Does Quattro Drift Or Does It Just Oversteer?

jaysonD

jaysonD

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I've had my audi a3 2.0tfsi quattro for little over a month now I love it! It's got the contisport tyres on it with medium level of grip a few times if I'm tearing round a roundabout and feel it loose grip it starts sliding and oversteering which obviously I melt because I'm not 100% used to how it handles when the quattro kicks in. Is it meant to feel like that it's going to over steer? Because I haven't managed to keep in the throttle so I end up backing off when I feel the rear end kick out and obviously I wouldn't want to spin it if it's prone to it.
Also can someone reccomend a good brand of tyres? I was thinking of getting some Michelin because my contisport ain't that good in the wet
 
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If the back steps out, progressively getting on the power whilst opening the steering (or a touch of opposite lock) should correct it and either force it back into understeer or at the least a neutral drift. You will run wide of the line of the corner however and if you don't have the space to correct as above then you went in to fast in the first place.

Good tyres help Micheline PS3/3 or PSS, or Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy 2 are all favorites on here.
 
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Oh really! I might have to grow some when the times right I don't go fast if I don't have space to correct it, but I will look into them tyres cheers pal
S3_Mat said:
If the back steps out, progressively getting on the power whilst opening the steering (or a touch of opposite lock) should correct it and either force it back into understeer or at the least a neutral drift. You will run wide of the line of the corner however and if you don't have the space to correct as above then you went in to fast in the first place.

Good tyres help Micheline PS3/3 or PSS, or Goodyear Eagle F1 Asy 2 are all favorites on here.
Click to expand...
 
Best done on a track bud.. or a very quiet road with wide roundabouts if you really must!
 
I'd put michelin ps3's and goodyear assy f1's on par if not slightly worse than contisport 5's (assuming uve got contisport 5's). If not i'd recommend conti 5's unless u wanna fork out for continental force contact or michelin supersport.
 
I find the Michelin PS3's very good in the wet. When they do break they are predictable and not snappy in the slightest, never tried Contisports but more than happy with the grip provided with these means I will likely buy again or get super sports if the price is right.
 
I haven't been able to get the back end out on mine even on a track day! Just under steers unless giving it a little flick and some lift off over steer. Super Sports aren't much more than PS3.
 
Adjustable ball joints on the front lower arms + a stiffer rear bar will fix that XFi ;)
 
iv never managed to get any oversteer ever, either understeer or the esp keeps it stable
 
This is less to do with the fact its haldex and more to do with the fact the geometry from factory is setup to do this. Increase front camber to match the rear.. -1.2 to 1.5 deg is about right for fast road... Increase the stiffness of the rear ARB relative to the front and you will see a positive increase in front end grip and faster weight transfer at the rear. This will enable you to adjust the car mid corner and balance it with throttle and steering input
 
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I would upgrade in this order until you are happy with how it performs.

ARB's £300
Ball Joints + specific alignment settings. £220
Springs/dampers or coilover's * anything from £300 - 1800
Then LSD £1k
Then Haldex controller. £800

* I'm at this point and it more than handles stage 1 power. I can only see myself going further if the power goes up significantly then a differential maybe worth while. I get NO understeer at corner entry, all I need to get the back out is more steering input, corner exit understeer can be induced when applying power but this can be used to keep the car neutral in an oversteer situation.
 
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veeeight said:
Tiff demonstrates just how tricky it is to get Power Oversteer in an AWD vehicle:




Previous threads on this topic:
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/s3-how-much-power-to-rear-wheels.204363/#post-2184236
http://www.audi-sport.net/xf/threads/haldex-quattro-system.218361/#post-2177930

(but take what some posters claim, with a very large pinch of salt)
Click to expand...


As Tiff demonstrates,it IS possible,but a lot depends on the front/rear torque split,and in our case,what the Haldex is up to at the time,and how brave you feel.

The other problem with a 4WD car is that when it does let go,you end up ploughing off at some speed,and when it grips again you're heading in whatever direction it was originally pointed towards.

I think a lot of 4WD machines get very twitchy towards the limits,and that video demonstrates it quite nicely.
 
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You'll find your limit before you find the car's limit. If you are going in, knowing you're going to get the car sideways, make sure you've plenty of run off. The car will understeer at first but if you give it a sharp turn in followed by some counter steering, the car will do a 4 wheel slide. With it being 4WD, balancing the car in the slide with the throttle is a lot more difficult than it would be in RWD. I don't see sliding my S3 as drifting, I would see it more as trailing it. Best to keep those antics on track though. If you want to get used to sliding, I would recommend Drift School or Rally School. They are immense fun and are a good learning experience for those looking to practise correct car control.
 
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lavo20 said:
You'll find your limit before you find the car's limit. .....
Click to expand...

Hopefully....

Good advice re tuition,and on-track antics only.
 
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