.. It really is a combination of breaking and shift lock..
To do the Breaking technique:
Speed up to the corner, as you come up to the corner start breaking (How much you break it Crucial for this drift, It varies with different corners, If you break too much you will kill the speed and start under steering or just plain and simply stop) As you enter the corner you should still be over speeding a bit, break slightly as you enter the corner whilst breaking accelerate slightly too, straight after this WHILST holding in the break change gear (Down a gear). When changing down, make sure you do not lock the gears as then you are performing a shift lock drift not a breaking drift. As usual once you are in the corner, enter counter-steer mode and as you come to the exit start straightening up.
You can break drift without changing gear. Say you were going through a corner you can enter and exit at 2nd gear, as you enter the corner break... then lift of the break as your turning , again hit the brakes and your back end should slide out. Then as you are coming to exit, accelerate. Feint
The Feint technique is all about weight transitioning too, but by force.
How to Feint drift:
To feint drift, it is all about getting the back end of the vehicle out... but by using force. What you should do, is just before you enter the corner, lift your foot off the accelerator and jolt the steering wheel the other way, then back into the direction of the corner, this will cause the car do to bounce back, like a pendulum. When you enter the corner, you should feel the back end of your car go out, start stepping on the accelerator at this point and enter counter-steer mode for a good exit. Lift Off
Lift off is a very difficult technique to do, I would only recommend it once you have mastered all of the other techniques. In this drift, all you use is the steering and the gas during the drift. As this is a game, this technique is harder to learn in this game rather than real life. The lift off drift is all about when you lift your foot off the accelerator.
To lift off drift:
To lift off drift, you should enter the corner at a fast pace start steering in and lift off the accelerator completely, then accelerate fully and the car should start drifting. At this point you should counter-steer for a good exit.
