CarX Drift Racing Online is an easy game to pick up but a tough one to master! Here are a few tips and tricks to make the learning curve a bit easier.
Tweak your input settings
Whether you're on PC or console and using controller, wheel, or keyboard, you'll likely find the standard input settings need a tweak. For example, you'll likely find that turning down the linearity of steering, accelerator, clutch, and brake are worth trying. Not only does it make your cars easier to control and a little more predictable to take these down a tad, but it can feel more realistic and immersive as a consequence. You don't want to be fighting your controls!
That said, there are some settings we wouldn't recommend changing. Unless you have the finger and thumb precision of a brain surgeon, switching off controller assist makes even the best tuned vehicle a twitchy and uncontrollable mess. By all means try it, but don't feel bad when you turn it back on.
Tuning tips
We've a full tuning guide on the way, but there's a couple of things we'd note starting out creating tunings.
CarX doesn't simulate tyre temperature, wear, or damage, so you can know that your grip will remain consistent through a run. Even with plumes of smoke pouring off of your rubber, you won't suffer a blow-out or a change in your traction like you might in F1 2021.
We've also noticed the Ackermann angle setting is a little counter-intuitive. Setting this to 0% results in the maximum positive Ackerman steering. Putting it to 100% actually puts your wheels in parallel. We would suggest starting low, something like 25%, and to try increasing this as you get more confident in controlling your car.
Most of the tuning options are a compromise between two extremes. However, there seems to be no real downside to setting your steering angle to the maximum. Go full send on this setting!
Drifting and learning tricks
While you're trying to gain levels, experience, and cash, you'll likely be playing in the single player modes initially. That said, you can experience all the maps before you've unlocked them by setting up a multiplayer room. You can set a password to keep everyone else out while you learn each corner in peace!
Keeping your multiplier up will be the best way to earn plenty of drift points. Notice that your multiplier is reset to one when you collide with the wall front-end first? If you're losing it mid corner and a crash is inevitable, use your handbrake to hit rear first and this will often save you from this multiplier reset.
That said, it's best to avoid the walls. Start slow and work up to big scores. Remember, if you're coming from more traditional racing games, you're not aiming to take the fastest route around a corner.