You are right about counter steer - that's exactly what you do with the RC, just like the real deal you counter so you keep the front wheels pointed in your intended line of travel while the car is sliding at an angle, how steep the angle is up to your skills and the mechanics of the chassis.

But when it comes to 1:1 drifting and 1:10 RC drifting the similarity ends in the steering aspect. In order to get the rear of the car to brake loose, get it into an angle and keep it there for a decent amount of distance requires different mechanics than the real deal. In a real car in order to break the rear loose (oversimplyfing here) you would get enough speed, jam the e brake, cut the front wheels, whip out the rear, releasing the e brake and reving the snot out of the engine and ripping rubber down the road.

Your RC can imitate that with rear wheel revolution, the more revs the rear wheels have ( 1:1.5 revs or 1:2.0 revs or greater) as opposed to the front, the easier it is to break the rear loose, keep revs up and slide in an angel as you counter steer and keep your intended line of travel. Soing this mod to your RC car makes driving in a straight line a bit more difficult as the rear constantly wants to pass the front.

The RC is 4WD so your front wheels not only steer but they give you just enough traction to keep that forward momentum going and the high revs of the rear wheel are spinning like mad just going along for the ride until you get them in line with the front wheels.

CS is challenging, that's what makes it so addictive, the first time I tried it I was frustrated but I kept with it and know 50/50 drifting seems boring. CS will also increase you mechanical abilities as you learn how to mod the driveline.

Upgrades?? First thing- front one way diff and lock the rear diff or get a rear spool. Then tires come into play, find the right compound that works for you and the surface and track layout and size.

Sorry for the long winded explanation, hope this helps.