[RKDinOKC]

Real racers do 4 wheel drift corners. You are confusing a 4 wheel drift with that "drifting" stunt driving where they hang the rear end out. With modern tires it is difficult to tell from just watching if they are 4 wheel drifting or not.

Tires have what is called the slip angle. It is the angle between the direction the rim is rolling and the angle the tire is traveling. For the maximum speed in a turn the are a lot of variables. The radius of the turn, the speed, the road surface, and the grip of the tire's slip angle traction. It is called the slip angle because the tread slipping a little sideways not just rolling. Different tires have different slip angle traction. Some the tires abruptly break loose when their slip angle limit is reached, some grip tapers off. They are called hard edged or soft edged respectively. The slip angle is usually from 8 to 15 degrees.

Remember when I first learn about this slip angle stuff watching an F1 race when they had both Michelin and Bridgestone tires. The conditions went from dry to wet several times. When the conditions changed either way the Michelin car would spin and slide off the track. It was because the Michelins were hard edged and not as easy to tell when they stated going past the slip angle limits like Bridgestone cars.

When you are going the maximum speed in a turn all 4 tires are at the limits of their slip angle which means they are slipping or drifting and are in what is called a 4 wheel drift. This does not mean the tires are spinning faster than the vehicle is traveling like the "drifting" competitions smoking their rear tires all around the course.

The slip angle of the front wheels is easily managed with the steering wheel, BUT the slip angle of the rear tires is managed by the angle of the vehicle itself. That is why dirt track, and ice driving the rear hangs out. It is not because they are driving like "drifters."

When I learned to setup my cars it was about setting the springs and anti-swaybars to have the car balanced with just enough throttle to maintain speed thru the apex of a corner. As you slowly approached the limits it would just make a larger radius. The front didn't loosen more than the rears straightening out the turn, and the rears didn't loosen up more causing the rear to come around. Usually did this with the swaybar disconnected and checked the springs first to make sure thay were matched. Then the swaybars. When setting the swaybars I get them balanced, then increase them noting the speed they let the car break loose, then back them off a little.

When I had my car setup, the turn in for a corner was NOT to turn the car. It was to adjust the slip angle of the rear. I would ease off the brakes and turn the steering. This would set the rear to rotating. When the car reached the correct angle I would add throttle transfer weight to the rear and stop the rotation, then stay in the throttle just enough to maintain my speed as the car went into a 4 wheel drift.

If the car is making too large a radius for the turn, you lift the throttle. The both slows the car AND takes wight off the rear so it will rotate more. You get back in the throttle just enough to maintain the drift when the car has rotated enough to keep the radius you want. If it is too tight, add throttle just enough so the weight transfers more to the rear and it increases speed a little pushing the front out. Letting off to balance and maintain the 4 wheel drift. This is steering with the throttle.

When exiting the corner you don't just stop the throttle and spin the tires as fun as that is. You add throttle to increase the raduis of the drift. You can add more as the radius increases and you slowly unwind the steering wheel until you are full throttle heading straight. How much you can increase depends on the line thru the corner and whether it is an early or late apex. The idea is to maintain maxium traction as the car straightens out.

But hey, that's just me and what I learned in my White 88 944 Turbo S going from the 2nd slowest to the car to beat autocrossing.

Also liked running Yokohama racing rain tires more than the R1 slicks everyone else as running. The Yoko rains had a softer edge allowing me to go closer to the limits and maybe a little over without spinning out. Especially learn how much to get back into the throttle on turn-in with that turbo power.