Beginners Guide to Drifting

B

BLADDER_MASTER

is no more
It just hit me that we don't have a guide to help the n00bies who don't know wtf is drifting about. So I decided to start writing an article about it.

First off, WHAT IS DRIFTING?

First and foremost, drifting is entertainment. At the professional level, drifting fulfills the promise of exciting, high energy motor sports based entertainment, something that most other forms of racing and motor sports today fall short of, especially among certain demographics. Probably the best quote ever written that describes the sheer excitement of drifting was printed in the Sports Car Club of America's own magazine, SportsCar , and was in reference to the very first D1 Grand Prix event in the U.S. in 2003 and stated, "It's like the last lap of the best road race you ever saw repeated over and over again." Coming from an organization whose entire existence revolves around professional and amateur levels of traditional road racing, this is a solid testament to the extreme entertainment value that professional drifting provides. As a practical description, drifting is a high-skill, high-energy display of car control in which drivers slide their vehicles from side to side at high speed through a marked course or section of a permanent circuit. It looks somewhat similar to a tarmac rally stage, but is done on a closed, paved course and judged on execution and style rather than just who finishes the fastest. Drift cars are typically smaller, lightweight, and rear-wheel-drive. The goal is to apply enough power to the rear wheels to break the tires' traction and initiate a slide, or "drift". Once a drift is initiated, it must be maintained through the turn using a precise balance of power, braking and steering. To the uninitiated drifting is a wild display of controlled chaos. But when professionally executed, a drifting vehicle is a thing of beauty and grace not unlike figure skating (albeit much faster and louder), especially in close tandem battles. Unlike other motor sports, the determination of winner/loser is largely based on driver's skill rather than horsepower advantages. Well executed professional drifting is all about the rivalry of each driver's drifting skill and it's not uncommon to see small displacement, naturally aspirated import cars battling door-to-door with big, blown, American muscle cars. For America's youth, it represents something for everyone.
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Source: D1GP.com

If you want to do some research on Drifting and the history behind it, Wikipedia has a good article in which you can access by clicking the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drifting_(motorsport)

How to start drifting? I've simplified it in 4 steps:
1. Watch video tutorials. It'll show you the fundamentals of drifting. For example:
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Not Drift-specific, but useful:
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2. Buy RWD car. If you don't know what a RWD car is, Wikipedia again to the rescue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rear_wheel_drive

3. Enter a drift event. The Events & Meets section of the forum highlights all the events that are scheduled.

4. Get to know the people in the drift community. Why is this a fourth step? Because they can help you with advice on how to improve both you and your car. But, don't try asking the m4nfred or else you'll get laughed at.
 
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I think you need to put "Suspension>Power" in there somewhere
 
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I think you all forgot one thing. Supsension + LSD + Tires > Power. Remember, tires are what makes contact with the ground. Having good front grip is important, and having rear grip is important as well, just not as much, especially in low powered cars.
 
front grip is overrated...a little push is always nice.....steering work is where its at....and yeah i know about front grip and dealing with it...ask zak ...me n him took apart my WRECKEd car ...with bald dryrotted front tires........i still blame it on me 150%....not front grip....tisk tisk...
 
shit tell me about front grip lol. i rock out falkens ziex 912 in the front, while some of the people on this forum talk crap that they suck..lol.... the most important thing about drifting is adapting, just like like any other motosport, its important to adapt.....ask m4nfred.lol
 
I agree to a extent but you can't compare a ziex to a azeni especially @ high speed. Sure you can pull it off but you will be faster on transitions and definatly feel a lot more in control with a correct tire up front. I think awesome tire + camber + good setup is by far supirior to a setup
Using w.e. Tires. Yes you can adapt for the tires but you can't change the tires limits. Bottom line the pros to running a correct tire outweigh the couple of bucks you save buying a no name tire.you can't compare the grip or sidewall its night and day. So to me I guess front grip is not overated. But like manny said you need a bit of push. Too much grip up front is a bad thing also its all about balance.
 
