[ChrisH]

Originally Posted by neutral

I hit the gas, and the back end immediately swung out. The car oversteered and made an arc over a small curb and into the pole. I don't remember if I lifted off the gas or not, but I'm pretty sure I must've, which then caused the oversteer to hit even harder because of the sudden weight transfer to the front wheels. It was the initial slide that happened a lot faster than I expected it to.

The pole was placed in the INNER side of the corner, right?

Originally Posted by Frost

It's really sad that happened Neutral - I hope you are okay.

FWD to RWD is always a learning lesson because inherently, FWD is more forgiving (understeer tends to freak people less than oversteer and requires less driver input to correct). When I went from Corolla to MR2, it was just the same except I always snuck out to a deserted parking lot or autocross to learn the limits.

When I went to my IS300, I had already known what snap oversteer was and was well prepared when snow season hit (the MR2 was never driven in snow) and all the associated fishtail movements that can come with stupidity in the snow.

Hopefully others will learn from this.

This is exactly what I tried to say in my former post.
It just needs some action from the driver to stabilize oversteer, while you don't need to do much in understeer (unfortunately understeer leaves you at the same time defenseless: Either the room left on the street is sufficient - or off you go....)

This active compensation of oversteer just needs some learning.
It is like breaking: If you first need to think which pedal to press to slow done the car you are much too slow. It needs to become a reflex action - which just needs some training.

And as mentioned below, oversteer can also hit FWD drivers! See the video below! So everyone should try to learn this countersteer reflex.

Originally Posted by ChrisH

Hi Neutral,

.......

I guess the pole that the car hit was standing at the INNER side of the corner, right? This would be typically for OVERsteer.
The main difference to FWD-understeer is, that you need to compensate it by active steering in the opposite direction.
This is - by the way - helpful, even if you never intend to drift or if you drive a FWD car, as it can happen to any car under certain circumstances.

See this little video from an Audi driver (yes, no RWD-BMW!), who get's surprised by oil on the road: the car oversteers! He reacts right by steering to the left, but he is a little too slow. When the car comes back to track he should quickly reduce the steering back to neutral, but he is a little to slow, too. Therefore the cars end swings over in the other side. Then the same again - until he finally manages to catch the car.

I would highly recommend to take time in next winter and look for a totally empty parking lot covered completely with snow and learn how to react on a rear axle loosing traction. This is at the same time learning how to drift a car - which is so much fun. And managing an oversteering car is absolutely necessary to become a good driver!
Actually I had written a little lecture how to take the first steps on snow - but unfortunately its all in German. (But I guess you don't speak German??)
Well, maybe someone here has something similar in English?

.....
ChrisH

Folks, does anyone maybe already have such as little lecture in English?

I think this would be very helpful for those who start with their first RWD car.