General Motors has a clever plan for a new system that could make future generations of its high-performance models, like the 1,064-horsepower Corvette ZR1, less butt-clenching to drift. A new patent details how this new form of drift mode would work with, and automatically adjust, any active aerodynamics GM introduces to its performance car lineup.
2026 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X. BurnoutChevrolet
Granted, factory-built drift modes are nothing new to the world of performance motoring. Most send more power back to the rear wheels and use torque vectoring to get the outside rear wheel spinning. General Motors’ new patent, which was published late last week, looks far more intricate.
How GM’s Active Aero System Would Work
General Motors. Patent. Active aerodynamics drift. Sports carsGM Global Technology Operations
At the heart of the system is an onboard computer (the “controller”), which combines a CPU with a “non-transitory computer-readable storage device” presumably loaded with preset dynamic drive programs. Said controller is electronically linked with the steering wheel and pedals via sensors, which tell the central computer how far the accelerator/brake pedal has been pushed, and/or how far the steering wheel has been turned.
Hennessey Supercharged H700. Corvette C8 Z06. DriftHennessey
The controller is also electronically connected with both the front splitter and the rear spoiler. Consequently, if GM’s drift mode system is activated, the controller, which is effectively talking with the steering column, the pedal box, and the active aero simultaneously, can automatically adjust the angle of the front splitter and the main plate on the rear spoiler, either increasing or reducing drag across the vehicle’s bodywork in the process.
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Increasing the airflow would improve downforce and create more traction through the corners, thereby improving mid-corner grip, acceleration and braking performance. Open up the blade, and you get less downforce, helping the vehicle transition into a controlled drift. There wouldn’t be much difference at slower speed, but if you happen to be gunning for a world-record speed drift, it could definitely make a difference.
Currently, the splitter and rear wing on the Z06, the ZR1, and the ZR1X are dynamically setup but fixed in place, suggesting that Chevrolet has half-an-eye on advanced active aero for its enduring supercar down the line.
Why The Drift System Would Not Be Exclusive To The Corvette
Hennessey Supercharged H700. Corvette C8 Z06. DriftingHennessey
Rather neatly, General Motors explains the need for this system in its patent application as follows:
“While current active downforce systems and methods achieve their intended purpose, there is a need for a new and improved system and method for drift detection and control for a vehicle.”
Said system, for example, seems to operate independent of the traction control system. It offers a very tempting safety net for Corvette owners looking to swap lap times for smoke shows with high-speed opposite-lock action. But GM also states that the system could be implemented on “any type of vehicle without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.”
This is potentially good news for GM electric vehicles that already have some high-performance variants like the Cadillac Lyriq-V. Indeed, one section suggests that sensors similar to those on the steering wheel and pedals could also be incorporated with an electric-drive motor.
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Tellingly, GM’s new system, though focused primarily on performance, is not exhaustively so. The American brand suggests that evolved versions of the system could even be twinned with the vehicle’s navigation and/or front/rear parking cameras to ascertain both the environment and ambient temperature. Presumably then, if a driver wished to activate drift mode in cooler temperatures or on slippery surfaces, it could adapt the aero package to adapt to a wide range of conditions.
Patent filings do not guarantee the use of such technology in future vehicles and are often used exclusively as a means of protecting intellectual property. Such a filing cannot be construed as confirmation of production intent.
Source: US Patent & Trademark Office