The only reason I run Ziexs is because Azenis only come in 195/60/14, and my tension rods don't have as much caster as I need to run the bigger tire so it wouldn't rub on my chassis. The 185/60s still rub the chassis a little, but I can still go to full lock. The 195s don't allow me to go full lock. So what is more important in my situation? Ability to go full lock, or more grip? The ziex work well for me anyway. For the weight and power of my car, they have enough grip. Once I have more power, where the car has more chances to plow into a turn, I will run higher grip tires, also have new tension rods.

I can't blame my crash at Moroso on my tires. It was pure driver error. I was trying different approaches to the sweeper at the end, and the last one was not the one. lol.
 
e30 gangsta said:
I agree to a extent but you can't compare a ziex to a azeni especially @ high speed. Sure you can pull it off but you will be faster on transitions and definatly feel a lot more in control with a correct tire up front. I think awesome tire + camber + good setup is by far supirior to a setup
Using w.e. Tires. Yes you can adapt for the tires but you can't change the tires limits. Bottom line the pros to running a correct tire outweigh the couple of bucks you save buying a no name tire.you can't compare the grip or sidewall its night and day. So to me I guess front grip is not overated. But like manny said you need a bit of push. Too much grip up front is a bad thing also its all about balance.
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very true, I have tried different tire and i like the azenis a lot, but i have been broke lately so i rocked out the ziex. What i mean by adaptation is that you cant have the same approach you have on a hachi than the approach you have on a 240sx. you need to adapt to the car, and change your technique based on that.
 
^^^^^^^I deffinately can agree to that. Funny enough, I don't think I have ever slid an S13. I wanna try it out to see how much "easier" it is than a hachi.
 
ill let you slide mine anytime....if i ever get it towed to the shop and finished.

oh and proper technique> then any modification. ive seen people with sick ass setups not understand shit about how to drive a car and what to do with it when it does get sideways or when it won't get sideways. Single cam w/ lsd and springs with shitty tires and i can still shit on plenty of people with awesome setups. I like helping people learn how to drift. Its not always about teaching them on a professional level. its about teaching them the first proper initiations and timing and throttle control and it clicks "holy shit i can do this" I love when people get it.
 
e30 gangsta said:
I agree to a extent but you can't compare a ziex to a azeni especially @ high speed. Sure you can pull it off but you will be faster on transitions and definatly feel a lot more in control with a correct tire up front. I think awesome tire + camber + good setup is by far supirior to a setup
Using w.e. Tires. Yes you can adapt for the tires but you can't change the tires limits. Bottom line the pros to running a correct tire outweigh the couple of bucks you save buying a no name tire.you can't compare the grip or sidewall its night and day. So to me I guess front grip is not overated. But like manny said you need a bit of push. Too much grip up front is a bad thing also its all about balance.
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A balanced setup, yes sir. Being able to have front slip while retaining steering response is key, and oh so forgiving.
 
Well I'm still pretty new at this hasn't even been a year yet and still already had 3 diffrent cars already but what really helps is riding along with some1 who's knows what their doing. Paul and steve helped me a lot and steve really showed me a lot of ebrake work.(corection and entering) also just watching a listing to cars drifting helps figure out throttle control. My first car had power but no suspension work and it sucked compared to my 2nd car that was pretty stock except for coiloversm but now I have power so its a lot better. Don't forget to tell the noobs its not a bad idea to offer to take our tires to the changers so we don't have to do it. Lol and cash or free tire offering wouldn't hurt either,
 
I think it would take years to properly write a book on this matter. Too many people have different ways of teaching. Video reference is nice, but you'd need at least 3 camera angles (exterior, steering wheel, pedals) to show the beginner what exactly is being done so he can understand.

The best way I found to summarize basic drifting (in a nutshell) is that drifting is about a balance between gas and steering. In a drift, more steering or less gas = slowing down and gripping. Less steering, more gas = spinning. I just tell them to find a balance and keep the drift going.

Although there are many other things to be covered, I think that's an essential that should be included.

- Erick
 
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