I've been driving the XFG and I feel pretty comfortable driving it close to the limit. I can feel it when I've pushed too far in a corner and I'm able to catch it most of the time.

But I've recently started driving the FOX and it's so much more difficult. Whenever the car starts losing grip, I'm not able to catch it: accelerate and the spin gets worse, brake and you just do a slow-motion curve to the side of the track, countersteer and it feels like Holiday On Ice.

So how do you catch a spin on the FOX ?

1) Be quick
2) Don't stay on or go off the throttle - just ease up a little so you're applying about 50-75% throttle
3) Counter steer, but stop doing it slightly *before* the car snaps back
4) Don't touch the brakes, period
5) Practise

PS: Catching oversteer on the XFG is ridiculously easy, so you stating that you're only able to catch it "most of the time" heavily suggests you need way WAY more of point #5

\/\/\/ Beat ya!

The FOX has the engine out the back, so you've got to be quick. Most people, in both games and reality don't realise they need to correct for ages into a slide. You need to sense the slide MUCH earlier - even predict it.

Then the best way is to come off the throttle slightly, and apply opposite lock. Make sure you remove the opposite lock when the grip returns, else you'll overcorrect and spin the other way. Don't floor it (won't help in RWD 99% of the time), and don't lift off (last thing you want to do is reduce load on the rear tyres!).

The FOX is, in my opinion, by far the easiest car to drive in LFS, including the XFG, so it shouldn't take you long to drive.

it comes with experience, like tris i find the fox pretty easy to catch when it slides now (unless i'm too tired or being heavy handed (footed?) ) yet at first it seemed really hard to catch

I agree with tristan, once you know know the track, you know what kind of characteristics of the corners are, and at some corners, you have to predict a slide, so be ready for it. With some corners say on AS CLUB (seems to be a popular track for public FOX racing) The final corner into the chicane is a bit of a trouble on the exit, so when you are feeding the power on, just be ready for the little correction, I have found, if you are fast enough on the correction, it is almost straight immediately, but if you leave this 'fast correction' too late, it makes no difference.

Predict what the car is going to do, but don't think about how the car will be all around the track, just in some kinds of corners, where it is a possibility that the car can spin.

I find that if you go into too big a slide and are countersteering heavily, after catching it and just before being snapped back to the other way, it helps to stab the throttle momentarily.

Like said, catching the XFG is quite easy, as easy as flooring the throttle 90% of the time. Try driving/sliding/catching a RWD instead.

Thanks for all the tips, I'll try to keep them in mind.

Hello!

I´m a newbie in LFS but I do have some real life driving(not racing) experience. I have started to learn LFS using the lx4 on Blackwood Gp.I have gradually built my own setup, too.

Even though my experience is limited I would warmly recommend this combination! The lx4 is quite a tricky car to drive fast (PB at the moment 1.27.47 using my own design-setup) but you really learn to live with a slippery rear...
And you definitely learn to catch a spin!!!

I´ve done approximately 150 laps on Blackwood with this car mostly in 15-20 lap segments.

Today I tried to race some of the other cars(XFG and FOX...), and surprisingly most of them felt a lot easier to drive.

T.Danny30

I find, on some high speed corners, shifting down a gear helps keep the slide under control. Not to sure about the slower corners. But shifting down always works at the first chicane at Aston Club.

the lx4 is a little bit different tho, because of the FOX's initial grip, when you catch a slide in the LX4 it gradualy comes back to where you want it to be, in the FOX, it is usually quite violent in it's recovery

Quote from tristancliffe :

The FOX has the engine out the back, so you've got to be quick. Most people, in both games and reality don't realise they need to correct for ages into a slide. You need to sense the slide MUCH earlier - even predict it.

Then the best way is to come off the throttle slightly, and apply opposite lock. Make sure you remove the opposite lock when the grip returns, else you'll overcorrect and spin the other way. Don't floor it (won't help in RWD 99% of the time), and don't lift off (last thing you want to do is reduce load on the rear tyres!).

The FOX is, in my opinion, by far the easiest car to drive in LFS, including the XFG, so it shouldn't take you long to drive.

dont think there's anymore to add, things just happen faster and a bit more savage, but as said above you carnt get a easyier car to drive/race, the thing goes round on rails, thats why i like the FV8 still better than F1 car..... in the S-S class cars though if you dont catch it in time your going off or gona spin, with the other cars i find you can leave a imanant slide for what seems weeks and still be able to correct it but i only drive S-S cars, so its probably just me practice practice practice

The problem with the FOX (and most mid engined cars) is not to catch the slide, but to get the wheels back fast enough to avoid the car snapping back the other way ("coup de raquette" in french) ...

I drive a Lotus Elise IRL and have had this problem quite a few times (on track hopefully ). You've got to feel when you loose rotationnal speed, then it's time to get the wheels straight or else it'll snap back.
As for the gaz pedal, you shouldn't floor it (you'll loose any grip) nor lift off (you might loose grip and regain grip too abruptly) just ease off the throttle a little (you had too much obviously :razz and use the steering to catch the slide.

