Stepping Up Your RC Driving: Air Control, Drifting and Advanced Car Control Explained

Once you’ve mastered the basics of throttle and steering, the real fun begins.

Driving an RC car well is not just about going fast. It is about control. Balance. Understanding how weight shifts. Learning how to use throttle, brake and steering together rather than separately.

At The Truck Monster, we see a lot of people hit this stage. They can drive comfortably. They rarely crash. Now they want to level up.

Here is how you do it.

---

Air Control: How To Control Your RC Truck In The Air

One of the biggest steps forward in RC driving is learning that you can control the truck even when it is airborne.

When your truck leaves the ground, steering does nothing. The wheels are not touching anything. But throttle and brake still matter.

This is because of rotational force from the drivetrain.

When you apply throttle in the air:

• The wheels spin forward

• The chassis rotates backwards

• The nose lifts up

When you apply brake in the air:

• The wheels slow or reverse

• The chassis rotates forward

• The nose drops down

This allows you to correct jump attitude mid-air.

If your truck is nose diving:

• Blip the throttle

If your truck is sky-high and about to land on its tail:

• Tap the brake

The key is small, controlled inputs. Slamming full throttle mid-air will overcorrect and create instability.

Practice on small jumps first. Once you get the feel for it, you will start landing flatter and smoother every time.

---

Understanding Understeer and Oversteer

To drive faster and cleaner, you need to understand what the car is doing mid-corner.

Understeer:

• The front tyres lose grip

• The car pushes wide

• You turn the wheel but it does not tighten the line

Oversteer:

• The rear tyres lose grip

• The back steps out

• The car rotates more than expected

Most RTR bashers are set up with mild understeer because it is safer for beginners.

To reduce understeer:

• Ease off throttle mid-corner

• Brake slightly before turning

• Shift weight forward

To control oversteer:

• Counter steer smoothly

• Feather the throttle

• Avoid sudden steering inputs

Smoothness is everything. Aggressive inputs create instability.

---

How To Hold A Controlled Drift

Once you understand oversteer, you can begin to hold a drift rather than just reacting to a slide.

To initiate a drift:

• Enter the corner with speed

• Lift off throttle slightly

• Turn in firmly

• Add throttle to break rear traction

To maintain the drift:

• Counter steer into the slide

• Use throttle to control angle

• Reduce throttle if the car spins too far

• Increase throttle if the slide is dying

Think of throttle as your steering angle control once the rear breaks loose.

Too little throttle and the drift ends.
Too much throttle and you spin.

It is a balance.

Cars like the MJX rally and drift platforms are excellent for learning this because they have enough power to break traction but still remain controllable.

---

Throttle Control Is More Important Than Steering

Beginners steer too much and manage throttle too little.

Advanced drivers:

• Brake before corners

• Accelerate smoothly out of them

• Roll on throttle rather than stabbing it

• Use partial throttle most of the time

If you watch experienced drivers, they are rarely at full throttle unless the car is straight.

---

How Gyros Can Help (Especially For Drifting)

Many modern receivers and drift-focused systems include a gyro.

A gyro detects unwanted yaw movement and automatically corrects steering input to stabilise the car.

What a gyro does:

• Reduces sudden fishtailing

• Helps maintain straight lines at speed

• Stabilises high power drift setups

• Makes rear end slides more controllable

What a gyro does not do:

• Drive the car for you

• Fix bad throttle control

• Replace proper technique

For drifting, a gyro can:

• Help maintain angle

• Smooth out twitchy steering

• Make transitions more stable

However, relying too heavily on it can slow your skill development. Use it as a tool, not a crutch.

---

Weight Transfer: The Hidden Skill

Every input shifts weight.

When you brake:

• Weight moves forward

• Front grip increases

• Rear grip decreases

When you accelerate:

• Weight shifts rearward

• Rear grip increases

• Front grip lightens

Understanding this is what separates average drivers from advanced ones.

If you want sharper turn-in:

• Brake lightly before steering

If you want better exit traction:

• Straighten the car before heavy throttle

---

Jump Technique Beyond Air Control

As you progress, you will start reading jumps differently.

Before the jump:

• Approach straight

• Avoid steering corrections on the face

• Control throttle smoothly

On takeoff:

• Maintain consistent throttle

• Avoid panic braking

In the air:

• Make small corrections only

On landing:

• Try to land slightly nose-up

• Land on throttle rather than braking

• Absorb impact with suspension, not sudden input

Clean landings mean fewer broken parts.

---

Consistency Over Chaos

The biggest difference between intermediate and advanced RC drivers is not bravery. It is consistency.

Advanced drivers:

• Repeat the same lines

• Brake at the same points

• Land jumps the same way

• Use measured throttle

Once you stop reacting randomly and start driving deliberately, your speed naturally increases.

---

Final Thoughts: Skill Is More Important Than Power

It is tempting to upgrade to bigger batteries and more power. But skill will always beat raw speed.

Before adding more volts, master:

• Air control

• Corner balance

• Drift control

• Smooth throttle application

• Jump consistency

At The Truck Monster, we always encourage drivers to grow their skills alongside their setups. That is when RC becomes truly addictive.