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Best info ever for your Drift FC!!!

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Old 08-02-08, 10:59 PM
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Best info ever for your Drift FC!!!

Ok, Im sure Im gonna get alot of **** for reopening this topic, but It NEEDs to be shared.


Origionaly posted by Boostmaniac in this thread

https://www.rx7club.com/2nd-generation-specific-1986-1992-17/advantages-fcs-have-against-compeditors-drifting-532520/
Not weight distribution, polar moment. These are two completely different things, but the weight distribution can affect the polar moment.

Weight distribution is simply evening the weight out on an imaginary line that divides the car in half... front and back. Now that we understand this concept we can then look at polar moment. Lets say we have a 2000 lb. car. It has 50/50 weight distribution. 1000 on the front half and 1000 on the other. If the 1000 lbs is centralized towards the center of the car, it is going to have very low polar moment. If it is located on the tips of the car (like hanging weights off of the bumpers) it is going to have retardedly high polar moment.

Higher polar moment means that it is going to have much more inertia on the extreme ends. If you kick out the back end in a drift, it is going to snap out and the inertia from where the weight is located is going to be very hard to stop or control. If the car has low polar moment, the inertia will be much less and therefore much easier to control. The RX7's motor is mounted very low and very far back into the engine bay. (The car is, by definition, a front mid engine car as the motor is mounted behind the front struts.) The rest of the car is extremely balanced keeping the major mass of the chassis centralized without very much fat on the edges (What were they thinking about the back hatch glass) which makes it extremely nimble in corners, hence it's AMAZING handling ability. Unfortunately, what makes this car turn and drift so well is what makes it a little harder to drift for beginners. To break the back end loose (this excludes cars with modified suspensions) you have to do one of two things. Create enough lateral G's and power to break the adhesion limit of the tires or lift enough weight off of the back end of the car to create a loss of traction on the rear tires (basically trail braking). There are also other methods like using the handbrake to create a momentary loss of traction to set up an incredible high speed drift (like how those two FC's in the mountains were doing, just watch their hands when they drift.)

Now from personal experience, I have found that the FC and the FD are extrremely forgiving when traction is lost. The low polar moment helps let the driver contol the car with gas and brake input to bring the car back under control. If you REALLY screw up and bring it back so hard that it kicks out the other side you still have a chance to bring it back under control. Not so much with those reverse monoleaf suspension that Corvettes use for example. Once the back end kicks out twice it is usually over. (That or I just can't handle the domestic muscle properly.) But to me they are much harder to control with gas and brake adjustments. The point I am trying to make here is that the FC requires a little ***** to put out sideways and keep her there. It takes practice to keep a car sideways that is designed to pull straight again. Also, the low polar moment insures that the transitions from traction to drift are butter smooth, which helps with suspension pre-load and damping (basically it keeps the car from really swaying and taxing the suspension when it goes from traction to no traction, where as in a 240 the car starts to lean heavily then kicks out, unloading the suspension momentarily and causing unusual handling characteristics.) That car has a nice tendency to kick out and stay out which is why it is such a nice beginner car. The FC is harder to kick out in stock trim, but add power and a decent suspension/tire setup and BOOM, instant drift machine. At higher speeds and higher power levels the 240 will become unpredictable (unless flawlessly tuned correctly).Where as the FC will be much easier to control and keep sideways. It also allows for easier transitions from side to side because the polar moment is so low. When the car comes back to square and starts to kick out the other way, just apply some gas and it will continue it's trip very smoothly. This allows for easy control of drifts with the right foot . Using the brakes to load the front suspension (allowing weight to come off of the back) is also another cool trick, but this will kill your speed, this killing your awe inspiring high speed drift. This is also dangerous because it heats up the front tires. If you use this enough, you will start to have brake induced understeer on your hands, and trust me, this is no p[lace you want to be. The last trick is using the E-brake. Alot of people assume that this means turn sharply and yank the E-brake. Eventhough this caveman like approach does work, it can also be extremely unsafe. If you yank the E-brake and don't release it, you are going to create a very uncontrollable drift (compared to the other methods outlined above.) The other method involves pulling the Ebrake BEFORE you yank the steering wheel. This removes all traction from the rear wheel in a straight line (and produces large amounts of glorious smoke). Start to steer into the corner and the back end will come around. Apply copious amounts of gas, release the E-brake, let out on the clutch and you will find yourself in a glorious drift. This method is extremely effective in underpowered cars that have trouble breaking traction with throttle alone. (most FC's.... gotta hate the no torque thing.) The fact that these are slightly more involved than the usual press the gas and go is what makes it a little harder to drift the FC initially. You just gotta get the feel of the car. But once you do..... you are golden.

There are other kinds of methods I am sure I have forgotten, but these are just some basic guidelines. People that drift on a regular basis could provide more information for you. Also, for the love of god, don't do this on public streets.... and even more importantly, don't wreck any FC's in the process. (We don't care about 240's though).

Jesus I wrote alot. Sorry guys....