IRL, you can brake while keeping some throttle (left foot braking), that way you'll move the brake bias much forward and the front wheels will start to slide. It works surpinsingly well but it's not natural. I haven't tried that yet on LFS... Might try it tonight

Quote from Heph :

IRL, you can brake while keeping some throttle (left foot braking), that way you'll move the brake bias much forward and the front wheels will start to slide. It works surpinsingly well but it's not natural. I haven't tried that yet on LFS... Might try it tonight

It works fine in LFS, have to use it sometimes myself.

Go out and drive like a hooligan, deliberately slide all over the place. You'll get a feeling for correcting, quickly understand where the limit is.

What you have to do when a slide occurs depends a lot on what you did to cause it and the situation you find yourself in. You don't have to lift every time - often it's easier to just keep your foot in and quickly correct with the steering, but it depends how much room you have because doing this sends you towards the outside of the corner sooner, after all it's caused by trying to steer too tight a line. Only lift if you won't have room or if you don't react in time, but as said above, you never have to lift all the way off to correct a "normal" FOX slide.

Left foot braking with part throttle. An advanced technique though, much better for getting the most of the rear brake bias required to take maximum advantage of rear brake force than catching slide, but its all good nonetheless. LFB whilst on part throttle, done just right (depending on intent), effectively turns your RWD car into a front brakes only machine. The brakes also have a secondary effect of forcing the front wheels to behave as if they are connected via a super tight clutch pack LSD. This alone generates significant stabilization.


BTW, the above explained LFB technique can be extended to DELIBERATELY generate extra rotation on entry, useful when you are say on not so grippy gravel. The front LSD effect moderates the yaw rate whilst extra throttle spins the rears up a bit, generating oversteer if yawing force is applied. Works for both RWDs and some AWDs.

On FWDs, you can achieve a similar effect but via a different route. Just before turn in, slightly release brake pressure or maintain it, depending on exact condition) whilst adding steering and throttle simultaneously. This allows a hand brake turn effect as the car acts as if the hand brakes are on, but can be much more easily and quickly stabilized with just a bit less brake or a bit more throttle. Great for all sorts of conditions but especially on low grip surfaces.

IMO using LFB to catch oversteer only works in LFS because the setups all have unrealistically far forward brake balance.

Quote from J.B. :

IMO using LFB to catch oversteer only works in LFS because the setups all have unrealistically far forward brake balance.

not sure i agree with why LFB works and its conection to setups, but i do agree brake balance in LFS is way to forward biased, this causes untold problems with front tires, but we have the best team working on this game so i have no dout it will be sorted one day

Quote from J.B. :

IMO using LFB to catch oversteer only works in LFS because the setups all have unrealistically far forward brake balance.

LFB alone won't catch any oversteer (not with the set I use anyway).
We were talking LFB + some throttle. This will indeed move the brake bias far forward .

Beside, trust me, it works IRL

LFB is not so hard to use in LFS, I expect most driver to LFB, at least the one who don't have clutch... I agree that using LFB on a setup with the clutch is more difficult because you end up using the brake pedal with both foot.
It becomes even more complicated when you shift down with heel & toe, and then get your left foot on the brake to free the right foot for throttle. It helps controlling the stance of the car during the transition between brake and throttle and eliminate the time lost between braking and accelerating...

If it works in real life then show me one video clip of a racing driver using it to correct oversteer.

I used to use this technique sometimes in LFS but it doesn't work anymore for me since the diff preload allows me to use more realistic brake balance.

Practice a lot with the LX6, then move onto the FOX. The XFG is front wheel drive, so it should not ever oversteer unless you did something wrong.

Quote from Impreza WRX :

Practice a lot with the LX6, then move onto the FOX. The XFG is front wheel drive, so it should not ever oversteer unless you did something wrong.

As much as an RWD can be set up to only understeer, a FWD can be set up to oversteer no problem... In fact, all the FWD cars in LfS are!

Why is it always the dumbest things that get quoted to eternity?

Quote from bbman :

Why is it always the dumbest things that get quoted to eternity?

Sorry, couldn't resist...

The FOX really can be set up to be very easy to catch a slide. Go and get one of my set ups from LFS Car Setups

You should pick a track with a few slower corners to help you practice catching the oversteer.

You have to be quick with the opposite lock - experience with the car will mean you can anticipate the oversteer earlier so just practice.

If you are having trouble with my set you can make it easier to catch the slide by making the following adjustments:

-reduce the amount of differential power locking. This will allow the inside wheel to spin up more making the slide easier to catch.

-add some front ARB - just one or two clicks.

-add 1 click of rear downforce.

These changes will however make the set slightly slower.

Good luck. My LFS Track Guides page should help too.

Quote from Gentlefoot :

-reduce the amount of differential power locking. This will allow the inside wheel to spin up more making the slide easier to catch.

This change (I went from 75% to 60%) made lots of improvement. It has gotten much more fun driving the FOX and now I'm down to 1:10.50 on BL GP, with a TPB of 1:09.70. Thanks a lot, Gentlefoot

Quote from Dissident :

This change (I went from 75% to 60%) made lots of improvement. It has gotten much more fun driving the FOX and now I'm down to 1:10.50 on BL GP, with a TPB of 1:09.70. Thanks a lot, Gentlefoot

dont thank gentlefoot!!! his head is big enough already