Drifting Techniques Part 1 by Doctor Drift

[Dr_Drift]

THIS THREAD IS BEING MAINTAINED TO KEEP IT SPECIFIC TO DRIFT TECHNIQUES, PLEASE DO NOT BE OFFENDED IF YOUR POST IS REMOVED OR EDITED

I've been thinking more and more about how to explain how to learn the art of Dorifto...... And then I remembered something that helped me a lot. Grass drifting.

I had a mate back in adelaide that had a big grass paddock, we used to have so much fun keeping the pedal flat in top gear and generally going nuts on a surface with almost zero traction.

Hours and hours of practice doing this should get you comfortable with the MOMENTUM of a vehicle that is sliding, and this can be done with very low FRICTION on the back tyres (they spin easy) and should also get you used to sideways ACCELERATION (like speedway cars)

Now of course, many of you will not have access (legally) to a large grass area, so the next best thing is dirt (can damage paint on your car) or large paved or tarmac areas wet down. The FRICTION of these surfaces is a lot higher, so be carefull.

Drifting is all about PHYSICS:

MOMENTUM, FRICTION, and ACCELERATION.....

Doc.

[Guest Simon-MrRx7]

Drifting is all about FEEL.... feeling for the above mentioned laws of physics

[Dr_Drift]

Use the FORCE Luke.....

Simon, you are so right, it's all about becoming one with the car.... You need to know what it's going to do (brain can calculate laws of physics using previous experiences as reference points in a split second).....

When people ask me how I drift so well, it's like ..... "well it's like this, I'm not really sure other than that's just how I've always done it"

WHEN DRIFTING.... I AM THE CAR, I AM MY OWN DRIFT UNIVERSE, with specific understanding of all the variables in your environment, you can calculate a drift.

[Guest | hype^ |]

so back to the actual techniques......................................................

you still aint said how to go about it.. apart from where..

[Dr_Drift]

The first step is understanding how your car behaves while sliding. The basic idea is just keep the back wheels spinning the whole time.

Try and get hold of some spare bald tyres to put on the back of your car and find a wet skidpan or carpark, this makes them easier to keep spinning without accelerating too much.

TIP 1: To keep your wheels spinning without accelerating make your right foot 'PULSE' slightly on the accelerator. This means the rear wheel speed is constantly changing and makes them harder to start gripping. Do not just hold your foot flat.

TIP 2: When your wheels are spinning, use the brake with your left foot to control car speed, like a burnout, only less brake and moving slightly faster.

PRACTICE EXERCISE 1: Firstly is try doing large circle drifts. These are quite difficult, but can be prictised at low speeds and help you learn quickly. I tried a quick sketch to show what I mean. Dump the clutch and get the wheels spinning.... move forwards a little and move the steering wheel to the right sharply, this should make the back of the car slide to the left, now you should be able to turn the steering to the left with the car doing a right hand curve. If you keep pulsing the throttle you should start getting the hang of it, try making the curve tighter and longer and gradually you will make a full circle. After you get a circle done, try and do two or three in a row.

Most people will find they find right hand or left hand circles easier, firstly get good at the preffered one , then try and get them going the other way (I'm still not 100% on left hand circles)

PRACTICE EXERCISE 2: Similar idea to above, but have a left and right hand circle joined together.... Sketch attached (don't laugh it only took 8 seconds to draw)

NOW GO MY CHILDREN, PRACTICE AND LEARN, USE THE FORCE

WITH TRAINING AND PRACTICE YOU TOO MAY BECOME DORIFTO MASTER.

[Guest Simon-MrRx7]

Ok.. heres my tips

Tip one: Get used to the feeling of looking out the side windows

Tip two: Go wide and then drift closer to the apex... so if u slide out.. you've got the whole of the road in which to loop out in, less chance of hitting stuff, gutters and tree's do a LOT of damage.

Tip three: the best method of initating a slide is the old handbreak followed by clutch drop, then press accelerator to hold the slide, however to get these three things right one after the other takes a lot practice. What i tend to do is approach a corner (say its a left hand corner for example) i'll go out wide turn in sharply to the right then turn sharply to the left whilst at the same time clutching it, giving it a few thousand rpm extra then dumping it,

what this is doing is using weight shifting techniques also known as a scando flick. Well set up cars need not to use the handbreak or clutching it. I used to have my RX7 set up well for this, with 17inch high grip tyres on the front and stock rims with ****ty 14inch tyres on the back. I would do the above method approching the corner and use weight shift plus some throttle to initiate a slide.

Whilst drifting i would modulate the throttle and steering imputs to hold the angle and speed of the slide through the corner and well after the apex

Tip Four: Dont practise in front of people... pressure makes u loose concentration.. last thing u wanna do is wack a gutter in front of your mates cause they put u off.