Hope that helped, and if I got anything wrong just tell me, I am tired, it is 5:30 a.m., I have a headache and I am running on fumes.

Peace!

The thread has great info, and the above quote has the HOLY GRAIL of info regarding drifting an FC!! You need to understand the geometry of the FC to drift, and that info is above!!! Enjoy, and hope this gets stickied!!
Old 08-02-08, 11:27 PM
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If you're going to post that you should follow it up with this.

http://fc3spro.com/TECH/DRIFT/DCOMPARE/dcompare.html

Credited to the underground street racing scene in Japan, drifting is exploding onto the import car scene in the U.S., and it is the fastest growing motorsport in the country. The FC3S has been one of the top models embraced by drifters, but the Nissan S-chassis (S13 / S14 / S15) is still the pinnacle of chassis for drifting. We will try and compare the FC3S to other popular drift car models available.

We are talking about competition-level drifting and not the occassional sideways action done on the weekends. Tips and tricks are to increase the FC3S chassis to try and compete with the Nissan S13 / S14 that currently dominate the drifting scene; the S15 is not available in the U.S., and we do not have too much direct experience with the S15 chassis to be comfortable offering comments, so we will concentrate more on the S13 and S14 models. In the U.S., we were stuck with the 240SX and limited to S13 and S14 models runs. No turbocharged engines (CA18DET or SR20DET) were available, and we were stuck with normally-aspirated KA24D and KA24DE 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder engines derived from the Nissan trucks. Although power does matter and SR20DET swaps are common, we will not linger too much on powerplant specifics; the 13BT and SR20DET both offer similar power output and performance potential.


Steering:
The Nissan S13 / S14 has some obscene steering angle stock from the factory. The FC3S just cannot compete with the steering angle in stock form. Measuring off turntable bearing plates under the front wheels, we measure the steering angle as the wheel is turned "out" to max steering lock. The S13 will have between 40° and 45° of steering angle. The FC3S will only have 35° to 40° of steering angle. The Nissan has at least 5° of extra steering angle to use. Luckily, we can add that 5° of extra steering angle by shimming tie rods off the steering rack on the FC3S with spacers. Maximum spacer thickness is 0.30" (thanx to Ho Mastah!), so 1/4" or 6mm is a safe bet.

To shim the tie rods, you'll need to remove the tie rods. Start by popping the tie rod end on the front hubs by removing the cotter pin and castle nut. Remove the steering boots on both ends of the steering rack. The steering boots are plastic and secured by a spring clamp on the outside and twisted wire on the inside. Undo the twisted wire on the insides and slip the spring clamp off; the boot should slip to the outside with a little tugging. If you have power steering, be prepare for some power steering fluid leaks when the boot is loosened. You should be able to see the large swivel joint underneath after removing the boot. The inside part of the joint has a threaded end that is screwed into the steering rack itself. You'll need a large wrench to loosen the tie rod off the steering rack. Once the tie rod is removed, you can insert the spacer in between the steering rack and the tie rod. You'll need to get the car realigned after you do this mod.

The other, more time-consuming method to get more steering angle on an FC3S is to relocate the tie rod to hub connection point. This increases steering angle and steering response, as it changes the steering ratio significantly. We're getting up to 50° and more steering angle with this mod! Here's some pics that explain this mod...


Power steering is popular over manual steering for drifting. The faster steering response is more important over steering feedback.


Wheelbase:
The S13 and S14 both have longer wheelbases versus the FC3S. Longer wheelbase means a more stable chassis, especially when going sideways.


Chassis: FC3S FD3S S13 S14 AE86
Wheelbase: 95.7" 95.5" 97.4" 99.4" 2400mm / 95.4"


Front Suspension:
S13 / S14 front suspension and FC3S both use a MacPherson strut damper design. The S13 / S14 use a tension rods to keep the front wheel in place, while the FC3S uses a a lower A-arm. Adjustable tension rods are available for the S13 / S14 and is a popular mod; adjustable tensions rods allow for caster adjustment (which also changes the wheelbase) on the S13 / S14. The FC3S front A-arm is not adjustable, but caster can be adjusted via aftermarket front upper camber / caster plates. Front upper camber plates are available for the S13 / S14 also.


Rear Suspension:
This is where the S13 / S14 outshines the FC3S for drifting. The S13 / S14 rear suspension is a "double wishbone" design. The FC3S uses a multi-link trailing arm design. Adjustable rear links are popular for the S13 / S14. There is no real easy way to adjust the rear suspension on an FC3S with the exception of an aftermarket rear camber adjust bar that has limited adjustability on rear camber. Due to the rear suspension design, the S13 / S14 is very stable while the rear is sliding. The FC3S is not as lucky in terms of drifting, but the FC3S is superior in terms of regular grip driving. Once the rear end starts to slide on an FC3S, an oversteer spin is quickly induced.


