How to Be Faster in an FWD Car

In the gaming world, there are a couple of common choices when it comes to FWD, some of which you will probably be familiar with:

iRacing

• Audi RS 3 LMS TCR – A lot of iRacers find the Audi RS3 TCR difficult to drive. At the time of writing, iRacing runs its own 15-minute fixed series in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, a multiclass series with GT4 cars
• Kia Optima (included with iRacing subscription) – At the time of writing, the Kia runs in the Fanatec Global Challenge, which is another multiclass series with the Cadillac CTS-V racecar
• VW Jetta TDi Cup (included with iRacing subscription) – The Jetta used to run in the Production Car Sim-Lab Challenge, alongside the Ford Mustang FR500, the Global Mazda MX-5 Cup and the Pontiac Solstice.

Gran Turismo 7

• ‍Road cars - Honda Civic Type R (EK) '98, Ford Focus ST ‘15, Volkswagen Golf VII GTI ‘14‍
• GR.4 cars – The Audi TT CUP, Renault Sport Megane and the Volkswagen Scirocco are all very popular front-wheel-drive choices in GT7.ba

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Types of FWD Cars vs RWD

All too often, we at Driver61 and trophi.ai hear sim-racers explaining that they are quick in a rear-wheel-drive (RWD) car but can’t seem to transfer this speed to FWD. 

RWD vehicles can have various drive formats:

• Front-engined – Aston Martin V8 Vantage
• Mid-engined – Ferrari 296
• Rear-engined – Porsche 911 GT3

FWD usually only comes in one format:

• Front-engined – Mini Cooper S, VW Golf, Honda Civic Type R

While RWD driving techniques will vary slightly based on the drivetrain layout, for FWD the same techniques can be used across most models. 

There are two key terms throughout this article: ‘weight transfer’ and ‘traction circle’. We will cover these in a bit more detail below.

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Common Challenges When Driving an FWD Car

First of all, there are several common problems that drivers find when out on track in an FWD car. Identifying these issues and ironing them out is crucial to the development of a driver. Below are the most common issues that we see as sim instructors.

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FWD Overdriving

This is the number one problem when trying to push the limits of an FWD car. Getting on the throttle too early on corner exit or approaching corner entry too quickly will almost always end up with the car getting out of shape with little hope of correcting it. 

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Red is the intended line, Green is the understeer line.

Unlike RWD cars, FWD cars can be very difficult to recover from mistakes while still maintaining a good pace. It’s harder to tell when you’re overdriving an FWD car, and this often leads to inconsistency and ‘problem corners’.

In an RWD car, applying too much throttle on corner exit will usually result in some form of oversteer, which in some cases is manageable and does not drastically affect lap times. However, when in an FWD car, applying too much throttle will result in the car pushing outwards and understeering, which to some drivers can feel like driving on the limit of grip. It is tricky to understand when FWD cars are on this limit without understanding when you are overdriving the car. 

Similarly, another symptom of overdriving is overturning the steering wheel past the limits of grip in an attempt to reach the apex or corner exit. When you turn the steering wheel past the limits of grip you are scrubbing speed, increasing tyre wear and slowing the car down without realising it. 

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FWD Inconsistency 

Similar to overdriving, inconsistency can be a true tell of how difficult it can be to master FWD. If you find that you can set one mega qualifying lap time but then struggle in the race, then it’s likely you’re not understanding the subtleties that cause the car to get out of shape. In almost all motorsport events, consistency is king; being fast for one lap and then losing it in the race doesn’t prove anything. In fact, being slow in qualifying but pulling it back in the race takes a whole lot more skill.

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Differences in Car Dynamics (How the Car Moves)

As mentioned above, the differences between FWD and RWD are substantial. Therefore it is important to adapt your driving style to suit different configurations. The ‘traction circle’ is an important concept to understand here.

In short, the traction circle describes how much grip a tyre has at any one point. Braking, accelerating and turning all use a fraction of the total grip of the tyre. If you are using all of the tyre’s grip in braking, then you won’t be able to turn. If you are using all of the tyre’s grip to turn, then you can’t accelerate or decelerate. 

But how is this different between an FWD versus an RWD car? In an FWD car, the front wheels have to do the steering, the majority of the braking and the accelerating. This means that the front wheels are more limited in terms of grip at any one time. You need to understand that the front wheels have to do the majority of the work and the car therefore needs to be driven in a way that balances straight-line and cornering performance. More on this below.

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How to Drive FWD Faster – Our Top Techniques

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Vehicle Dynamics and Weight Transfer 

One of the core skills a driver needs to understand is how the weight of a car moves across its four tyres. Every car’s handling is slightly different due to several factors, including weight displacement, spring stiffness, driver inputs and chassis shape. As mentioned above, the traction circle and contact patch between the tyre and the road are the defining limits for how much grip the car has. There is, however, another element to grip that needs to be considered. Vertical load is the amount of downward force exerted by the car onto the road.

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As the car drives through a corner, the vertical load acting on the tyres changes. As the weight is transferred across its wheels, the amount of grip the tyres have also changes. In an FWD car, this change of load is even more prominent because the weight of the vehicle is usually centred across the front axle (engine at the front = weight at the front). This is actually a good thing. More weight pushing down at the front means more grip on the front tyres. The drawback to this, however, is that the rear wheels will have a smaller percentage of the car’s weight pushing down and will therefore have less grip. 

