John
10-13-2004, 01:51 AM
In my last segment I discussed how to get started and some basic drills to practice to get you going. This article I will be discussing how to initiate a drift and more intermediate skill level techniques. I have found that the most difficult part of beginning to learn how to drift is not necessarily the drift itself but more the ways of initiating the drift. So If you have not read my first post of the series please go back and go over it
http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125063
and try some of the things I suggested before continuing reading this post. The things I will be discussing will be from the Best Motoring Drift Bible since it is a rather good guide on discussing technique. Now that you have learned the basics of drifting you are ready to learn how to approach a turn and initiate a drift. The Drift Bible discusses 6 different methods which include the e-brake, clutch kick, power oversteer, feint, braking and throttle lift.
Drifts without weight transfer (Basic)
1. E-Brake
This is the easiest and most basic method of initiating a loss of traction in the rear tires. As you enter the turn, put in the clutch and begin your turn in. As you turn in briefly give the e-brake a tug to help disrupt the drivetrain. You will feel the rear end slide out from under you so simply let go of the e-brake and clutch and get back on the gas to finish drifting through the turn. The clutch is pushed in to disengage the engine's power from the rest of the drivetrain so when you pull up on the e-brake the brakes don't have to fight against the engine power to try and lock the rear. This is why automatics are difficult to e-brake drift. You need a strong set of brake pads in the rear in order for it to work.
2. Clutch Kick
Clutch dump, shift lock, whatever you want to call it this is my favorite technique to use. It is also potentially the most damaging to your drivetrain so be careful in using this manuever. As you turn into the corner keep your foot on the gas but at the same time press in the clutch and dump it without rev matching. This will disrupt the drivetrain since the engine and the wheels will be moving at different speeds. Countersteer as soon as you feel the back end lose traction and complete the drift as usual. This technique is especially good for underpowered cars as you dont lose any speed from braking.
3. Power Oversteer
This techique is fairly easy to do if you have a decent amount of power. As opposed to the previous techniques, this drift is done on the corner exit. Pretty straight forward, as you exit the turn simply floor the gas and be ready to catch the oversteer as you come out of the turn.
Drifts with weight transfer (Advanced)
4. Feint
The feint is a drift induced by a weight shift from left to right and is probably one of the more basic weight shift induced drift there is. As you enter a left hand corner you want to turn right, the opposite way of the turn then turn left into the corner. This will shift the weight from the left side of the car to the right quickly and that weight shift will cause the rear end to lose traction. As soon as you feel this immediately countersteer and drift the turn. It sounds simple but there are many ways to get this wrong. If you do the steering inputs too quickly then all you will do is understeer. I've found the most effective way to shift the weight is to turn away from the turn slowly then turn into the turn more quickly. This will give the car enough time to shift the weight one direction before shift the weight to the other direction. Also, as you do this maneuver it would be good for you to be coasting. If you are accelerating that shifts the weight to the rear of the car and it will be more difficult to lose traction.
5. Braking
The braking drift is similar to the e-brake drift except you are now using a weight transfer to break the rear end loose. It uses weight shift from front to back as opposed to the feint drift. As you enter the turn keep your foot on the brake and slowly increase pressure on the pedal as you fully enter the turn. As you increase the brake pressure the weight of the car will shift forward and lighten the rear. Since you are turning at the same time there will be a point where the rear end will start to lose traction. Get back on the gas and countersteer as the rear end comes around and pull yourself through the drift.
6. Throttle Lift (Accel off)
This technique is one of the more advanced maneuvers and needs a good bit of speed in order to do it correctly. I don't recommend trying it until you are comfortable with the other techniques first. It is much like the braking drift but instead of braking as you enter the corner you simply lift off on the gas as you enter the corner. At high speed, the weight shift to the front of the car as you lift will be dramatic and should be enough to lighten the load on the rear causing the car to slide. Again, countersteer against the drift as you pull out of the turn.
Try out all of the techniques and find the ones that you feel comfortable with. I cannot stress enough that practice is the only way to get better. I'm no hypocrite so I won't say not to practice illegally but you can only learn so much outside of a controlled environment. There is nothing better than to go drift at an organized event where you don't have to worry about law enforcement. There is plenty of room to make mistakes safely not to mention you have other drifters there to compare techniques and ask for help. Practice, practice, practice!
