drifting in a low power car

[944drift]

Hey ive got a 944 that ive been trying to drift. I can kind of brake drift but when i do it i only shift the wait i cant skid unless i am going faster than 40 mph. I shift the wait with the brake and then hit the gas and turn really hard and as im turning the end kicks out and i counterstear but ill only slide like 10 ft and then i get kicked back the other way. i only have like 150 hp and torque so i think i cant keep it going because of the power. Is there anything i can do to keep it going longer? Also i have a hard time drifting in to the turn it seams like im always drifting out of it. My e brake is located on my left so its really hard to pull so i dont use it. How can i get my rear to loose traction quicker so I enter the turn sideways and keep going?

[sdtouge]

clutch kick, stay on the gas, and clutch kick mid drift.

[Drift For Food]

Throttle is your friend. If you don't have the power to break the rear tires, letting off during a drift could mean the end of the drift as the tires wil recatch and and you'll end up gripping again. Find out how long you can let off or lighten the throttle during your drift.

Now just punching it and seeing what happens isn't the best way to go either. You will play with the throttle to control the rear end. With less power, you just don't have as much room/time to play. The throttle is really a balancing act along with the steering inputs. They go hand in hand and do require moduation to adjust/maintain control.

Now you mention problems keeping the rear end out. You may not be focusing quite on the correct area. Look to the front of the car for the answer, the steering. Drifting and counter steering are light bread and butter. But, with an underpowered car, you need to realize you don't need to countersteer so much. Since the rear end isn't so easy to keep loose, you'll actually assist it with the front end by countersteering a little less. You should actually find the ability to keep the rear end out longer or even the ability to break the rear end loose while gripping just with a little more steer in. If you're gunning it and find the rear wanting to regrip, steer towards the corner a touch more.

For a pesky rear end that wants to keep on sticking, you'll have to be a little rough on it. Since you don't quite have the engine power to break traction, use other ways to do it. Try to pump the throttle abruptly on and off. Be deliberatly rough with it, think on/off switch for the gas pedal. It's either up or down. This can provide the forces needed to upset the rear end and break it loose, even keep it loose mid drift if you find it wanting to restick. An added bonus with this technique is that when the throttle is off for the brief period of time, you're actually shifting a little weight forward for more front traction and less rear traction. Along with the abrupt nature and the weight shift, it can get things moving sideways or keep them there.

So what about entering the corner? Well, you seem to be doing braking drifts into the corner. That's a good technique and should work quite well for you. If you don't want to do that technique, say if you're already at the corner speed and down want to slow down further, there are other things you can do. Something a little more subtle and along the same idea of upsetting the rear tires is how you shift into the corner. Start in one gear higher than the cornering gear. With the throttle off coming into the corner, as you start to steer into the corner, shift down to the lower gear without touching the gas. The abrupt engine braking from idle up to the matching rpm for the gear can get the rear end to break traction. A final technique is feint. This is the side to side tossing of the car. You essentially forcefully rotate the car trying to spin it. This is also a good technique if you are already going the correct speed for the corner. It requires no throttle or break input to do, just steering. To do it, just steer away from the corner and quickly towards. It's a goofy technique to learn as it feels quite weird to do. However, it is very useful and does wonders combining with other techniques like braking. It does require strong front grip though and a stiff enough suspension to shift the weight quickly from side to side.

I did mention about combining techniques. The beauty of drifting is that it can be quite fluid and many techniques can all be combined together or at different times to achieve a desired result. When you start combining these techniques together, you can really start making the car do some interesting things.

[944drift]

thank you for the help. The first technique that you mention to enter the corner is shift lock right?

[944drift]

thanks for the help

thank you for the in help i appreciate it. Was the first technique that you were saying to go into a turn with shift lock? I dont really want to try this because it puts a lot of wear on your drivetrain i hear. What is the easist way to enduce a drift in your opinion. I read your post on meditation and tried it last night. I was able to completly block out everything around me while becoming very allert to myself. I only could hear a ringing sound, not even my own breathing. It was very odd. It stopped after about 15 minutes. it was very refreshing. I am going to try to apply this to my driving today.

[vdubin]

Was the first technique that you were saying to go into a turn with shift lock? I dont really want to try this because it puts a lot of wear on your drivetrain i hear.

If you don't want to put wear on your drive train/car stop trying to drift. This is not a dainty tea party sport, you are going to put massive wear on your car drifting. You will wear out clutches, tires, wheel bearings, suspension bushings, and differential bearings. If you hit something then there's more repairs.

