Here are many tips on how to drive a rear-wheel drive car without the risk of skidding in rain, snow or cornering.
If you have doubts about how to drive a rear-wheel drive car you will probably be worrying about how to handle the vehicle in rain but even more so in case of snow , at high speeds, cornering, on sandy ground, mud and in all situations of poor grip. Do not worry, let’s see immediately how you can manage it very well!
Difference between front and rear wheel drive:
understeer and oversteer
To understand how to drive a rear-wheel drive car, you must first understand the differences in driving with a front-wheel drive vehicle.
If you try to ask motorists what the difference is between front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive , everyone will know that with front-wheel drive, the drive wheels are the front ones, while with rear-drive the crankshaft moves the wheels at the rear. This is an irrefutable reality, but what are, in practice, the differences between these two types of traction and what differs in driving the vehicle?
First of all, there is the phenomenon of oversteer , which characterizes rear-wheel drive with the tendency to travel along narrower trajectories than those imposed by the driver.
If you are switching from a front-wheel drive to a rear-wheel drive car , you will feel this difference only at high speeds or, in any case, only when cornering and in case of poor grip with the road surface! Because? Because when you decide to slow down and press the brake, the engine brake acts on the rear wheels and the weight of the car moves to the front wheels making sure that all the grip goes right on the front wheels!
The front wheel drive cars , however, undergo an opposite phenomenon, that of understeer, ie the vehicle’s tendency to expand its travel trajectory than that you, the driver, imposed on the steering wheel.
In practice, the first difference you will notice in driving a rear-wheel drive car will be the response obtained from the vehicle when cornering.
This difference will be more noticeable at high speeds. In addition, oversteer occurs only in the event of poor grip on the road surface (rain, snow, gravel…) or when entering corners at high speed.
Driving a rear-wheel drive car, advantages
When it comes to front-wheel drive cars , generally, among the main advantages , there is a greater choice on the market (70% of vehicles are front-wheel drive), greater economy and greater ease of vehicle management. But the front-wheel drive isn’t without its drawbacks . The disadvantages of front-wheel drive become the strengths of rear-wheel drive cars .
The rear-wheel drive enhances the best engine power, the performance of the vehicle and acceleration. The rear-wheel drive is the kind of traction that can give an experience of lively and snappy guide. It is no coincidence that many sports cars are equipped with rear-wheel drive.
A hot topic, when it comes to disadvantages , falls on the grip of the vehicle on difficult road surfaces, so in case of rain, snow or even worse, mud and sand. Unless you want to buy a rear-wheel drive car from the 80s , today, modern electronic controls give you the possibility to significantly reduce the risk of skidding on low-grip road surfaces even if approached at high speed.
How to drive a rear-wheel drive car
First, learn about the vehicle and the response it gives you with every turn. If your rear-wheel drive car is equipped with ESP (Electronic Stability Control, not to be confused with traction control!) You won’t have to do much, if not, you will need to be especially careful when driving at high speeds, cornering, in case of rain, snow and in all those conditions of poor grip.
If you are cornering and at high speed and you are not equipped with ESP, the car may skid slightly, in this case you just need to promptly correct the vehicle’s trajectory by acting, slightly, on the steering wheel. Control must always be gentle because if the car swerves, to correct this oversteer you decide to turn sharply, you risk a spin . When the vehicle swerves, it is better to decelerate by lightening the accelerator pedal, rather than pressing the brake. When you press the brake, as explained, the grip is moved to the front wheels and to mitigate this effect you can help yourself with the “engine brake” that is by lowering the gear!
To understand how to drive a rear-wheel drive car, you need to practice and gradually familiarize yourself with the vehicle’s trajectories.