Burning question on "DRIFTING"
 

I hear alot of people/threads talking about drifting. I was curious, can someone could define what drifting is?

sliding sidways on all 4 wheels

a controlled slide with all four wheels, usually around a corner.

One of the most inefficient ways of cornering. But for some reason, everyone loves it...

Good place for drifting: in a rally race (because static friction often isn't an option, often sliding due to lack of traction)

Bad place for drifting: on pavement (because static friction IS an option, only sliding when you make a mistake)

Simply put, when you're sliding, it's much more diffiult to slow down or speed up (or change direction), so you just kinda mush through the corners.

Drifting on pavement may be "cool", but it's not a way to win races. The same applies to racing xmods.

you are not sliding on all 4 wheels, you are sliding out the 2 rear wheels and control the drift with the front by turning the wheel almost to its limit. the 2 rear wheels must not just slide out, they must be rotating which means more power is required.

its been popular in japan for a decade or so, and just with the introduction of the d1 drift series to western US, americans are learning what its all about, which will sadly, blow the sport up and take away all meaning behind it.

drifting was also not meant for any track racing whatsoever, it is simply a sport. it takes massive amounts of skill to go in and out of a drift properly, it takes throttle,brake,and steering control.
heres some images of the top drifters in US 2003 d1 gp:

http://www.urbanracer.com/gallery/ga...31-03/0174.jpg

http://www.urbanracer.com/gallery/ga...31-03/0452.jpg

http://www.urbanracer.com/gallery/ga...31-03/0691.jpg

http://www.urbanracer.com/gallery/ga...31-03/0943.jpg

the first response is funny!!

when your drifting, you have to still be going kinda fast during the drifts. i mean, entering a corner at 60 and leaving after the drift at 20 doesnt really count....

if you seen videos, some do a 4 wheel drift. even though in those pics the front wheels are pointed in teh direction they're headed, it's not pointed perfectly in that direction and thus the front are sliding. if your front wheels are perfectly planted, you'd be doing a powerslide around a small corner and would not be able to do what those drivers in those pics are doing. your front wheels have to slide a little to do such a large arc in a drift.

little wheel skid on the front tires is an effect of drifting. drifting doesnt require 2 front tires skidding, a perfect drift car has suspension and camber setup so that the front tires skid as little as possible to increase traction to control the drift. a 4wheel drift means you have no control and arent drifting properly, it also means you suck at it. and besides... the smoke you see from the front tires is probably from burning on the wheel well and not on the ground as this is a common thing in drifting.




The official definition of a 'drift' according to the Drift Session is, "Exceeding your tires' limits of adhesion, exhibiting a lateral slip, resulting in an oversteered condition. We'll break it down like this: 1. 'Exceeding your tires' limits of adhesion' means that there is no longer enough traction available for your tires to maintain grip with the roadway. This can be caused by numerous things including: using too much horsepower at a given point in time, too great a degree to cornering angle, too much speed carried into a corner, slippery roadway conditions, etc. 2. 'Exhibiting a lateral slip' means that your car is traveling towards a vector that is not consistent with the direction your vehicle is facing; aka your car is facing sideways, but still moving towards the direction you were previously pointed. 3. 'Resulting in an oversteered condition' is basically defined as your vehicle angle being greater than the angle of the corner negotiated. The combination of these three elements is what we will use as the basic components of a 'drift.'

Old skOol Drifting!!!!!...(I Think):o

lol thats just a skid/powerslide

Uhhhh...I think that was out topic.......sry

Drifting is my favvvvvorite type of racing. And in case you guys forgot, one of the best places to drift is on mountain passes and in parking lots for practice.

ok now you see... this is what i hate to hear. first off, mountain passes are the worst place ever to drift, as it is very easy to crash in a car with the tires spinning with no traction..just because you downloaded some videos or bought one, showing skilled japanese drivers drifting on mountain roads doesnt mean its the best place, safest, or legal. if you want to drift, go to your local track. if there is no track around your area, a very wide open parking lot is probably the safest option you have. just remember it is illegal and considered wreckless driving. also, drifting isnt a type of race... its a sport that each individual drifter goes at a certain time.

You can watch 4-wheel drifting in WRC races all the time.

thats completely irrelevant to street made xmods and cars alike.