Understeer Problems. HELP.

I just got back from the local drift comp today. Awsome turn out, but After the first couple practice runs, I started to "plow" really bad. How can I fix this so that I can get some more sideways action next time?? Should I take my front sway bar off? Should I get better tires that won't heat up and stick like these ones? Please help me out guys so I stop rushing towards walls. lol. Thanks.

Well I am guessing you are smart enough to have put a LSD if you didnt have one, but did you do a lot of drifting with it because if you can't get into a drift ti is because it is really worn out. If not then I can't really help you. As for your tires, you can keep fairly sticky tires, you should have enough to lose grip with them. Most drifters have pretty sticky tires or else they would be spining out all over the place lol

1) Better Front Tires

2) You might be trying to initiate too late.

3) 240s hate to be braking while transitioning.


those might help alittle

CLUTSH KICK...
E-BREAK!!! i don't care what people say about "ohh, e break is gay... bla bla bla" i went to like a million D1 and EVERY driver uses the e -break! all the time!!!

so, i u under steer, yank the e-break, problem solved! make sure u apply gas too or u will spin out!


u don't need any barz, or coilovers or any other stuff to drift except a LSD, and not the viscous shit!

what i do is simple, i go wide before a turn, clutch kick, YANK my steering wheel, gazzzzzz and counter steer, if i want to go the other way, i let go of the gas, the car swings out, then gas it again!

I have good drifting techniques guys. And I have a Viscous LSD. I have suspension techniques sway bars front and rear. I have eibach springs with KYB struts, and I had the wider 300ZX wheels on the front with my stock wheels in back. In the practice runs I was doing good down until the last 2 runs, then I started having the understeering problem. Did my tires get to hot and stick or what? My front tired were really wore down though, so maybe they were just not holding. Thats probably what happened, but thanks for the help guys. Im still open to suggestions.

I have good drifting techniques guys. And I have a Viscous LSD. I have suspension techniques sway bars front and rear. I have eibach springs with KYB struts, and I had the wider 300ZX wheels on the front with my stock wheels in back. In the practice runs I was doing good down until the last 2 runs, then I started having the understeering problem. Did my tires get to hot and stick or what? My front tired were really wore down though, so maybe they were just not holding. Thats probably what happened, but thanks for the help guys. Im still open to suggestions.


Uhhh... unless your on slicks grip will go down with heat so its not your rears. you prolly just chewed up your front tires.

E-Brake is more of an "extender" than an "initiation" device.

Personally I find it funny that the same people that trash on E-brakes are the same ones that just hammer on their clutch untill they do some wack crab walk.

LSD is what everyone jumps on for the one thing you need to drift. which is Ironic since 2-ways will make your car understeer in any situation that you dont forcably get the rear out. Basically what an LSD is doing is keeping the car more stable on entry and getting the power down on the exit. its possible to drift on an open very well but once you get into 3rd gear entrys and Big Smoke a stiff 2way LSD is the only way to go.

Furthermore
Brake - Whats stopping your vehicle
Break - What you dont want to happen

LSD is what everyone jumps on for the one thing you need to drift. which is Ironic since 2-ways will make your car understeer in any situation that you dont forcably get the rear out.



huh? my car has a 2 way KAZZ and by no mean dz it understeer in "any situation" i think it might be my suspension set up...

LSD eliminats understeer... not cause it. a 2 way LSD will make u OVERsteer anytime u let go of the gas!!! try 2 let go of the gas as u turn your car exitng the freeway.... ass out->

i don't know, 2 each dr own... i've seen peolpe in 85 corolas W open diff out drift me in some turns, so its all driver feel...

I had the 300ZX wheels and tires in front with my stock street tires in the back. So the fronts were a lot wider. I have 300ZX front brakes, so I don't think that it was those giving. Yes, my struts are GR-2's. But overall, I think your right about my front tires getting worn out and the rear tires getting sticky. By the way, for all the guys all about the 2-way LSD, my friend caught second place with an open diff (not arguing, just saying that its all in the driver).

I had the 300ZX wheels and tires in front with my stock street tires in the back. So the fronts were a lot wider. I have 300ZX front brakes, so I don't think that it was those giving. Yes, my struts are GR-2's. But overall, I think your right about my front tires getting worn out and the rear tires getting sticky. By the way, for all the guys all about the 2-way LSD, my friend caught second place with an open diff (not arguing, just saying that its all in the driver).


In no way will heat make your tires "sticky"

1) Heat only helps on racing slicks. hence why people that do huge burnouts on grandmas Turanzas for more grip are Idiots

2) Heat Builds pressure in the tires. (one of the reasons you pop tires when drifting) big tire pressures limit grip


AWD - Snapping of throttle can be considered forced but try doing the same with some good tires and actually trying to get the power down in a corner and it will be understeer city.

Yea no shit. How can you say that your tires don't heat up and get sticky? Im afraid you are mistaken my friend. They call it friction.

Yea no shit. How can you say that your tires don't heat up and get sticky? Im afraid you are mistaken my friend. They call it friction.

Fair Enough.


I concede that I should have said to a point it will help... getting a little heat into street tires helps. a small burnout will give you fresh rubber and make the rubber a little softer. which does make for more grip

Now in your case your drifting. and with any decent angle or smoke the tires are going way past that (Signal says their tires have hit 450 Degrees) your not Bai and probably not on brand new BFGs so your probably around 250-300... Most road racing tires get optimal grip at 200ish degrees to my knowledge. those used pos your on were prolly designed for optimal grip around 12-150.

Moving on... so this friction you speak of? it causes heat? hrmm... Heat makes things expand. so that 40lbs of air you had in your rears at 100 Degrees is now probably 55-60ish at the 250 you've been burning all day. wow... I bet Goodyear put that in the text for things to do if you want more grip.

You keep on saying that your rears are getting sticky. which they might have been for the first four runs of the day. but Tires arent at peak grip right before they chunk or delaminate from heat or down right pop because of big pressure.

You say you were doing fine at the begining of the day and then it started to understeer. Id pin that on the fronts starting to give a little and then finished by plowing through the corner.

Yea my fronts was kinda what I was starting to lean towards. Thanks for the help.

I see a lot of D1 cars with narrow tires and wide wheels. As you may know this creats a very low profile, and in some cases the sidewall can even go outwards to the mounting lip of the wheel. Now, this would defintely create a stronger sidewall I think, and also maybe they can start with a lower psi on them, so when they heat up at the end, it doesn't make a lot of understeer, I don't know though thats just a thought, I don't really see too many people talking about tire psi strategies in D1, maybe im just in the dark on this. If anyone actually knows what some teams do, PLEASE chime in


D1 Cars Use A mild stretch to increase turn in due to the tire distorting less. However Stretching tire does decrease peak grip because it turns the sidewall into a lever arm effectivley lowering the load index of the tire. Tire PSI has to be near perfect on a Streched tire for it to grip well.

US drifters usually do it so they can fit a huge wheel without it rubbing.

Info Courtesy of Nissan Eleitest


I'm doing a mild 235/40/17 on a 17x9 all the way around.

for grip... 225 50 16 all around
for drift...205 55 16 all around