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X-Raying of FORMULA DRIFT Vehicles

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  • X-Raying of FORMULA DRIFT Vehicles

    Kevin Wells Technical Manager of Formula DRIFT Opens Up About the X-Raying of Vehicles at Round 7



    Prior to the start of Round 7: Title Fight at Irwindale Speedway the decision was made by Formula DRIFT technical manager, Kevin Wells to inspect the top contending vehicles via X-ray, which was the first time in the Series history that this had been done.

    In order to shed some light to the reasons why this procedure was completed, Wells has answered the top questions that have continued to be asked since the event.

    Why did Formula Drift X-ray vehicles?

    We were looking to see if competitors had modified chassis and/or hidden ballast. We contacted technicians from NASCAR and NHRA to see what equipment they used for this type of testing. Neither NASCAR or NHRA has done this before. Due to the variety of vehicles we have, and the location we desired to examine them, the methods NASCAR and NHRA use to examine their cars were not feasible. After further research, we decided on X-ray as the best method to determine if vehicles had modified chassis or hidden ballast.

    Which vehicles did you X-ray?

    We decided to X-ray the top seven ranked vehicles because these vehicles were eligible by points to win the championship. The top seven vehicles were composed of five vehicle models: Ford Mustang (2), Lexus SC430 (1), Nissan 240SX (2), Hyundai Genesis (1), and Scion TC (1). In addition to the seven competition vehicles, we also X-rayed stock versions of the five makes in order to compare our findings.

    Where did you X-ray?

    We X-rayed the rocker panel / door sill portion of the vehicle. This portion of the vehicle was suspected to be an ideal place for placing additional ballast or adding additional frame structure.

    Did you find anything?

    No, all the vehicles we examined were legal and passed the test. Below are three images taken from different Ford Mustangs. You can clearly see these vehicles are not modified in this portion of the vehicle.

    Stock Mustang x-ray

    Will Formula Drift continue doing this in the future?

    Yes, we will continue to look for vehicles that are breaking the rules (to keep a level playing field), and this will be one of the tools at our disposal.






  • #2
    I'm not an engineer but i'd assume the beneficial location for ballast would be over the rear wheels and or on the passenger side as far as drifting is concerned. It looks like the xrays are done on on driverside rocker panel?

    why was this location chosen vs doing the full frame of the vehicle ?

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    • #3
      Originally posted by vvtisupra View Post
      I'm not an engineer but i'd assume the beneficial location for ballast would be over the rear wheels and or on the passenger side as far as drifting is concerned. It looks like the xrays are done on on driverside rocker panel?

      why was this location chosen vs doing the full frame of the vehicle ?
      my understanding is that vehicles can use a certain amount of ballast (off the top of my head i think it was 50lbs but my mind is floating right now and i could be wrong).
      i believe the x-rays were being used to check to make sure teams weren't filling the frame rails with weight in order to tip the scales and up their rear tire size (more weight, wider tires allowed. wider tires, more grip). putting weight in the frame rails keeps the weight low and centered so it would create an advantage that way as well.

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      • #4
        Right in the frame rail to keep a low cg. But I'd assume you want to increase ballast weight opposing the drivers weight or in the frame rails near the same vertical axis inline of the rear wheels to increase traction. By the pictures it looks like only the drivers side rocker was examined.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by vvtisupra View Post
          Right in the frame rail to keep a low cg. But I'd assume you want to increase ballast weight opposing the drivers weight or in the frame rails near the same vertical axis inline of the rear wheels to increase traction. By the pictures it looks like only the drivers side rocker was examined.
          i believe pretty much the whole car had x-rays taken but the focus was on the frame rails due to the more likely chance on filling it with weight.
          remember there is ballast allowed, adding weight to the passenger side and over the rear wheel is something teams do a lot, additional hidden weight in those areas would just upset the balance of the vehicle IMO. putting it in the frame rails would add overall weight low and centered without creating a ballast factor.

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          • #6
            When the weight/tire rule came into play putting hidden balast in the frame rails was one of the first things that popped into my head. Im glad that they prempted this and I am also surprised that nobody that was tested had been abusing ballast.

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            • #7
              I don't see full X-rays I see rocker panel xrays

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              • #8
                Originally posted by vvtisupra View Post
                I don't see full X-rays I see rocker panel xrays
                did you find somewhere were th other cars x-rays were posted? i think they just used those pics as examples of what they were looking for and what they found.

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                • #9
                  nope, but i figured since they all showed only rocker panels, that its the only xray they took. Unless proven other wise

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                  • #10
                    When people start cheating in drifting, you know it's gone too far.

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