Drifting the FD...
 

I have been drifting for a while now in My E36 BMW powered by a Corvette V8 but what I want to know is if the FD can handle it? What advice do you guys have to keep the FD reliable at a track drifting? I just wan't to maybe participate in a few upcomming drift demos around here while my BMW is down getting supercharged. I have suspension, full 3" exhaust, intakes and thats about it (stock boost). So any advice is welcome because I wan't it to keep going zoom-zoom-zoom and not zoom-zoom-boom.

hmmm got me there. I'm building my car up to be a fun toy =) it will be driftable but be able to shut up the few V8 guys that act like asses. I'm going to be using a PFC, t78 kit, v-mount set up and other supporting mods to go with it and I got a rebuilt streetported engine. After I get a few more parts and go do my deployment and come back I will begin taking out my old engine and start installing all my new toys. I think this set up should be pretty reliable. After I get my power squared away I will be working on my suspension.

No you see, my post was a question. What tips does anyone have to keep the car running reliable for drifting? No clutch kicks? dont bang rev limter? etc. Sounds like a nice car though for you btw.

well your kinda going to have to clutch kick. just keep the motor well maintained. if you dont wanna break it tho i wouldn't drift it.

It's definitely do-able, only major thing I'd recommend is just keep it cool (FMIC or V-Mount) and be ware of curbs :icon_tup:

^^ It's not my driving that I'm worried about. It's the rotary engine.

You're gonna need more steering angle, buy these or do a spindle mod.

https://www.rx7club.com/potential-advertisers-223/superangle-tie-rods-fc-fd-724090/

The engine will take the abuse, just try to weight transfer to start the drift insted of e-brake or clutch kicks. A good idea would be to learn how to drift back and forth down a straight line, if you can pull this off at a track it will limit the number of clutch kicks you have to do. Other than that just go have fun, lack of steering angle is our worst enemy when trying to drift an rx7.

First of all, what do you mean by you have a suspension? Do you mean you have coilovers or are you talking about the whole shebang with upgraded sway bars, trailing arms, new bushings etc.

Here are some basics
- make sure that all of the reliability mods are done. Especially when it comes to heat. It is going to be your worst enemy at any track. Keep an eye on your radiator ends and coolant separator tank as they are plastic and can wear out and become brittle over time. Also, I would shim the hood about a half inch in the rear as it will allow for another exit point for the hot air.
- If you have a full 3” exhaust I would hope that you are running some sort of boost control and engine management or you are asking for a hurting. FD’s run close to lean from the factory due to much lower octane ratings here in the US. Running a full open exhaust without any type of boost control is just asking for boost creep or a boost spike.
- Don’t worry about hitting a rev limiter because there isn’t one. As long as you keep it below 10k, your ignition and fuel injectors should be able to keep up with you.
- If you don’t have upgraded sways or new bushings the biggest thing you are going to have to worry about is body roll. These cars were designed to keep traction, not break free. You are definitely going to spin a lot because, as someone stated before, the steering angle really isn’t there for some stellar drifting.
- Lastly, remember that the FD comes with a Torsen rear end and not a clutch type. Torsens are great for track use but not so wonderful for a drifter.

Basically, the car is going to take a lot of practice to get the feel for. If you wanted a car you can just jump into and start drifting, a 240 would have been a better choice. Don’t worry about the motor or trans on these cars as they are pretty stout. The parts you should be worrying about are the supporting parts of the car. Remember, these radiators, coolant hoses, and other key points are now almost 15 years old in some cases so they are prone to failure. I would highly recommend dumping the 400-500 bucks for a good koyo radiator and AST if you plan on using this sucker pretty regularly. And DEFINITLY get a boost controller.

Then I dont think you'd have any trouble is the engine has been well maintained.

All great advise except this one slip up, The base of the windshield is a high pressure zone and air will enter this gap rather than exit. Better advice would be to make sure the factory gasket is still intact in this area. Remember the cowl hoods on chevelle's? Those were to bring fresh air to the carb.

You people don't help me AT ALL. I'm asking reliability NOT HOW TO DRIFT. READ! (I started this thread under my friends name killingtime33, but mods just lock this, this topic is going nowhere.)

Hi Shane,

You have allmost the same set up that i have in my FD.

I drifted my 7 thru Finnish pro drift series last year, with no problems.
Only thing i managed to break was powersteering.