[Guest Simon-MrRx7]

ahh yes... as mentioned by Dr Drift... Opposite Lock Ringies are excellent practice for car control

everyoine knows the basic ringies where you loop the car round and round in a tight circle... But what about when ur are holding one big drift using opposite lock steering that, my friends, is where u learn quickly how to drift, because it teaches u how to hold the car at the angle u want it.

[meggala]

I can hear the skid pan at Deca calling me

Dr_drift.

with the sprinklers blaring your right in the wet it is much easier.

Simon as you say dont practice in front of you mates, may be thats why Dr_drift dissapears to the melbourne version of mt Akina and I return there to see all of these mysterious black marks :-).

good reading and good advice

meggala

[doxximus]

and...where is this 'melbourne version of mt akina' ey? hehe

[Dr_Drift]

Doxx, Meggala and anyone else:

Secret location of Melbourne's mini Mt Akina. I suggest we do not publisise it's location as this will reduce the longevity of this secret location as a no-cop zone...

ANYONE IN VIC INTERESTED IN DRIFT MEET PM ME.

[doxximus]

pm me with the info, im not very experienced but i would love to come up and watch others do it, and then practice on skid pan a couple of times then try on mt akina

[fatz]

doing the clutch dump works but is brutal on the car... i wouldnt recomend it.

firstly have enought power to avoid the above technique so as to actually kepp you cars running gear in one peace. but i supposes if you r a hard core drifter abusing your car is paramount.

i find entering the corner silghtly above the recomended speed do your shift too third. gice the car a little flik(scandanavian). by which timeyou should be left foot braking.. this trail braking will bring round the rear cause of the flik. now as the car brakes free appy power (170rwkw) should easyly fry 3rd with 17 on now you do you madulation with power and brakes as the doc ordered.

now as the car finnnishes that corner and fliks the opposit way on the transition grab 4th and fry them some more. point to note that you will need 200rwkw to fry 4th. (no modualtion in forth on the power cause you will need it all to spin the tyre however you can still use light dabs of the brake )then continue till you **** yourself

other recomendations youneed a mechanical diff to pull 4ths. and at least a solid 2 plate clutch. my clutch only lasted 6 sets of tyre before it was shot. also a ****load of money cause a rebuild for a twin plate costs 1400 bucks.

thus the reson for my retirement no cash

pete

[Pva_Glue]

Just wanna let you people know...

when you did massive drfting and you are full of adrenalin then wants more... that's the time to quite....

cuz if not careful you might end up in the gutter, and your car also.

Drift at your own risk!

cheers

Joe

[Dr_Drift]

Doctor Driftin'

[Leon.T]

is it harder or easier 2 do a drift with automatic?

[badbiki]

here are a few tips from the young nimble grass hoper

1> Drifting on standard suspension cause death.

2> dont every hesitate, dont come off the accel too fast if you think you're getting in a bad situation, flicking back the other way is usualy worse and ends up UBER bad

3> NEVER! EVER ! EVER! look at an object trying to avoid it!.. ANYONE will tell you this. anything you look at and concentrate on not hitting you WILL HIT!. if there is ONE pole in the middle of a feild at a race track, people will hit it =P dont look at the objects you're trying to avoid. look at where you want to go and make it so!

4> having ****ing orsome suspension can make even the shittest driver good =)

5>Have you car setup correctly for every weahter type.. if its wet, dont run 5º camber on front wheels! you'll understeer into poles, kurbs and other items.. also you'll loose ALL the respsone thru the steering wheel!.. adjustable camber tops are excellent at this, run 4-5º in dry =) and knock it back to 2-3 in wet.. this makes a big difference. For best drift effect, dial in AS MUCH CAMBER AS POSSIBLE AT REAR =)

enjoy...

[badbiki]

Oh ye, and i'll say it again.

Drifting on standard suspension will cause death. DO NOT DO IT!

you may think your car is king, but it aint!.. get some coilovers or some decent shocks. rear/front swaybars/strut braces!

also automatics are dangerous to 'drift' in =P dont do it. get a manual.

[fatz]

gtr can tank slap up the road for ages. all on standard suspension

i personally think its all about the lsd you have in you car.

a good one and you can hold a solid drift session with maximum control

pete

[Leon.T]

Originally posted by badbiki

also automatics are dangerous to 'drift' in =P dont do it. get a manual.

awwwww

[badbiki]

yes but standard suspenion is always old by now =) especialy for s13's.. you'd be riding on springs by now =)

its always good to have some nice firm jap suspenion holding the car perfectly flat around corners. swaybars, strut braces =) all help