First time traction control off experience

[Nate219BRZ]

So today was the day i woke up a little early to go out for a spin due to a light drizzle. I disabled my traction control fully and pulled out the garage and goosed it around a corner. To my suprise when this car gets loose its like its floating. I then pulled into a parking lot that was empty to test the limits of the handling while loose. Let me tell you my mothers kia sportage in RW only mode is more of a difficult task to control then this car. Disclaimer: do not take my word for it, test your limits and the cars in a controlled environment until comfortable with the cars response. I am not a professional by anymeans. The last time i was behind the wheel of a RW drive car was 2001 in a 94 camaro z28 auto. I in no way suggest you disable traction control on public roads. i then headed out for a bit of a power run home and was just shocked at how smooth this car is when it does break free. Anyone else feel this way? I just didnt want to be driving the car without knowing what can happen when the car does breakfree if i had to do some invasive driving to avoid an accident.

[MY13FRS]

Yes, my sentiments exactly. I think the OE tires are too easy to break loose...good learner's tires. For up to 7/10 driving, they are great fun.

[ashtray]

I haven't tried it in rain, but in sport mode on a deserted undisclosed location I gave it the beans in first gear with the wheel turned. Back end came out very controllable and I was able to hold the drift while negotiating a turn. More gas = more angle, less gas and things started to straighten out. Very easy and very "slow" - as in no "snap oversteer" when the back lost traction. (I've done similar things in a C6, and about 40 other RWD cars, so I'm not exactly a novice.)

What I like is that even with the nannies full on, you can still spin the rears and get the tail end loose. That's cool.

[Draco-REX]

This car is remarkably well balanced for being sub-$30K.

[Nate219BRZ]

Yeah when i used to break my camaro loose it was unpredictable. This car you can tell it was designed to be free. The only reason i did it in the rain was because i have 245 tires on it, that are stickier then stock.

[Spaceywilly]

go do an autocross, it's the cheapest and safest way to drive your car at the limit

[ashtray]

Btw - for the novice drivers, notice how I said "easy to control" with throttle (and steering) inputs. This doesn't mean "floor it and don't lift or steer and you'll be fine", it means you need to be reacting constantly! Start with small steering angle and light throttle. Do more passes as you increase each - but be ready to counter steer and/or reduce throttle inputs as the rear gets loose. It's not just "cut the wheel and gun it" - that puts you in the ditch fast.

This car can be very precise like a scalpel, but if you take a scalpel and stab it as hard as you can into something, you're not being precise. I think that's the mistake novices get in to thinking this car is easy to drift, but without proper technique, you'll easily crash. (it happens in a split second too - just watch some YouTube videos.)

That's my PSA.