Is your car R model? The dual oil coolers will help to get the temps down.
You can find my project and mods at vastaheitto.com :)

..

^^Hey.

I'm on vastaheitto.com as well as "flyinfinn". I take it your doing the Ter-tech Nopi competition there?? Glad to hear your car is working good. I'm planning on moving to Helsinki area in a few years with the FD and my Bmw. Awesome to hear about the competitions being made over there.

to the OP. i woulda found the advice given pretty damn useful..

https://www.rx7club.com/showpost.php...34&postcount=8


this post in particular as it is specific to your car and has lots of tips to keep it reliable.

why are people saying handbrake initiation is bad for the car as well? there is no undue stress put on anything when using the handbrake apart from maybe the cable if you are snatching it all the time.. but as long as you have the clutch in it's not going to cause any wear you our engine or transmisison.

I said it because most people will not rev match after using the handbrake and this will cause stress on the clutch, gearbox and ring and pinion.

not anymore than doing a burnout. same thing only in reverse. wheels moving faster than the rpm's vs wheels not moving at all with high rpm. i would think most people would not "rev match" to be specific, but keep the revs up as its common sense. otherwise you'll just bog once you let the clutch back out

Yes, and parts are used to having a force going one direction. Say you are entering a quick turn at the top of 2nd gear. Rpms are at 7k and you clutch in pull the hand brake. You're new at this and don't know how the car is going to react to a clutch kick after you just established sideways momentum, so by the time you put the handbrake back down the rpms are around 3.5k. You dump the clutch and the rear tires have to pull the engine up to speed, this exerts the opposite load your parts are built for and takes tons of torque to do(consider that the gear ratios your engine uses to move the car are now opposite).

If your holding the ebrake that long, that the rpm's drop that low, then I don't know what to tell you.

I'm not that "people", I said all I wan't to know about is keeping the engine reliable. NOT HOW TO DRIFT:icon_no2:

Just do basic maintence and it will be fine. Stop worrying so much. Keep an eye on your gauges.

+1.
I forgot to mention the fueltank baffles, my car suffered fuel starvation big time on left turns. I made some aluminium baffles to the original tank bucket and it fixed the problem.
Shane, Ter-tech is sponsoring the FPDA series winner to NOPI finals. Its not the event organisator in here, even tho Harri is helpping things to happen here.
btw Iw seen your bmw project on vastaheitto, its goingto be bad ass :noyes:

Well, I went out yesterday and did some small roundabouts and the car fell on it's face. At around 5krpm (only when I'm sliding) it will shoot a flame and drop boost and power. So I guess no sliding for now, may have to get rid of the twins for a single.

Oh and I didn't read completley before. Most useless post ever.

Seriously, do you listen at all or just spew out crap? Most of us have been telling you how to make the car reliable and not “how to drift”. We have all been talking about points on the car that may need to be looked at as it pertains to stresses associated with drifting.
Also, it appears that you have done absolutely NO research what so ever into the FD. The reason the car “falls on its face” at around 5k RPM is you are hitting the transition between the primary and secondary turbo. And, it doesn’t fall on its face, the standard boost pattern is 10-8-10. You are probably monkeying with it around that period and letting off just as the secondary spools.
Do not get a single because you apparently have no clue what to do with a stock set of twins.

Kids, don’t grow up to be this guy.
If you want to get into any type of motorsports what so ever (autox, drag, drifting, track etc) then learn your car or learn to trust in someone else that knows your car. When experience people give you advice then take it to heart. You don’t have to agree with it (as Turbo II doesn’t agree with my shim method) but it is information that can help you to get the car the way you want it.

The primary points you are going to have to worry about with any car that sees any type of harsh duty due to motorsports are going to be temperature and pressure. You want to make sure that your car’s vital fluids are not overheating and causing wear to your engine and that there is enough pressure to get these fluids to the areas of the engine that they are most needed. A quick trip through your specific generation’s FAQ section will show you where your model’s weak points are and what should be addressed first.

To the OP, I am sorry but this forum doesn’t support crayons and flash cards so I don’t know how to describe this anymore simply than I already have. I hope to god that you have made sure that you have looked into the oil pan slosh issues with your LS series motor that you have in your BMW and have some sort of accusump setup because the way you are going it sounds like you are going to have 2 cars with blown motors on your hands.