85 FB

Well, it's your driving style, and your's alone. So, go with what you're more comfortable with. If you go wide but deep into the corners or go in tight but have the rear swing out more, it's whatever you're most comfortable with. Right now I'm busy practicing having the front tires break first in a tight downhill sharp turn and then having the rear wheels push me out. Baby steps for me.

ProjectR13B

iTrader: (1)

i started with make quick turns to use inertia to break the back end out because i didnt have an e-brake on my FC, then i started to learn clutch kicks before i blew my engine. i also did a little work on heel-toe but its alot harder than pros and initial d make it look haha

85 FB

WHY does everyone use the E-brake or a clutch kick to do a drift? Maybe there's something I don't know, but for drifting I always focus on just weight shifting for the time being (when I can finally DO a real weight shift on the car). If I have to force the car to do something that it doesn't want to (by using E-brake or a clutch kick), then I'm going to get horrible results. And, I feel that it's just the wrong way of doing a professional drift. Plus, the pros when they put on shows they'll use all sorts of things to get a LONG drift going, so there it's fine. But, on normal tracks or togue, I prefer just using the weight shift. I find the E-brake to be a cheater stick and really pointless for a nice natural drift. Also, keep in mind, Takumi doesn't do anything else except weight shifting with brakes and gas.

Hey, if you get the horsepower up high enough, you can do speed drifts like Keiichi Tsuchiya.

Driftlanta

I use clutch kick to start my drifts, reccomend it for starting out. Then work into feints with clutch kick.
Also practice dougnuts, then work into doing figure 8's.

85 FB

I need to find a LARGE empty parking lot, void of lights, where I can actually do that to see my car's limits. Altho, right now my tires' tread is real low, like 2/8ths low at most, to where it's almost like slicks. Figure 8's sound great.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding a clutch kick. Is that where you upshift and let the clutch out to jerk the car during acceleration? Or when, you press in the clutch, let the car freewheel, then let off it, to jerk the car into action? The latter sounds like a bad thing for the drivetrain.

ProjectR13B

iTrader: (1)

ive always understood a clutch kick as staying in gear at high rpms, but not redline (we'll say 5k) then push in the clutch, give it gas to rase the rpms and drop the clutchand when the clutch catches, the car loses traction.

my current tires on my fc are to the wear bar, which makes it easier to drift that heavy thing.

like some pro drifters, i started power sliding in my FWD daily driver, then i learned to power slide and counter steer, and thats really what got me into drifting because driving sideways is alot more fun.

and Keiichi Tsuchiya's speed drifts are insane i just got the drift bible not to long ago haha.

Intense_7

Whats the castor like on fb/sa22c?

I've drifted my ra65 celica in the rain and it counters so nicely on it's own with just stock castor but I haven't been able to try my Rx7 yet because i've yet to weld the diff. Also, just how adjustable is the front castor on first gens?

DriftFB

your right on the clutch kick, except its while your cornering or initiating the corner

FC's aren't that heavy, Rx's are know for nimbleness and lightweight

Name one pro. drifter that started in FWD, idiots try to claim FF can drift, when in reality its yanking the e-brake and sliding. I can't think of any one pro drifter that claims they started on FF.

and Keiichi Tsuchiya's drift speeds are the same or slower than most current pro. drifters, in fact in a competition he would propbably loose. He is know as the drift king because he would use drifting in moderation while racing on the pro circuit back in the day to pull away from opponents. He also is largely responsible for bringing about a more organized and respected form of drifting (D1) compared to kids goofing around in the hills. In the flashy, high angle, high speed of todays D1 he propably wouldn't win.

Castor is about as adjustable as any other car, depending on what parts your using of course.

Driftlanta

I personally perfer to the flick/kick, but has taken yrs to be able use this style.

Caster can be had with little time on a alignment machine, should be able to get more than 5 degrees. the more the better.

I learned to drift on 3 degrees and o camber, with 30 degrees steering. Seat time is all you need

85 FB

Besides finding the parking lot, my other main concern is my transmission. My second gear synchro is pretty much out, so I grind 2nd everytime (hard or soft depending on how hard I jam it into 2nd or how high the RPM are)

If I had a fresh transmission, I wouldn't be as concerned of constantly downshifting into 2nd on a whim depending on the turn. I hate hearing that gear-mesh grinding.


And, to get my knowledge correct, what kind of drift is it called when you tilt the steering wheel one way (a small bit) and then spin it in the opposite direction to get the car to shift its weight over to drift? Ala, Takumi (Initial D) style. Yeah yeah, I'm an ID dork, so sue me, but it's the one that got me hooked.

Driftlanta

its called a Scandinavian flick or feint. But all this will come with time, its like tring to run before you can walk. You shouldn't worry to much about shifting during a slide yet, thats just way to much to handle starting out. I started out clutch kicking in 2nd gear mid turn, then just tried to hold the slide, then moved on to figure 8's using the same technique. I reccomend cheap used tires, and burning atleast 2-3 sets a week doing figure 8's, but do buy some falken 615's for the front(less likly to understeer). This will teach you how to hold slide, and transtion.
I also reccomend forget any thing you saw on the drift bible its all worthless info.

perfect_circle

im curious why you say that...all ive ever heard was people preach about that. and i definatetly respect what you have to say but why do you say bad things about the drift bible.

ProjectR13B

iTrader: (1)

vaughn gitten. he did start power sliding in a dodge avenger. i think thats what it was. it was in an issue of drifting magazine. and he went on to win a d1 vs US event. powerslides are fun, but nothing compares to drifting, and powerslides are alot less controlable as far as cornering and as everyone knows, slows the car down. its still a good platform to learn some basic elements like i did with countersteering, especially when you dont have an FR to work with.

