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[G-MANN]

I've noticed, when talking about the Omega, people mention RWD as a plus point, because it can be "lairy" or "fun". But I mean how many people actually drift their cars, especially if they're driving something like a big old Omega, I mean aren't they either a) talking b****cks or b) being dickhead boy racers?

I've drive a 2.5 V6 auto estate, surely turning the traction control off and putting my foot down while making a turn or going round a roundabout wouldn't be a very good idea due it's hefty weight, wallowy suspension and the chance breaking/damaging/doing no good to it? My Omega is getting quite old (1996) but by now most of them are old cars anyway. Admittedly I've never done any advanced driver training or been to a track day but most of the times roads are so busy and there's so many things to crash into and police/camera about it just doesn't seem worth it. The Omega isn't a sporty car anyway. Or am I just being too cautious?

[mantahatch]

Vrtually all the time  I drive like a grandad. However on that odd occasion coming home from work late at night when the roads are wet I go round 2 large roundabouts. I swtch off TC on approach and have a little bit of sideways fun. I would not do ths with other road users about, and I don't do it particularly quickly. Just a bit extra throttle and a bit of opposite lock.

I don't speed and even on motorways I sit at 65mph with the cruise control on.

Give it a try, safely of course. You may just enjoy it. But please consinder other road users first.

I have never damaged my car doing it, but if I do one day then t is up to me to fix it.

[tunnie]

RWD 'fun' can be had every day, one of the main benefits over FWD shit boxes is turning circle, RWD cars have a much better turning circle as there is no drive gubbins around front wheels, ride is softer too and handling is more balanced. Which can mean toe down in twists with comfort.

Even when its just light rain/damp, its quite easy to get the back end sliding a bit on round-abouts 

[aaronjb]

RWD 'fun' can be had every day, one of the main benefits over FWD shit boxes is turning circle, RWD cars have a much better turning circle as there is no drive gubbins around front wheels, ride is softer too and handling is more balanced. Which can mean toe down in twists with comfort.

Even when its just light rain/damp, its quite easy to get the back end sliding a bit on round-abouts 

You should mention that to Nissan the front arches are so narrow on the ZX (to fit the engine in!) that it has a turning circle of about three weeks..

[the alarming man]

i have done a far bit of driver training and i am an advanced driver and prevention of a skid is much better than cure..i find the posters in this thread admitting they use public roads to practise their novice drifting frightening to say the least...on the flip side if plod does catch you driving without due car and attention and charges you with such it does carry a driving ban if the court sees fit 

[albitz]

Personally I dont see much point in driving a big lumbering barge like an Omega sideways - steering it on the throttle etc,
just for the fun of it. Its worth doing on occasions though (on a private road of course )so that if you do lose the back end for some reason, you will know what to expect and how to react to it.

[Kevin Wood]

RWD cars aren't about "fun" though, TBH.

It's the handling and comfort long before you get to the point of loss of control.

Generally the weight distribution is better whereas FWD cars have everything at the front end.

Comfort is better because you're not sitting side-on to the engine, gearbox and driveshafts so much less noise and vibration and longer footwells.

During cornering you have one pair of wheels driving the car forwards and one pair providing the cornering force so you can balance the car on the power and you have a higher level of grip because you're not asking the front wheels to do both tasks - you're utilising the traction available at both ends of the car.

The pathetic understeery, scrabbling feeling that FWD cars have when driven hard is about as satisfying as a wet f@rt.

Kevin

[bluey]

Large turning circles are down to packaging and suspension/steering/tyre setups, not which end of the motor is being driven.

[omegaman2]

large empty car park in the snow
c,mon

[Kevin Wood]

Large turning circles are down to packaging and suspension/steering/tyre setups, not which end of the motor is being driven.

It's much easier to achieve a tight turning circle if you haven't got to drive the front wheels and fit a transverse engine and gearbox in though.

Kevin

[Psychoca]

I personally find that rwd cars handle the power better than fwd...  Generally give better handling characteristics as the front wheels are free to steer the car, keeping the car much better balanced.

The fun aspect of rwd is that if conditions are poor, they can easily go out of shape whilst driving, which, at times puts your driving skills to the test in handling the car at the point where the hairs on the back of your neck stand up (when the back of the car steps out going around a roundabout in rush hour)...

[G-MANN]

i have done a far bit of driver training and i am an advanced driver and prevention of a skid is much better than cure..i find the posters in this thread admitting they use public roads to practise their novice drifting frightening to say the least...on the flip side if plod does catch you driving without due car and attention and charges you with such it does carry a driving ban if the court sees fit 

 

I saw a thread on this forum where some guy was complaining about the Omega's steering and big turning circle saying to someone "you ever tried driving the car at full pelt mate?" and I just thought "you idiot". (God knows what he really means by this) Even though the police used to use them, trying to really push it in an Omega just seems dangerous (of course going too fast in any car is dangerous). I mean at times I put my foot down but I always hold off a bit on corners because although it hasn't happened yet I can really imagine it understeering (and I don't want to write it off), often I can feel the weight of the car when going around roundabouts.

The Omega does feel like it has a big turning circle but maybe that's down to the length of it?

large empty car park in the snow
c,mon

Fair enough but how often does it snow? (probably more in Scotland I suppose)

[Andy B]

.... I mean at times I put my foot down but I always hold off a bit on corners because although it hasn't happened yet I can really imagine it understeering ...

I think you mean over steering ie the back of the car trying to overtake you ....as if you were drifting.

Understeering is where, despite having the maximum lock on, it still isn't enough to steer the car around the corner, similar to a FWD car going straight ahead with some steering lock applied. 

[2woody]

I do have to admit that I come from a completely different place, but this does define why I like rwd, why I like playing with it and why I'll never prefer fwd.

I'm an engineer. I have been designing and testing cars, usually on the limit for all of my working life. I like control, working with the car to produce the smoothest and hence fastest progress. Handling is about tyre slip - there's no technical difference between the slip you're getting in a cross-wind and the slip you're getting in a tail-slide. Nor is there any difference to the slip you get in a front-wheel-driver. So the "art", the thing that takes the lifetime to master is the handling - the thing that you'll only get with rear wheel drive, and you'll never get with front-wheel drive.

so, yes, sideways starts as soon as you get moving, and if you want to master driving, then you have to master tyre slip.

[2woody]

.... I mean at times I put my foot down but I always hold off a bit on corners because although it hasn't happened yet I can really imagine it understeering ...

I think you mean over steering ie the back of the car trying to overtake you ....as if you were drifting.

Understeering is where, despite having the maximum lock on, it still isn't enough to steer the car around the corner, similar to a FWD car going straight ahead with some steering lock applied. 

there is a technical definition...

understeer is any condition where fron tyre slip exceeds rear tyre slip.

and oversteer is where rear tyre slip exceeds front tyre slip.

the CV joint malarchy will naturally limit the lock angle that you can achieve with front wheels.