Intentionally inducing a controlled rear-wheel slide through a corner. The driver balances throttle input, steering angle, and weight transfer to keep the vehicle moving forward while the rear tires exceed their slip angle. It is used as a competitive motorsport discipline and occasionally as a rally driving technique on loose surfaces.
He initiated the drift with a clutch kick and held the slide perfectly through the hairpin.
A true drift requires rear-wheel drive and a limited-slip differential to keep both rear tires spinning predictably.
Also heard as
- drifting
Related terms
Spinout
A loss of vehicle control resulting in a rapid rotation around the vertical axis.
Handbrake turn
A driving maneuver that uses the parking brake to lock the rear wheels and rapidly rotate the vehicle.
Wheelspin
The loss of traction that occurs when a drive wheel rotates faster than the vehicle travels over the ground.
LSD
A differential mechanism that allows wheels to turn at different speeds while preventing a total loss of traction.
Same word, different worlds
Slow, steady creep of a process or gauge reading in one direction as something wears, depletes or ages.
Measurement UncertaintyGradual change in an instrument's readings over time that comes from the instrument itself, not from what it measures.
Mining & GeologyA horizontal or near-horizontal underground passage.