[944drift]

I just dont want to mess my car car up any more than i need to. I drift everyday in lots near my house and have have already shelled out a lot of cash on repairs for my car. I know it messes your car up but that doesnt meen i need accelerate the prosses. Shift locks mess your car up bad. theres other techniques that still get you sideways but put less wear on your car. Ive been just feinting and braking lately which is working pretty well. Clutch kick sometimes and ill do a minor shift lock every now and then just to slow the wheels so i can pull it sideways with the throttle after.

[brainfood]

you need more speed I carry more speed than all my friends with sr's because i have too I prefer a wider tire also because I like to carry a lot more speed where they can enter a corner with ebrake or shift lock and power out of it I enter wide open throttle clutch kick and keep it floored to the apex or right past it lift throttle alittle to correct my line and get lined up for corner exit and then right back on wide open throttle. its also my teqnique a little I like more throttle where I could run a slightly narrower tire and use less gas I like to run a grippier setup with more speed and more throttle. It all depends on your style you just need to find a teqnique you are comfortable with even if it is the ebrake and use it till you are comfortable with the car being sideways and holding a drift and then practice on your transfers because most courses I drift I clutch kick on the first corner and link the course so I dont need to worry about initiating for every corner but another course I run has a couple of long straights so on one side I clutch kick top of 2nd sometimes into 3rd and on the other side it is decreasing radius so I brake drift into the corner and then full throttle out of it.

[944drift]

i got my stuff down. practice practice practice read the forums and more practice and i can finnaly do it. Drift in around and out of the turn with some feint brake and gas. Clutch kick too i like the feint way better. I just feel like im hurting my car when i kick the clutch even if its not really that bad for it. I know it does mess the syncros up in your tranny though as well as the clutch of course. Anyway im not here to start and argument about the effects of clutch kicking if you like it do it and see how it works for you all cars are different. thanks for all the help ive gotten in this forum it has really sped up my progress considerably.

[brainfood]

glad you got the hang of the initiations now just practice and get better once you have the fundamentals down practice practice practice I feel like I learn something new everytime I go out. good luck stay safe and dont hit any curbs

[944drift]

i have hit a curb before really hard and ended up in some guys backyard. I didnt really know what i was doing and just hit the gas too hard and didnt really counter and just spun. I dont drift on the streets anymore to nerve racking, expensive, and dangerous. Parking lots are way better.
I have been practicing a lot though and one thing ive noticed is im not very consistant. Itll come with practice. Im going to an autox this sunday and im going to drift there. Do you know if the scca gets mad over drifting. I dont think they should since its just a form of racing really. I would go to a drift event but there too expensive.

[WytKnight]

SCCA and drift

Im going to an autox this sunday and im going to drift there. Do you know if the scca gets mad over drifting. I dont think they should since its just a form of racing really. I would go to a drift event but there too expensive.

This depends on the individual SCCA chapter/promoter of the autoX. The one here in portland has a strict ban on it from what im told by regulars. I have seen some SCCA drift events in the events and meetings section. The best thing to do in my opinion is participate in some autoX because it teaches great control fundementals and can be fun. Then talk to the various coordinators of the event and see what thier attitude towards drifting is. They may be open to it or they may not. Dont force it on them while in a run... if you try to drift and end up plowing alot of cones someone is likely to get mad. Someone who could for instance ban you from all thier events. It looks more professional to discuss it in advance after being a known participant. Youll likely get a better reponse than if your JSD (JustSomeDood)

my $.02 ciao

[944drift]

i didnt get to go out to the event because i got really sick with the flu. Im going to do what you said and participate in a few events then ask if some drifitng would be ok. It seems like im going to have to dish out the cash to go to a drifting event. Is there any reason drifitng events from dgtrials and club loose are so much more $$ then auto x. The expenses are both the same really open parking lot and cones. How can one be 35 bucks and the other be 75.

[cpv35]

i didnt get to go out to the event because i got really sick with the flu. Im going to do what you said and participate in a few events then ask if some drifitng would be ok. It seems like im going to have to dish out the cash to go to a drifting event. Is there any reason drifitng events from dgtrials and club loose are so much more $$ then auto x. The expenses are both the same really open parking lot and cones. How can one be 35 bucks and the other be 75.

From my experience with autoX you get 3 runs at about 30 seconds to a minute a piece. A drift event usually gets me 4-5 hours of seat time.

[944drift]

that makes sense. less people meens higher price.