Can AWD Drift?
3 Answers
An AWD car can drift. Car Drivetrain: Cars are divided into front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, and all-wheel drive. Wheels without driving force cannot spin at high speeds. If the driving wheels (i.e., the front wheels) spin at high speeds, they will have more sideslip than the rear wheels, reducing the drift angle. Therefore, front-wheel-drive cars cannot perform long-distance drifts. Obviously, AWD cars can. AWD Cars: Simply put, an AWD car is a vehicle with four-wheel drive that features front and rear differential linkage. Since the engine's power is transmitted to all four wheels, all four wheels can exert force. In a regular two-wheel-drive car, if one of the driving wheels slips, the other driving wheels will also lose power.
Back when I played racing games, veteran players used to say that 4WD cars can actually drift too. The key lies in the power distribution and tire conditions—four-wheel-drive systems biased toward rear-wheel output drift much easier. But you gotta stomp on the throttle hard to make the rear wheels spin wildly and initiate the tail slide. If the system defaults to even front-rear power split, you’d need to add an LSD limited-slip differential or tweak the ECU programming. Honestly though, compared to the smoothness of RWD drifts, 4WD drifting feels like dragging a heavy weight in circles—the front end always feels sluggish. With all four wheels pushing, you’ll need to wrench the steering wheel harder than in RWD.
Last time at the track day, I saw a modified Golf R doing drifts. The owner said AWD drifting relies on three key elements: a high-power engine, an adjustable torque distribution AWD system, and low-grip semi-slick tires. His car was tuned to 400hp with ECU remapping, set to deliver 70% power to the rear wheels. When cornering, you need to steer half a second earlier, floor the throttle, and the rear wheels instantly swing sideways. But you must fully disable the stability control system, otherwise the ECU immediately cuts power. Throttle lift-off timing is also crucial – AWD cars have greater inertia, so over-rotating easily leads to donuts.
