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...as they apply to each of the cars I have owned...
First car: 87 GMC Safari.
Well, this car was a total turd. No power meant it could do nothing. One day though, it was snowing outside. I was going down some country roads that had iced over. As you could expect, the back end broke loose around a turn. All I knew was to point the steering wheel in the direction I wanted to go.and feather the gas. Sure enough, I managed to guide it through the turn.
BTW- as for my mom, who was folloing me, she thought I was going to crash and saw me managing the turn as pure luck (could be).
Second: 99 VW Jetta IV: We had about 2 feet of snow back in December of '00. I took it into a parking lot and did a few 180 with the e-brake. Then I figured out how to drift the back end out in a slow and gradual turn. (first controlled drift, didn't know it was called drifting)
3dr: 87 escort GT: The brakes in back were crap so it wanted to spin when braking while turning.
4th: 2001 Prelude SH: This car hated to drift, that is, didn't allow for it. The only time it ever went sideways was when I was driving it home from the car shop for a tune up. They did a tire roatation when I said don't. Just add a downpour and some major oversteer at 50 mph. They picked up the $17,000 repair tab!
5th: 96 accord: Did nothing with it.
6th: 90 Astro AWD. When it first came, the tires were slick so the rain made for "fun time." Add the engine swap and it was obvious that the thing wasn't made for drifting.
7th: 88 Mustang GT vert. Now this car was something else. Soooo much torque. I kicked the back end out in every turn and ate up a set of tires in 10k miles, then I went through the second set in 3k. One day last January, I was downshifting while slowing down on a salty (slippery) road and I ended up breaking the back tires lose. I ended up doing a 180 and faced the oncoming traffic (about 3 cars spaced widely).
8th 86 Scirocco: This thing was only temporary. My younger brother would drift it, but I didn't. The best I managed to do was hit my head on the ceiling whenever I hit a bump or pothole.
9th: 92 Integra LS: 1st drift: I was at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, Il. I was on my 3rd lap when my brakes faded into a sharp right turn and I was going about 70 when I wanted to go about 35. I jerked the steering wheel to the right and the back end kicked out on me. The instructor/passenger yelled "power." I added some power in 3rd gear and I maintained a steady drift for about 3 seconds. Then I downshifted and pulled out of the drift. (never knew I could take a turn that fast!)
2nd Drift: I was heading home one day on the freeway. A mattress fell off of a car earlier and now there was a cop on the side of the road. A van was in front of me which eventually ran over the mattress. My instinct was to swerve (despite the fact that the local cops say "hit the breaks and never swerve" (usually referring to deer). After a quick right stear followed by a left stear, I had that integra going sideways. I tried to regain control while off the gas, but ended up reversing the slide. My second attempt included adding some power (this was only a week after the 1st slide) and pulled out of it.
So... these are the first drifts in my many different cars. I'll include that I have made many intentional and unintensional drifts in the past 5 years.
What do you think?
First car: 87 GMC Safari.
Well, this car was a total turd. No power meant it could do nothing. One day though, it was snowing outside. I was going down some country roads that had iced over. As you could expect, the back end broke loose around a turn. All I knew was to point the steering wheel in the direction I wanted to go.and feather the gas. Sure enough, I managed to guide it through the turn.
BTW- as for my mom, who was folloing me, she thought I was going to crash and saw me managing the turn as pure luck (could be).
Second: 99 VW Jetta IV: We had about 2 feet of snow back in December of '00. I took it into a parking lot and did a few 180 with the e-brake. Then I figured out how to drift the back end out in a slow and gradual turn. (first controlled drift, didn't know it was called drifting)
3dr: 87 escort GT: The brakes in back were crap so it wanted to spin when braking while turning.
4th: 2001 Prelude SH: This car hated to drift, that is, didn't allow for it. The only time it ever went sideways was when I was driving it home from the car shop for a tune up. They did a tire roatation when I said don't. Just add a downpour and some major oversteer at 50 mph. They picked up the $17,000 repair tab!
5th: 96 accord: Did nothing with it.
6th: 90 Astro AWD. When it first came, the tires were slick so the rain made for "fun time." Add the engine swap and it was obvious that the thing wasn't made for drifting.
7th: 88 Mustang GT vert. Now this car was something else. Soooo much torque. I kicked the back end out in every turn and ate up a set of tires in 10k miles, then I went through the second set in 3k. One day last January, I was downshifting while slowing down on a salty (slippery) road and I ended up breaking the back tires lose. I ended up doing a 180 and faced the oncoming traffic (about 3 cars spaced widely).
8th 86 Scirocco: This thing was only temporary. My younger brother would drift it, but I didn't. The best I managed to do was hit my head on the ceiling whenever I hit a bump or pothole.
9th: 92 Integra LS: 1st drift: I was at Blackhawk Farms Raceway in South Beloit, Il. I was on my 3rd lap when my brakes faded into a sharp right turn and I was going about 70 when I wanted to go about 35. I jerked the steering wheel to the right and the back end kicked out on me. The instructor/passenger yelled "power." I added some power in 3rd gear and I maintained a steady drift for about 3 seconds. Then I downshifted and pulled out of the drift. (never knew I could take a turn that fast!)
2nd Drift: I was heading home one day on the freeway. A mattress fell off of a car earlier and now there was a cop on the side of the road. A van was in front of me which eventually ran over the mattress. My instinct was to swerve (despite the fact that the local cops say "hit the breaks and never swerve" (usually referring to deer). After a quick right stear followed by a left stear, I had that integra going sideways. I tried to regain control while off the gas, but ended up reversing the slide. My second attempt included adding some power (this was only a week after the 1st slide) and pulled out of it.
So... these are the first drifts in my many different cars. I'll include that I have made many intentional and unintensional drifts in the past 5 years.
What do you think?