The online racing simulator
Spinning out....
(13 posts, started )
Spinning out....
Hi everyone,
This may be a stupid question, but here goes...
Why is it that so many cars spin out coming out of a curve?
I can handle the "easy to handle" cars such as FXO/RB4 but I find others very difficult.
I use a keyboard so maybe that doesn't help? Maybe I am just crap? Should I change setups unt I find the right one for me? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks!!
By the way, you can see that I have been playing lfs on and off for a decade, so I am not really a beginner, but with some models I sure feel like one!! 😃😃😃
That is the RWD thing ! You need to understand what is going on when slamming the throttle. With a 4WD there is less power overall on front and rear axle, so it is easier regarding this aspect. On a FWD, if you are putting too much effort on the driving wheels, you will simply go straight, and so releasing the throttle calm down the thing ... On a RWD when cornering, if you :
- release suddenly the throttle you brake you rear wheel doing a kind of handbrake kick
- put too much throttle and you can spin them, making the car to slide from the rear
=> in both cases you may loose the control of the car (or at least the rear wheels).
So it requires some controls and practice to make it right, but for having driven RWD in real life for lots of years now, I can tell you they can be the most satisfying experience in the end Smile .
In LFS, due to some flaws in the physics, it is a bit difficult to feel very comfortable quickly with RWD compare to FWD/4WD vehicles, but do not give up and practice, you may enjoy ! (keyboard is not the best possible experience of course, but anyway ... )
Thanks for your reply. It makes sense. I will bear it all in mind. 😜
The problem with keyboard is that you can't just hold down the left or right key as the corner radius isn't usually same as turning circle of your car, so you end up tap tap tapping away, which unbalances the car. Turning car by tapping away is probably as bad as constantly flooring the accelerator, lifting, flooring, lifting... when driving in a corner.

For cars like RB4, which will drift turn a bit, it's easy to catch when playing with keys, but cars like the FZ5 and RAC usually end up spinning.
Yes, good point. I have been frantically tapping my way round corners for some time. Not smooth at all, just waiting for the car to straighten up before accelerating.
I'd recommend you use mouse steering, it's just a lot better.
Haven't tried that, but I will give it a go. Thanks for the tip!
Gonna second gebinto's recommendation of mouse steering. It takes some getting used to, but it's simply better than tapping away at the keyboard.
I tried mouse steering and I was all over the place! But I will persevere!! Having said that, I discovered a car in the mods (Panther something or other) which is AWD and fairly easy to handle if you fit it with slicks. You might see me on that chaotic server called Just a Ride from time to time. Not sure about the biplanes, though!!!
I would recommend to take a look at setup editor as well. It is possible to get more grip and to make car less oversteer by changing camber, tire pressure and suspension values. Of course, some changes may be a compromise. E.g. lowering the tire pressure will result in more grip, but also will make tires to heat and wear out faster. Also, some people change button reaction value in settings. This preference can make a throttle/brake gain/lose slower, resulting in smoother change.
Definetly use mouse steering over keyboard. It's much easier. But i highly recommend you to get a wheel if you are in to sim racing! 1000x times more fun. Smile
Thanks for the tips. Much appreciated!!

Spinning out....
(13 posts, started )
FGED GREDG RDFGDR GSFDG