Best DRIFTING Upgrades?!?

[vigvoodoo]

I think we should make a list of the first upgrades one should make to a car and why those upgrades should be the firsts on most anyones list of to do's. This, I belive, would be great for the newbies and might answer some of their questions and stop some of the "I just bought my car what should i do?" threads.

[GRiDRaceTech]

There is a thread exactly like what you want. Link: http://www.drifting.com/forums/showt...&threadid=3486

[vigvoodoo]

Thats kinda like what I'm talking about but its too specific and noobs will probably bypass it. I'm talking about something that resembles more of a list in order of most needed to less needed.

[Deluxe_247]

No one driver or car will be the same. What I think i need will not be the same for someone else. you can drift in a stock car. Once you know how to do that you will realize what YOU need. And if you already know how to drift then you should already know what you want for your car.

[vigvoodoo]

Well what I'm saying is kinda what Keiichi talks about on Drift Bible. For example he states that an LSD should be one of the first upgrades and he also goes on to list the other needed first upgrades. The first thing should always be to have the car in near to or above stock conditions before any upgrades. Once this is done most any car will benefit from the same upgrades thus the list I'm talking about comes in handy. I could be completely wrong and if I am then disregard this post.

[vigvoodoo]

By the way, I would post a list but I do not yet have enough experience to know what parts are of greatest benefit to have.

[penpen989]

well im not gonna post reasons why u shouldnt have made this thread, thats dumb. Ill post what ive learned over the years and what i believe to be pretty much universal upgrades for drifting. But i am by no means a "pro" and have only been drifting for about 3 years.

First off should be finding the right wheel/tire combination. stock wheels may be good if they are small enough but for cars like the IS300 which comes with 17's a downgrade would be needed. For instance i drive a miata, the 15's i use for autox have z rated tires and are far too grippy to slide. A set of 14's (or even 13's if u have coil overs) with a decent low profile tire (50 or 55 series) will be fine for the front and a used pair on the back if ure starting out.
After that would be a differential. Theres so many kinds to choose from that no one wants to go into most of them. Stay away from open LSD and Viscous LSD. Ive seen ads for vlsd's on ebay that promote them as being great for drifting.... not so, my miata came with one and one-wheeling it around corners doesnt work. It prevents both wheels from losing grip and makes drifting very hard. The best choice would be a Clutch type LSD, many AE86 came with them stock, and if u have say a miata, u can swap one from an FC3S GTU model i believe. Its a good idea to have it rebuilt before drifting cause with older cars they probably have never been rebuilt and the discs inside are probably worn. Once you have this done donuts and whatnot are now possible and a great way to practice is to do a donut and gradually make it bigger. youd be surprised how many "experienced" drifters cant do this excersise.

Soon after that, or even before it should be some suspension work, you dont need anything major by any means, if all you can afford is springs then go for it, a shock/spring combo would be great for starting out. The stock springs and shocks are generally made for comfort and driving sideways will put alot of strain not only on them but on your tie rods etc. Things will break easily. Manabu Orido practices drifting in an AE86 with nothing but suspension mods. He says if you can learn to drift well with a low powered car then drifting the high powered ones is simple.

Other than that everything else is pretty much just "option parts".
so to recap---
1. correct wheel tire combo.
2. clutch type LSD (find out what other cars have one that will fit ure car with a little modifications so that u dont have to spend 800 on a kaaz or cusco one ^_^)
3. Stiffen suspension, springs or spring/shock combo is cheap and effective. If u can only afford one id get springs, cause if u get shocks and use stock springs, most likely the spring wont be able to keep up with the shocks compression and rebound and will get "fatigued"

well i hope this helps.

[bluballz]

im not going to make a list, but i think a good seat and harness is often overlooked. or if you can't afford a seat, at good harness will do. not only will this increase the feed back from you car, but it will help hold you in place so you can concentrate more on driving instead of holding yourself inplace.

[Craftsman]

I would have to say Suspension parts...

I like a stiff dampers and high spring constants...

Matt.

