Allright, here it is... I've been amazed at the profecionalism and expertize of rally drivers. They twist, turn , launch and run HARD those small cars over obstacles on thin and twisty roads sometimes wet, others with sand, asphalt and I don't know what else with an ease that's unreal. Obviously its what you call practice, practice and probably a bit more practice.
All of that has been carried to drifting wich I believe is NOT new. Its simply catching on on "our side" of the planet. And I love it... I've never been to a drifting event or tried it myself, except for the occational (ok, I admit... daily) "accelerate on a turn and twist the car, then laugh for a few minutes" slide.
I do have a question... For drifting, you aproach the corner, look at the apex, hit the e-brake to start the slide and then what?? Lower the brake and hit the gas in a "controled" way that the tires loose grip and the car keeps sliding sideways??? Can't be that easy... If you have to hit the e-brake, when do you down shift? If the tires are "locked" because of the brake, when you lower it and take the clutch out to get on the gas, aren't you loosing momentum??

I find this very interesting and would like some opinions, theories and of course real life experience...


Any one? Any one?

 

 

What's your opinion??

 

I don't think anyone on this forum will know, unless someone here does that for living. There is a japanese video of 5 different methods to go into slide. It does explain everything in detail, including time of the downshift, clutch kicking etc etc.

 

The thing is that I've read in other threads that people "drift" ocationally with their cars. So I was wondering... if its true someone should know, i'm not talking profesionaly on sliding in the snow either. But in car shows or special events and yes maybe someone does it for "living".

 

I drift my 240 and there are a few ways to initiate the drift... the ebrake being the easiest. You approach the turn at speed, start the turn, push in the clutch and pull the ebrake (you need to push in the clutch when you ebrake or it won't work), the rear will start to slide, release the ebrake, counter steer, and then work the gas to keep the car in the slide. Too much gas and you'll spin out, too little and you won't drift. That's a real simple explanation, and it isn't easy to do, especially when you first try it.

Get the Drift Bible DVD (or download it), it explains everything pretty well, but you really need to go out there and try it. They have events out here that I've been going to, Drift Buffet is a good one, you get lots of practice time and the instructors are there to give tips and help out. Most fun I've ever had driving!

 

I would say also go to an empty parking lot that is big enough so that you can get a feel for your car.

 

Thanks zact69 that does give me an idea. But do you have to down shift before, after or during the e-brake manouver?? Or you don't have to down shift at all??

 

the downshifting all depends on how fast you are approaching the corner but to start out i would play around in first gear in a empty safe space

 

^+1... you should down shift before the drift is initiated, and if you need to shift during the drift at anytime, that's where heel toe comes into play, or at least rev matching. You'll need to be able to shift quickly and smoothly so the drift is not interrupted. That's pretty tricky though... and as CruisnGcoupe said, I would practice at slower speeds first. Start with donuts, then larger donuts with counter steering, then figure 8's while drifting, etc. Work your way up, once you get the hang of it, it's great!

 

So I'm guessing if I should "start my way up"it would not hurt having a bone stock car,right?? 2007 coupe 6MT should be alright?

 

Stock is perfect for a beginner... really the only thing that makes things a lot easier is a good LSD (I'm not sure what rear end the 07 6MT comes with). I learned on my stock 240sx, which had under 200hp (I think 155), and it was easy to get that thing into a drift. The stock G should be no problem at all.

Keep in mind that you're going to be putting a lot of extra stress on the drive train... especially the rear end and transmission. Plus your tires are going to get eaten up quick, and if you get too crazy you might have suspension problems. It is a lot of fun, but costs can get high real quick. Once you do get the hang of it, do it in small increments of time... let the tires cool off a little, and go for it again. Your tires will last longer that way.

Also, if you do upgrade with drifting in mind, I recommend doing one mod at a time and taking the car out to see how that mod changed things. Dial that mod in, get used to it, and then move on to the next mod. If you change everything all at once, it's going to be hard to dial the car in since you won't know what part is causing the problem. I changed to a KAAZ 2way LSD first. Then adjustable suspension arms. Then coil overs. Finally, an engine swap for more power. Just a recommendation though

 

Dont even bother using the e-brake on the G35. It sucks. One of the easiest drifts to do is to powerout of a corner. It's simply slowly coming into a corner..and right before the apex..you should start getting on the throttle...NOT HARD..but controlled.

The next is clutch kick. all it is is disengaging and re-engaging the clutch while on the throttle during a turn. This helps upset the chassis and breaks the wheels loose.

Feinting is probably one of the more difficult ones to do...but it comes out pretty naturally when you're trying to get faster. It will come...just be patient.

In either case...do not get off the throttle right off the bat during your drift. your rear tires will regrip and may put you in a direction less desirable...like a wall, or a curb, or something you just dont want to encounter. progressively..ease off the throttle in the desired angle you want to head. As far as throttle input goes...it varies per speed and angle. you just have to find that out on your own.

Most of all, have fun and, remember to countersteer.

 

I don't know much about drifting, but wouldn't pulling your ebrake up while driving wear it out and break it rather quickly?

 

kinda sorta. it wont brake unless the cable links in the ebrake decide to call it quits. again, the ebrakes in the mt/6 g35 suck.