My next and final segment will be for the advanced techniques such as learning how to heel-toe and cleaning up your recovery from a drift to make it look smooth. I will also discuss tandeming with other cars, what judges look for, and other techniques you should know to drift on a competition level.
http://www.houston-imports.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125063
and try some of the things I suggested before continuing reading this post. The things I will be discussing will be from the Best Motoring Drift Bible since it is a rather good guide on discussing technique. Now that you have learned the basics of drifting you are ready to learn how to approach a turn and initiate a drift. The Drift Bible discusses 6 different methods which include the e-brake, clutch kick, power oversteer, feint, braking and throttle lift.
Drifts without weight transfer (Basic)
1. E-Brake
This is the easiest and most basic method of initiating a loss of traction in the rear tires. As you enter the turn, put in the clutch and begin your turn in. As you turn in briefly give the e-brake a tug to help disrupt the drivetrain. You will feel the rear end slide out from under you so simply let go of the e-brake and clutch and get back on the gas to finish drifting through the turn. The clutch is pushed in to disengage the engine's power from the rest of the drivetrain so when you pull up on the e-brake the brakes don't have to fight against the engine power to try and lock the rear. This is why automatics are difficult to e-brake drift. You need a strong set of brake pads in the rear in order for it to work.
2. Clutch Kick
Clutch dump, shift lock, whatever you want to call it this is my favorite technique to use. It is also potentially the most damaging to your drivetrain so be careful in using this manuever. As you turn into the corner keep your foot on the gas but at the same time press in the clutch and dump it without rev matching. This will disrupt the drivetrain since the engine and the wheels will be moving at different speeds. Countersteer as soon as you feel the back end lose traction and complete the drift as usual. This technique is especially good for underpowered cars as you dont lose any speed from braking.
3. Power Oversteer
This techique is fairly easy to do if you have a decent amount of power. As opposed to the previous techniques, this drift is done on the corner exit. Pretty straight forward, as you exit the turn simply floor the gas and be ready to catch the oversteer as you come out of the turn.
Drifts with weight transfer (Advanced)
4. Feint
The feint is a drift induced by a weight shift from left to right and is probably one of the more basic weight shift induced drift there is. As you enter a left hand corner you want to turn right, the opposite way of the turn then turn left into the corner. This will shift the weight from the left side of the car to the right quickly and that weight shift will cause the rear end to lose traction. As soon as you feel this immediately countersteer and drift the turn. It sounds simple but there are many ways to get this wrong. If you do the steering inputs too quickly then all you will do is understeer. I've found the most effective way to shift the weight is to turn away from the turn slowly then turn into the turn more quickly. This will give the car enough time to shift the weight one direction before shift the weight to the other direction. Also, as you do this maneuver it would be good for you to be coasting. If you are accelerating that shifts the weight to the rear of the car and it will be more difficult to lose traction.
5. Braking
The braking drift is similar to the e-brake drift except you are now using a weight transfer to break the rear end loose. It uses weight shift from front to back as opposed to the feint drift. As you enter the turn keep your foot on the brake and slowly increase pressure on the pedal as you fully enter the turn. As you increase the brake pressure the weight of the car will shift forward and lighten the rear. Since you are turning at the same time there will be a point where the rear end will start to lose traction. Get back on the gas and countersteer as the rear end comes around and pull yourself through the drift.
6. Throttle Lift (Accel off)
This technique is one of the more advanced maneuvers and needs a good bit of speed in order to do it correctly. I don't recommend trying it until you are comfortable with the other techniques first. It is much like the braking drift but instead of braking as you enter the corner you simply lift off on the gas as you enter the corner. At high speed, the weight shift to the front of the car as you lift will be dramatic and should be enough to lighten the load on the rear causing the car to slide. Again, countersteer against the drift as you pull out of the turn.
Try out all of the techniques and find the ones that you feel comfortable with. I cannot stress enough that practice is the only way to get better. I'm no hypocrite so I won't say not to practice illegally but you can only learn so much outside of a controlled environment. There is nothing better than to go drift at an organized event where you don't have to worry about law enforcement. There is plenty of room to make mistakes safely not to mention you have other drifters there to compare techniques and ask for help. Practice, practice, practice!
My next and final segment will be for the advanced techniques such as learning how to heel-toe and cleaning up your recovery from a drift to make it look smooth. I will also discuss tandeming with other cars, what judges look for, and other techniques you should know to drift on a competition level.