[LexmarkX73]

i would suggest if you really want to do "mods" gut the interior and drive around with the suspension stock. If the car bottoms out or if you notice excesive, roll you may feel you need suspension. if your car isnt stopping "on a dime" get new pads, stainless lines and oem sized slotted rotors. After that if you do not have a LSD you may want to invest in one now, of course research and see what suits you. As mentioned a clutch type is the best design, mainly because it is very fast reacting, because it is controlled by engine torqe. (A VLSD depends on wheel speed for the limited slip effect to come into play opposed to engine torque, which obviously occurs before the wheels spin.) finally a racing seat and/or harness would be a good option. its hard to drive if you are almost sitting on the shifter you probably want to stay planted in your seat.

[penpen989]

Originally posted by bluballz
im not going to make a list, but i think a good seat and harness is often overlooked. or if you can't afford a seat, at good harness will do. not only will this increase the feed back from you car, but it will help hold you in place so you can concentrate more on driving instead of holding yourself inplace.

Id agree with this, being comfortable in the car is key, also a good steering wheel helps the controll and will make heel toe easier than the big stock wheel. I just didnt include it in the list because its really an option part and u shouldnt go ahead and buy a seat if u have no LSD or Suspension. <IMHO

[jdmrice]

i made a similar post before and i am going to copy and paste it

people will tell you different things depends on their experience..but here is what i think..

u need..

1. good tires (front of the car) ...

entry level tires are
yokohama ES100, Falken Azenis sports (these are the only two i have experience with so... maybe others can put in some more tire selection for ENTRY level) price you are looking at from 100 for a set to about 250 for two tires for the front..

2. good suspension

you can start with a shock/spring combo but i don't know what works good. i am currently using coilover on my car and that what i start with..so suspension is strongly recommended .. you are looking at about 600-2000 depends on what you are going to get

3. LSD
you will need to get either a factory VLSD or a clutch type LSD... it's recommend item as well (however someone driven open diff and won 3rd place in a dd competiton before..so..you can drive with open diff however LSD is highly recommended) VLSD 200-400 LSD 700-1400

4. good alignment..
it's always needed no matter what..

5. maybe a good racing seat so it can hold you in place while you are going sideways..

that's all i have on my JDMJUNK and i have lots of fun with it on the track..


extra notes..

i drove my friend's car last sunday during drift day advance, he has a stock KA with bolt on parts such as intake, exhaust, header. (my jdmjunk project is bone stock and it pass somg) anyways. i was able to do a lot better on some higher speed turns as well as low speed drift, power is very very nice (of course not as much compare to a SR) but onece again it proofs that you don't need to do engine swap for drifting. have fun guys..

[jboss]

Mods to do first----in order of importance

1--make sure car is safe
2--repair car so that it is in like-new running condition
3--drive car as is until you can drive it completely comfortably
4--modify as you can afford to starting with the items that will yeild the most FUN per Dollar spent.

I'll give you a hint as to what will give you the most fun per dollar spent----tires, driving school (they are expensive but still super high on fun per dollar--heck with a good 3 day driver school ($1000-2000), you can show up ALL of your buddies with $4000-$10,000 in nearly useless mods, proper springs and dampers---not this lowering road weenie crap either, LSD, Shorter final drive---usually overlooked, etc etc etc..

Dont forget the free mods---lighten the car, play with tire pressures etc etc

[DriftFactory]

I agree, drifting is hard on a car. You need to make sure that your car is in good working order first. After any problems with the car are fixed I suggest an LSD as the first mod. Get a good strong 2 way and slide around on stock suspension for awhile. Once you get a feel for it and have some idea of how it could feel better, then you are ready to start suspension upgrades. Remember, if you want to be a good drifter, POWER LAST.

[penpen989]

Originally posted by DriftFactory
I agree, drifting is hard on a car. You need to make sure that your car is in good working order first. After any problems with the car are fixed I suggest an LSD as the first mod. Get a good strong 2 way and slide around on stock suspension for awhile. Once you get a feel for it and have some idea of how it could feel better, then you are ready to start suspension upgrades. Remember, if you want to be a good drifter, POWER LAST.

yea thats what i was doing, my first mod was a rollbar cause its a convertible and then LSD. RX7 clutch type. Then I got some suspension and wheels and full intake/exhaust. Currently have HKS Hipermax II coilovers coming in in a week!! i cant waitttttt. those will be fun to play with.