ProjectR13B

iTrader: (1)

i too have to confess to being an Initial d geak, but its an addicting and good show. alot of technical stuff that somewhat holds true in the show.

and i agree about the drift bible. its an awesome video, but drifting issomething that takes alot of practice, and thats something he had when he made the video. also, i dont know of anyone who started drifting with a car that well set up. i know i was running bone stock minus an aluminum hood for a bit less weight. i had good suspension in the rear and somewhat soft in front.

85 FB

And seen all Stages except for Extra: Battle Stage.

Well, the technical stuff is accurate as they use advisors for it. That's where I've learned the ordeal of drifting. I just let it muse inside my head and come out with thoughts on how to drift properly and the like. However, musing it over and doing it are two different things. As Driftlanta said, it's all about seat time. What I NEED to do is put theory to pavement and find out. Maybe I'll suck up the transmission problem and find a large enough parking lot with no street lights in it. Other problem is getting away with doing that and someone not being an *** and calling the local police on me. That's the last thing anyone needs. Hard to find any open place, like an abandoned airfield, to test out your car's skill. And your own. I do have a general idea of what my car can do (among spinning out a few times, once in the rain) but I'd still like to see how well it can handle a slide on my low-tread tires. Before it's time to get new ones.

perfect_circle

when i wacthed initial d i didnt have a running 7, so i put to use the technique that the guy in the yellow civic used. i believe its called trail brakeing.. you left foot brake while cornering to help distribute the weight over the rest of the car....i did this in my escort, but i did notice how it worked, it significantly reduces body roll.

DriftFB

I think the drift bible would be valuable if you wheren't familiar with the different techniques and you wanted to learn the basics and the different types of drifts. Some people think that drifting is mashing on the gas and holding it like that.

Initial D is entertaining sometimes, but definately shouldn't be a source of knowledge. I would look like an idiot if I was asking how to dirt drop drift or do a four wheel drift.

just find an industrial area where the street racer kids don't frequent and you can't see any cameras. And have fun, even if passer by or some one inside the building call the cops your have to figure you have at least 1/2 a hour. And unless the cop catches you mid slide he can't really do much except ask you to leave.
tail braking is using the brakes as you enter into a corner to help slow you that last little bit, and to shift some weight forward so the front tires have more grip and the rear have less, this all helps with rotating the car into a corner or helping with turn in.

It would do nothing for body roll, either you are imagining things or you where simply going slower because you applied the brakes. Body roll is completely seperate from loading the front and rear wheels evenly or unevenly.

perfect_circle

yea, i guess your right, but im still sure it reduces body roll. because if i let off when im doing it, i feel the car roll outward. i feel like it is keeping the car planted. maybe it is just the throwing of the wieght forward, that is stabilizing the car.

ProjectR13B

iTrader: (1)

i started using the quick e-brake grabs like shingo in the first season in my accord around corners. pulling the ebrake with light grabs to keep the back end out just a bit and guiding it with the front. i also learned heel-toe from initial d.

and for skeptics of gutter driving, i've successfully done it, but it is a bit harder than it looks in the show, it involves a hell of a drop to keep the wheels locked in, and i know of only one turn around here that it can be done on.

85 FB

Amazing how the topic of Initial D was able to actually pop up in a drifting thread.

Anyways, in regards with it, a four wheel drift is possible. Just think about it. And a dirt drop drift.....what? Oh well, no sense in even arguing over what is right and wrong. Everyone thinks differently on how to accomplish things and the like. So, no sense in really making this turn into an argument, is there?

DriftFB

You guys, tell me your kidding...

Yay for e-brake slides, let me know when you win some auto x events with your mad initial D skills. And you might have learned about heel toe shifting from initial D, but did the cartoon character come out and give you pointers? No it was seat time.

It was a joke, in almost all drifts all four wheels are drifting at one time or another, its not like the fronts are only using a fraction of their traction, they are right at the limits or past them also. Theres just no point in making them a special "kind" of drift. Dirt drop drifts are a stupid term made up by the comic that I used as an example.

Please don't try using Initial D and front wheel drive slides when you are trying to intelligently discuss drifting.

85 FB

DriftFB, y'know, I've always wondered about your experience. Obviously, from the posts that you've left, you've dabbed your hand in the drifting category, am I right?

ProjectR13B

iTrader: (1)

that was kind of rude man. no one said they anything about winning autocross events by watching initial d. nor did we say the cartoon taught us how to drive. on top of that i dont kow about where you live, but most people dont drift in auto cross because you lose time that way. and as for front wheel drive powerslides, i never said it was drifting, i said it helped me learn how to countersteer, and last time i checked countersteering was a big part of drifting. id say we were having a pretty nice and intellegent discussion about drifting and what we learned and some techniques we use to race with before you came and told us we were wrong about everything.

all i know is i like to drift, watch drift movies, and i like to talk to drifters about how they drift ot possibly learn some stuff.

ProjectR13B

iTrader: (1)

i too find it amazing to bring up initial d in a forum and not have a ton of bashing at least.

and the dirt drift is something they just used to describe dropping the rear wheels into the dirt to initiate a drift. i do something similar if given the chance with sand on the road, or puddles of water.

85 FB

Oh, I tried some sliding when I was coming down a mountain road path in Colorado. That was a blast, altho I wasn't trying to drift it but slide it a bit. Think I'm crazy to attempt a drift when one wrong move and I'm hurling down a cliffside and a bunch of trees? *L*

But, seriously, I had a ton of fun going down that mountain. Car did exceptionally well seeing as how the path seemed more for a rally car than anything else. I was afraid at how dirty my car would be after that. Was worth it, tho!