Drifting?

ok, i was wondering how u drift, i know what it is but i cant really get it? i was wondering how u do it? is it dif for RWD and FWD? and can u do it in both autos and manuals? can someone explain how to do it in each one?

drifting is when you take bends and corners without any rear wheel traction, some poeple think its just powersliding out of a bend but proper drifting involves going on a straight, bend and another straight or bend while the wheels are spinning, you can use the handbrake to lock the backwheels if you need some traction

and its for rwd, and you can do it in auto but you need enough power to get the wheels to spin and stay spinning and also to get them to start spinning while the car is moving, you can do it in a fwd car but its not real drifting, its called ass dragging.

theres alot of ways to drift and alot of difrent styles of drifting depending on the conditions, speed, skill and car.

one way is to swing the car one way then the other so it loses traction, another is to pop 2nds just as you take the corner, theres other ways but i cant remember them.

edit
just after i posted this some idiot crashed into a parked car near my house, writing off both of them cause he was fishtailing in the wet in his holden comadore that he just got resprayed, his boot was bent open and his back bumper was in 2 peices.

See, thats why you only drift in closed conditions, late at night, or anytime really when you can be sure there aren't any hasards around. Also, just as a side note, anytime you decide to drift in the snow, as a genereal rule, unless your damn good or you've got a fair bit of experience, cut your speed by at least half. Learned that the hard way.

before i posted this i went out to a road where no one ever is and there are a lot of s turns and curves, and try the whole drift thing just for shits and giggles, i was doing pretty good, tho i shouldnt have been going 70, cuz i had some time to pick up speed, and i just floored the gas the whole time while taking turns, at the end i came out in a fish tail and almost went in a ditch, but it was damn fun!!! and nobody was around so its all good

I'll run through the different kinds of drifts:

Power Over drift: This is when you just stomp the throttle and bring the rear of the car around.

Feint: This is when you quickly steer away from the corner and then quickly back in and then wait until the rear comes out and then countersteer through the turn, all the while feathering the throttle to keep the wheels spinning.

Side: This when you get some good speed into the turn and then at the right point depress the clutch and at the same time pull the side brake until you get sideways, you then heel-toe downshift and let down the side brake and feather the throttle to keep the wheels loose.

Shift Lock: This is where you get some decent speed leading to the corner, then you quickly shift down without bliping the throttle, the sudden jump in rpm will upset the traction and the rear of the car will come around, and then countersteer and continue to feather the gas.

Braking: This drift requires a bit more speed into the turn, as you approch the turn you quickly stab the brake (this is where left foot braking comes in) to upset the weight of the car and make the rear of the car overly light, this combined with steering into the turn will bring the rear end out, and then go into counter steer and feather the throttle out of the turn.

Clutch: This is not really a way to induce a drift, but can be used to prolong a drift. in the middel of the drift quickly engage and disengage the clutch, the jolt through the driveline will keep the tires spinning.

Kansai drift: this is any of the above outlined drifts, but at much higher speeds, for example in a race where going 30-40mph just isnt possible.

All of these also can be used in conjunction with each other to keep the car sideways, yet under control.

Drifting is not only for Rwd cars, it accually is much harder than FR drifting and almost always requires the use of the side-brake to bring the rear of the car around, with proper practice a FF driver can drift almost (notice I say almost) as well as a FR driver.

Oh and MaFi0s0 i just wanted to point out that the hand-brake is used to break loose, not to gain traction.....

And yes there are a few more ways to drift or prolong a drift, but I'm tired of typing:)

you forgot to explain "inertia drifting." I've seen 1 and only 1 episode (not stage, but episode) of initial D, and at the very end the dude in the RX-7 is like "inertia drift??" anyone care to elaborate? or is this thing totally made up?

inertia drifting is just like u enter a corner fast, and turn, but your momentum (or inertia ;) ) causes u to drift.

okay that doesnt really sound right, so id like to add a little more to it.

by enter a corner fast i mean just a little TOO fast to take it normally. initially give the steering wheel a little flick to the outside, like youre gonna steer straight off the corner, and as soon as your car begins to respond crank the wheel hard into the corner like youre now trying to follow the road, your cars weight will all snap from the inside (cuz of the 1st little flick) to the outside and u will drift.

my 93 civic hatchback would do the most awesome inertia drifts with the steering wheel flick method, and it was so easy to control. sometimes when i passed people on the highway i would do a little one back into the lane in front of them and scare the hell out of them, and i loved doing it on back roads. it was practically the only cool thing my civic could ever do :p

Just to agree with NB8CT, handbrake is to lose traction not gain. But, one thing i don't agree with NB8CT, you don't always need to use the handbrake to lose traction, you only use it if you couldn't get enough power tranfer and couldn't induce your rearend to swing out. That is y there are differen't drifting techniques, not just e-brake drift. One of the easiest to do is the power over, but using this technique can induce heavy oversteer, so u need to be in control the whole time, remember to counter-steer if you want to live to tell your story. But drifting with RWD is real drifting, some people call FWD drifting ass-draggin. You can't really consecutively drift with FWD, also RWD are more fun =). So are AWD (Lancer Evos).

Originally posted by Sil-Eighty
Just to agree with NB8CT, handbrake is to lose traction not gain. But, one thing i don't agree with NB8CT, you don't always need to use the handbrake to lose traction, you only use it if you couldn't get enough power tranfer and couldn't induce your rearend to swing out. That is y there are differen't drifting techniques, not just e-brake drift. One of the easiest to do is the power over, but using this technique can induce heavy oversteer, so u need to be in control the whole time, remember to counter-steer if you want to live to tell your story. But drifting with RWD is real drifting, some people call FWD drifting ass-draggin. You can't really consecutively drift with FWD, also RWD are more fun =). So are AWD (Lancer Evos).

One thing , to do a power over you need some ponies under the hood , not everybody has enought , althought it's one of the most spectacular techniques and i love to do it...

Don't forget "cheater drifting" for FWD ass-draggers. ;)

Put down some plastic trays or metal cookie sheets behind your rear tires, back on to them, engage your E-brake, enjoy your lack of traction in the rear! :p

And take pics!!! :D

Originally posted by Sil-Eighty
But, one thing i don't agree with NB8CT, you don't always need to use the handbrake to lose traction, you only use it if you couldn't get enough power tranfer and couldn't induce your rearend to swing out.

Oh yea I know, i was just saying that the side method is not to gain traction. My favorite drift method if the shift lock, it seems to be the most repeatable for me, I have total control over when I loose the rear. i have yet tried the clutch method though, i dont think that the tanny could hold up too long....

http://www.speedtrialusa.com/drifting.htm

:D

One thing you need to remember about Drifting, this is what im working on; Weight Transition. Thats basicaly what could explain "Inerta drifting".

Its kinda like a sudden, jarring weight transition from something like a feint drift. The back begins to slide out to the pasenger side, your on the throttle, you release the throttle, and the back snaps to it home possition rapidly, throwing the weight of the car towards the driver side creating a sudden "inertia" change.

Thats how i think of it. Ide stay off the roads and just find a parking lot. Do some doughnuts, pull the hand brake, try 180s and 90s just get used to it first. Then work yourself up to going faster and faster.

Now whats realy crazy, is 4WD Drifting! Thats crazy scary!!

this thread is three years old buddy.

whoever asked a question probably had it answered already or doesnt care.

good points thoght.

going sideways with any car, and thats one kind of a drift...lmao...

and make sure not to put metal trays under the back two wheels of a rwd car!! otherwise the poor fker behind is gonna get his knees chopped off :P