So how do you overcome this lack of rear-end grip? It should be mentioned here that there are several vehicle setup changes you can make to increase rear-end grip, but for this article, we are focusing on driving techniques. Therefore, how can you control the weight of the vehicle to improve grip? As previously mentioned, the rear tyres have very little weight and therefore less grip than the front tyres. When braking, accelerating and turning, you need to be conscious of this fact. When you press the brake pedal, the rear gets even lighter, making the rear of the car unstable. When you press the throttle, the weight of the car is thrown backwards, making the rear of the car more stable. This is where the term ‘lift-off oversteer’ originates. When you are turning mid-corner and your right foot is on the throttle, the weight is pushed backwards, creating rear-end grip. As soon as you lift off the throttle, the weight transfers forwards and the rear loses grip, creating a slide. 

Understand that the cornering performance of an FWD car relies heavily on how you can transfer the weight between the front and rear wheels. The application of both the brake and throttle pedals should be smooth and progressive. This allows the weight of the car to move slowly and makes its handling more manageable. Combine this with smoother inputs and with no jabs or over/under-turning of the steering wheel.

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Throttle Control 

Throttle control is an obvious topic when talking about FWD. Throttle control is a crucial element to driving an FWD car and knowing exactly when and how much pressure to apply to the throttle is a fine art. FWD cars tend to understeer on corner exit, especially in high-powered cars without traction control. The number one error we see drivers making is applying the throttle too early and too hard. Sometimes drivers will underestimate how much of the grip the front tyres are already using; they’ll slam the accelerator down, shocking the front tyres under load and find themselves drifting wide on the corner exit. In an RWD drive car, this would often result in an obvious feedback snap of overseer, which a driver naturally corrects and takes note of. However, in an FWD, this results in more subtle, but still costly, understeer.

The key to FWD is to slow the car down on approach to the corner, find the apex and accelerate away in one smooth application. If you have to release the throttle or modulate the pressure on the pedal to stop the car from running wide, then you have already made a mistake. By lifting off the gas on corner exit, you are killing your exit speed and momentum, which will have a massive effect on your overall lap time. To fix this issue, the throttle application needs to be more gradual; remember it is more effective to press the pedal slower on corner exit than it is to be modulating or lifting back off again.

Slow the car down, find the apex and apply the throttle in one gradual press!

Remember the traction circle here. If the car is using all of its grip turning, then there is no grip left for accelerating. Slow the car down and transition the turning grip into accelerative grip gradually on corner exit. If the car is understeering, you’re using too much of the tyres’ grip and therefore need to reduce turning grip (turn less), or reduce accelerative grip (less throttle).

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Braking – Corner Preparation

As mentioned above, to keep the car fully under control you must slow the car down correctly before the corner. How do you do this consistently and effectively? It would be unwise to finish this article without mentioning the ‘racing line’ at some point. When braking, the racing line plays a key part in your consistency and pace. 

A common mistake new drivers face with heavy braking is that the rear of the car becomes very light and unstable. Very small inputs to the steering wheel now have a massive effect on the way the car moves. If you haven’t positioned your car perfectly on the racing line before braking, the car will be off-line. To correct this, the driver will now need to turn the steering wheel while braking to move back onto the optimal line. Making these small adjustments is incredibly difficult when the majority of the car’s weight and grip are being used by the loaded front tyres. Therefore, make sure the car is on the correct racing line before applying the brake. 

But how do you press the brake pedal efficiently? There are two decisions you need to make when pressing the brake pedal. These are: ‘How hard’? And ‘when’?

The ‘how hard?’ question comes down to the limit of grip before the tyres lock up. You will only know this force through repeated use of the car. The way you apply this force is also important. When transitioning from throttle to brake, make a smooth transition, allow the weight of the car to transfer from the rear to the front and gradually apply the brake to maximum braking force. Maximum braking should be done in a straight line! Remember the traction circle, if all the grip of the tyres is used for braking, then turning won’t be an option. To turn the car, release some of the brake and ‘trail brake’ into the apex of the bend. You should then transition into throttle application.

‘When?’. The braking point is a point on the circuit where the brake is applied. A lot of drivers use visual references to know exactly when to press the brake, such as a marshall’s post, a distance marker board or another identifiable track feature. Your braking point should allow for the car to slow in time for the apex of the bend. When the car is turning towards the apex, progressively transition from maximum braking grip to maximum turning grip by releasing the brake pedal. This will also help settle the car and keep the rear from breaking away.

Another quick mention here is ‘engine braking’. In an FWD car, the front wheels also have the help of engine braking, which can be used to stop the car from locking the front wheels. By changing down through the gears correctly, you can use the engine’s frictional forces to help slow the car. Bear in mind, however, that in an RWD car, engine braking will help keep the rear of the car stable, you will not get this in an FWD! 

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Conclusions

Smoothness is key in an FWD car. The front wheels do everything; turning, braking and accelerating, while the majority of the car’s weight is also over the front wheels. Pedal inputs and steering inputs need to be gradual and progressive to avoid upsetting the balance, potentially causing the car to get out of control. Remember the traction circle; the car only has a certain level of grip, if it is being completely used by braking then it cannot turn. Slow the car and transition gently from braking to turning to not upset the rear of the car. When accelerating out of the corner, transition gradually from turning to accelerating without over-applying the throttle and causing wheel spin. 

Work at these techniques on a track you’re familiar with. Make a conscious effort to recognise how your feet are using the pedals and how your hands are turning the wheel. Slow everything down and become smoother. Build on this until your rhythm improves and your consistency will too.

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Written by the teams at trophi.ai and Driver 61.