Polar Moment:
One of those fancy racing terms, but a very important one when comparing these chassis... "Low polar moment" means weight in concentrated in the center of the vehicle - this allows the chassis to react to turns faster. "High polar moment" means weight is moved toward the ends of the vehicle - this causes the chassis to react slower to steering inputs, but change of direction of the vehicle is more progressive. For beginners, a slower reacting chassis is much easier to control and learn with. The FC3S spins very easily due to it's low polar moment; this has a lot to do with the compact 13B engine, and the fact that the engine is mounted at the very rear of the engine bay behind the front axle line. If you notice each chassis drift (especially in a left / right transition), the FC3S pivots almost at the center while the S13 / S14 pivots at the front where the engine is located. For grip driving, you want low polar moment, as this allows the chassis to turn faster.


LSD:
I'm going to just touch on the subject, as this is very important for drifting. The FC3S Turbo (called the Turbo II in the U.S.) comes with a clutch-type LSD for Zenki models and viscous LSD for Kouki models. 240SX SE models in the U.S. came with viscous LSD's. Clutch-type LSD's are most desirable for drifting, and viscous LSD's are frowned upon. Stock Zenki FC3S clutch-type LSD's are usually worn-out by now, so an aftermarket clutch-type LSD is highly recommended for either vehicle if you don't have one by now.


Brakes:
In terms of sheer braking performance, this is one area the FC3S is an outright winner. The FC3S Turbo runs 4-pot calipers up front controlling a 10.9" x 22mm vented rotor. The S13 / S14 runs an inferior single-pot front caliper squeezing a 9.9" x 0.8" vented front rotor.


Weight:
Both chassis are of similar weight, and mild chassis lightening would not present a clear-cut winner.


Tires / Wheels / Rims:
Amazingly, the FC3S and S13 / S14(?) use approximately the same size (maximum width and similar offsets) wheels and tires. Wheel design is subjective. Lighter wheels are desirable, but if you're a beginner, stronger (usually heavier) wheels would be best. Tire choice is another subjective area, and it's dependent on driver's style and choice. It's easier to run stickier tires in the front and cheapie, harder tires in the rear. This easily induces oversteer on a vehicle. As you get better, start using better rear tires.


Alignment:
This is one of the most varied areas of suspension tuning, but there are still some general guidelines. We need to keep the front stable and the rear loose. We tend to run almost regular grip driving alignment settings on the front. Front FC3S camber is around -2° to -4°. We tend to set the car up for high-speed drifting, so we run a slight toe-in (1/16") for stability; others have run slight toe-out (1/16") for quicker steering response, but you sacrifice high speed stability. In the rear, we try to run no toe and slight negative camber (-1° to -1.5°). Some drifters run obscene negative camber to get really wide rear tires to spin, but I find this a waste of wide rubber. The rear tire width should be matched to the front tire width and to how much torque your engine makes. With more engine torque, the easier the engine can spin a wider rear tire which allows you to step up to a wider rear tire. When we do kill the rear tires, we inspect them to see if they are wearing even across the entire width of the tread.


Turbo:
Well, I wasn't planning on talking about engine or power stuffs, but this is kinda important. You want to select a turbo with quick response and broad torque / power band. This allows instantaneous response from throttle inputs; turbo lag would kill any smooth drifting when throttling. High power output becomes secondary to quick turbo response, so size is not that much of a concern. Ball-bearing turbos are it when it comes to turbo selection for most of the top drifters, as the GT2835 (or variants) are popular with the SR20DET crowd. As for 13BT applications, a GT3540 (or variants) or the A'PEXI Isamu RX6 kit are good choices for quick turbo response due to ball-bearing centers.
Old 08-02-08, 11:45 PM
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The first post in the link for that thread has a link to that info. but yea, good follow up info. Thx bro.
Old 08-02-08, 11:45 PM
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ive read this a couple times now, it's a good refresher
Old 08-03-08, 01:15 AM
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Best info ever for a FC, get tie rod spacers, go faster in, add more throttle, get laid by hot drift *****???!?!
Old 08-03-08, 09:50 AM
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Originally Posted by fcdrifter13
Best info ever for a FC, get tie rod spacers, go faster in, add more throttle, get laid by hot drift *****???!?!
+1

i need to work on going in faster and the drift **** part
Old 08-03-08, 08:49 PM
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practice+seat time > this info
Old 08-04-08, 12:14 AM
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Originally Posted by RussTII
practice+seat time > this info

+1
Old 08-04-08, 07:36 AM
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Originally Posted by RussTII
practice+seat time > this info
+2

also you might want to mention a clutch kick, thats the best way i found to get it sideways
Old 08-04-08, 08:51 AM
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Long rifle.

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Ohh, I never said practice and seat time is not valuable. Its the ONLY way to learn. With this info tho, you gain an understanding of your car and if you understand the characteristics of the car, your learning will be faster and improve quicker.
Old 04-30-09, 01:49 PM
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Originally Posted by RussTII
practice+seat time > this info

everything in this thread besides this is written by people with no clue.
Old 05-01-09, 04:29 PM
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damn shitz too complicated.. I;m have to agree with Russ and cj
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