Doing donuts in a car is something of a party trick. It’s a maneuver that shows off a driver’s skill by going in tight circles while the car’s rear wheels are doing a burnout. It can also be a celebratory maneuver. Donuts are cool but doing them can be quite dangerous for inexperienced drivers, as they can easily lose control and spin out.

How Donuts Are Done

Donuts are essentially burnouts but with the steering wheel turned in one direction. A skilled driver will typically mash the throttle just like in a burnout. The rear wheels will propel the car forward, but it will also slide outwards once the car starts moving.

Most modern vehicles are equipped with traction control, a system that prevents the wheels from losing traction by either applying the brakes or reducing the engine power. Drivers need to turn this off because the traction control system will prevent them from creating burnout.

The drivers need to have a good sense of familiarity and feel of the car because they will need to do two things as the vehicle starts to spin: modulate the throttle and counter-steer.

Throttle modulation involves easing off the gas as the vehicle’s rear steps out and putting in more gas as it straightens out.

Counter-steering involves turning the steering wheel in the opposite direction of the turn when the rear is stepping out too much.

Take note that doing donuts will create smoke and a loud screeching sound that can be heard throughout the entire neighborhood. The tires will also leave skid marks on the road that might take months to disappear or can even be permanent. Additionally, note that a vehicle’s rear wheels are going to wear out extremely fast when doing donuts. However, tire wear can be mitigated by putting water across the pavement, as this cools the tires and lowers friction.

Keep in mind that donuts are typically only done with rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles. Front-wheel drive vehicles can still do burnouts, albeit in reverse.