Last local autoX, I had three runs on dry pavement, followed by two runs on wet pavement. (Same course, but it started raining...)

My wet runs were faster than my dry runs, and it was at least partially because there were several very tight corners which I was able to negotiate noticeably faster in a four wheel drift on wet pavement -- on dry pavement, I just couldn't get the back end of the car to come around quickly enough. And because the course (like most autoX) was fairly narrow, I was afraid to induce a large drift on dry pavement -- on wet pavement, a decent drift can be induced and sustained with a lot less throttle, which is important when you're trying to put the car between a pair of cones which are only some 12 feet apart.

Also note that the drifting I'm talking about is miles away from the type of drifting done in drift contests. I was drifting to get the car to turn quickly -- those guys drift for the highest score, based on how long they can sustain the drift and on style.

My drifts probably lasted all of about 60 feet, and had no style at all.

 

That's why you do it in a controlled environment, such as an autocross, race track, racing school, etc.

 

The latest trend in our region is to make more open sections of the course, so there are many gates and the drive simply has to choose the best line to get through them, much less "rows" of cones than we used to have, so I guess it depends on what kind of course and what kind of turns are required as to whether drifting is needed. Also, I might add that it's a little easier to control the drift on a stock Lancer than an Evo because we don't have sport suspension and we also have limited power, which makes it hard to over do it (but like I said before, it's been done). I am finding that with my new suspension, though, drifting is a less desirable thing as the tires are gripping and steering better.

 

I lived in Okinawa, Japan for 14 years. Typically the only types of cars that did street drifting were rear-wheel drive cars like Nissan 180SX's, Skylines, older Toyota Trueno's and Levins, etc. The best drifters use a combination of the e-brake and gassing it to break the traction of the rear tires for controlled sliding around turns.

 

Have you seen the Blitz Skyline ER34 D1 Special (modified 4-door Skyline) and the Toyota JZX100 Chaser drifting? They both are rwd but you can easily drift with the Evo which is awd. On FWD cars however, drifting is much harder do to the understeer, but if you are quick enough on the wheel and the gas, i'm sure you could pull it off.

 

I have a civic and although it is a *#%(# to get to drift it does. But it feels unatural with all the things ive had to do to get it to drift. Speed up real fast.... then do the out in out... while pulling the e brake and then get it back. I have done a drift in a supra and i liked it alot more then in my civic. Felt natural. Its fun until my dad looks at my tires and says "why are they smoking? Your paying for the next set" but whatever its all for the fun of it.

 

stock awds.... have a tendancy to drive more like a fwd than a rwd? not really.... stock awds have a tendancy to drive more like an AWD.... hence the words AWD

 

ChillinEvolved, I believe what he means is the drifting characteristics. To drift in a FWD you let off the gas, while drifting in a RWD requires more gas. AWD, just like FWD, drifts when you release the gas. Talking to many autocross and rally drivers, they agree that AWD is very similar to FWD in terms of drift and oversteer/understeer, although traction is obviously much better.

He is also right that when you upgrade suspension on an AWD, you are then able to use throttle steer in certain cases, which a FWD will never be able to do, and RWD does easily.

 

I was confused about the difference between power sliding and drifting. Seems they are both quite similar, but drifting is supposedly cooler? haha

in any case i've went into a turn many times going much too fast in my camaro, and started to skid (not intentionally, I was new to the car and RWD) WHILE in the turn... I countered and controlled it just fine, but being new to the car and its platform it was scary as hell, as well as fun. Of course this was done in the middle of nowhere, not near people or other cars. However one of the times was near a cement wall which would have been bad if I had lost control.. heh heh

And then theres just the plain insane burnout take-offs you can do in cams and trans ams that you just can't do in other cars.. it just ain't the same :P I can squeel my lancer easily and take off like a *****, but it's just not the same

so i kinda understand where the enjoyment of "drifting" comes from.

