Feint Drifting Technique

The feint drifting technique (also called inertia drift) involves using the momentum (or inertia) of the car to get the car drifting.

Before turning-in the corner, if you quickly give the steering wheel a little tug into the opposite direction, you can transfer most of the weight to the inside wheels.

Now because you released more weight from the outside wheels then you normally would, when you quickly steer back into the corner again the car will allow more weight to be transferred back again onto the outside wheels.

This results in an increased momentum and thus will cause the car to drift much easier or at a much bigger angle. Simply said, you briefly steer away from the corner before turning in. By increasing the weight transfer you can increase the centrifugal force.

The feint drifting technique is especially useful if you find it difficult to make the weight transition just by braking. For more experienced drivers it’s a very good technique to deal with tight corners, where an aggressive angle is your only option to be quick.

Feint Drifting Technique
How To:

• Coming from the straight towards a corner


• Start to brake in a straight line


• Enter the corner not from the normal racing line, but place your car a little more towards the inside of the corner (not on the inside!). Basically you should move a little away from the normal racing line, so that you can steer back onto it upon initiating the drift.


• When you completed braking move back to the racing line by quickly giving the steering wheel a little tug to the opposite direction of the corner.


• Now when you steer into the corner you’ll have much greater weight transfer. Using this weight (the inertia) you can get the car to slide. If you brake during change of direction the momentum will become even stronger.


• Because of the extra weight transfer that occurs you need to catch the big swing of the car using your steering and throttle. As soon as the car flicks the other way give it some throttle and start to countersteer. The harder the car swings back, the less you need to steer and throttle.


• Control the throttle and countersteer throughout the drift towards the exit.

By steering away from the corner and then turning in again, the car steers into the corner at a much sharper angle than it would normally. Sometimes drivers even apply some braking when shifting the car’s direction. This increases front grip, decreases rear grip and creates an even bigger change of direction.

The feint drifting technique is said to be one of the hardest drifting techniques to learn, as it is really hard not to swing the car too hard and spin-out. It's really fun practicing with the weight transfer. The more you are able to let the physics do their job, the faster you'll become.

It’s a very aggressive drifting technique that can greatly influence how the car is being setup for the corner. It’s no wonder then that the feint drifting technique has originated from rally racing. How else can rally cars race through corners with such low traction surfaces?

Since you cannot rely much on tire grip you’re more or less forced to use the weight of the car to turn fast through the corners. The front tires would instantly understeer if you wouldn’t be using this technique.

In the world of rally racing however, it is not called the feint drifting technique nor is it called the inertia drift. Rally drivers refer to it as the Scandinavian Flick and it’s usually combined with left-foot braking.