 

ok...hopefully this will solve and/or answer all questions about drifting!!! still with me...,good! have about +$30, depending where you order from, and order BESTMOTORING VIDEO special edition "THE DRIFT BIBLE" featuring the "DRIFT KING" Keiichi Tsuchiya!!! now, this dvd is a complete guide to drifting(RWD), you can also check out this site: www.bestmotoringvideo.com , they have other video/dvds where they test out other cars like WRX STI, LANS-EVO, 350Z, RSX, some european cars and even FWD cars. and if you think only RWD with lots off power are the only ones that can drift...well, you got lots to learn!!!oh, and lastly, for those how think using the E-BRAKE to drift is a "CHEATING" method...apperently you guys have not drifted, if you've ever tried drifting, you should know that this is how to initiate the drift...well actually it one of many ways to start a drift, but this method is a good beginner tip= "E-BRAKE" like i said...gope this is of any help to all!!

ps. heres a pic i took at the first ever D1GP in the us, held in Irwindale, California this past labor day!!! i got more pics, so if any wants to see let me know!

 

If anyone wants some good footage from D1GP, option video, etc in a wicked music video, download this. Trust me its worth it

http://wicked.fissionhost.com/driftworks3.wmv (right click and save-as)

I think you need to use WMP version 7 or better to view it

The other methods of drifting are clutch-kick, shift-lock, braking, fient (useful for AWD cars to get the drift started), power over, accel-off, long-slide (used with e-brake), dirt drop, and some others. I can't remember them all right now

And yes some D1GP drivers use the e-brake to initiate the drift, but most of them use it to fine-tune the drift angle mid-corner. When they also use the e-brake to start the drift, they don't just hold it like FF ***-draggers do, they only pull it for a fraction of a second and get back on the gas and continue the drift with the accel pedal.

 

I think the actual defination of drifting is that all four wheels have to be spinning from entry to exit of a corner.

 

FF cars can't drift, they ***-drag.

These are the basic methods of drifting in each drivetrain, based on what I currently know and have experienced about drifting.

FR Drifting: Start the drift using a drifting method, and control the drift with the accel pedal while feeding in countersteer. The drift is controlled with the accel pedal.
Example: http://www.driftworks.org/footage/Hachiroku.mpg (right-click and save as)


MR Drifting: same thing as FR, but harder to do, because there is a lot of weight over the rear wheels, which makes the car unbalanced while drifting.
Example: http://carfreaks.b0nk.net/superdrifttechniques.mpg (look for the MR2 doing a braking drift) (right-click and save as)


AWD Drifting: Start the drift using a drifting method (feint or scandinavian flick are usually the best to use), and keep the accel pedal down once the drift has started. Control the drift with the movement of the steering wheel. If you try to control the drift by using the gas pedal like FR, the understeering will get worse.
Example: http://movies.exvitermini.com/junevo0.zip (right-click and save as)


FF ***-Dragging: Turn into the corner with lots of speed, and pull the handbrake. Keep holding it while feeding in countersteer. If you try to control the drift with the accelerator, you will understeer and probably go off the road. I've heard of people with FF's setting up their suspension and brakes so that they oversteer when they brake into a corner/ trail-braking, but this isn't really a drift since you can't keep it going.
Example: http://www.driftworks.org/footage/FWDDrift1.mpg (right-click and save as)


http://carfreaks.b0nk.net/superdrifttechniques.mpg also shows examples of the different drifting methods/techniques. (right-click and save as)


With almost all drifting methods, match revs before downshifting and entering the corner, using some sort of rev-matching technique (heel-toe, etc). This is especially important if you are mid-drift, and need to downshift to keep the drift going.

My definition of Drifting is taking a linked series of corners sideways. I know that there are better definitions out there, but this definition makes FF impossible to drift, since you can't link the ***-drags (unless your rear wheels are on trays or wood or some ****)

 

Most of that makes sense, but I can tell you from personal experience that I have gotten the rear end to come around AND STAY sideways through a keyhole turn (more than 180 degrees), WITHOUT the use of the hand brake OR the regular brake. The part about turning into the corner first is just like my experience, but at that point, I let off the gas for a split second, and then reapply it and adjust the gas as to how much drift (or "*** drag" if you like) I want. Counter steer is still used, but in this case, I recall using less gas to increase drift and more gas to decrease drift, and full throttle to come out of the drift completely.

Or ask Rhys Millen if he thinks his RMR Lancer can drift

edit: what exactly do you mean by "link" the drifts together? Do you mean from turning one direction to the other? IN that sense, I think you are right... I think, since you do have to get into the turn before the rear end can come around on a fwd.

 

speaking of Rhys Millen, do you know what type of tires he used in the drift events? I dont hear those tires squeel and they spin real smoothly during the drift.